With it raining heavily here in the Northeast, nothing much is going on, so it’s time to give you your regular Friday megalinks.
As usual, we go over your Weekend Viewing Picks.
Baseball’s last weekend of the regular season is going down to the wire with pennant and wild card races. ESPN has the Cubs-Brewers tonight at 8. Fox has coverage of four games on Saturday, but strangely has the meaningless Yankees-Red Sox game instead of the Marlins-Mets game. And Yankees-Red Sox isn’t even the main game, going to just one-fourth of the country. The entire slate and announcing assignments can be seen here. TBS has Mets-Marlins, Sunday at 1 p.m.
College Football has some interesting games now that #1 USC was upset on Thursday by Oregon State. One of the better matchups takes place in the SEC with Alabama visiting Georgia on ESPN at 7:45 p.m. on Saturday. The College Football Viewing Picks will help you to sort out your schedule for a rainy Saturday.
The NFL goes into its first real bye week and it leaves us with a slim picking of games. Yes, there’s the AARP Bowl between Arizona and the Jets, with a matchup of older QB’s, Kurt Warner vs. Brett Favre and the lone late afternoon game will be on Fox, as Washington travels to Dallas at 4:15 p.m. Sunday. Of course, the NFL Viewing Picks has everything you need to know about announcing teams, coverage maps, DirecTV channel assignments and Sirius Satellite Radio channel assignments.
The PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup culiminates this weekend with the Tour Championship in Atlanta. Golf Channel and NBC team up for coverage on Saturday and Sunday. Golf Channel takes the morning coverage Saturday at 10 and Sunday at 11. NBC then takes over at noon Saturday and then at 1:30 p.m. Sunday.
Golf Channel has same day coverage of the LPGA’s Navistar Classic, Saturday and Sunday at 6:30 p.m.
NASCAR’s Camping World RV 400 will be seen Sunday at 2 p.m. on ABC.
The Formula 1 circuit heads to Asia for the Singapore Grand Prix which Speed will have Sunday morning at 7:30.
Now to your links:
National
USA Today’s Michael Hiestand says Fox has two games missing from its MLB schedule for Saturday.
The Sports Media Watch says one businessman is suggesting that Saturday’s Alabama-Georgia game be postponed. The SMW has some football names and notes. And the blog has some stuff on ESPN.
Christopher Byrne’s Eye on Sports Media blog has the first of a mult-part look at the setup of ESPN’s College Gameday at the University of Georgia campus this weekend.
CNBC’s Darren Rovell crunches the numbers from USC’s upset at the hands of Oregon State and finds that both schools may have made money on the deal.
Joe Favorito appreciates the planning behind the Montreal Canadiens’ centennial celebration for this season.
Erin Andrews Sexy Time. Deadspin is all over it.
East and Mid-Atlantic
David Scott from Boston Sports Media Watch goes in-depth into Red Sox beat reporter Sean McAdam’s departure from the Providence Journal and joining the Boston Herald.
Because of the recent migration by several Boston sports reporters, Bruce Allen of the BSMW put together a Media Movement Scorecard.
Nancy Marrapese-Burrell of the Boston Globe talks with NESN Bruins voice Jack Edwards.
The great Neil Best of Newsday touches upon a bunch of subjects in his Friday column including catching up with the stenographer who does the closed captionining for the Mike Francesa show on YES. Neil has a bit more with the stenographer in his blog. And Neil says Mets manager Jerry Manuel could hold a clinic on media relations.
The New York Post’s Phil Mushnick remembers the late New York Giants radio analyst Dick Lynch.
The Post’s Justin Terranova talks with ESPN’s Jesse Palmer and ESPN/ABC’s Craig James about Alabama-Georgia. Justin has five questions for SNY’s Ron Darling.
The constantly bitter and increasingly angry Bob Raissman wonders why the Mets aren’t on Fox tomorrow.
Laura Nachman says Phillies announcer Tom McCarthy has been tapped to do the Nationals-Phillies game for Fox on Saturday.
Over to the Baltimore Sun’s Ray Frager who writes that ESPN’s Ron Jaworski is impressed with the Ravens’ offense.
Jim Williams from the Washington Examiner writes that former DC sports radio talk show host John Riggins returns to Sirius NFL Radio starting today. And in the Baltimore Examiner, Jim writes that Fox NFL analyst Brian Billick feels his former team, the Ravens could make the playoffs.
Midwest
Michael Zuidema of the Grand Rapids (MI) Press says FSN Detroit followed Red Wings forward Dan Cleary as he took the Stanley Cup to his native Newfoundland over the summer.
Ted Cox of the Chicago Daily Herald grades the city’s baseball TV and radio announcers.
Bob Wolfley from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says Fox’s Da
ryl Johnston likes Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers.
Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says the new sports radio station in town won’t stoop to low brow humor.
Jeffrey Flanagan of the Kansas City Star says last Sunday’s Chiefs-Falcons game was the lowest in the market dating back to 2001.
South
Doug Nye from The State says the TV ratings prove that the NFL is as popular as ever.
The Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson talks about TBS tinkering with its MLB postseason coverage this season.
The Orlando Sentinel’s Dave Darling talks with Tampa Bay Rays voice Andy Freed (formerly of the Pawtucket Red Sox) about the team’s amazing rise to the playoffs.
Eric Crawford of the Louisville Courier-Journal feels ESPN should end its Friday night college football games.
Ray Buck of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram says ESPN has jumped on the Dallas Cowboys’ bandwagon.
David Barron from the Houston Chronicle tells us that Astros radio voice Dave Raymond will be working on the radio during the offseason.
Mel Bracht from The Oklahoman says FSN Big 12 analyst Gary Reasons will be on the field for the TCU-Oklahoma game tomorrow. Mel discusses ESPN’s plans for a 23 hour college basketball season opening marathon in October. And Mel has his weekend viewing picks.
West
Scott D. Pierce of the Deseret (UT) News says more and more Utah Jazz games are heading to cable and off free TV.
Jay Posner in the San Diego Union-Tribune writes that the Padres radio broadcast team will remain intact for 2009. Jay also has the ratings from San Diego over the last week.
John Maffei of the North County Times is happy that Vin Scully is returning to the Dodgers for his 60th season.
Jim Carlisle in the Ventura County Star says the TBS’ staff feels the Dodgers despite their record cannot be taken lightly.
From the Los Angeles Times, Steve Springer writes that a local sports radio host is now looking for work.
Tom Hoffarth from the Los Angeles Daily News says coming up next week, the Tampa Bay Rays won’t be hidden from the national spotlight anymore. Tom has the first part of his media notes in his Farther Off the Wall blog. And here’s part 2 of his notes.
Gary Washburn of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer says ESPN/ABC college football analyst Ed Cunningham is one of a handful of former NFL lineman who have lost weight to change his quality of life.
Canada
William Houston of the Toronto Globe and Mail looks at the Boston Globe’s new weekly sports publication.
Digital Home Canada says CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada Radio returns to Sirius Satellite Radio on Monday.
The Montreal Gazette says CBC has added 10 Montreal Canadiens games to its Hockey Night in Canada schedule.
The Canadian Press says CTV/TSN has recorded a new version of the Hockey Theme which until last season, played the beginning of every CBC Hockey Night in Canada game. And a preview can be heard at the TSN.ca site.
That’s it for now.
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