I’m still having computer issues at home which are preventing me from doing an evening update. I can still blog at work, but if the computer issues still persist during the weekend, then I may not be able to give you Saturday and Sunday updates. I appreciate your patience during this time.
In the meantime, I can provide you with your Friday megalinks.
This weekend’s sports TV viewing includes The Masters which will be in full swing. Saturday is traditionally known as Moving Day as the top contenders rise to the surface. As long as Tiger Woods makes the cut, he’ll be in the hunt for his 5th Green Jacket. Last year’s champion, Zach Johsnon will try to become the first repeat champion since Tiger did it in 2002-03. ESPN has the 2nd round coverage today starting at 4 p.m. CBS will have weekend coverage, beginning Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET and 18 hole coverage on Sunday beginning at 2:30 p.m.
Baseball’s version of the Hatfields and McCoys resumes as the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox get together again. It’s a bit early for my tastes, but any time the two teams play, something always happens. Fox has the Saturday game starting at 3:55 p.m. and ESPN has the Sunday night game starting at 8:05 p.m.
NASCAR is in Arizona this weekend. Fox Sports will have coverage of the Subway Fresh Fit 500, Saturday night at 8.
The NHL Stanley Cup playoffs are in the midst of the first round or quarterfinals as it likes to say. Versus will be on top of things with coverage of Game 1 of the Washington-Philadelphia series tonight at 7. Then NBC will have Game 2 of the series on Sunday. On Saturday, NBC has Game 2 of Nashville-Detroit. Versus will also have Montreal-Boston, Saturday night as well as other action.
The NBA is making its playoff run. ESPN2 carries Cleveland at Chicago tonight and ABC has a doubleheader Sunday starting at 1 p.m.
ESPN has the NCAA Men’s Hockey Championship between Boston College and Notre Dame, Saturday night at 7.
There’s boxing on both HBO and Showtime, Saturday night. World Championship Boxing on HBO has two welterweight championshp fights at 10 p.m.. And on Showtime Championship Boxing at 9 p.m., there will be two Light Heavyweight title bouts, one involving IBO Champion Antonio Tarver taking on IBF Champ Clinton Woods.
Here’s the full weekend viewing schedule from USA Today.
Let’s do our links.
Michael Hiestand of USA Today suggests the Olympic torch be run above the earth’s atmosphere to prevent protestors from extinguishing the flame.
Now let’s go from East to West today.
East and Mid-Atlantic
Starting with Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News, he says it’s too early for Mets fans to be calling talk shows and panicking.
From the New York Post, Phil Mushnick is in a bad mood, but correctly goes after CBS’ Billy Packer for not questioning why Memphis didn’t foul before Mario Chalmers’ shot to take the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship into overtime. Justin Terranova talks with ESPN’s Jon Miller and Fox’s Tim McCarver about the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. And Terranova has five questions for the best play-by-play voice in hockey, Mike “Doc” Emrick.
Newsday’s Neil Best says network executives love televising Yankees-Red Sox games because they’re ratings gold. Neil mentions this in his column, but he wrote it first in his blog that 1050 ESPN Radio in New York will expand Michael Kay’s show by an hour.
The Philadelphia Daily News talks about Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia’s coverage of the Washington-Flyers series which begins tonight.
Ray Frager of the Baltimore Sun talks about CBS’ coverage of The Masters. Ray has a couple of tidbits that did not make his column. And Ray is asking for reader comments on which announcer you feel is the most biased. My nomination is Fox Sports’ Tim McCarver.
South
Doug Nye of The State in Columbia, South Carolina says The Masters on CBS is the true sign that Spring is here.
Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald says FSN along with the national networks are seeking more access in their sports telecasts.
Dave Darling from the Orlando Sentinel says ESPN did not mess with the tradition unlike any other, The Masters.
And David Barron of the Houston Chronicle says ESPN just followed CBS’ lead in the first round of The Masters.
Mel Bracht of The Oklahoman is happy to have more coverage of The Masters. Mel has his weekend viewing picks. And here’s his media notebook.
Midwest
George M. Thomas of the Akron Beacon Journal writes that the Cleveland Indians beat the the Cavs in the ratings last week and the Tribe even outrated King LeBron in an afternoon broadcast.
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel’s Bob Wolfley says the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship was not a ratings hit locally.
From the Chicago Tribune, Teddy Greenstein writes that Wednesday night’s extra innings game between the Cubs and Pirates led to some comic relief for TV announcers Len Kasper and Bob Brenley.
Judd Zulgad in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune says the Minnesota Wild may have lost their playoff opener on Wednesday, but they beat everyone in the ratings including American Idol.
Paul Christian of the Rochester Post-Bulletin writes that one tradition unlike any other at The Masters is Jim Nantz at the 18th hole for CBS.
Jeffrey Flanagan of the Kansas City Star says it was surprising that the ratings for Kansas’ win Monday night were lower than five years ago when the Jayhawks were last in the NCAA Men’s Championship.
West
Scott D. Pierce of the Deseret (UT) Morning News seems annoyed that ESPN’s D
ick Vitale was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
The North County Times’ John Maffei says CBS will be devoting more coverage to Amen Corner at Augusta National during The Masters.
Jay Posner of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes that a move by an ESPN producer to the X Games helped him grow professionally. Jay writes that neither ESPN nor CBS have free rein in broadcasting The Masters. And here are the ratings for San Diego from last week.
Jim Carlisle from the Ventura County Star says Jim Nantz always looks for that one special moment at The Masters.
John Scheibe has the Sound and Vision column in the Los Angeles Times today as Christine Daniels is on vacation.
Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News talks with CBS’ David Feherty who’s in Augusta just a month after getting into a motorcycle accident in Dallas. And Tom has his extensive weekly media notes in his Farther Off the Wall blog.
John Ryan of the San Jose Mercury News says fans who missed the first six minutes of the Sharks playoff opener against Calgary on due to a conflict on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area Wednesday will not see that happen again. And Ryan writes in his Morning Buzz blog that with all four Bay Area teams in action, Comcast SportsNet has more sports than it can handle.
Canada
William Houston of the Toronto Globe and Mail says Tiger Woods will be the focus of coverage during The Masters.
Chris Zelkovich from the Toronto Star says Rogers Sportsnet is making it hard for Blue Jays fans to watch the games.
That will do it for now. Back later with updates.
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