Monday’s Press Releases For Your Review

Because I have to go to bed early and be at a jobsite in Boston at 7 a.m. tomorrow (the same one as last week), I’m doing this now. Here are several press releases for you to read.

Starting with CBS Sports, it’s happy with its ratings for the last PGA Tour stop of the season, The Barclays.

CBS SPORTS’ COVERAGE OF PGA TOUR PLAYOFFS FOR THE FEDEX CUP “THE BARCLAYS” FINAL ROUND SCORES 106% RATINGS INCREASE

CBS Sports’ final-round coverage of THE BARCLAYS, the first tournament in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, on Sunday, Aug. 30 (2:00-6:15 PM, ET), scored an overnight household rating/share of 3.7/8, up +106% from last year’s 1.8/4 in the metered markets, and up +76% from a 2.1/5 in 2007.

Sunday’s final-round rating peaked at a 5.5/12 from 5:30-6:00 PM, ET.

CBS Sports’ third-round coverage of THE BARCLAYS on Saturday, Aug. 29 (3:00-6:00 PM, ET) earned an overnight household rating/share of 2.2/5, up +100% from last year’s 1.1/3 in the metered markets.

This was announced to us at the ESPN Media Workshop, but it was officially announced to the world today. Jeremy Schaap will host a new one hour show for ESPN Radio starting next Friday.

Jeremy Schaap to host The Sporting Life debuting September 11

ESPN reporter and E:60 correspondent Jeremy Schaap will host The Sporting Life, premiering Friday, Sept. 11 at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN Radio.

The weekly, one-hour show will emphasize sports features, profiles and narratives in which Schaap, a five-time Sports Emmy-Award winner, will explore the stories and stars of the day in depth.

The Sporting Life reprises The Sporting Life with Dick Schaap, a Saturday morning show on ESPN Radio in which the host, an award-winning journalist, best-selling author and television commentator, discussed the week’s developments in sports with his son, Jeremy.

“The Sporting Life will be a show that emphasizes long-form journalism, not driven by talk, but by the stories we produce — profiles, investigations and more off-beat pieces, too,” Schaap says. “On a more personal level, it means a lot to me that The Sporting Life — which my father hosted and I regularly co-hosted — is being revived, albeit in a different format. I am hoping that sports fans who appreciate the in-depth stories they see on Outside the Lines and E:60 will make a point of listening to The Sporting Life on ESPN Radio.

Jeremy Schaap, who joined ESPN in 1994, is known for his exclusive one-on-one interview with former Indiana University coach Bob Knight in 2000 – the first by Knight after being fired by the university two days earlier. Schaap also broke the 2003 story concerning improprieties with the University of Georgia basketball team which led to coach Jim Harrick’s dismissal, and for authoring New York Times bestseller Cinderella Man, which in 2005 became an Emmy-winning ESPN documentary about heavyweight champion James Braddock.

Most recently, Schaap scored an exclusive, one-on-one interview with Former N.Y. Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress on August 24, just four days after Burress pleaded guilty to a weapons charge for shooting himself in the leg at a Manhattan club, leaving him facing a two-year jail sentence.

Let’s check what ESPN has in store as far as motorsports are concerned.

Motorsports This Week on ESPN and ABC

Drag Racing’s Biggest Event, NASCAR Doubleheader at Atlanta

ESPN2 Airing 10 Hours of NHRA U.S. Nationals Coverage

The biggest event of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season will have more than 10 hours of coverage on ESPN2 this weekend with the running of the 55th annual U.S. Nationals at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis. Expanded qualifying and eliminations coverage will culminate with six consecutive hours on Labor Day Monday, the final day of competition.

ESPN2’s coverage begins Sunday, Sept. 6, at 11 a.m. ET with NHRA RaceDay to bring viewers up-to-date with the latest NHRA news and set up the day’s action. Immediately following at 11:30 a.m., ESPN2 will telecast 2 ½ hours of U.S. Nationals qualifying. More qualifying coverage airs for two hours starting at 5 p.m.

NHRA RaceDay returns on Monday with a special one-hour episode at noon, followed at 1 p.m. by coverage of eliminations.

Each Labor Day weekend, NHRA racers and fans descend on O’Reilly Raceway Park for the biggest, oldest, richest, and most prestigious drag race in the world. The fabled strip is regarded by many as one of the smoothest on the circuit. The event also hosts the Pro Bike Battle, the bonus event for Pro Stock Motorcycle racers, and is the last event in the Countdown to 10.

Paul Page anchors ESPN2’s coverage with analysis by 22-time NHRA winner Mike Dunn. Reporting from the pits will be Gary Gerould, Dave Rieff and John Kernan. Rieff and Dunn also host NHRA RaceDay.

ESPN’s Backseat Drivers Return at Atlanta Nationwide Series Race

ESPN2’s live coverage of the Sept. 5 Degree v12 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway will see the return of ESPN’s “Backseat Drivers,” a television concept that debuted several weeks ago at Michigan International Speedway. The telecast will prominently feature ESPN’s five NASCAR champion analysts and will be done without a traditional “play by play” announcer.

Tim Brewer, Ray Evernham, Dale Jarrett, Andy Petree and Rusty Wallace will give viewers the experience of sitting at home and watching the race with NASCAR experts. With Brewer contributing reports and analysis from the ESPN Tech Garage, Evernham, Jarrett, Petree and Wallace will call the race from the booth.

In addition to the five champions, coverage will include pit reporters Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Shannon Spake and Vince Welch, while Allen Bestwick will host. The telecast begins with Bestwick, Wallace and Evernham in the ESPN Pit Studio for NASCAR Countdown at 6:30 p.m. ET. The race’s green flag flies at 7:15 p.m.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Live from Atlanta on ESPN

ESPN will have live, flag-to-flag coverage in high definition as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competes at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, Sept. 6. The telecast begins with NASCAR Countdown at 7 p.m. ET and the race’s green flag is at 7:46 p.m. The race marks the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Atlanta to be scheduled as a night race, and the first on Labor Day weekend.

The final 17 races of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule will air on the ESPN Networks, with the first six on ESPN and the final 11 on ABC, including all 10 races in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Dr. Jerry Punch will be lap-by-lap announcer for ESPN’s coverage, with analysis by 1999 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Dale Jarrett and two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Andy Petree. Reporting from the pits will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Shannon Spake and Vince Welch, with two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief Tim Brewer in the ESPN Tech Garage.

Allen Bestwick will host the pre-race NASCAR Countdown program with analysis by 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Rusty Wallace, three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion crew chief Ray Evernham and Brad Daugherty, owner of a winning team in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, in the ESPN pit studio.

Craven, Said, Wallace on NASCAR Now Roundtable

NASCAR driver Mike Wallace will join ESPN NASCAR analysts Ricky Craven and Boris Said as panelists on NASCAR Now’s weekly roundtable discussion program on airing Tuesday, Sept. 8, at 1 a.m. ET (late Monday night), on ESPN2. Mike Massaro will host the edition of ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program.

Massaro also hosts half-hour episodes of NASCAR Now airing this week at later times than normal due to ESPN2’s coverage of U.S. Open Series tennis. Episodes air Wednesday, Sept. 2, at 1 a.m. (late Tuesday night), Thursday, Sept. 3, at 12:30 a.m. (late Wednesday night), Friday, Sept. 4, at 1 a.m. (late Thursday night), and Saturday, Sept. 5, at 1 a.m. (late Friday night).

The one-hour weekend edition airs Sunday, Sept. 6, at 10 a.m. with a preview of that day’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The weekend wrap-up edition airs at 11:30 p.m. that night. Nicole Manske hosts the Sunday shows, while Massaro and Angelique Chengelis will report from Atlanta for both programs. Said will join Manske in the studio.

NASCAR Now is hosted by Massaro, Bestwick and Manske and originates from ESPN’s high definition studios in Bristol, Conn. Contributors include NASCAR Insiders Marty Smith and Angelique Chengelis, analysts Ray Evernham, Tim Brewer, Brad Daugherty, Boris Said, Ricky Craven and Randy LaJoie, and ESPN.com reporters Ed Hinton, Terry Blount and David Newton. The NASCAR on ESPN team event coverage team of Rusty Wallace, Dale Jarrett, Dr. Jerry Punch, Andy Petree, Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Spake and Vince Welch also make frequent contributions to NASCAR Now.

ORC Series Action on ABC Sunday

Action from the TORC Series returns to ABC on Sunday, Sept. 6, at 4 p.m. ET with live coverage of the Crandon 40^th Anniversary of Off-Road Racing event held in Crandon, Wis. The premier short-course racing series with the top stars in off-road racing, this exciting form of door-to-door action is appearing on both ESPN2 and ABC this season.

The 2009 season features eight total rounds of racin
g. ESPN2 will air five rounds with three to appear on ABC. Marty Reid, lap-by-lap announcer for ESPN on ABC’s coverage of the Indianapolis 500 and selected NASCAR races, will call all of the TORC Truck Series events on ESPN2 and ABC. Joining Reid will be long-time extreme sports announcer Tes Sewell and former Miss USA Kimberly Pressler as pit reporter.

Here’s a release regarding CBSSports.com and the Sports Illustrated Group which have formed an alliance to share content.

MaxPreps.com, the leader in online high school sports, to become the

official partner of Sports Illustrated’s acclaimed “Faces In The Crowd” Franchise

A Collection of Sports Illustrated writers to be syndicated across CBSSports.com

FT. LAUDERDALE, FL & NEW YORK, August 31, 2009 – CBS Interactive’s CBSSports.com and MaxPreps.com, and The Sports Illustrated Group, including Sports Illustrated and SI.com, today announced a partnership in which both parties will share and distribute various digital and print assets, combining strengths from two of the largest brands on the sports media landscape.

MaxPreps.com, the online high school sports leader, will now be featured in SI.com’s High School section front, as well as become the engine for the iconic Sports Illustrated Faces in the Crowd franchise both in print and digital. Additionally as part of this agreement, select Sports Illustrated writers, including David Feherty and Seth Davis, will be syndicated across CBSSports.com.

CBSSports.com will feature direct links across its site to SI.Com’s award-winning writers, including Peter King and Tom Verducci. SI.com will promote live sports video on CBSSports.com such as SEC Live and Fantasy Football Today.

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with Sports Illustrated for a deal that truly highlights the strengths of two very powerful brands in sports media,” said Jason Kint, Senior Vice President and General Manager, CBSSports.com.

“The increased exposure for MaxPreps.com through its association with Faces in the Crowd, as well as the content sharing with Sports Illustrated writers on CBSSports.com, should truly be a winning combination for both sides.”

“The prospect of teaming some of the assets of The Sports Illustrated Group with CBSSports.com is truly exciting,” said SI.com Managing Editor, Paul Fichtenbaum. “The combination will provide an outstanding service to users as well as shine a brighter light on our collective efforts.”

Sports Illustrated’s Faces in the Crowd is one of the most recognized franchises in sports media. Many of the greatest athletes in the last 50 years came to national attention first in this feature. Former Faces include: Lew Alcindor, Earvin Johnson, Jackie Joyner Kersee, Jack Nicklaus, Andy Roddick, Ben Roethlisberger, Emmitt Smith, Bill Walton and Tiger Woods.

High school athletes will have the opportunity to become a member of this elite fraternity through MaxPreps.com, the fastest growing high school sports site on the Internet with a 120% increase in visitors in the past year (comScore MediaMetrix, June 2009).

MLB Network and DIY Network have announced that a Chicago couple have won an MLB-themed mancave.

CHICAGO NATIVES DAVE
AND BECCA ROSEMAN WIN DIY NETWORK AND MLB NETWORK “WHO WANTS A MAN CAVE?” CONTEST

Avid Chicago White Sox Fan and Die-Hard Chicago Cubs Fan to Receive the Ultimate Red Line Rivalry Man Cave; DIY Network and MLB Network to Build Baseball Oasis in Evanston, IL, Home on September 9 & 10

Special Edition of Popular Primetime Series “‘Man Caves’’ Featuring Transformation Premieres Tuesday, Sept. 29 at 9 p.m. ET on DIY Network and Monday, Oct. 26 at 9 p.m. ET on MLB Network

NEW YORK – August 31, 2009 — One of baseball’s biggest, most heated rivalries has taken center-field in DIY Network and MLB Network’s “Who Wants A Man Cave?” contest. Chicago natives Dave and Becca Roseman have been named winners of their very own man cave! What’s the catch? Dave is a lifelong Chicago White Sox fan, while his wife, Becca, has been a die-hard Chicago Cubs fan since birth. While they are constantly debating which ballpark is better, which bullpen is tougher and which team their first child (due this September) will worship, the couple agrees on one thing: the best place to watch their teams battle for a spot in the postseason will be in their very own man cave.

On September 9-10, DIY Network’s Man Caves hosts, former NFL player Tony “Goose” Siragusa and licensed contractor Jason Cameron, join MLB Network studio analysts and former Major League Baseball players Harold Reynolds and Mitch Williams to transform a space in the Roseman’s home in Evanston, Ill., into the ultimate man cave equipped with official MLB merchandise from the Chicago White Sox and the Chicago Cubs, high-tech toys and deluxe furnishings. Viewers can witness the fast-paced renovation from start to finish on a special edition of the smash hit series Man Caves on DIY Network on Tuesday, Sept. 29 at 9 p.m. ET, and on MLB Network on Monday, Oct. 26 at 9 p.m. ET.

“As far as I know, Chicago is famous for three things: deep dish pizza, the Bears, and the Windy City Showdown. Dave and Becca are truly fanatics when it comes to their favorite teams, and we are psyched to build them their very own man cave where they can continue their rivalry,” said Siragusa. “Who is in charge of the remote control is up to them.”

”As a former Cubs relief pitcher, I know first-hand how intense the rivalry is between the Cubs and the White Sox,” said Williams. “As we get closer to the postseason, Dave and Becca can keep an eye on each other’s team as MLB Network covers all the pennant races down to the finish.”

The winning video submission featured Dave explaining why the couple deserves the baseball man cave and highlighting their families’ intense baseball feud. Married for four years, they recently moved out of the city of Chicago and into the suburbs to be closer to their families and to prepare for the birth of their first child. Their new home is over 110-years-old and the renovation list is long. Dave, 29, and Becca, 28, enjoy getting their hands dirty, but admit that with full-time jobs (Dave is an underwriter; Becca is an instructional coach for Glenview School District 34) and a baby on the way, their DIY time is limited.

“We’re so excited to be getting a man cave. I grew up a White Sox fan, and a Cubs hater. Then I met my lovely wife,” said Dave. “And even though marriage is about compromise and what’s mine is hers, Becca needs to remember that at the end of the day, it’s still a man cave. The number one rule is that my chair is 101 centimeters closer to the television, because it’s been 101 years since the Cubs have won a World Series.”

As the go-to destination for home improvement television, DIY Network teamed up with the ultimate television destination for baseball fans, MLB Network, to deliver one lucky viewer a man cave fit for the major leagues with their “Who Wants A Man Cave?” contest. From June 12 to July 24, viewers were invited to submit a video explaining why they want their own baseball-themed man cave to www.DIYNetwork.com or www.MLBNetwork.com. Four runners-up – Philadelphia Phillies fan Andrew Del Moore; Pittsburgh Pirates fan Kevin Dobson; St. Louis
Cardinals fan Dan Koontz; and Texas Rangers fan Bruce Levinson – will receive an MLB Authentic Collection cap and jersey from the Major League team of their choice.

To Comcast SportsNet Chicago which will run almost a full day of programming over a 48 hour period to celebrate Michael Jordan’s induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

COMCAST SPORTSNET TO CELEBRATE MICHAEL JORDAN’S HALL OF FAME INDUCTION WITH 23 HOURS OF HIS BEST GAMES & NEW SPECIALS

’23 Hours of MJ: A Hall of Fame Celebration’ to air Thursday, September 10 & Friday, September 11

CSNChicago.com to provide Jordan video vault, photo galleries, Hall of Fame blog updates & more

Chicago, IL (August 31, 2009) – Comcast SportsNet, the television home of the Chicago Bulls, Blackhawks, Cubs and White Sox, will provide viewers with a two-day celebration of Michael Jordan’s induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame with complete game telecasts of five of his greatest games in a Bulls uniform, along with a pair of original, half-hour Comcast SportsNet specials chronicling his unsurpassed basketball career. This comprehensive, two-day programming event entitled 23 Hours of MJ: A Hall of Fame Celebration begins Thursday, September 10 at 5:30 PM with a Jordan-focused edition of Chicago Tribune Live hosted by David Kaplan and concludes on Friday, September 11, also with Chicago Tribune Live at 5:30 PM, featuring SportsNite’s Mark Schanowski reporting live from the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in Springfield, MA.

23 Hours of MJ: A Hall of Fame Celebration is highlighted by five of Jordan’s most memorable games with the Bulls including his 58-point effort vs. New Jersey from 1987 (Sept. 10 at 7:30 PM); his career-high game of 69 points at Cleveland from 1990 (Sept. 10 at 11:00 PM); Game 5 of the 1991 NBA Finals, Jordan earns Finals MVP giving Bulls their first title (Sept. 11 at 9:00 AM); in just his fifth game back from retirement, Jordan’s 55 point masterpiece at Madison Square Garden (Sept. 11 at 12 NOON) and Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals featuring MJ’s historic game-winning shot completing the Bulls second three-peat (Sept. 11 at 3:00 PM).

In addition, Comcast SportsNet will also air a pair of original, half-hour SportsNite specials entitled His Airness. Part I of His Airness will premiere on September 10 at 7:00 PM, which focuses on Jordan’s bio/background, his massive impact on the sports marketing industry, his Hall of Fame announcement, his baseball career, along with an amazing career highlights package. Part II of His Airness debuts September 10 at 10:30 PM with a focus on the key people in Jordan’s professional life highlighted by interviews with Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, long-time agent David Falk, former coach Doug Collins and former teammates John Paxson, Bill Cartwright and Steve Kerr.

Comcast SportsNet’s newly-enhanced website, CSNChicago.com, will also deliver comprehensive coverage of Jordan’s Basketball Hall of Fame induction with the following:

• Specific web page dedicated to 23 Hours of MJ: A Hall of Fame Celebration

• Video archive of past Jordan interviews

• MJ timeline (from ’85 NBA Draft to record setting game performances to Championship titles)

• MJ photo galleries (including magazine covers, Nike “Air Jordan” shoe gallery & more)

• Top 5 reasons to watch each of the 5 games we’ll air over the two-day celebration (including game screen shots)

• Detailed stats from his Top 10 game performances

• Bulls Pre/Post Game Live host Mark Schanowski will look back at covering MJ during his title years

• Schanowski to offer HOF reports from Springfield, MA on his blog, Beyond the Arc

• Opportunity for fans to share their MJ memories

“We’re thrilled to be able to celebrate Michael Jordan’s career with a two-day on-air and online celebration leading up to his unquestionable and most deserved placement in basketball’s Hall of Fame,” said James J. Corno, President of Comcast SportsNet Chicago.

Note the following complete programming schedule for 23 Hours of MJ: A Hall of Fame Celebration airing Thursday, September 10 and Friday, September 11 exclusively on Comcast SportsNet:

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10

5:30 PM – Chicago Tribune Live (Jordan-focused edition featuring a roundtable discussion of his career)

6:30 PM – SportsNite (featuring numerous Jordan career highlights and interviews)

7:00 PM – His Airness (Part I) (Jordan bio, marketing impact, HOF announcement, baseball career and more)

7:30 PM – CHICAGO BULLS vs. NEW JERSEY NETS (from February 26, 1987) (Bulls win 128-113)

• Jordan scores 58 points, sets new Bulls regular season record

• Sets new Bulls record of 26/27 from the free throw line, including an NBA record 19 straight

• Terrific post-game interview with the late Johnny “Red” Kerr asking MJ “What’s next?”…the youthful Jordan’s response: “an NBA Championship”

10:00 PM – SportsNite (the day’s sports news, including more vintage Jordan footage & interviews)

10:30 PM – His Airness (Part II) (featuring key interviews with those individuals who helped shape his career)

11:00 PM – CHICAGO BULLS at CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (from March 28, 1990) (Bulls win 117-113 in OT)

• Jordan scores his all-time regular season career best of 69 points

• MJ also grabs 18 rebounds, dishes out six assists and forces four steals in this amazing performance

1:30 AM – SportsNite (the day’s sports news, including more vintage Jordan footage & interviews)

2:00 AM – Chicago Tribune Live replay (Jordan-focused edition featuring a round table discussion of his career)

3:00 AM – CHICAGO BULLS vs. NEW JERSEY NETS (from February 26, 1987) (re-air)

5:00 AM – SportsRise (recap of the evening’s sports news/highlights, includes more Jordan career highlights and interviews)

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11

6:00 AM – Monsters in the Morning (Hosted by Mike North & Dan Jiggetts, features numerous interviews with Jordan’s teammates, coaches, colleagues, including career highlights and much more)

9:00 AM – 1991 NBA FINALS: CHICAGO BULLS at LOS ANGELES LAKERS, Game 5 (from June 12, 1991)

• 108-101 win clinches first NBA title for the Bulls

• Jordan scores 30 points, to go along with ten assists and five steals; named NBA Finals MVP

• Coverage includes post-game locker room coverage of MJ clutching the Larry O’Brien NBA Championship Trophy with his father James Jordan at his side

11:30 AM – His Airness (Part I)

12:00 PM – CHICAGO BULLS at NEW YORK KNICKS (from March 28, 1995) (Bulls win 113-111)

• In just his fifth game back from retirement, #45 Mi
  chael Jordan scores 55 points

• Sets up Bill Wennington for game-winning slam dunk

2:30 PM – His Airness (Part II)

3:00 PM – 1998 NBA FINALS: CHICAGO BULLS at UTAH JAZZ, Game 6 (from June 14, 1998)

• Jordan hits historic game-winning shot in 87-86 victory; Bulls clinch sixth NBA Championship

• MJ finishes with 45 points in his final appearance in a Bulls uniform, named NBA Finals MVP for the sixth time

5:30 PM – Chicago Tribune Live (Mark Schanowski provides live reports from the Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA)

That will do it for now. I may try to pull off a linkage post before I go to bed.