Let’s get to them. We have a lot to get to and very little time. Here we go.
We start with Michael Hiestand of USA Today who kicks us off with stuff on NBC’s Football Night in America turning off its lights for the last minute of the show and then keeping them off during halftime and postgame to start the network’s week of environmentally-conscious programming. Ok.
The links will begin out West and work their way East today.
The Los Angeles Times’ Christine Daniels in her Sound and Vision column says Southern California will be able to see the Patriots-Colts game this weekend.
There’s plenty of Tom Hoffarth to read in today’s LA Daily News. He gives us a look at the digital age coming to the NBA and how you can see games on your computer and cell phone. There’s his usual “What Smokes” and “What Chokes” column. Hoffarth looks at CBS rubbing its hands over the tasty Patriots-Colts matchup. And in his Farther Off the Wall blog, Hoffarth goes into a really long media notes column, but I love it and I read every word.
Jim Carlisle of the Ventura County Star says while CBS is not playing up the hype for Patriots-Colts, NFL Network and ESPN are willing to pick up the slack.
John Ryan of the San Jose Mercury News says the Texans-Raiders game was not sold out in time which means the Bay Area and actually, the entire state of California will get Pats-Colts.
John Maffei of the North County Times says it’s a big football weekend on TV.
Jay Posner of the San Diego Union-Tribune says the city won’t miss out on the big pro or college games on TV this weekend unlike past weekends. Posner also writes that access to the NFL Network is still hazy. And here are the ratings in San Diego from last week.
In the Houston Chronicle, David Barron says one Houston sports radio talk show host is happy to be back on the air. And because Houston is one of the two markets not getting Pats-Colts (Cleveland is the other), Barron has a few suggestions on how residents can acess the game.
Scott Pierce of the Deseret (UT) Morning News says the internet is a good compliment to TV for sports.
Paul Christian of the Rochester (MN) Post-Bulletin writes that CBS is tickled pink to have the Pats-Colts game.
Kevin Seifert and Judd Zulgad in today’s Minneapolis Star-Tribune write that the local CBS affiliate had to buy up tickets to avoid a local blackout of the Chargers-Vikings game. Zulgad says WCCO had to buy the tickets especially with the Pats-Colts game to follow.
Ed Sherman of the Chicago Tribune writes that the Bears are in danger of losing its Sunday Night Football slots.
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel’s Bob Wolfley says CBS is taking a low-key approach on hying the Pats-Colts.
Dave Darling of the Orlando Sentinel writes that he can’t believe that FSN and Bright House Cable couldn’t come to an agreement so Magic fans could watch the season opener.
Doug Nye, the TV sports guy for The State in South Carolina has his channel hopping column. And he has his Best Bet which is of course, Pats-Colts.
Ray Frager of the Baltimore Sun says crank up the hype machine for Patriots-Colts.
I’ll paste the following blurb on Fox’s Brian Baldinger from lauranachman.net.
Brian Baldinger
By Laura Nachman
Lauranachman.net
November 2, 2007
Philadelphia Eagles viewers have seen lots of former Eagle offensive lineman Brian Baldinger, as he announced his third Eagles’ game of the year last week, when Philadelphia defeated Minnesota.
Now the senior Fox football analyst in his 11th season with the network, this season Baldinger is teamed with Dick Stockton on the third team behind Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, and Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, and Tony Siragusa.
Because the Eagles are not one of the top tier teams this year, the third team of Baldinger and Stockton is getting many of their games.
Baldinger, who played 13-years in the NFL follows in the footsteps of other successful offensive lineman turned announcers such as John Madden and Dan Dierdorf.
“Offensive linemen are the worker bees. We see the game from inside out. We’ve gotten more attention in our second careers than our first ones,” Baldinger said.
Besides Fox, busy “Baldy” also works for the NFL Network and appears on Comcast SportsNet and CN8 during the football season.
“My goal is to do the Super Bowl,” said the Marlton, NJ resident.
Now to the New York sports media columns.
Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News says Michael Kay can criticize Joe Torre on his radio show, but not when he’s on the YES Network.
The New York Post’s Phil Mushnick says there’s bad TV everywhere. Justin Terranova has 5 questions for TNT’s Kenny Smith. And Terranova talks with CBS’ Bill Cowher about Pats-Colts.
The New York Times’ Richard Sandomir writes that big college football games are now being shuffled to smaller, rarely seen niche cable channels.
Neil Best of Newsday has his weekly Friday column and says the NBA TV partners would love nothing more than to have resurgences of the Knicks and Celtics. Neil also adds a few things about baseball sleazebag (my words) Scott Boras that didn’t make it into his column. Best also blogs that Fordham University which was on the very first football TV broadcast back in 1939, will make TV history again this week. And finally, for fans of Mixed Martial Arts, Neil writes that the International Fight League makes it to primetime TV tomorrow.
Nancy Marrapese-Burrell of the Boston Globe writes that CBS doesn’t have to sell the Pats-Colts game. It is virtually selling itself.
David Scott of Boston Sports Media Watch blogs about the busy sports week in Boston that started with the Red Sox winning the World Series, then going to the Rolling Rally and the start of the NBA season.
Finally to our Canadian links, Chris Zelkovich of the Toronto Star writes that two former sports stars get back into the spotlight.
And William Houston of the Toronto Globe and Mail also writes about the Pats-Colts matchup on CBS.
That will do it. I may add more later. Of course, keep it here for College Football Viewing Picks, NFL Viewing Picks, Primetime & Weekend Viewing Picks and anything else I may want to throw in today.
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