All Times Eastern

College Football
College Football Live -- ESPN, 3:30 p.m.

Cycling
Giro d'Italia
Stage 11: Cave del Predil to Erto -- beIN Sport, 9:30 a.m.

Tour of California
Stage 4: Santa Clarita to Santa Barbara -- NBC Sports Network, 5 p.m.

Golf
On the Range: Byron Nelson Championship -- Golf Channel, 8 p.m.

If there's one thing I can't resist posting, it's Manny being Manny videos.  Perhaps my favorite highlight in the history of sports is Manny Ramirez and his DIVING LEFT FIELD CUT OFF of former Red Sox teammate Johnny Damon.  Without a doubt it is the single funniest thing I've ever seen happen on a baseball diamond, and that includes Randy Johnson killing a bird.  Let's reminisce, shall we!

Thankfully, with Ramirez in Taiwan, the Manny being Manny highlights have not stopped making their way across the Pacific.  Just watch this "slide" into second base as Ramirez comes up juuuuuuuuust a bit short.

Of course, I don't speak Taiwan, but I assume the announcers aren't laughing at Manny Ramirez.  They're laughing with him.

[Fox Sports]

Hockey fans are programmed to pound the glass. Why do they do that? Maybe it's to produce as much noise as possible or maybe it's to try to distract the opponent while supporting your team. No one really knows. If you frown on it, you've probably never done it. The lone issue is that broadcasts usually pick up the noise, resulting in an annoying sound that lasts throughout the game.

At least it's not as bad as what happened to the CSNNE studio after Boston's epic Game 7 victory. With their studio set up right outside the TD Garden, Boston fans poured out in front of the stadium and out in front of the studio. As Tony Amonte and Michael Felger offered their thoughts on the game, fans came up to the studio's windows and rattled them much as they would to the glass inside the Garden. 

A big win mixed with a big crowd and big windows is a recipe for hilarity. Cut these fans a break. They're just doing what comes naturally.

(H/T The Nosebleeds)

ESPN held their Upfront in New York today, selling advertisers on the network and announcing new programming and initiatives in a glitzy display full of pomp and circumstance.  We'll have a full recap of all the developments and announcements tomorrow, but perhaps the most interesting news from the upfront was the revelation of a new studio show on ESPN2 entirely dedicated to world soccer.

ESPN will be bringing their ESPNFC online brand to television with a 30 minute highlights and news show running Sunday-Thursday on ESPN2 and launching August 11th.  A timeslot was not officially revealed, but hopefully it will be given a decent spot in ESPN's mid-afternoon lineup alongside the NFL Lives and College Football Lives of the world.  Here's more highlights about ESPNFC's move to TV from the ESPN release...

According to the LA Times, Fox is going to launch their rumored second 24/7 cable sports network, Fox Sports 2, in conjunction with Fox Sports 1 in August. 

In this week's edition of Sports Business Journal, John Ourand and John Lombardo report that the NBA wants to begin talks this summer with its two TV partners, ESPN and Turner Sports about new deals. Now the two deals with the incumbents expire after the 2015-16 season, but the NBA wants to strike while the iron is still hot. Knowing that Major League Baseball, the NFL and most of the major BCS college conferences saw huge rights deals over the last few years, the NBA wants to join in before the rights bubble bursts.

In addition, with an increased field of national cable sports networks, the NBA knows there will be more interested parties in its games than when the last TV contract was signed in 2007. ESPN has been with the NBA since 2002 and Turner's partnership dates back to the mid-1980's when the NBA was originally on TBS. 

With the talks beginning this summer, the NBA hopes to have a new contract in place by the time current NBA Commissioner David Stern transitions to new Head Honcho Adam Silver next summer. 

Like the NFL, the NBA saw record ratings in 2011-12, but a slight decrease in the 2012-13 season. That will not temper the enthusiasm of the bids for the NBA. As he leaves, Stern is hoping to at least double the $930 million in rights fees the league receives from ESPN and Turner. And you know neither company will allow one of their signature sports properties go without a fight. 

So with that, let's handicap the new rights deal and see where the chips may fall.

When the Bruins defeated the Maple Leafs in overtime on Patrice Bergeron's goal, completing an epic Game 7 comeback in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, my first thought was this: I wonder if Jack Edwards survived.

The Bruins play by play man is a little crazy (he even admits to that in his Twitter bio) and growing in legend as a Hawk Harrelson level homer.  The man lives and dies with the Bruins, so for his personal health I'm glad the Bruins pulled off the victory.

Sometimes his craziness leads to WTF moments like comparing Matt Cooke of the Pens to Sirhan Sirhan, but other times Jacko strikes just the right balance between genuine excitement and genuine craziness.  Naturally, Patrice Bergeron's game-winner would produce something memorable from Edwards, and I'm willing to wager no Game 7 winning goal has been called like it was a valiant hero slaying a monstrous dragon:

"With the point of the dagger at their throats, they rip it out of Toronto's hands and kill the beast!!!"

The beautiful part about this call is I can picture Jack Edwards in the booth taking his pen and trying to stab his statistician in the heart in a fit of bloodthirsty, jubilant rage.  If rage can be a jubilant thing, that is.

UPDATE: Thanks to the comments section, here's the video reaction.  Not quite stabbing his statistician, but close enough to make it a classic.

Ed Note: This article first appeared at Bloguin's national NBA blog Crossover Chronicles.

One of the biggest stars in music today is aggravated with a certain NBA playoff team choosing to play his music to pump up their home fans.  Seattle based rapper Macklemore was informed by a Twitter follower that the Oklahoma City Thunder was playing his latest hit, "Can't Hold Us", to excite the home fans in the arena.  Macklemore's response was less than enthusiastic...

Continuing in their recent tradition of announcing contract renewals with talent, ESPN has announced the re-signing of college basketball reporter Andy Katz to a deal that will keep him in Bristol for another six years...

All Times Eastern

College Baseball
Louisville at Ohio State -- Big Ten Network, 6:30 p.m.

College Football
College Football Live -- ESPN, 3:30 p.m.

Cycling
Giro d'Italia
Stage 10: Cordenons to Altopiano del Montasio -- beIN Sport, 9:30 a.m.

Tour of California
Stage 3: Palmdale to Santa Clara -- NBC Sports Network, 5 p.m.

English Premier League
Arsenal vs. Wigan Athletic -- Fox Soccer, 2:30 p.m.
Reading vs. Manchester City -- Fox Soccer Plus, 2:53 p.m.