After a lengthy search, ESPN today named a new ombudsman to replace the Poynter Institute.  After the experimental nature of the institute's reign as ombudsman led to mixed results at best (we're still waiting for that Craig James column that never came), ESPN has gone back to one person in the role.  That person is former New York Times writer and PBS host Robert Lipsyte.  Lipsyte wrote a sports column for the Times and also wrote at ESPN.com for a period in the mid-2000s.  Lipsyte promises to work towards transparency in the ESPN announcement...

The latest edition of the UFC on Fox drew a 1.5 overnight rating and 3.31 million viewers, slightly down from the 3.77 million viewers and 1.8 rating that the January edition of live fights on the broadcast network drew. The December edition of the UFC on Fox drew 3.41 million viewers and a 1.6 rating, pretty close to this weekend's edition.

Controversy follows Liverpool striker Luis Suarez wherever he goes.  He's a brilliant player, perhaps the most naturally gifted in the English Premier League.  His last minute goal and assist in Liverpool's 2-2 draw with Chelsea Sunday and league leading 23 goals proves that.  But Luis Suarez can't stop doing monumentally stupid things.  Diving, racial abuse, and for some troubling reason - trying to eat the flesh other human beings.

For the second time, Suarez bit an opposing player for the world to see, this time Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic was the Uruguayan's tasty treat.  Suarez faces another lenghty ban and many are calling on Liverpool to dump their best player because he's that much of a detriment to the club's reputation.  The scandal gave the infamous British press something to chew on in terms of clever, shocking headlines yesterday morning.  The British tabloids are quite the phenomenon, like New York tabloids on horse steroids.  Here's a roundup of the back pages and front pages featuing the Cannibal of Anfield...

All Times Eastern

College Baseball
Vanderbilt at Louisville -- CBS Sports Network, 6:30 p.m.
USF at Florida -- Fox College Sports Atlantic, 7 p.m.

College Football
College Football Live -- ESPNU, 3:30 p.m.
CFB Daily: Spring Blitz -- ESPNU, 4:30 p.m.
Inside College Football: Draft Special: Big Uglies -- CBS Sports Network, 9:30 p.m.
Inside College Football: Draft Special: Diamonds in the Rought -- CBS Sports Network, 10:30 p.m.

College Softball
Illinois at Iowa -- Big Ten Network, 4 p.m.
Houston at Baylor -- Fox College Sports Central, 5 p.m.
Illinois at Iowa -- Big Ten Network, 6:30 p.m.
Houston at Baylor -- Fox College Sports Central, 7:30 p.m.

Golf
Golf Channel Academy: Bernhard Langer: Bunker -- Golf Channel, 7 p.m.
Playing Lessons From the Pros: Natalie Gulbis -- Golf Channel, 7:30 p.m.
Golf's Greatest Rounds: 2003 The Players -- Golf Channel, 8 p.m.

MLB
American League
New York Yankees at Tampa Bay -- MLB Network, 7 p.m.

National League
Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati Reds -- WGN America, 7 p.m.
St. Louis at Washington -- MLB Network, 7 p.m.

Baseball the Ripken Way: Defense -- MLB Network, 1 p.m.
The Rundown -- MLB Network, 2 p.m.
MLB Now -- MLB Network, 4 p.m.
MLB Tonight -- MLB Network, 6 p.m.
Baseball Tonight -- ESPN2, 10 p.m.
MLB Tonight -- MLB Network, 10 p.m.
Baseball Tonight -- ESPN2, midnight
Quick Pitch -- MLB Network, 1 a.m. (Wednesday)

NBA Playoffs
Eastern Conference
Game 2: Milwaukee at Miami -- NBA TV, 7:30 p.m.
Game 2: Boston at New York -- TNT, 8 p.m.

Western Conference
Game 2: Golden State at Denver -- TNT. 10:30 p.m.

Inside the NBA -- TNT, 1 a.m. (Wednesday)

NFL
SportsCenter Special: On the Clock -- ESPN, 2:30 p.m.
NFL Live -- ESPN, 4 p.m.
Around the League Live -- NFL Network, 4 p.m.
Path to the Draft -- NFL Network, 6 p.m.
Top 10 Draft Day Moments -- NFL Network, 8 p.m.
The Ones -- NFL Network, 9 p.m.
Gruden's QB Camp: EJ Manuel -- ESPNU, 10 p.m.

NHL
Boston at Philadelphia -- NBC Sports Network, 7:30 p.m.
Dallas at San Jose -- NBC Sports Network, 10 p.m.

NHL Live -- NHL Network, 5 p.m.
NHL Live -- NBC Sports Network, 6:30 p.m.
NHL on the Fly -- NHL Network, 7 p.m.
NHL Tonight -- NHL Network, 10 p.m.
NHL Live -- NBC Sports Network, 12:30 a.m. (Wednesday)

Sports Talk
NFL AM -- NFL Network, 6 a.m.
The 'Lights -- NBC Sports Network, 6 a.m.
Morning Drive -- Golf Channel, 7 a.m.
The Dan Patrick Show -- Audience Network (DirecTV)/NBC Sports Network, 9 a.m.
Tim Brando Show -- CBS Sports Network, 9 a.m.
Sky Sports News -- Fox Soccer, 9 a.m.
The Box Score -- Audience Network (DirecTV)/NBC Sports Network, noon
SVP & Russillo -- ESPNews, 1 p.m.
Outside the Lines -- ESPN2, 3 p.m.
Dan Le Batard is Highly Questionable -- ESPN2, 3:30 p.m.
SportsNation -- ESPN2, 4 p.m.
The Best of the Dan Patrick Show -- NBC Sports Network, 4 p.m.
Pardon the Interruption -- ESPN, 5:30 p.m.
ROME -- CBS Sports Network, 6 p.m.
The Crossover -- NBC Sports Network, 6 p.m.
Fox Soccer News -- Fox Soccer, 10 p.m.
UNITE -- ESPNU, midnight
Lead Off -- CBS Sports Network, midnight

UEFA Champions League
Semifinal, Leg 1
Bayern Munich vs. Barcelona -- Fox Soccer, 2:30 p.m.

UEFA Champions League Pregame -- Fox Soccer, 2 p.m.

Even without Kobe Bryant, the Lakers are a draw for ESPN. Los Angeles' first game of the 2013 playoffs, against the San Antonio Spurs, drew a 4.6 overnight rating, the best opening weekend rating for a game on ABC since 2003 (which once again featured the Lakers, coming off of their third straight NBA Championship taking on the Timberwolves).

On Sunday night during halftime of the Bucks-Heat game, TNT analyst Shaquille O'Neal did a lap around the set of TNT's studio show in a wifebeater and boxers. Shaq's partners on set gave no reasoning for his sprint in his skivvies, and Shaq hasn't tweeted since Saturday, so who knows just what exactly the reasoning behind things were. A bet with Charles Barkley seems like the most obvious explanation, but we're pretty much resigned to the fact that this is mostly what Shaq is good for on Inside the NBA.

[Buzzfeed]

When it comes to inherently corrupt sporting institutions, FIFA makes the IOC and NCAA look like kindergarteners stealing toys from classmates.  The corruption in world soccer must have been what the prohibition days in Chicago were like, except on a much larger global scale.  As just one example, take a look at the millions of dollars in corruption spent by CONCACAF and FIFA executives Jack Warner and Chuck Blazer.  A $26 million dollar "Center of Excellence" built on land owned by Warner, another $15 million in misappropriated funds to Warner, $21 million embezzeled by Blazer, and this is just the tip of the iceberg.  FIFA is so unabashedly fraudulent that the only person to try and lodge a challenge to Blatter's presidency in 2011, Mohamed Bin Hammam, was himself banned from FIFA for offering bribes under sketchy circumstances.  What a surprise.  Although nothing has been proven yet, it doesn't take Mr. Magoo to question the process that leads a World Cup being awarded to an insanely rich outsider like Qatar.

Today, Syrian hackers decided to have some fun with FIFA and Sepp Blatter's obvious corruption, sending out tweets from both the official @SeppBlatter and @FIFAWorldCup accounts talking about Blatter's resignation...

Aside from 92 year old Andre Miller's game winning bucket for the Nuggets against the Warriors, there wasn't much to get excited about during the first slate of NBA Playoff games.  Just blowout after blowout after blowout.  Thank goodness we have Kevin Harlan to inject some much needed enthusiasm into otherwise mundane and morose lopsided contests.  Listen as Harlan loses it for this somewhat routine Chris Andersen follow slam, then kicks it up even another notch to rave about his aerodynamically sound mohawk.

H/T The Point Forward

The hottest topic in terms of television plans for next week's NFL Draft is the controversy surrounding reporters tipping draft picks.  These days there are scores of fans who take in sports with Twitter as a second screen, following and partaking in the conversation surrounding what they're watching on television. (After all, that's why this website exists.)  After the commotion of NFL reporters like Adam Schefter and others being two picks ahead on Twitter than the television coverage of the draft, the networks put the kibosh on tipping picks spoiling the television production.

Once again, both ESPN and NFL Network will try to preserve the drama of the picks being announced from the podium.  Here's more from Richard Deitsch's Monday sports media column at Sports Illustrated...

Fox News blessed us with this lovely headline after a weekend game between the Flames and the Ducks.  Whoever decided to put the "i" and the "u" right next to each other on the keyboard obviously wasn't thinking ahead to what could potentially happen.  If Mikka Kiprusoff does retire at the end of the season, this is a heck of a way to go out in style.

H/T FurMurStachRide