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

Say hello to the most disastrous start to a television career in the history of moving pictures inside little boxes and/or flat screens.  A.J. Clemente was all ready to make his debut as a weekend news anchor for the NBC station in Bismarck, North Dakota when for some insane reason he uttered a few choice swear words right as the camera turned to him.  The ensuing scene is like a bad dream wrapped inside a nightmare wrapped inside a scene from local access television...

All Times Eastern

College Football
College Football Live -- ESPNU, 3:30 p.m.
CFB Daily: Spring Blitz -- ESPNU, 4:30 p.m.

College Softball
Georgia Tech at North Carolina -- ESPNU, 7 p.m.

English Premier League
Manchester United vs. Aston Villa -- ESPN2, 2:55 p.m.

Golf
Performance Institute: Mastering the Sand (series premiere) -- Golf Channel, 5:30 p.m.
The Haney Project: Michael Phelps: Batter Up -- Golf Channel, 9 p.m.
Feherty: Curtis Strange -- Golf Channel, 10 p.m.

Minor League Baseball
Buffalo Bisons at Lehigh Valley IronPigs -- MLB Network, 10:30 a.m.

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

The Rundown -- MLB Network, 1:30 p.m.
MLB Now -- MLB Network, 4 p.m.
MLB Tonight -- MLB Network, 6 p.m.
Baseball Tonight -- ESPN, 10 p.m.
Baseball Tonight -- ESPN2, 1 a.m. (Tuesday)
Quick Pitch -- MLB Network, 1 a.m. (Tuesday)

Bad news guys. After tomorrow's 30 for 30, we're unlikely to see any new installments for 5 months plus.  With that in mind, we thought we'd try to soften the blow by giving away 2 free 30 for 30 Blu Ray sets which includes the first 30 documentaries as well as over 5 hours of bonus features. I haven't watched the bonus footage but ideally I would love to see:

- Ricky Williams and his poker buddies smoking weed narrated by Norman Chad

- Hidden camera footage of Donald Trump's hair and makeup preparations

- Footage of Luther Campbell and Miami football players celebrating the student athlete lifestyle

So what do you have to do to be entered to win? Simple.

- We'll be giving away one copy to a lucky individual (random drawing....might involve ping pong balls) who signs up for our newsletter (preview below) between now and Thursday morning. 

- We'll also be giving away one copy to a lucky individual (random drawing....might involve ping pong balls) who likes our page on Facebook.

If you take the plunge on both fronts, you'll be entered to win twice and more importantly we'll like you a lot more. As you can see below, the AA newsletter is an assortment of stories you might have missed from us, the rest of the web, as well as some great media related tweets from the past couple of days. A great way to stay up on the sports media space.

Earlier this week NBC announced Dan Hicks would be taking over for Tom Hammond as the play by play man for Notre Dame football.  The ND job is one of the most glamorous at NBC outside Sunday Night Football and the Olympics.  I's quite a rare occurance in this day and age in broadcasting to see a switch made in such a high profile job, especially when the broadcaster exiting the booth is staying with the network.  Hammond signed a multi-year contract extension with NBC that will take him through the next Summer Olympics in 2016.

It could represent an awkward situation at NBC with the 50 year old Hicks replacing the 69 year old Hammond, but the old voice of Notre Dame football says he wanted cut back his workload while continuing to broadcast the potpourri of NBC's other properties.  Hammond told the Kansas City Star it was a mutual decision...