On Friday, we brought you the news of Clint Eastwood founding a new golf network. Today, we bring you this clip from the Pebble Beach Pro-Am this weekend. Eastwood was in the booth with CBS's Jim Nantz and Nick Faldo, and in the midst of Faldo explaining something with Eastwood staring at him, a light explodes. It looked like the light blew up just as Eastwood was about to say something too.

Eastwood has routinely made appearances in the CBS booth at the tournament and is an investor in Pebble Beach. I don't know if they actually let him talk about the new network or not, but I'm guessing that they wouldn't. Given the details of some of the network's programming ideas so far and CBS's relationship with Golf Channel through the PGA Tour, that's probably a good thing. Although, Clint Eastwood making random things blow up with his icy gaze could be a fun thing to add for more golf telecasts down the road. At least he didn't tell the golfers to get off his lawn. 

H/T Jason!

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Terrell Owens is not happy these days. He's a thirty-eight-year-old receiver that's out of the NFL recovering from a serious knee injury that he might have suffered while filming his VH1 show. Many would argue his questionable injury status, diminishing stats, age and negative reputation make it quite obvious why TO's future NFL prospects are bleak. According to Owens, those aren't the reasons why he's not in the NFL, instead this is what he had to say to Dallas radio station KESN-FM on this subject,

"(The reason) I didn't get picked up was that a lot of general managers bought into the fact that the media thinks that I'm this bad guy, this rebel guy, this disruptive guy that divides and messes up team's chemistry."

And who could blame him? Didn't you SEE him dominate in the 2012 Celebrity Beach Bowl? He looked fantastic! He made those celebrities out there look like amateurs!

Sure, it does look like David Arquette might be bringing him down in that picture, but how soon do we forget that David Arquette was once a wrestling world champion?

Wait, scratch that entire thing. That's the media's Merril Hoge catching a ball in front of Owens. If you allow Hoge to get open/intercept a pass in front of you in the Celebrity Beach Bowl then you probably shouldn't be taking up a roster spot in the NFL next year. Also, I feel like we are throwing around the word "celebrity" too much if Merril Hoge apparently qualifies as one.

You gotta hand it to Owens though. The stunning naivety of going on a media station and explaining that the media are to blame for his situation doesn't even faze him. With Randy Moss announcing his return to the NFL, the market for malcontent aging WR's who missed the 2011 season is heating up.

[Dallas News]

Like a kid at Christmas time, I'm overjoyed each week to find a new Youtube video documenting the latest Gol TV telecast and the commentary of one Ray Hudson.  Ray's announcing is so unique and magisterial that he deserves a themed post (and the lame extent of my crappy photoshopping skills)... also the fact that Ray is an announcer that lives on another planet at times helps too.  Just this year he's offered up gems like "brilliance on steroids," "like Dracula onto a plate of liver," and "Warp speed, Doctor Spock!!" Therefore, welcome to Ray's World, where you never know what to expect.  It's kind of like Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, except actually worth your time.  As always, we'll have the highlight package from the game and the transcript of Ray's goal calls.  This week, Barcelona and Osasuna take a trip into Ray's World...

1-0 Lekic (:12)

"Wonderful from the Serbian international, but again Barcelona hesitant and this underdog comes out and shows its big fangs.  It's a lovely ball through to Lekic who makes no mistake, there's no chance for Valdes this time.  It's his defense that are caught napping.  And it started way deep with a bad giveaway early.

I'm tellin ya man, the conditions and the pitch and the attitude always feeds in to an underdog like this... The ball's played into Garcia I believe, who knocks it onto Lekic, Phil.  But again, that's quality buildup.  That little touch there sets the table and he is absolutely unhesitant.  Detonates it.  And absolutely sends a serious question now to FC Barcelona."

2-0 Lekic (1:58)

"CATASTROPHE FOR BARCELONA AND AGAIN IT'S BIG LEKIC THAT COMES IN AND PUNCHES THE LUNGS OF BARCELONA WITH CLASS!!!  This is good football!  This isn't down to the conditions, or the hard surface, or anything else.  This is focused football from a red team that's knitting their team together with impressive style.  This is a quality goal again from the big #9..."

2-1 Alexis (4:50)

"It's a magnificent finish from the Chilean international but it's the stardust of Cuenca who is starting to turn this game!  Isaac Cuenca is absolutely brilliant, he's been superb since he's got in and he's been stitchin beautifully and Roberto again is involved.  The kids come through for Barca, these beautiful babes.  Set away from Thiago is Isaac Cuenca and a lovely, considerate, triggered in ball.  Dani Alves goes over the top and I tell ya what, that's not an easy finish although it looks it and the adams apple goes bonkers..."

3-1 Raul Garcia (5:42)

"Raul Garcia uses the upright as his kisshole point and again it's quality football from the Reds.  Knitting it together.  Barcelona has one chance to get it out of dodge and they don't take it.  This one needed to be whacked into the stands I believe when they had half a chance to clear the lines.  But again, the Reds capitalize beautifully.  Raul Garcia attacks this ball that's triggered into him..."

3-2 Tello (8:04)

"Good BALLL... MAGNIFICENT FROM TELLO!... ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL!... Cesc Fabregas has a lot to do with this, nicely finds Tello, but it's all down to the kid.  Again, wonderful calmness and a killer touch on the kid with the cherub face...  There's the release, he puts lovely, wonderful spin on this.  He puts Nino on his back like a turtle right there and then hammerblows it home into the only area he could get it through!"

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On Saturday, College Gameday was in Vanderbilt for their game with Kentucky. The Commodores lost the game 69-63 despite the homecourt edge, but UK fans were rubbed the wrong way before the game started thanks to ESPN analyst Digger Phelps's pre-Gameday speech to the crowd, which had a large Kentucky contingent throughout.

"We've been with you at Kentucky.  This is Vandy's home game... listen to me... listen to me... it's their home game, you are a part of it, but you show respect for Vandy.  I don't want any nonsense, I don't want any incidents.  Don't ruin this for College Gameday."

As you see in the video, Phelps told the Kentucky fans that, essentially, they needed to behave and be respectful to Vanderbilt, because it was their home game and he didn't want Big Blue Nation to "ruin" their show. Well what fun does that make things? Could you imagine if before the Iron Bowl, Kirk Herbstreit grabbed a mic and told the Auburn fans who were assembled at Bryant-Denny Stadium that they needed to respect the Tide and not "ruin this for College Gameday?"

What a sanctimonious, ridiculous move from Digger Phelps. I also like how he decided to drag the serviceman out after his little speech to gain favor from the entire crowd. If you try to control a fanbase that's invading a road game, all you're going to do is rile them up even more and cause more issues. Did Digger honestly think UK fans would hear this speech and think, "he's right. We need to respect Vandy and keep our emotions in check. This is THEIR court and HIS television show!" Please. 

[video via Lost Lettermen]

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Over the weekend, Fox Sports columnist Jason Whitlock offered an apology for his racist tweet denigrating Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin.  Here's Whitlock's full mea culpa in which he deflects blame onto his mother and Richard Pryor.  Ok?...

"I get Linsanity. I've cried watching Tiger Woods win a major golf championship. Jeremy Lin, for now, is the Tiger Woods of the NBA. I suspect Lin makes Asian Americans feel the way I feel when I watch Tiger play golf.

I should've realized that Friday night when I watched Lin torch the Lakers. For Asian Americans and a lot of sports fans, his nationally televised 38-point outburst was the equivalent of Tiger's first victory in The Masters. I got caught up in the excitement. I tweeted about what a great story Lin is and how he could rival Tim Tebow.

I then gave in to another part of my personality — my immature, sophomoric, comedic nature. It's been with me since birth, a gift from my mother and honed as a child listening to my godmother's Richard Pryor albums. I still want to be a standup comedian.

The couple-inches-of-pain tweet overshadowed my sincere celebration of Lin’s performance and the irony that the stereotype applies to pot-bellied, overweight male sports writers, too. As the Asian American Journalist Association pointed out, I debased a feel-good sports moment. For that, I’m truly sorry."

Whitlock references the Asian American Journalists Association, who officially called for an apology from Whitlock via their Facebook page.  Apparently, Whitlock is extremely fortunate that's all the AAJA called for, as it appears he will keep his job with Fox unless other groups begin to call for more punishment and reader outrage becomes too overwhelming to bear.  As John Ourand pointed out, it doesn't help matters that Whitlock's apology is labeled a "Fox Sports Exclusive" as Whitlock's columns normally are.  Congratulations on that scoop, truly well deserved.  The only thing missing was the word "Sources" in front of Fox's headline.  

A full weekend after Whitlock's mindless tweet, sharks are still circling the water for blood.  The apology hasn't been met with much acceptance from fans, readers (check the comments on the article), and other writers.  The hypocritcal nature of Whitlock's Lin tweet shouldn't be lost on anyone.  Only a month ago, he wrote this about himself and questions of race involving the firing of Oakland Raiders head coach Hue Jackson:

"Now, if you’ve followed my media career, you know I’m not opposed to fanned flames of any racial, ethnic or lifestyle variety, moving in any direction. “Just burn, baby” is my column motto. However, I prefer my fanned flames to be justified."

Justified, eh?  It's extremely disappointing and mystifying that Fox Sports is (as of the moment) going to take no further action.  The lack of public discipline or any sort of suspension hurts Fox Sports as it seems like they're willing to let this kind of behavior pass without considerable action and sweep it under the rug.  

Whitlock wants to pass off his racist tweet as his inner desire and quest to be a standup comedian?  Child please.  If he wants to quit writing today and try a comedy career, I don't think anyone in the sports world would be desperate to stop him.  His "act" had grown old years ago and his most recent actions burn through whatever little credibility he had left.  

Whitlock may want to deepen his cultural arsenal outside racial stereotyping and references to The Wire if he does pursue that second career though.

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I wrote oodles of posts about the NFL's ratings in January games (both of the playoff and Pro Bowl variety), but the overall viewership of the playoff games were actually slightly down from a year ago.

The game-by-game numbers for the league are surprising as revealed by Sports Media Watch. This year's playoffs featured not only the most-viewed game in the wild card round of all-time (Steelers-Broncos, highlighted by Tebowmania), but also the most-viewed divisional game (Giants-Packers), the second most-viewed championship game (Giants-49ers), and the most viewed Super Bowl (Giants-Patriots). But it was the other games that dragged the overall numbers down, with two wild card games (Bengals-Texans and Falcons-Giants) drawing lower numbers than any wild card game last year. The Bengals-Texans game was actually the lowest viewed wild card game since the Falcons and Cardinals played in the 2008 playoffs.

Another potentially alarming number is that the Packers-Eagles wild card game from last year got more views than three of the four divisional games this year. There obviously isn't any major cause for panic here because the NFL is still sports' ratings behemoth, but these numbers are interesting considering the amount of games that saw record viewership. It's also worth noting that the Texans played in both the lowest rated wild card game and the lowest rated divisional game of the year. You would have thought that a team that had never reached the playoffs before this season would bring in some more eyeballs, but apparently not. The NFL shouldn't worry too much though, overall playoff ratings have grown by over 9 million viewers per game since 2003.

[h/t:Sports Media Watch]

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Regional action kicks off a tripleheader on Sunday between NBC and NBCSN this week with 10 games airing nationwide...

Monday February 13

San Jose Sharks @ Washington Capitals (NBCSN 7:30PM) Mike Emrick, Pierre McGuire

Tuesday February 14

Anaheim Ducks @ Minnesota Wild (NBCSN 7:30PM) John Forslund, Brian Englboom

Wednesday February 15

Boston Bruins @ Montreal Canadiens (NBCSN 7:30PM) Mike Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, Pierre McGuire

Thursday February 16

Chicago Blackhawks @ New York Rangers (NHL Net 7PM) Local Broadcast

Friday February 17

Nashville Predators at Detroit Red Wings (NHL Net 7:30PM) Local Broadcast

Saturday February 18

Pittsburgh Penguins @ Philadelphia Flyers (NHL Net 1PM) Local Broadcast

Washington Capitals @ Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL Net 7PM) Local Broadcast

Sunday February 19

San Jose Sharks @ Detroit Red Wings (NBC 12:30PM) TBD - *Regional

St. Louis Blues @ Chicago Blackhawks (NBC 12:30PM) TBD - *Regional

Pittsburgh Penguins @ Buffalo Sabres (NBC 12:30PM) TBD - *Regional

Boston Bruins @ Minnesota Wild (NBC 3PM) Mike Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, Pierre McGuire

New Jersey Devils @ Montreal Canadiens (NBCSN 6PM) John Forslund, Andy Brickley

H/T Sammy, Steve Lepore!

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As we moved past the Super Bowl on the sports calendar, there was only one question on my mind.

What or who could we find to replace Tim Tebow?

After all, Tebowmania swept the nation for months stretching from the late Autumn and into the Winter.  It was all Tim Tebow all the time.  We had magazines, superheroes, hour long television specials, the Tebowization of First Take and seemingly EVERYTHING ON ESPN, and even the national news media soaking it all in.  Do I need to remind you that SportsNation brought on Hulk Hogan to cut a 1980s style promo on Tim Tebow?  Come to think of it, it's amazing we all emerged alive.

Tebowmania was a unique set of circumstances though.  Here was a once in a generation athlete on a once in a lifetime streak of unbelievable wins that managed to captivate not just sports fans, but seemingly the entire universe.  Everyone you knew had some sort of opinion on Tim Tebow.  It could have been his funky release, his evangelical Christian values, how much credit he deserved for the Broncos success, whether or not John Elway and his coaching staff supported him (the most pointless of all Tebowmania related storylines) or even Tebowing.  It was a nationwide obsession like we've rarely ever seen before in sports.  But alas, when Tebow's season ended, so thankfully did Tebowmania (for the time being at least).  Nobody in their right mind could talk Tim Tebow 24/7/365, after all.  If Skip Bayless has moved on from Tebowmania, you know it's safe.

A funny thing happened though... as soon as the nation got out of rehab for its Tebowmania addiction, another craze has swept the sports world.  It is simply known as Linsanity.  

New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin has developed into the story of the NBA season.  By now you likely know the details of how Lin instantly went from anonymous D-Leaguer to putting 38 on Kobe and the Lakers in the World's Most Famous Arena and leading the Knicks on a five game winning streak.  He's not just the biggest NBA story at the moment though, he's the biggest story in sports.  His heritage, his background, the city in which he plays in, and the shock to his success all play a role in Linsanity.

In a way, this is the present and future of how sports are covered.  We go from season to season in search of one person or one story to apply a clever hashtag to and treat as the most important thing that's ever happened in the history of forever.  It is becoming the nature of the beast in covering sports.  Our culture demands it.

So naturally, the temptation to compare the two biggest phenomena in sports in the last six months is too big to ignore.  Tebowmania vs Linsanity.  Linsanity vs Tebowmania.  Which is bigger?  Whose story is more unreal?  Why are Lin and Tebow wasting their talents in sports and not dedicating themselves to stopping terrorism and ending global warming?  

Go ahead and search "Jeremy Lin" and "Tim Tebow" together on Twitter and behold the seemingly inseperable bond that holds them together.  There was even the predictable "Tebow inspires Lin" story that made the rounds.  I'm pretty sure if the two of them were ever photographed in the same place at the same time, the universe would spontaneously combust in some sort of Reverse Big Bang.

Lin and Tebow do have some similarities.  They are both significant role models in a sports world that has seen them become an endangered species.  They are both outspoken about their faith (see this article in the New York Times for instance).  They are both incredibly compelling athletes.  But the truth is that Lin and Tebow's stories are actually quite different.  Jeremy Lin is simply not another Tim Tebow.  Here's why...

Another busy slate of games in the Association this week on TNT, ESPN, and NBATV...

Monday February 13

Minnesota Timberwolves @ Orlando Magic (NBA TV 7PM) Local Broadcast

Phoenix Suns @ Golden State Warriors (NBA TV 10PM) Local Broadcast 

Tuesday February 14

Miami Heat @ Indiana Pacers (NBA TV 7PM) Ernie Johnson, Chris Webber, Greg Anthony

Washington Wizards @ Portland Trail Blazers (NBA TV 10PM) Local Broadcast

Wednesday February 15

Memphis Grizzlies @ New Jersey Nets (NBA TV 7:30PM) Local Broadcast

Portland Trailblazers @ Golden State Warriors (ESPN 10PM) Dave Pasch, Jon Barry

Thursday February 16

Boston Celtics @ Chicago Bulls (TNT 8PM) Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller

Los Angeles Clippers @ Portland Trail Blazers (TNT 10:30PM) Marv Albert, Steve Kerr

Friday February 17

Dallas Mavericks @ Philadelphia 76ers (ESPN 8PM) Mike Tirico, Hubie Brown

Phoenix Suns @ Los Angeles Lakers (ESPN 10:30PM) Mark Jones, Jon Barry

Saturday February 18

Atlanta Hawks @ Portland Trail Blazers (NBA TV 10PM) Local Broadcast

Sunday February 19

Dallas Mavericks @ New York Knicks (ABC 1PM) Mike Tirico, Hubie Brown

Orlando Magic @ Miami Heat (ABC 3:30PM) Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy

Denver Nuggets @ Oklahoma City Thunder (ESPN 8PM) Dave Pasch, Chris Mullin

H/T Sammy!

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Pitchers and catchers are preparing to report for Spring Training, which means baseball players flooding the friendly weather conditions of Florida and Arizona before the season begins.  But before departing for Spring Training, Rangers pitcher Derek Holland got the opportunity to give the local forecast with WFAA in Dallas. 

Holland's excitement about the weather is admirable.  Who doesn't get juiced to talk some cumulonimbus clouds and decreasing atmospheric pressure!  His forecast consists mostly of shouting "WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT?!  JUST LOOK AT THAT!" in pure, unadulterated joy.  He also puts his hood up to signify the cold sweeping through the area.  Nice visual imagery.  When things don't go so well with the weather clicker though, Holland goes to Plan B and breaks out his notable Haray Caray impersonation (Witchita Falls how ya doin?).  He then continues shouting "WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT?!  JUST LOOK AT THAT!" over any and everything during this weather report.  If only there was a way to translate this kind of excitement to more baseball telecasts...

(via It's Always Sunny In Detroit)

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