The FCC has asked for public comment in regards to the NFL's longstanding Blackout Rule, adding more momentum to fans' pleas that the reviled and dated rule be repealed. This comes on the heels of Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown's public comments calling for elimination of the nearly 40 year old rule.

This past season, 16 games were blacked out in their home markets. Over the last decade about half of the NFL (15 teams) have been subjected to a blackout with some clubs like the Raiders, Jaguars, Chargers, Lions, Bengals, and Buccaneers often finding themselves not on television to the dismay of fans. In addition to the many blackouts in recent history, many teams are forced to creatively dump tickets by selling them on the cheap to sponsors. 

Fresh off the NFL's renegotiated television extensions that will bump revenue a whopping 60%, the mental gymnastics of explaining the logic of the Blackout Rule is beginning to become more strenuous (from PFT via USA Today)...

“The blackout policy is very important in supporting NFL stadiums and the ability of NFL clubs to sell tickets, keeping our games attractive as television programming with large crowds; and ensuring that we can continue to keep our games on free TV,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement to USA Today.  “Playing in full stadiums with thousands of fans is an important part of what makes NFL football an exciting and special entertainment event, both live and on television.  We have a limited number of games and do not want to erode the incentive to buy tickets.

I've read that quote above a handful of times and I still don't understand how it makes sense. PFT lays the wood against the NFL's stance by pointing out that changing ticket prices or stadium sizes could eliminate this problem...

Last season as an analyst for ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball, Bobby Valentine often spoke his mind and wasn't hesitant to say what he thought of certain players. One of those players was Carl Crawford, now one of Valentine's players with the Boston Red Sox. In August, Valentine criticized Crawford's open stance in the batter's box, and the outfielder was apparently none too pleased with him according to NESN.

Well, after weeks of trying, Valentine and Crawford finally had a conversation, and all appears to be well in Red Sox Nation. Crawford needs to turn his tenure in Boston around, and can't have an awful year like he did in 2011.

As for Valentine, let this be a lesson to all of the aspiring coaches out there currently hanging out in the broadcast booth: watch what you say, it might bite you in the ass at the end of the day. For a college coach like Urban Meyer, his players can easily transfer schools if they were that irritated at what a coach had to say in the booth. But in a professional league, where contracts are the norm? Yeah, that could be an issue. Jon Gruden had better watch what he says about some of the worse teams in the league, because he might be at the helm of one shortly. Maybe that's why he's gone the safer route of loving everybody.

[H/T: NESN]

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It was last week when Joe Buck took to Twitter to defend his call of David Tyree's helmet catch in Super Bowl XLII.  At the time, I reasoned that Joe's Twitter page and this lengthy explanation of his most infamous call could go a long way in getting over with fans that have never liked Joe's morbid style of announcing.  Joe Buck's Twitter page has been a forum for him to interact with supporters and critics, offer insights into his announcing, and generally appear more likable and human (although there was a brief time his profile picture was him and Snooki).  Joe Buck has been able to connect on his Twitter page to sports fans in a way that he previously hadn't been able to in the booth.  Whether his Twitter page has anything to do with it or not, Joe Buck delivered what may be his best, most excited, and most popular performance last night in the Giants win over the Packers at Lambeau.  

The major criticism since the dawn of Buck's dominance as Fox's #1 announcer has been his total lack of emotion in calling the highest profile games in sports.  There have also been certain other times in the past where Buck has come off as arrogant or being more interested in becoming a late night star.  Joe has always been a top pro amongst play by play men, but the main critique of Buck amongst a large section of fans has been his excitability.  When we're jumping out of our chairs at home, we want to listen to someone that feels those similar emotions while telling the story of what we are seeing.  That's why Gus Johnson connects with fans, or Bill Raftery, Ian Darke, and others.  Dan Shulman would never be confused with a screaming lunatic, but he's as popular as any other announcer because he's able to find a balance and deliver big calls in big moments.  Not everyone has to be Gus Johnson to win supporters over and last night, Joe Buck continued what is becoming a trend.  He actually sounded excited and was able to connect with viewers.

The perfect example of this from last night's game was Hakeem Nicks catching a Hail Mary pass from Eli Manning at the end of the first half.  The play might've taken the broadcast crew by surprise as the Giants were on the edge of field goal range with no timeouts.  Instead of playing for the field goal, the Giants went for the touchdown.  Here's Joe's call...

It's times like these that I'm thankful that my NFL team bowed out of the playoffs by a double-digit margin. That's because double-digit losses aren't recreated on Tecmo Bowl by some internet hero to remain in the annals of the internet until 12-21-12. For Saints fans, they sadly might want to be careful with their Youtube clicks because they might stumble on this gem spliced together with 49ers radio play-by-play announcer Ted Robinson's call of Smith to Davis.

For those of you who enjoy your video in greater than 8 bits, go here. 

My highlight from Robinson's call is without a doubt his "VERNON DAVIS WITH THE PLAY OF HIS LIFE! ALEX SMITH WITH THE PLAY OF HIS LIFE!" line. It's also funny that just minutes earlier everyone thought Alex Smith had made THE PLAY OF HIS LIFE when he scampered in from 28-yards out with 2:11 remaining to put the Niners on top.

If you enjoyed that video at all, I can't recommend enough that you check out Game 6 of the '86 World Series recreated on RBI Baseball with Vin Scully. If that didn't do it for you either, here's Bo Jackson running around with possibly the greatest video game play of all-time.

H/T Matt Clapp, The Score

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When you think about traditional Texas football, the words Friday Night Lights are pretty synonymous. Other words that might come to mind from his notable time at Texas Tech is the name Mike Leach.

If you are a fan of Texas football, or high powered offenses led by eccentric coaches, or just hate Craig James, then it might please you to learn that there is a report about a “Friday Night Lights” inspired documentary set to start featuring Mike Leach and debuting on HBO from Ben Grossman at Broadcasting & Cable.

Peter Berg, the Executive Producer of TV's Friday Night Lights is said to have been “fascinated” by Leach when he came to live with him two years ago in Hollywood for a month and even had Leach film a cameo for the show.

Because of his fascination with Mike Leach, Berg sent the guys behind HBO’s sports doc On Freddie Roach to Leach’s new coaching gig in Washington State for three days to discuss the show’s possible angles.  Imagine that, Washington State football the subject of a documentary!

It’s thought that the show will follow the team throughout training camp and up until a couple games into the season according to the B&C report.

Let’s consider the possible topics to be covered which will make this a must-watch:

• Since it’s a documentary, will Leach take this time to frankly discuss the nasty divorce between Texas Tech and himself in greater detail?
• Will Leach continue to be outspoken with the cameras on? Will he change his coaching style? Will he go on a tirade against Craig James in the first episode?
• Will Washington State recruits buy into finding your inner pirate?

The show is on HBO. They won’t move forward with a project if it isn’t compelling and touches on at least one of the storylines noted above. HBO has a great track record with sports documentaries and there's not too many people in sports more interesting than Mike Leach. With the main attraction to the documentary being Mike Leach, expect a brutally honest behind-the-scenes view of Texas football brought to Washington State. Only, HBO will show you everything the other networks can’t or won’t.

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ESPN has lost a number of talented people in the last year (with Brian Kenny, Bruce Feldman, and Pat Forde being some of the most notable examples), and they may be losing another on-air talent shortly: popular anchor and radio host Scott Van Pelt.

The Big Lead is reporting that the NBC Sports Network (freshly minted at the beginning of the year) is rumored to be going after Van Pelt, whose contract expires in April. On the heels of losing Jim Rome to CBS, losing Van Pelt would be huge, especially for ESPN Radio. Kenny's radio show was recently replaced by a show hosted by Mark Schlereth and Mike Hill, much to the chagrin of our staff. If Van Pelt were also to depart, ESPN would need to fill another hole in its radio schedule, but Van Pelt's sidekick Ryen Rusillo could be a tailor-made successor. If Van Pelt does indeed leave for NBC as speculated, it would give the network an extremely solid anchor to lead whatever coverage they're planning to go with. It's the kind of splash NBC Sports Network has to make coming out of the gates and would be a direct shot at ESPN.  

Another popular ESPN talent whose contract is expiring is the cohost of SportsNation, Michelle Beadle. Ken Fang is reporting that Beadle's contract is expiring this month, and she could be a huge get for a network that is looking to get a firm grip on a studio host that can attract a younger crowd. The brass at ESPN is quite fond of Beadle though, and I don't think they'd let her go without a fight. ESPN would probably have to increase her role on the network, though, which is something I don't think they'd really hesitate doing. It could be similar to the expanded role Erin Andrews has seen in the last couple of years. Many fans are of the opnion that Beadle has supplanted EA as the queen of ESPN, and a progression in her career past hosting SportsNation with Cowherd would seem logical at this point in time.

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I don't know what's more impressive about this clip - the three quarter court buzzer beater for the win, or the fact that Lindsey Wilson College from the NAIA (that's National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for the unaware) has their own YouTube channel and video coverage with slow motion instant replay capabilities!  In the footage below, #14 Lindsey Wilson is trailing rival #5 Georgetown College (both located in Kentucky) by two with just seconds remaining, 78-76.  After a missed free throw, Blue Raiders player Chase Spreen takes the rebound and heaves a prayer from inside his own free throw line.  The end result?  Nothing but net.  Even better than the improbable buzzer beater is the home play by play man absolutley losing his mind over the play...

"Spreen with the rebound, half court, full court shot... GOOOOOODDD!!!! OH MY GOD!! OH MY GOD!! HE HIT IT FROM THE FREE THROW LINE ON THE OTHER SIDE!!  UNBELIEVABLE!! IT'S THE MOST UNBELIEVABLE SHOT I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE!!"

Indeed.  Believe it or not, that was Lindsey Wilson's only lead of the game. 

H/T LoneNutVolFan!

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Earlier this week, we published Part I of reader e-mails with your thoughts on TebowMania and the insane amount of coverage of Broncos QB Tim Tebow.  AA has always been an open forum for sports fans to voice their opinion on announcers and the sports media and with TebowMania so out of control, we wanted to give you a say.  With Patriots/Broncos tonight, TebowMania will either go into hibernation with a New England win, or we are transplanted into an alternate universe where Tim Tebow is the unquestioned master and ruler of the world with a Denver win.  I don't think that's an overstatement.  With that realization approaching, we asked you for your thoughts on TebowMania and the coverage of Tim Tebow.  As always, these are real e-mails from real readers...

I just wanted to comment on Tebow and the media's fascination with him. I really like Tebow and I have ever since he was at Florida. I think he is a great role model for kids and it's nice to see athletes who can be positive influences instead of the Pacman Jones' of the world. But I can't stand ESPN's non stop Tebow coverage. I don't watch Sportscenter or First Take anymore because of it. I find myself rooting against a guy who I normally would root for just because I don't want to hear about him. I'm a Panthers fan and there are many obnoxious Steeler fans in our area but I found myself rooting for them so that I wouldn't have to boycott ESPN for the next week.

I have no problem with Tebow's faith and I think it's pretty courageous that such a high profile athlete isn't scared to back away from his beliefs just because it's such a sensitive topic. I do have issues with fans who attribute all of his success to the fact that because he is deeply religious he is being rewarded. Being a Panthers fan I've had to watch another deeply religious man, Thomas Davis, suffer through 3 ACL tears in 3 years. He's not as high profile but it's kind of ignorant to say Tebow is only a winner because he is a true believer in God.

I am happy to see a guy like Tebow win but I wish ESPN would give more credit to the coaches and teammates for winning as a team instead of Tebow getting all the credit.

Josh Gainer

Here's an interesting note from this oddly football-centric interview from GQ with rapper Eminem on his favorite or least favorite announcer...

GQ: Is there an analyst on TV that you particularly like or dislike? 

 Eminem: I flip back and forth between ESPN and the NFL Network all day long. 24-7, those two channels are always on. As far as analysts go, I'm cool with most of them. When it comes to calling a game, though, Al Michaels is my favorite. By far. C'mon, everybody misses John Madden. It sucks that he's retired, but at least we've still got Michaels. He is the last of the true icons still calling games. Just hearing his voice, it's nostalgic, man. It brings you back to when you were a little kid. His voice is ill. I don't know how long Al Michaels plans on doing the Sunday night games for NBC, but if he retired tomorrow, it would really f*#$ing suck.

Good to know that one of the more popular rappers around has the same general viewpoint as the general public about Michaels being the man. He finished in our yearly Pyrotechnics awards voting for best play by play announcer and is generally recognized as the top play by play man in the National Football League. I don't know if his voice has ever been described as ill though. We can only hope that we get more Michaels this year on NBC's coverage of the Olympics in London this summer.

Now, if only Eminem would mention Michaels in one of his songs... or if Al would quote some Eminem lyrics in his announcing...

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Yes, the headline from Craig James' first debate performance this week and his introduction to the media before the debate was the admission of taking "$20 handshakes" while a player at SMU in the 1980's.  (Even though he had previously denied any involvement in SMU's checkered past.)  In the sports world at large, that might be considered the biggest story.  But, for those among us who just see Craig James as the joke that he is, the best of the rest of his quotes from the initial debate didn't dissapoint.  As expected, James sounded like a mix of the corrupt dope of an announcer he was with the caricature of the politician he is trying to be.  As Deitsch pointed out on Twitter, the following quotes seem like they belong on the Onion instead of in a legitimate political race.  Quotes come from the Texas Politics blog at the Houston Chronicle:

“I’m going up there to kick the skunks out of the bushes,” he said, adding later: “The game’s over, man.”

-Look out skunks in Washington!  Craig James is coming to flush the fish down the toilet that is Washington.  He's going to drive the rats out of the sewer that is our nation's capital.  Hmm, I better stop myself before I give James' brilliant metaphor writer more material.  

“I didn’t have the maturity to turn it away,” (On his taking improper benefits at SMU)

“Right is right; wrong is wrong. It’s never right to do wrong.”

-James claimed the benefits he took while at SMU were "insignificant"... so clearly they don't fall into the "right is right" category.  I guess wielding your influence at ESPN to get Mike Leach fired and that whole hooker thing also don't fall into the "wrong is wrong" category.  

Even while playing for the New England Patriots, James turned to real estate deals during the off-season “to prove that I was more than a football player, that I was a smart guy.”

-*shaking head in disbelief*

“I get what’s going on in the real world,”

-Do you Craig... do you really?  Because it sure seems like your "real world" and "real street" aren't in this little place I like to call REALITY.  

As if this stream of quotes that would be laughed at in a D-level political movie wasn't enough, Craig James is out with his newest television ad.  Go ahead and watch, but remember AA isn't responsible if you decide to shoot your computer in the process.

Let's see...faith, family, freedom, free enterprise.  I think Craig is missing a couple of other "F" words to describe himself.  Maybe the "F" theme is appropriate though, seeing as how that's the letter college football fans use to stamp his legacy as an announcer.

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