While the NBA season teeters on the brink of annihilation today, we can all celebrate the fact that college basketball is here!  The highlight of the first week is obviously the Carrier Classic between #1 UNC and Michigan State played in San Diego aboard the USS Carl Vinson Friday night with Dan Shulman, Dick Vitale, and Jay Bilas on the call.  Mike Breen sees his first college action with a pair of games at Duke alongside Doris Burke.  ESPN has a ton of games with numerous early season tournaments dotting the landscape.  Good luck though comprehending why the Maui Invitational begins Monday... in Ann Arbor.

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NBC has announced that the soon to be rebranded NBC Sports Network (currently Versus), will kickoff 2012 with a pair of new shows featuring Bob Costas. The shows are very similar to his previous shows at HBO with Costas Now and On The Record, which he had to walk away from in order to call games for the MLB Network as HBO was firm in requiring cable exclusivity. From the NYT...

"The first town hall meeting will be shown on the Thursday night before the Super Bowl, which NBC is carrying. “The meetings will attempt to, in a lively way, address for the most part substantive issues, sometimes they’ll be a celebration of aspects of sports,” he said. “Some will be more humorous than others, but the balance will be journalistic.”

The interview program, “Costas Tonight,” will start in the spring. “For lack of a better description,” he said, “it will be like a Larry King-Piers Morgan format."

In a nutshell, I'm game and think it's definitely a shrewd move for NBC Sports Network who continue to be creative in terms of bolstering their original programming. Let's not forget it wasn't too long ago that low rent programming like Fanarchy and The Daily Line were not doing the network any favors.

Growing up in the 80's and 90's, Bob Costas was a major part of my acclimation to sports. A jack of all trades, Costas was a major part of NBC's MLB, NFL, and NBA coverage.

The 90's were a special time for NBC and Costas was the face of the network. This tidbit from Wikipedia really highlights how pivotal both NBC and Costas was to sports fans.

"During the 1995-96 television season, for the only time in history, the World Series, Super Bowl, NBA Finals, and Summer Olympics were telecast by the same network."

Unfortunately for Costas and fans of his work, NBC hit a bit of cold streak on the sports front as MLB, NBA, and the NFL all would find new network partners. The end result - more Joe Buck and in non Olympic years, really very very little Bob Costas. That is unless of course you stalked his many cameo appearances in shows and movies like Baseketball, Pootie Tang, Monk, The Drew Carey Show, Coach Carter, and The Scout.

With a little bit of bandwidth to pursue other endeavors, Costas launched a successful radio show as well doing a lot of thought provocative work for HBO. Although not massive hits, generally speaking his work at HBO was very well received, often bringing new light to a lot of personalities and stories that flew under the radar including the infamous episode covering the role of sports blogs.

While it's definitely good to see NBC Sports Network and Costas ramping up solid programming, I think many sports fans would really prefer to see NBC reclaim the MLB television rights which expire in 2013. The NBA would also be a great addition as well, but I think fans are generally pretty happy with how ABC/ESPN and TNT have showcased the sport opposed to MLB which could definitely use a change of scenery as ratings continue to decline. Plus, Costas has been doing work for MLB Network making it a potentially a better fit.

It'll be interesting to see the debut of both shows and I'm curious who he'll book early on and what topics his townhall show will cover out of the gate. We'll certainly cover those developments when more details become available. Until then, Costas definitely has his dillies on the peppa tane. 

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For the first time all season, Craig James didn't gain a spot in our weekly countdown of the 10 best Pammies quotes.  I'm just as shocked as you are.  Oh well, at least there wasn't a huge Fire Craig James banner spotted on College Gameday that made up for it or anything...  

(Thanks to reader Seth Roberts for e-mailing this pic from Tuscaloosa.)  

This week, it's last season's Pammies winner Chris Spielman that takes top spot this week with Brent Musburger and his drinking jokes coming in at second place.  Cowboy James still holds top spot, but Matt Millen continues to close the gap.  The envelope please...

10) "Redshirt freshman Ronald McCombs well over 100 yards on that last drive." -Pam Ward (via sctvman)

9) "Intercepted! Wait... no... caught by LSU!" - Verne Lundquist (via GB330033) saying LSU intercepted their own pass.

8) "You can throw or run here, those are your options" - Gary Danielson (via sctvman)

7) "Wonder where the beef is, here it comes." - Matt Millen (via TheSportsHernia)

6) "Jimbo Fisher knows how to get QBs ready for the NFL; when he was at LSU, he had JaMarcus Russell 1st Overall" - Jesse Palmer (via AlexFromBuffalo) Yup, that's a positive reference about JaMarcus Russell's NFL career.

5) "You live your life like a field goal into the wind." - Matt Millen (via cptmintz)

4) "Floyd getting the last word... for now." - Mark Jones (via Dascenzo)

3) "This is probably exactly what the Wisconsin coaching staff wanted to see today. After those two heartbreaking defeats, you come back and you just explode all over somebody." - Mike Patrick (via DevsFan30)

2) Regarding the earthquake that took place in Oklahoma at 2:12 AM...

Kirk Herbsteit: "Did you feel anything?"
Brent Musburger: "It might have been last call" (via Chris Schenkel)

1) "Stick it up in there hard and with power!" - Chris Spielman (via DomoBENesis)

Week 10 Top 5 -

1) Craig James 95 pts

2) Matt Millen 70 pts

3) Pam Ward 46 pts

4) Gary Danielson 44 pts

5) Chris Spielman 32 pts

Others receiving votes - Brent Musburger 28 pts, Lou Holtz 21 pts, Mike Patrick 17 pts, Mark Jones 16 pts, Beth Mowins 13 pts, Brett Favre 13 pts, Sean McDonough 13 pts, Jesse Palmer 12 pts, Artrell Hawkins 9 pts, Warrick Dunn 9 pts, Dan Hawkins 9 pts, Jenn Brown 9 pts, Andre Ware 8 pts, Gus Johnson 7 pts, Lee Corso 7 pts, Wendi Nix 7 pts, Steve Martin 7 pts, Tom Cole 7 pts, Rod Gilmore 6 pts, Dave Pasch 5 pts, Bill Land 5 pts, Alex Flanagan 4 pts, Mike Morgan 4 pts, Joe Tiller 3 pts, Keith Jones 3 pts, Desmond Howard 3 pts, Shaun King 3 pts, Charles Davis 3 pts, Verne Lundquist 3 pts, Danny Kanell 2 pts, Steve Beuerlein 2 pts, Scott Van Pelt 2 pts, Kevin Kugler 1 pt, Eric Collins 1 pt, Todd McShay 1 pt, Ray Bentley 1 pt.

The Full Week 11 Announcing Schedule will be coming soon, where you can find the dates and times of games and all the announcing pairings as well.  Then, make sure you check back every Saturday for the Pam Ward Chronicles and another week of the Pammies!

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Thanks to @DarrenRovell, you can see a Lingerie Football player get depantsed... as Sean Salisbury provides the color commentary.

I feel like there is quite the Sean Salisbury joke to be had here, but maybe we just shouldn't go there. Instead, let's just all laugh at him for what his career has become. From ESPN to announcing Lingerie Football games, well, that kind of joke really just makes itself. Were there no announcing job openings in Major League Soccer available?

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In September, we brought you Arizona Cardinals Spanish announcer Gabriel Trujillo's call of Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald's 73 yard touchdown reception vs. the Redskins. It was bueno.

Now, thanks again to the Sports Mashup, here's Trujillo calling Patrick Peterson's walk off 99 yard punt return for a touchdown from this past Sunday. It's also good:

Don't understand a word, but think it sounds pretty awesome? Here's a few more minutes of Trujillo: 

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The Jerry Sandusky scandal at Penn State is one of the most horrifying, disgusting stories in sports in quite some time.  As time has passed, the news coming out of State College has only gotten worse as more and more details become available.  There have been so many emotional reactions to the shocking story varying from rage to anger to sadness that it's hard to comprehend the full scope.  Words fail to express the hurt and anguish one feels for all of the victims involved and the disbelief that something like this could happen on such a large scale.

As a former Nittany Lion, Matt Millen's appearance on SportsCenter this morning showed the gravity and the human element of this story.  He visibly choked up and broke down when discussing the news that has been reported in the last week regarding his alma mater and his former coaches, Joe Paterno and Sandusky.  The inner conflict within Millen, and all of those emotions, were on full display live on SportsCenter this morning.  Here's video of the full segment, the moment of Millen choking up begins at the 4:00 mark...

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Last Saturday's Big Tweleven Legends division clash between Iowa and Michigan came down to the last play of the game. As someone who has only watched a 20-second highlight clip of the game, in my opinion, the difference was Iowa's perceived non-politically correct pink locker rooms. Unfortunately, it's a non-PC gaffe by Iowa radio play-by-play man Gary Dolphin that we are talking about today. For those of you who aren't experts in old-timey racism, go here to make yourself probably a worse person overall. Dolphin obviously meant to say "jitterbug" and it's obvious there was no malice meant in his comment.

If you were curious about the attempted move that UM running back Fitzgerald Toussaint apparently attempted, I recommend watching all nine minutes and eighteen seconds of this video to understand the very advanced running move that he tried against the Iowa defense.

A few new faces make an appearance in this week's Straight Outta Stockton awards including some national college football announcers that ply their trade on local broadcasts.  Living in Ohio, it's nice to see Bengals radio analyst Dave Lapham make an appearance.  After watching much of GB/SD, Brian Billick could safely fill out this entire list, but nevertheless he leads this week's Dickies with three nominees.

For the Straight Outta Stockton vote, each week we'll nominate 15-20 quotes for you to pick the best 10.  The winning quote of the week will earn that person 10 points all the way down to 1 point for 10th.  Remember, you can vote for your favorite five quotes.  Here are your Week 9 nominees...

1) "Dan Fouts fumbled the game away for Chargers." - Bob Griese (via sa9273) just off by a few years.

2) "Ivory coming downhill, and goes back downhill." - John Lynch (via bmitchelf)

3) "If you are converting 3rd down at 53%, you have over a 50% chance of getting a 1st down." - Brian Billick (via TheLoadedOne)

4) "no challenge flag yet...." - Joe Buck (via the506) as Belichick throws the red flag out on screen.

5) "Ricky brought in to give Ray Rice a blow from time to time." - Al Michaels (via briguy17) Ricky Williams?  Blow?  Bwahaha.

6) "Get off is so important to a defensive lineman" - Jon Gruden (via JunderscoreCo)

7) "I know these Packers fans are from California because they have shirts on." - Brian Billick (via bjo109)

8) "Trent knows more about offense than I've forgotten" - Tom Jackson (via JordoMac1B2) mixing up his cliches

9) "Jacoby Ford is 5'9"... how is that for getting up?!" - Dan Dierdorf (via sharapovasthigh)

10) "Jerome Simpson drives you nuts. He can be the highest of high" - Dave Lapham (via CFPtherealOG) That's two marijuana related SOS quotes this week.

11) "He has unqualified faith in his quarterback." - Brian Billick (via X_Raycat57) #englishfail

12) "You never know what you're gonna find in one of those ovens" - Joe Buck #wtf #ovensarepredictable (via TheZaharaDesert and bonus pts for the hashtag)

13) "Picking up 1 yard... or 9 I should say!" - Dick Stockton (via AA)

14) "The Eagles with two touchdowns in less than a half minute, and we're all even at 10." - Mike Tirico (via everyone watching the game) Um, Mike? The Eagles only scored 10 points.

15) "It's hard to score from inside the one." - Phil Simms (via csolomon15)

16) "Another great defensive stand by the Browns." - Dan Fouts (via SchmanthonyP) as the Texans kick a field goal to make it 27-3 Houston

17) "Soon the Buccaneers are going to think about using their timeouts on defense." - Dick Stockton (via BloggerJustinF) after TB called TO

Vote For Your Week 9 Dickies Nominees! (vote for up to five)

The winners will come Thursday morning so make sure you vote early and often and check back for the full NFL Week 10 announcing sked later this week!

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As Americans, it's safe to say that while the NFL is going on, no other sport really matters. The incredible catches, the hard hits over the middle, and even some touchdown passes might be enough to make a grown man cry.

But just think how emotionally overwhelmed you would be if you had an announcer calling your game like this guy in the video below?

This avid soccer fan goes by the name Tiziano Crudeli and is known for his passionate calls for his favorite team, AC Milan. In various YouTube clips, you can see Crudeli getting angry while his team is losing and switching gears to almost fist pumping like Pauly D and Vinny on Jersey Shore all well yelling “GOOOOAAALLLLLLL” enough to piss off the opposing team’s announcer sitting right next to him.

You have to admire the passion behind his play by play, but if you were the announcer for the other team in the video above, how much strength does it take to resist the urge to punch him out after the 27th time he has yelled “GOALLLLL”?  As much as we find entertainment value with crazy soccer announcers, I’m not sure most of us have the emotional wherewithal to deal with someone who practically cries after a goal, especially if I am a fan of the other team.

I know if my NFL team was losing and the person sitting next to me yelled “TOUCHDOWWWNN” over and over again, he might take an “accidental” fall down the stairs after the game.

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In case you watched an NFL game on Fox yesterday, you probably saw one of the 4,573 advertisements for the Fox broadcast debut of the Ultimate Fighting Championship this coming Saturday night.  There has always been speculation on what exactly Fox would do with the UFC telecast.  Would they bring in Gus Johnson with his (somewhat criticized) MMA experience at CBS to call the fight?  Would they peg Joe Buck to announce the fight scene seeing as how Joe Buck announces everything else at Fox?  (I think he hosts American Idol too... although I have such a hard time telling him and Seacrest apart.)

Instead, UFC's resident announcers Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan will be calling the Cain Velasquez vs Junior Dos Santos heavyweight title fight according to USA Today, but Fox will at least have one of their network stalwarts on the coverage...

UFC will do most of the introducing, since it maintains control of the fight coverage and will use announcers Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan, who call its pay-per-view fights. But Fox will control the pre- and post-fight shows, where it will use Curt Menefee as host and fighter Brock Lesnar— who might eventually fight the Nov. 12 winner — and UFC President Dana White as analysts. Or, maybe, head cheerleader?

I really wish Fox would have gone with Chris Rose instead of Curt Menefee as the studio host just to see the awkward dynamic between himself, Brock Lesnar, and Dana White.  That would have been worth watching alone.  It's also worth noting that Velasquez vs Dos Santos is the only scheduled fight to appear on Fox with the undercard being streamed on FoxSports.com.  Here I was hoping we might see Floyd Mayweather vs Larry Merchant on the broadcast.  Oh, well.  Fox hasn't had much success in recent years experimenting with new sports, and you know MMA purists will be paying very close attention to how Fox treats the telecast.  (See the BCS on Fox and their intellectually insulting Champions League Final coverage.  I wonder if Michael Strahan can explain for us the difference between boxing and MMA...)  

Dana White as studio analyst will also bring an interesting dynamic.  It's like a cross between having Roger Goodell on The NFL Today and Vince McMahon doing commentary for the WWF back in the day.  What Fox loses in any sense of objectivity they do gain in outspokenness and expertise.  Normally, putting the UFC president on the pre/post shows would be scoffed at as a slap in the face of journalism on the Craig James Level.  However, White is such a wild card that he has the potential to say anything, positively or negatively.  Fox is obviously going to try to be selling the fight, Dana White, and UFC as a whole hard throughout the night to make their venture into MMA a success.

Will you be watching, and what are your hopes for Fox's coverage?

[USA Today]

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