Unfortunately, our European basketball correspondent at Bloguin never answered my relentless Facebook messages, Tweets, and telegrams... so I don't have too many details about this video below.  All I know is that it blew up over the blogosphere (with AA's Matt Clapp at Sharapova's Thigh) and Twitter (via Simmons & Chad Ford) and it is one of the most amazing basketball videos I've ever seen.  Real Madrid and Unicaja Malaga trade amazing clutch shots in the last minute all the way down to the final buzzer.  This is like last year's Xavier-K State game kicked up several notches, and it's only helped by someone who may in fact be the Spanish Gus Johnson.  Disfrutar de las imagenes sorprendentes!!  (Yes, I just used Google translator for that!)



Our own Mike Vitiello, who evidently speaks more Spanish than I do, says the commentator shouts, "Tell me I'm not dreaming" at the end among other great phrases.  I love it.  Combine that use of language with absolutely losing your voice in excitement and you've got one of the best announcing clips of the year.  The only thing that could have made this video better was for our Spanish friend to shout ONIONS!

Here's Part II of our interview with Christopher Harris, aka The Gaffer of EPL Talk.  In case you missed Part I, you can check it out here with a lot of great insights on sports blogging and the impact of the blogosphere.  In the final part of our interview, The Gaffer talks to AA about soccer coverage in the United States.  Specifically, his thoughts on ESPN's World Cup coverage including their major mistake in South Africa, Ian Darke, Major League Soccer's viability against the Premier League, and where he sees soccer going in the next five years.

Q: Looking back with more time and perspective, do you think ESPN's World Cup coverage was a high water mark for soccer coverage in the US?

A: I'd actually be surprised if ESPN made money out of that World Cup.  They hired the best talent in the world and created an All-Star cast of the best commentators and pundits in the world.  Without any shadow of a doubt, that was the pinnacle, the high point of the best soccer coverage ever experienced in the United States.  It may be the best ever, we may never get back to that.  I was absolutely amazed by what they did.  It wasn't perfect, there were some mistakes made, but overall it was amazing.  Having grown up in the UK till I was 14 and experiencing the best of BBC, ITV, etc. I think this was probably without a doubt the best in the United States, but probably one of the best covered events of soccer anywhere, anytime in the history of the sport.

Q: Ian Darke gained almost a cult following during the World Cup.  What are your thoughts on ESPN's move to hire him full-time?  Is that the right move, or should ESPN do more to get an American soccer voice out there?

A: The number one mistake ESPN made during the World Cup was that they had no US born lead commentator that most Americans could connect with.  The casual observer probably felt strange, why does ESPN have all these British accents commentating the games?

Ian is actually probably more American in the way he broadcasts games than say Martin Tyler.  Martin Tyler is more like a poet - quiet, reserved, but he knows timing.  His commentary ebbs and flows and it's more laid back, more old school.  A lot of Darke's commentating is helped by his boxing commentary, but it's more American - it's more exciting, there's more passion in his voice.  For an American audience, they connect to that better.  The Donovan goal was a perfect example of Ian Darke calling something and really being biased in favor of the United States and going crazy.

As far as the future goes with Ian Darke being ESPN's lead commentator for the EPL, and I understand he'll be doing some MLS games, it's an extension of the World Cup and his cult following.  For the MLS, it's interesting too because they are looking for a bridge.  How can we take a lot of these Premier League fans that watch ESPN at 4:45 PT and get them to watching MLS?  Maybe Ian Darke can consciously or subconsciously bring people over to the MLS side.

(On former ESPN announcer JP Dellacamera) 

In all of this I think JP got the raw end of the deal.  He would have been perfect as a lead commentator for the World Cup and has the quality to be a main focus.  Now, I think with him going to Fox Soccer Channel, leading up their coverage of MLS, that says to me behind the scenes maybe he felt wronged or let down by ESPN.  I understand where ESPN is coming from, but I think that was one mistake they did make.

Q: Are there other ways for ESPN and FSC to build on their EPL success and help MLS?

A: It's interesting because I would have thought that after the World Cup there would have been more of a bump for MLS.  The bump in terms of viewers and ratings went to the Premier League.  It's almost like watching movies...  Some people like foreign films, independent films, mainstream films, but at the end of the day, they're buying or renting based on quality.  I think the same thing applies to soccer.  We only have so many hours in a weekend.  At the end of the day you're going to decide on quality.  Even though MLS has made strides, the Premier League is basically an All-Star league.  For the most part, we're watching it because of talent on the field, and that is All-Star talent.  So, it's tough business for MLS to compete against the Premier League and I don't think you win that battle.  They need to focus on local markets and get people in the seats and do the best they can on television, but unfortunately it's a tough challenge.

Here is your full Sweet Sixteen schedule with announcer assignments. I am not too thrilled with Reggie Miller joining Gus Johnson ...

Play-By-Play/Analyst//Reporter

Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg//Tracy Wolfson

Marv Albert/Steve Kerr//Craig Sager

Verne Lundquist/Bill Raftery//Lesley Visser

Gus Johnson/Len Elmore/Reggie Miller//Marty Snider

Thursday, March 24

7:15PM           CBS              Anaheim I            (2) San Diego St. vs. (3) UCONN      Lundquist/Raftery//Visser

7:27PM           TBS               New Orleans I    (2) Florida vs. (3) BYU                        Johnson/Elmore/Miller//Snider

9:45PM           CBS           `  Anaheim II         (1) Duke vs. (5) Arizona                       Lundquist/Raftery//Visser

9:57PM            TBS              New Orleans II  (4) Wisconsin vs. (8) Butler                   Johnson/Elmore/Miller//Snider

Friday, March 25

7:15PM            CBS             Newark I             (2) UNC vs. (11) Marquette                  Nantz/Kellogg//Wolfson

7:27PM            TBS              San Antonio I      (1) Kansas vs. (12) Richmond               Albert/Kerr//Sager

9:45PM            CBS              Newark II           (1) Ohio State vs. (4) Kentucky           Nantz/Kellogg//Wolfson

9:57PM            TBS              San Antonio II     (10) Florida State vs. (11) VCU              Albert/Kerr//Sager

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Our latest Q&A here at Awful Announcing goes in a new direction - a conversation with one of the top sports bloggers on the web.  Over two parts, we'll feature highlights from our interview with Christopher Harris, better known to millions of readers as The Gaffer from EPL Talk.  EPL Talk is one of the top soccer blogs on the web and one of the most popular sports blogs anywhere.  The Gaffer was kind enough to talk to us about a myriad of topics involving the blogosphere and soccer coverage in the USA.  In Part I, The Gaffer talks to AA about the founding of EPL Talk, the impact of the sports blogosphere, and his thoughts on David Beckham.

Q: What went into the founding of EPL Talk?

A: Back in 2005 I was sitting at home watching a Premier League match on Fox Sports World, where maybe there was one match a weekend live, and thinking, wouldn't it be great if I could online chat with people from around the United States, and try to build a community.  That was the initial vision and idea behind EPL Talk.  Originally it was going to be a chat site, then the more I thought about it, well a chat is great but that means many people have to be online at the same time.  Rather than just focus on chats, I expanded it into articles, a podcast, and then it grew from there.  In November 2005 I launched EPL Talk with no budget, no listeners, no readers, no nothing and just slowly but surely it grew over time.  The timing was perfect because soon thereafter, with the 2006 World Cup, in the United States soccer became more popular and then the Premier League began to take off in America. 

Q: You started EPL Talk with no readers, what has that grown to since you started in 2005?

A: For the past 30 days, we're at 300,000 unique visitors a month.  Going back to the World Cup last summer, we hit a million unique visitors during the heart of the World Cup.  Since 2005, we've actually created more sites and added those onto the EPL Talk network.   We have 9 sites in total covering everything from the German league to the Spanish league to Major League Soccer, etc.  Across the board, it's probably close to a half million unique visitors now.

Q: From your perspective, how have you seen the blogosphere and new media impact sports coverage?

A: It's really transformed the industry.  You go back to 2005 or even before then, blogs were seen as some crazy guy typing up a blog out of his bedroom about you name it.  But, really these days, blogs more often than not are actually breaking the news.  Whether it's scoops or stories, often times they are actually broken by the blogs, not always, there is still a place for major newspapers of course.

The other thing too is that there are blogs actually leading the actual coverage of the game.  One example is Zonal Marking by Michael Cox out of England.  It's a blog about football tactics, but one blog has changed how the (UK) Guardian talks about the game, he's doing work with ESPN - it's heightened the level of discussion and discourse about football tactics...  EPL Talk has broken many stories, for example Manchester United touring the United States this summer...  It's blogs that go into areas that mainstream media doesn't go into.

A lot of bloggers are really into Twitter in terms of breaking news there or covering news in a unique way.  It's one of those things that's easy for people to dismiss blogs as something that's run out of someone's bedroom.  It's a powerful tool though.  All you need is a computer.  It's down to the individual - their creativity, their intelligence, in terms of thinking or writing about topics that they are interested in.

That was a great game between UNC and Washington, but I can't help but think the Huskies should have won if it weren't for a couple D'Oh! moments down the stretch.  They turned the ball over several times and Venoy Overton evidently left his brain in Seattle.  To try and top that, UNC's John Henson had a magnificent last half a second by tipping Overton's heave out of bounds and almost goaltending what could have been a tying basket (if Isaiah Thomas wasn't inside the line).  It was a crazy finish, but the blunders kept coming afterwards.  Just watch the video below for one of the most hilarious of the tournament so far.  Maybe Greg's looking to move to Bristol?



H/T @bubbaprog

Quit your bitching about your brackets and take a quick few minutes to re-watch the final seven seconds of this game (I knowwwww, my bracket got pounded, too -- I really thought year nine of the last 10 with a top 5 seed was the year for Pitt). Tim Brando and Mike Gminski are on the call and Brando says he doesn't think he's ever seen a game end like this ... before the second, potential game-winning free throw clanked off the rim and Pittsburgh's Nasir Robinson reacted by committing quite possibly the most undisciplined foul in the history of NCAA basketball since the foul right before it.

You have to admire the refs for letting their plums hang low, making the right calls, and letting this round of 32 game be decided by free throws even if it's not how we all dreamt it up in our pretty little heads. I don't think you can deny its exciting finish, though, unless you're a Pitt fan (or had a lot of money riding on Pitt making it to the Finals ... argghhhhlkajgklsjfas).

Can you imagine if that last 75-foot heave by Pitt was released on time and actually went in? 1. CBS possibly would've missed it; 2. I think Tim Brando would've had to morph into Gus Johnson; 3. Our brackets wouldn't be so screwed; and 4. Oh dear, I've gone cross-eyed.

[video via bubbaprog]

Below are the updated tip times for Saturday's action. For the second games being played at one of the four venues, the tipoff time may be pushed back depending on the length of the first game. Usually, the second game of a double header at one of the four locations tips off  2 hours 30 minutes- 3 hours after the first game. Best of luck to your team and your bracket.

"Round 3"

Sunday, MARCH 20 (12:00 Noon-12:00 AM, ET)- All Times are ET.

12:15 PM     CBS    Charlotte      (2) North Carolina vs. (7) Washington  -   Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg, Tracy Wolfson

2:45 PM       CBS    Charlotte      (1)  Duke vs. (8) Michigan -  Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg, Tracy Wolfson

5:15 PM       CBS    Cleveland    (1) Ohio State vs. (8) George Mason -   Gus Johnson, Len Elmore, Marty Snider

6:10 PM       TNT      Tulsa           (4) Texas vs. (5) Arizona -  Marv Albert, Steve Kerr, Craig Sager

7:10 PM       TBS     Chicago      (3) Purdue vs. (11) VCU - Spero Dedes, Bob Wenzel, Jamie Maggio

7:45 PM      Tru TV Cleveland    (3) Syracuse vs. (11) Marquette -   Gus Johnson, Len Elmore, Marty Snider

8:40 PM       TNT      Tulsa           (1) Kansas vs. (9) Illinois - Marv Albert, Steve Kerr, Craig Sager

9:40PM       TBS      Chicago      (2) Notre Dame vs. (10) Florida State - Spero Dedes, Bob Wenzel, Jamie Maggio

Gus Johnson thrives in announcing the dramatic plays, back and forth battles, and endings. When calling a rather lackluster game, it's just not the same experience. But when given a gem of a game, it's the best home viewing experience a sports fan can have. 

Today, the stars aligned as George Mason staged a late comeback to beat Villanova. The final five minutes were put on a tee for Johnson to showcase his uncanny style and pace that has made him a fan favorite and staple of March Madness. If you can re-watch later, the game, in addition to Johnson's announcing, is probably worth watching. 

In the end, it came down to the final few seconds and Johnson delivered by putting his stamp on the game with a great classic call. Vintage Gus. Vintage March Madness

With March Madness comes a great opportunity for a new Create the Caption.  Last time, we featured the one and only Charlie Sheen, back when he was actually a big deal.  The winner was ismusbe with, "When I need that 3'oclock afternoon pick me up on my 7th day of coke binging, I turn to kookoo for cocoa milk! Keeps my tiger blood pumping..its Grrrrrreat!"  Thanks for participating!  Today's CtC comes from the best upset of yesterday and Morehead State's victory over Louisville.  Lots of fun places to go with this one.  The picture comes from Deadspin...

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Links of Madness 

The first night of the tournament was a great success for the NCAA and the quadrilateral of networks that televised them.  They had their best ratings in 20 years.  [Washington Examiner]

The pilot of Mark Schlereth's TV show is out.  Again, this looks like a reaaaaaal winner.  [Deadspin] 

In other horrifying TV news.  Damon Wayans will play Cowherd's character in his sitcom.  Maybe that's a convenient way to step around the racist things Cowherd said about John Wall.  [Yahoo] 

This lockout stuff is serious - Ocho is trying out for an MLS team [KC Star] and Donovan McNabb is moonlighting as a college basketball analyst.  [DC Sports Bog]

MLS' season opener was way up in the ratings department.  In other news, look for an AA Q&A with the top soccer blogger on the web coming up very soon.  [SMW]

Finally, here's a nice feature on Celtics broadcasters Mike Gorman and Tommy Heinsohn celebrating their 30 years in the booth together.  We had the privilege of talking to Mike this week in a great interview.  [Boston Globe]
 

Below are the updated tip times for Saturday's action. For the second games being played at one of the four venues, the tipoff time may be pushed back depending on the length of the first game. Usually, the second game of a double header at one of the four locations tips off  2 hours 30 minutes- 3 hours after the first game. Best of luck to your team and your bracket.

"Round 3"

SATURDAY, MARCH 19 (12:00 Noon-12:00 AM, ET)- All Times are ET.

12:15 PM     CBS    Tampa      (4) Kentucky vs. (5) West Virginia-   Ian Eagle, Jim Spanarkel, David Aldridge

2:45 PM      CBS      Tampa     (2) Florida vs. (7) UCLA -   Ian Eagle, Jim Spanarkel, David Aldridge

5:15 PM       CBS     Denver     (12) Richmond vs. (13) Morehead St-  Verne Lundquist, Bill Raftery, Lesley Visser

6:10 PM       TNT      Tucson     (2) San Diego St. vs. (7) Temple -   Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller, Dan Bonner, Sam Ryan

7:10 PM       TBS       DC           (1) Pittsburgh vs. (8) Butler-   Tim Brando, Mike Gminski, Lewis Johnson

7:45 PM       CBS      Denver    (3) BYU vs. (10) Gonzaga -  Verne Lundquist, Bill Raftery, Lesley Visser

8:40 PM       TNT      Tucson     (4) Wisconsin vs. (5) Kansas State -  Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller, Dan Bonner, Sam Ryan

9:40 PM       TBS      DC            (3) UConn vs. (6) Cincannati -   Tim Brando, Mike Gminski, Lewis Johnson