Starting in 2015, the U.S. Open will become an all-cable affair. CBS' association with the event dating back to 1968 will end in 2014. ESPN announced the contract earlier today and SBJ's John Ourand reports that the deal is worth than $770 million for 11 years, meaning that the U.S. Open will remain on the ESPN family of networks well into the next decade. 

Ed Note: The following appears courtesy our friends at Crystal Ball Run.

Bill O'Brien was focused on the future when the NCAA handed down harsh sanctions against his new football program last summer. He was short and upset after he suffered his first coaching loss in Penn State's season opener. On Wednesday he was livid and noticeably annoyed as a result of a Sports Illustrated story he referred to as a character assassination against his boss, Penn State Athletics Director David Joyner.

On Tuesday Sports Illustrated teased an investigative story asking the question "Do athletics still have too much power at Penn State?" The report authored by senior writer David Epstein digs in to Penn State's handling of medical care available to football players by suggesting changes in the school's medical staffing were perplexing to many others tied to the Penn State football family and that the changes made result in inadequate and sometimes flawed medical treatment.

O'Brien vehemently disagrees with that concept, and he let everyone know that on Wednesday.

First it was the First Take fartgate saga, now via Guyism comes this random workout video featuring... a guy sitting on the john in the background.  Yes it is hilarious that a workout video includes a guy peacefully sitting on the toilet taking care of his business, but let's imagine all the steps that would lead to "Burnout Challenge - HiitLean #11" including this.  Filming, editing, post-production, and publishing all miraculously allowed this to be a gift to the internet masses.

Lost in all the hilarity of this video - we should also salute the fella bold and brave enough to leave the door to the throne open while a workout video was being filmed. That's a man who just doesn't care and is proud of it.  Well done.

[Guyism]

On one of my daily sweeps through the outer regions of the internet universe, I stumbled upon this clip from this week's Bruins-Leafs Game 7.  We've seen the game winning goal call from Bruins announcer/crazy person Jack Edwards and here now is the Finnish call of the moment.  I don't know what it is about Finnish hockey announcers, but I've thoroughly enjoyed every announcing clip I've ever seen from Finland and this is no exception.  Of course, I have no idea what is being said in this clip, but I can imagine it being something similar to stabbing nordic dragons with daggers made of fire.

On Tuesday during a second round match at the Italian Open in Rome (known as the Internazionali BNL d'Italia to the natives), Viktor Troicki of Serbia was blitzed by Ernest Gulbis in the first set, 6-1 and about to lose the first game of the second set when a shot by Troicki was ruled out by the chair umpire.

That's when Troicki decided to go bonkers on the court. He argued with umpire Cedric Mourier. They both checked the mark on the clay court. Of course they disagreed where the mark was. Mourier thought it was out. Troicki thought it was in. It was at that point, Troicki played to the sparse crowd by yelling and pointing skyward, "There is no chance it’s out. From the space you can see it’s there!"

Mourier held steadfast to his argument and never lost his cool. Troicki threatened to retire and was subsequently warned. He also dragged a cameraman to show the disputed spot. It was an entertaining four minutes that was all captured on video.

Troicki went on to lose the match 6-1, 6-1, but not before entertaining the crowd with the tennis meltdown of 2013 to date. We'll keep on eye on Troicki for the rest of the season for future blowups. 

[SI.com, video courtesy of The Fan Child]

At their upfront on Wednesday, TBS and TNT announced that they would be offering free live streaming on their websites this summer. The streaming would be authentication-based (just like WatchESPN or March Madness On Demand), and the MLB package on TBS and NBA package on TNT are reportedly included in the streaming.

ESPN basketball aficionados Bill Simmons and Jalen Rose made an appearance on Tuesday's Tosh.0 season finale in order to provide deadpan analysis regarding a legendary Nerf basketball dunker. 

The segment, hosted by Comedy Central joker Daniel Tosh and named 30 For 30.0, was obviously a parody. And Simmons and Rose were cast perfectly...

Just a mere 48 hours after the SBJ's report that the NBA is looking to address their television deals ahead of their 2016 expiration, the predictions and commentary on what will play out next has come fast and furious. Our Ken Fang delivered his handicapping of the NBA rights race earlier this week. With MLB, the NFL, and the NHL locked up long term, the NBA is the last of the four major sports leagues with an impending expiring rights deal, so the importance of its next TV contracts can't be overstated. Below is an additional guide on questions to monitor as the process plays out...

Usually it's the sideline reporters that get photobombed and/or videobombed, but leave it to TNT's ecclectic NBA reporter Craig Sager to finally turn the tables.  Sages was sitting behind actor Will Smith at the Bulls-Heat game last night and must have seen the actor on the TV monitor in front of him.  The colorfully dressed reporter then leaned to his right and gave a quick wave to the camera.  His own TNT camera.  

Simply brilliant.  I thought driving a forklift would be Sager's greatest achievement, but photobombing his own network's crowd shots has to rank right up there.  Who said there was nothing interesting in sideline reporting!

[via cjzero]

All Times Eastern

College Baseball
Illinois at Minnesota -- Big Ten Network, 4 p.m.
Mississippi at LSU -- ESPNU, 7:30 p.m.
Baylor at Texas Tech -- Fox College Sports Atlantic, 7:30 p.m.
Texas at TCU -- Fox College Sports Central, 7:30 p.m.
Marshall at Rice -- Fox College Sports Pacific, 7:30 p.m.
St. Mary's at BYU -- BYU TV, 8 p.m.

College Football
College Football Live -- ESPNU, 3:30 p.m.