"The Doctor" delivers another strong sports documentary effort

Written by Ken Fang on .

drj

Before there was LeBron, before there was Kobe, before there was Michael, before there was Magic, and before there was Larry. there was Julius Erving, a.k.a "Doctor J." A new NBA TV documentary aired this week introduces "Dr. J" to a whole new generation. Younger NBA fans may have seen footage of Erving through NBA TV or on YouTube, but for old school fans, Erving was the man who brought a new type play to what was perceived as a boring prim and proper NBA.

The documentary narrated by Chuck D, shows how Erving became from being known as Julius to Jewel to finally, "The Doctor." We learn Erving's upbringing in Long Island to how his legend grew from the playgrounds of New York to the only school that offered him a scholarship, the University of Massachusetts.

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Viewing Picks for June 12, 2013

Written by Ken Fang on .

All TImes Eastern

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

Cycling
Tour De Suisse
Day 5: Buochs to Leuggern -- beIN Sport, 11:30 a.m.

Golf
Live From the U.S. Open -- Golf Channel, 9 a.m.
SportsCenter at the U.S. Open -- ESPN2, 2 p.m.
19th Hole -- Golf Channel, 6 p.m.
Live From the U.S. Open -- Golf Channel, 7 p.m.

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NBC abandons Youtube streaming for Sochi Olympics

Written by Joe Lucia on .

The Sochi Olympic Games this winter will be streamed on NBC Sports' website, but not through Youtube. NBC announced that they're going to be going in a different direction after Youtube provided the streaming player to NBCOlympics.com for last summer's Olympics in London. In Beijing in 2008 and Vancouver in 2010, NBC used the Microsoft Silverlight player. They recently partnered once again with Microsoft and their Azure division for streaming to devices, but there's no video player included with Azure.

The 2012 Olympics were the most popular in terms of live streaming, with 20.4 million hours of video streamed, more than twice the 9.9 million hours streamed during Beijing. NBC also streamed 64.4 million total live video streams, up 353% from Beijing, despite complaints from some users about frozen videos and other glitches.

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NFL continues to dominate sports TV, but what's next?

Written by Brad Gagnon on .

Of the 32 highest-rated television programs this past fall, 31 of the them were NFL games. Think about that for a moment. The National Football League isn't just dominating the world of sports television, but it has emerged as the ultimate powerhouse in TV, period. You could argue that there isn't a brand or product in the United States that possesses that much media power, but the trouble with being on top is that everybody else is usually working a little harder to hit the bullseye on the target affixed to your back.

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Munenori Kawasaki gives another classic interview with new material

Written by Josh Gold-Smith on .

You might remember Toronto Blue Jays' shortstop Munenori Kawasaki from his memorable post-game chat with Sportsnet's Arash Madani back on May 26th. The clip went viral, and Kawasaki became a folk hero in Toronto and across the Major Leagues.

On that Sunday afternoon, Kawasaki took the mic from teammate Mark DeRosa. Over the weekend, the Japanese infielder did it again, this time during DeRosa's interview on MLB Network's Intentional Talk with Chris Rose and Kevin Millar.

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Could Kenny Smith really leave TNT for the Sacramento Kings?

Written by Matt Yoder on .

In the last year, we've wondered whether Charles Barkley's time on Inside the NBA may be winding down.  Barkley himself has spoken of different challenges and opportunities and the time may be approaching when it's time for Chuck to try something new.  Now comes a report that Barkley's longtime partner - Kenny "The Jet" Smith, may leave Inside the NBA.  Smith has publicly thrown his hat into the ring for the Sacramento Kings GM job as well as saying he's seriously looking at jobs on the sideline and in the front office.

Smith admitted he was "talking" to the Kings and told Sam Amick of USA Today he's seriously looking at new opportunities:

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Real Tweets from Real People - TebowMania 3.0

Written by Matt Yoder on .

Expect to see headlines like this all over the ESPN family of networks once again this summer.  The New England Patriots signed Tim Tebow Monday, which is pretty much the Doomsday Scenario for the coming season.  If you thought Bristol went overboard withTebowMania 2.0 and the Jets, just imagine what will happen when combined with Bill Belichick and the most high profile franchise in the sport.  It's TebowMania 3.0 - Bigger, Longer, & Uncut (or maybe that was the South Park movie).

Nothing can be written on this subject that hasn't been written ad naseum already.  Just replace "Jets" with "Patriots" and "Rex" with "Belichick" and you'll see the same tired headlines, the same tired debates, the same old song and dance that we've had to suffer through the last two and a half years.  So instead of another "fresh take" wrapped in hot manure, here are some tweets mocking ESPN's reaction to the signing.  As always, these are Real Tweets from Real People...

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Viewing Picks for June 11, 2013

Written by Ken Fang on .


 

All Times Eastern

College Baseball
NCAA Division I Tournament
Super Regionals

Chapel Hill Super Regional, Chapel Hill, NC
Game 3: South Carolina vs. North Carolina -- ESPN2, noon

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

Cycling
Tour De Suisse
Day 4: Innertkirchen to Buochs -- beIN Sport, 11:30 a.m.

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Your MLB Announcing Schedule for 6/10 - 6/16

Written by Matt Yoder on .

trouthappy

Monday, June 10

Boston Red Sox @ Tampa Bay Rays (ESPN 7PM) Dave O’Brien, Rick Sutcliffe, Aaron Boone

Tuesday, June 11

San Francisco Giants @ Pittsburgh Pirates (MLBN 7PM) Local Broadcast [Alt: Red Sox @ Rays]
Cincinnati Reds @ Chicago Cubs (WGNA 8PM) Len Kasper, Jim Deshaises

Wednesday, June 12

Cincinnati Reds @ Chicago Cubs (MLBN 2PM) Local Broadcast [Alt: Tigers @ Royals]
Cleveland Indians @ Texas Rangers (ESPN 8PM) Jon Sciambi, Curt Schilling

Thursday, June 13

Boston Red Sox @ Baltimore Orioles (MLBN 7PM) Local Broadcast [Alt: Royals @ Rays]

Friday, June 14

San Francisco Giants @ Atlanta Braves (MLBN 7:30PM)Matt Vasgersian, John Smoltz [Alt: Brewers @ Reds - 7PM]

Saturday, June 15

Boston Red Sox @ Baltimore Orioles (MLBN 4PM) Local Broadcast [Alt: Giants @ Braves]
New York Yankees @ Los Angeles Angels (FOX 7:15PM) Joe Buck, Tim McCarver
Washington Nationals @ Cleveland Indians (FOX 7:15PM) TBA
Detroit Tigers @ Minnesota Twins (FOX 7:15PM) TBA
Chicago White Sox @ Houston Astros (FOX 7:15PM) TBA
Seattle Mariners @ Oakland Athletics (FOX 7:15PM) Rich Waltz, Eric Karros

Sunday, June 16

Chicago Cubs @ NY Mets (WGNA 1PM) Len Kasper, Jim Deshaises
Los Angeles Dodgers @ Pittsburgh Pirates (TBS 1:30PM) Dick Stockton, Dennis Eckersley
San Francisco Giants @ Atlanta Braves (ESPN 8PM) Dan Shulman, Orel Hershiser, John Kruk

H/T Sammy!

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God help us all...

Written by Matt Yoder on .

No, don't tell me, no, please no, not again...

explosiongif

Thanks for ruining the 2013 NFL season Bill Belichick.  Thanks a lot.

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