We finally know where the wildly popular, sometimes controversial and always entertaining Paul Finebaum will be taking his talents after the radio host went silent earlier this year. And the good news for Finebaum fans -- and frankly, college football fans in general -- is that he'll soon have a much larger audience. 

He'll start at ESPN on Aug. 1, according to the Wall Street Journal:

His multi-tiered platform will include a radio program on ESPN networks, 100 televised appearances annually on ESPN and a TV simulcast of his radio show on the ESPN-owned SEC Network launching in August 2014.

"It would be the understatement of my life to say I wasn't thrilled," Finebaum said. "It is incredibly exciting to be part of a new adventure, particularly one that involves the premier brand in sports along with the pre-eminent conference in sports." Finebaum has a five-year contract. Neither he nor ESPN would give financial details.

While based in Birmingham, Ala., Finebaum's four-hour daily radio program was syndicated by nearly 30 stations, so by no means was he strictly a local radio star. But he wasn't national either. He was regional. More specifically, Southeastern regional. The question now will be whether he can take this thing across the country and appeal to fans outside of the SEC.

While the report states that there'll be some buffer time, with Finebaum's new program first airing primarily in the Southeast, this is an indication that the Worldwide Leader clearly believes that can happen. 

Today's podcast guest is the lead analyst for the NHL on NBC, a Stanley Cup champ, and NHL veteran who played over 1,000 games in the NHL. After his playing and coaching careers, Eddie Olczyk has transitioned to a successful broadcasting career calling the Stanley Cup Finals and Olympics for NBC as well as the Blackhawks locally in Chicago. Eddie joins us to talk about the Red Wings-Blackhawks series, the rest of the conference semis, and of course, his passion for horse racing. Other topics include...

-How the Blackhawks will respond to adversity for the first time this season trailing Detroit. 
-The unpredictability of the NHL postseason and whether it takes away too much regular season value. 
-Pittsburgh's response to their Game 3 2OT loss in Ottawa. 
-The chances of the Kings to repeat. 
-Which playoff goalie would Eddie take right now? 
-Working alongside the best in the business, Doc Emrick. 
-Would Eddie consider a return to coaching or a front office role? 
-How he got his television start... in horse racing.

In case you've missed any of our podcasts, check out all of our interviews by subscribing to the AA Podcast on iTunes or our AA Podcast RSS Page.

Tuesday, May 21

New York Yankees @ Baltimore Orioles (MLBN 7PM) Bob Costas, John Smoltz, Tom Verducci [Alt: Rays @ Blue Jays]

Wednesday, May 22

Cincinnati Reds @ New York Mets (MLBN 1PM) Local Broadcast [Alt: Dodgers @ Brewers]
Chicago Cubs @ Pittsburgh Pirates (WGNA 7PM) Len Kasper, Jim Deshaies
New York Yankees @ Baltimore Orioles (ESPN 7PM) Karl Ravech, Barry Larkin

Thursday, May 23

Cleveland Indians @ Boston Red Sox (MLBN 7PM) Local Broadcast [Alt: Orioles @ Blue Jays]

Friday, May 24

Chicago Cubs @ Cincinnati Reds (WGNA 7PM) Len Kasper, Jim Deshaies
Philadelphia Phillies @ Washington Nationals (MLBN 7PM) Local Broadcast [Alt: Yankees @ Rays]

Saturday, May 25

New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays (MLBN 4PM) Local Broadcast [Alt: Twins @ Tigers]
Chicago Cubs @ Cincinnati Reds (WGNA 4PM) Len Kasper, Jim Deshaies
St. Louis Cardinals @ Los Angeles Dodgers (FOX 7:15PM) Joe Buck, Tim McCarver
Philadelphia Phillies @ Washington Nationals (FOX 7:15PM) Tom McCarthy, Bill Ripken
Atlanta Braves @ New York Mets (FOX 7:15PM) Justin Kutcher, Tom Verducci
Miami Marlins @ Chicago White Sox (FOX 7:15PM) Thom Brennaman, Eric Karros
Oakland Athletics @ Houston Astros (FOX 7:15PM) TBA, Mitch Williams

Sunday, May 26

New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays (TBS 1:30PM) Dick Stockton, Ron Darling, Dennis Eckersley
Miami Marlins @ Chicago White Sox (WGNA 2PM) Ken Harrelson, Steve Stone
Atlanta Braves @ New York Mets (ESPN 8PM) Dan Shulman, Orel Hershiser, John Kruk

H/T Sammy!

These are headlines you never want to see in any industry.  Today, out of nowhere, ESPN laid off hundreds of employees.  The troublesome signs first appeared on the Twitter page of bestselling author and ESPN authority Jim Miller.

ESPN workforce hasn't faced reductions in its numbers for at least several years. That may no longer be the case. Fasten seat belts.

— James Andrew Miller (@ESPNBook) May 21, 2013

The details are grisly.  Miller also pegged the number of layoffs between 300 and 400 employees.  Deadspin's John Koblin was told a similar number by sources.  Eventually, ESPN would confirm the news in a public statement on the matter that "tried" to put a "positive" spin on the news:

This graphic appeared on an ESPN college baseball broadcast Monday for the upcoming ACC Tournament and there are just a few issues at hand in matching correct logos with teams.  In fairness, at least Tennessee and Clemson have the same color, so that's a positive, and the "T" could stand for Tigers!  Elsewhere, I'm not sure how the Florida Gators logo got in there or why NC State gets The "U" logo.  Oh well, a .250 average isn't so bad.

H/T juiceman2589

Earlier this month, ESPN and the SEC announced the formation of the SEC Network whch will launch next year. It was thought that an ESPN-run ACC Network was not far behind, but now we learn that it may not be coming to fruition any time soon.

The NFL is reportedly looking into moving the 2014 Draft due to a conflict with Radio City Music Hall. The reported date would be May 15th according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, a solid three weeks later than this year's Draft. Everything else on the NFL schedule would reportedly stay the same, including the Combine. Adam Schefter reports for 2015 and 2016, the NFL Combine would move to mid-March with the Draft taking place again in May.

Now, what does this mean from the viewer's perspective? There are a few ramifications that would come about when the NFL Draft is moved back three weeks that you would certainly notice on ESPN and other major networks.

When the Cleveland Indians beat the Seattle Mariners 10-8 in ten innings yesterday (despite what Root Sports may tell you) on a three-run homer by Yan Gomes in the tenth, the reactions from the Mariners TV crew, Indians TV crew, and Indians radio crew were very, very different.

First, we'll lead with the Mariners TV call by Rick Rizzs, Dave Sims, and Mike Blowers. Note the sense of absolute depression in Rizzs' voice calling the homer and realizing that the Mariners have suffered a walkoff loss for the third time this series.

We all saw this coming, but I don't think we realized it would be this bad: the Grizzlies-Spurs Western Conference Finals opener on Sunday drew a putrid 3.9 overnight rating, the lowest for a Conference Finals Game 1 since 2007, when both the Pistons-Cavaliers (3.5, TNT) and Jazz-Spurs (3.8, ABC) did worse than this series.

All Times Eastern

College Baseball
SEC Tournament, Hoover, AL
Quarterfinals
Kentucky vs. Mississippi -- Fox Sports Net, 10:30 a.m.
Alabama vs. Auburn -- Fox Sports Net, 2 p.m.
Florida vs. Texas A&M -- CSS, 4:30 p.m.
Mississippi State vs. Missouri -- CSS, 8 p.m.

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

College Volleyball
AVCA Sand Championship -- CBS Sports Network, 7 p.m.