Monday May 23
Boston Red Sox @ Cleveland Indians (ESPN2 7PM) Sean McDonough, Aaron Boone, Rick Sutcliffe

Tuesday May 24

Cincinnati Reds @ Philadelphia Phillies (MLBN 7PM) Local Broadcast [Alternate Game: Toronto @ NY Yankees
New York Mets @ Chicago Cubs (WGNA 8PM) Len Kasper, Bob Brenly
St. Louis Cardinals @ San Diego Padres (MLBN 10PM) Local Broadcast [Alternate Game: Florida @ San Francisco]

Wednesday May 25

Cincinnati Reds @ Philadelphia Phillies (ESPN 7PM) Dave O'Brien, Nomar Garciaparra

Thursday May 26

Boston Red Sox @ Detroit Tigers (MLBN 1PM) Local Broadcast [Alternate Game: Cincinnati @ Philadelphia]
New York Mets @ Chicago Cubs (WGNA 2PM) Len Kasper, Bob Brenly
Arizona Diamondbacks @ Colorado Rockies (MLBN 8:30PM) TBA

Friday May 27

Pittsburgh Pirates @ Chicago Cubs (WGNA 2PM) Len Kasper, Bob Brenly
Cincinnati Reds @ Atlanta Braves (MLBN 7:30PM) Local Broadcast [Alternate Game: San Francisco @ Milwaukee - 8PM]

Saturday May 28

Chicago White Sox @ Toronto Blue Jays (WGNA 1PM) Ken Harrelson, Steve Stone 
San Francisco Giants @ Milwaukee Brewers (MLBN 4PM) [Alternate Game: Cleveland @ Tampa Bay]
Philadelphia Phillies @ New York Mets (FOX 7PM) Joe Buck, Tim McCarver
Boston Red Sox @ Detroit Tigers (FOX 7PM) Dick Stockton, Mark Grace
Cincinnati Reds @ Atlanta Braves (FOX 7PM) Thom Brennaman, Eric Karros
Los Angeles Angels @ Minnesota Twins (FOX 7PM) Kenny Albert, Bert Blyleven
Kansas City Royals @ Texas Rangers (FOX 7PM) Jim LeFebvre, Tom Grieve
St. Louis Cardinals @ Colorado Rockies (FOX 7PM) Dan McLaughlin, George Frazier
Florida Marlins @ Los Angeles Dodgers (MLBN 10PM) [Alternate Game: NY Yankees @ Seattle]

Sunday May 29

Boston Red Sox @ Detroit Tigers (TBS 1PM) Brian Anderson, Dennis Eckersley
Pittsburgh Pirates @ Chicago Cubs (WGNA 2PM) Len Kasper, Bob Brenly
Cincinnati Reds @ Atlanta Braves (ESPN2) Dan Shulman, Orel Hershiser, Bobby Valentine

H/T Sammy!

There's not much to like about MLB on FOX having exclusive rights over all the MLB games tonight, thus not allowing me to watch my favorite team's game on MLB.TV, but Jerry Seinfeld's intro was pretty good. I can get behind this.

Oohhhhh, did you see that Ahhrnold/Cheated sign? Low blow, man. Low blow.

  There are hundreds of things that can go wrong during a live broadcast but credit to the major sports outlets, we rarely see any of them. Today that was not the case as Doris Burke and the teleprompter square off in an awkward moment for the ages.

 

H/T to @sportspundits

Unfortunately for Burke though this viral clip is really not her fault as these segments are almost always taped and then played during the live broadcast. Lot of industry folks are coming to the defense of Burke as it's extremely likely that the clip played was a bad take that inexplicably got played instead of the good take that was subsequently taped.

It's a shame Burke will bear the brunt of a very rare production error. With this incident fresh on our minds, one wonders what protocol is for a mess-up of this magnitude. If I'm the man in charge I'd make the culprit handle NCAA softball duties for the rest of the spring in addition to a heartfelt apology.

I am sure she has thick skin though. Per her wikipedia page, she's the youngest of 8 children so I'd imagine in the scheme of things this isn't the worst thing. 

Sure, this has nothing to do with announcing, but we want to just take a second to pay a tribute to one of the AA staff's favorites - Randy "Macho Man" Savage.  As TMZ first reported, the WWF (not WWE) star died in a car accident yesterday at the age of 58.  Tributes have been pouring out all over the internet for the Macho Man and on Twitter because let's face it, he was one of the defining figures in the childhood of countless sports bloggers.  Our own Mike Vitiello has immortalized Savage with the Obama treatment.  Oooohhh Yeeeaaa!!!

 
Most people in their mid-20s grew up watching larger-than-life characters like Hulk Hogan and the Macho Man battle each other in the ring.  And while, hopefully, many of us have moved on, the charisma, talent, and athleticism of people like Randy Savage were a gateway into appreciating sports on a level past wins and losses.  From his feud with former friend Hulk Hogan, to his legendary matches with the likes of Ricky Steamboat and Ric Flair, Savage was a wrestling legend.  Heck, one of my favorites as a kid was his match with the Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania VII.  The ability of Savage to carry the Warrior to a wrestling classic would be like making Les Miles look good at clock management.  

But more than his in-ring prowess, the Macho Man will be remembered for his mouth.  His charisma, and downright craziness captivated many of my generation.  While he was a decent good guy, he was one of the first to be a cool villain you wanted to cheer for.  It also led to crossover appeal as a spokesman for Slim Jim...DIG IT!  So, while our main focus here at AA will always be on announcers and the sports media as a whole, we take a minute to remember some of the Macho Man's crazier moments.  OOOOOOHH YEAHHHHH!!!!

I think the Versus announcers have done a fairly decent job so far in the NHL Playoffs.  However, this epic geography fail by Brian Engblom does not stand out as some of the better work that Versus has done.  I mean, I guess I can understand confusing San Diego and San Jose, they do start with the same word and all.  Google Maps says they're only 460 miles apart!  It's not like he called them the Fresno or Chula Vista Sharks.  Maybe he was following the Padres game on his Blackberry?  Perhaps he was drinking one too many scotches in the booth?  Who knows.  I can't kill the guy for one simple misspeak, but it is a rather humorous clip to begin your weekend, especially considering the game was being played... in San Jose...



Stay classy, San Jose.   

H/T @SportPundits 
 

It's been a busy week with probably the biggest and most anticipated book in sports media dropping and excerpts, controversies, and all sorts of fun arising.  So, you'll have to forgive us if we're a little behind on the news in Gus Johnson World.  It's been rather quiet since Gus officially left CBS for Fox, but the favorite announcer of the blogosphere recently gave an interview to Greg Bishop of the New York Times and had some rather revealing quotes on the process and his thoughts on not broadcasting the NCAA Tournament next year.

Gus on leaving the NCAA Tournament behind...

“I’m tired of thinking. Weighing. Grappling with my thoughts. You’re giving up something to gain something. But you’re still giving up something. I’m leaving something that I love. And I love that thing. That was my thing. Sometimes, you’ve just got to walk away.”

Gus on his own abilities...

“I believe in myself,” Johnson said. “I believe in my ability to do my job, whether it be the N.C.A.A. tournament or the world tiddlywinks championship.”

Gus on his cell phone the day the news dropped...

It was, Johnson said, “like, boom goes the dynamite.”

Gus on his new role at Fox...

“They’ve elevating me to a status I’ve never been before. For the first time, I’m No. 1 at something. I’m at the point where I’m not a kid anymore. I’m in my 40s. I’ve paid my dues.”

There are a few more interesting details from the Times on Gus' contract situation and how things developed between Fox and CBS.  In the end, what we wrote back when the story broke remains the take away from this move.  The dominoes were always in place for Gus Johnson to move from CBS to a network where he would be utilized more outside of his starring role in March Madness.  The opportunities at Fox and the walls to Johnson taking on a starring role at CBS were always going to result in a likely departure.  Gus Johnson still isn't coming back to March Madness, but the move to Fox may be the best decision for his career and result in fans ultimately getting more Gus.

And of course, how awesome is it that Gus references the greatest video in internet history?  How does that never get old?

Gus Johnson Is Eager to Expand His Horizons at Fox - NY Times

Perhaps nobody symbolizes ESPN's meteoric rise to total dominance of the sports world in the last decade than Bill Simmons.  Simmons came to ESPN in 2001 as the Boston Sports Guy - an entertaining bloggerwriter with a relatively small, devoted following.  In the last decade, Simmons has grown to the biggest online force in sports.  Those thousands of readers have turned to millions.  Millions also download his podcast as well.  Bill Simmons has grown his online platform to starting the new Grantland.com project as an extension of his online work the last decade... and millions will flock there as well.  You may or may not be a fan of Simmons, but one can't deny his monumental success.

But, Simmons isn't just an online presence - like ESPN itself, he has come to grow his own brand in many ways.  Some would say Simmons has his own world.  He was instrumental in the success of ESPN's 30 for 30 documentary series, widely praised as one of ESPN's best ever efforts.  He's written a #1 New York Times Best Seller.  He's filled in as a guest host of PTI.  He's even announced an NBA game with Dan Shulman and Mark Jackson (although he evidently doesn't think announcers matter at all... I guess that means he's not an AA reader?).  In truth, Simmons is ESPN in 2011... which is what makes his conflict with ESPN so intriguing.

There have been many controversies regarding Bill Simmons and Bristol.  Whether it's nixing President Obama on his podcast, a suspension for combative tweets (ESPN book excerpt here), or general feuding with the network... there always seems to be some sort of drama pitting the Sports Guy against his ESPN bosses and the Bristol machine.  Perhaps then, it's not a surprise that Bill Simmons is one of the most outspoken and honest ESPN personalities in Those Guys Have All The Fun when it comes to being critical of ESPN.  We shared some of Simmons in our excerpt yesterday going after Mike Tirico for how he handled the Tony Kornheiser experiment on Monday Night Football.  Today, our excerpt (albeit much smaller, we've hit the 500 word limit, sorry folks) is a revealing statement from Simmons on the culture of ESPN and Bristol that gives insight into the relationship between Simmons & ESPN and a window into what one of ESPN's top personalities thinks about the Bristol mothership...


"I need to figure out a way that I can operate in my own sphere and not deal with Bristol as much.  Nothing against Bristol, but I do worry that it becomes a little cultish after a while.  You go there and there’s ESPN everywhere.  At the cafeteria, there’s Mike & Mike getting a sandwich… It’s really hard to think out of the box when you’re trapped in that box the whole time… that’s one of the reasons PTI succeeds – it’s in Washington, it’s out of the box, they leave it alone."


Describing Bristol, CT and the beautiful ESPN campus as "a little cultish" will not make anyone in a cushy office there happy...  

The Thunder and Mavericks just went to halftime in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, but Kevin Durant might have provided the highlight of the 2011 NBA Playoffs with this amazing slam dunk on Brendan Haywood.  Durant's dunk is comparable to Taj Gibson's facial on Dwyane Wade from Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, but I rate Durant as the better posterization.  He had to go up and over 7 foot center Brendan Haywood.  This dunk reaches Blake Griffin territory.  Mike Breen and Mark Jackson with the call...



"Excuse me I got an appointment with the rim."  Eh, come on Mark Jackson, let's come up with something a little more creative and exciting to express the ferociousness of this jam... not making me think about going to the dentist!

The hits just keep coming.  Now comes word from Richard Sandomir of the New York Times that NBC Sports head honcho Dick Ebersol is resigning.  From Sandomir's Twitter page...

AA has just received an advanced copy of Those Guys Have All The Fun: Inside The World of ESPN, written by James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales.  Yes, it's true, the book does come in at 745 pages.  It's an impressive piece of work.  Judging from the excerpts released and what I've been able to skim through so far, the book will certainly be worth the read.  Off the top, the first thing I wanted to investigate was ESPN's Monday Night Football booth and the Tony Kornheiser experiment, especially after reading this tweet from Deitsch.  Was there any animosity behind the scenes regarding TK on MNF?  The book makes it clear that Tirico and Kornheiser's working relationship was terrible and their lack of chemistry led to TK's ultimate departure from the MNF booth and the arrival of Jon Gruden.  Below are actual excerpts from Those Guys on Kornheiser, Tirico, and Monday Night Football...

Mike Tirico:

The football game is surrounded by a bevy of wide-ranging opinions in the pregame shows, the postgame shows, and the talk shows during the week.  People come to the game for the game itself.  So we were trying to make what Tony does best - strong opinions - work within the body of the game; that was the challenge.

Tony Kornheiser:

We had a lot of philosophical disagreements, especially about the extent to which it was an entertainment show.  When they had guests in the booth, many of them stunk beyond words.  I was for MNF as I remembered it as a child with Cosell and Meredith and Gifford, but Mike really just wanted to be the play by play guy on MNF...

Early on together I said, "Mike you know what really works well on PTI is when Mike and I talk over each other -" and he cut me off right there and says, "That's a nice little studio show, but MNF is very important, so don't ever interrupt me when I'm talking."... for two years he didn't even look at me.

Look, am I happy now?  Absolutely.  In PTI, I've got the best show in America...  But I thought I could have been better on MNF...  But the happiest guy in America today is Mike Tirico, because I'm not in that booth and he's got a coach, so he doesn't have to worry about anything else.

Bill Simmons:

Tirico's always been nice to me, and I think he's a talented guy, but I thought how he acted was unforgivable, and I continue to feel bad for Tony... I had watched all of those Kornheiser games thinking, "If I was in that spot, and the expectation was that I was supposed to entertain, and had this guy with me who was subtly undermining me, changing the subject on me and greeting my jokes with dead silence, I would eventually strangle this person on live TV."  Kornheiser is a better person than I am, apparently.

Simmons:

Tirico doesn't sell for Tony for three f*cking years, then has the gall to say nice things about him after Tony leaves?  Come on.  What kills me is that Tony got the rap for blowing this when nobody on the planet can succeed in TV if their play-by-play guy isn't selling them.  Five minutes into their first regular-season Monday night game, Tirico had already laughed at more Gruden jokes than he did for three years of Kornheiser.

_________________________________________________________________________

Wow.  A few thoughts on this excerpt and what I've gathered from the media coverage and other excerpts thus far...