Monday April 25

Chicago White Sox @ New York Yankees (ESPN 7PM) Sean McDonough, Rick Sutcliffe, Aaron Boone

Tuesday April 26

Chicago White Sox @ New York Yankees (MLBN 7PM) Local Broadcast [Alternate Game: Boston @ Baltimore]
Atlanta Braves @ San Diego Padres (MLBN 10PM) Local Broadcast [Alternate Game: Oakland @ Los Angeles Angels]

Wednesday April 27

Los Angeles Dodgers @ Florida Marlins (MLBN Noon) Local Broadcast [Alternate Game: Cincinnati at Milwaukee]
Oakland Athletics @ Los Angeles Angels (ESPN 7PM) Dave O'Brien, Nomar Garciapara

Thursday April 28

Toronto Blue Jays @ Texas Rangers (MLBN 2PM) Local Broadcast [Alternate Game: Seattle @ Detroit]
Chicago White Sox @ New York Yankees (MLBN 7PM) Bob Costas, Jim Kaat [Alternate Game: Boston @ Baltimore]

Friday April 29

St. Louis Cardinals @ Atlanta Braves (MLBN 7:30) Local Broadcast [Alternate Game: New York Mets @ Philadelphia]

Saturday April 30

New York Mets @ Philadelphia Phillies (FOX 1PM) Matt Vasgersian, Tim McCarver
St. Louis Cardinals @ Atlanta Braves (FOX 1PM) Kenny Albert, Mark Grace
Los Angeles Angels @ Tampa Bay Rays (FOX 1PM) Josh Lewin, Eric Karros

Sunday May 1

Toronto Blue Jays @ New York Yankees (TBS 1PM) Brian Anderson, Ron Darling, David Wells
New York Mets @ Philadelphia Phillies (ESPN 8PM) Dan Shulman, Orel Hershiser, Bobby Valentine

H/T Sammy! [photo via Chicago Tribune]

Dave Strader is one of the top hockey play by play men in the country and has been a welcome addition to the NHL coverage on Versus.  He was great for the most part in last night's OT thriller between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens.  However, Strader wasn't at his best after Nathan Horton scored the game-winner for Boston in the second overtime period.  Strader's call of the goal was fine, but it was afterwards where he may have slapped his own forehead.  Check out the video below from Huffington Post...



"And the Canadiens now lead it 3 games to 2."  

D'Oh!  Now, Huff Post probably goes too far calling it a HUGE embarrassment and doesn't even list Strader as the pbp guy in the article.  Is it embarrassing and a boneheaded move?  Yes.  But did 99.9% of people watching know Strader meant to say "Bruins" instead of Canadiens?  Probably.  It would be a much worse error if Strader's actual call of the goal was for the wrong team, but a simple misspeak afterwards doesn't bother me as much.  It's not like he screamed, LINE DRIVE... BASE HIT.... caught, out there!  Now that would just be silly.

[H/T Huffington Post]
 

The NBA Playoffs had one of the greatest comebacks of all time tonight as the Trail Blazers stunned the Mavericks by erasing an 18-point 4th quarter deficit to win 84-82. This was almost completely because of the often broken Brandon Roy's superhuman 4th quarter performance. He put up 18 alone in the 4th, highlighted by this insanely clutch 4-point play with just over a minute to go to tie it up. With such heroics, this would be the time for a hometown announcer to deservedly lose his shit...and KXTG's Brian Wheeler did just that.

For the sake of comparison, here's Wheeler calling an insane Roy buzzer-beater winner from a couple years ago.

Also, here's the audio of Wheeler calling the final hectic seconds of the win from Iamatrailblazersfan.com

The cries have been loud and clear from fans of the NBA and committed viewers to the NBA Playoffs - get the local announcers off NBATV!  Throughout the First Round of the NBA Playoffs, you're guaranteed that usually the lowest games on the marquee are destined for NBATV land.  It's like the kiddie table of your NBA Playoffs viewing experience.  This year we're talking Hawks/Magic, Spurs/Grizzlies, and Bulls/Pacers.  Those are the three games that have been on NBATV so far through the first week of the playoffs, but they've all had one thing in common.

Local announcers.

The practice of using local announcers for playoff games isn't unique to the NBA - Versus has done it with NHL games when they broadcast multiple games in an evening.  However, the fan outcry has been present during these playoffs that NBA fans don't want their playoff games infested with homerism.  The most visible (or egregious) case came during the Spurs/Grizzlies game on Wednesday.  NBATV picked up on the local feed with San Antonio announcers Bill Land and Sean Elliott.  Let's just say that many fans were not impressed with the homerism of the announcers.

I'd guess most people were watching the NBA, or highlights of the NBA, or sleeping, but -- so you know -- the NHL playoffs have been unreal and this shall be Exhibit A. It's the Anaheim Mighty Ducks' Bobby Ryan with a go-ahead goal in the third period, a dangle dangle goal that may not be bested for quite some time.

Gord Miller on the call ...

Nashville tied the game with a little over eight minutes left. Anaheim took back the lead two minutes later, but then allowed Nashville to tie it yet again, on a wrister from the point with 35 seconds left in the third to force OT. That's currently where we stand as I write this. How can anybody not like this, the NHL playoffs ... all the dramatics!?!?!

UPDATE: Predators scored within the first two minutes of overtime, taking away some of the luster from the above goal.

[video via]

Like a kid calling out a player's name upon learning it or seeing him in public, Florida Marlins analyst Tommy Hutton screamed "Scott Cousins! That's Scott Cousins!" as Cousins' first career home run -- a grand slam -- was headed toward the many empty seats in right field. If you didn't know who Scott Cousins was before, you probably won't forget the name now ... for at least a few days. The call is a slight alteration of Hutton's "His name is ... Dan Uggla!" call, whenever the oft-mispronounced Uggla would homer with the Marlins.

Cousins is playing in lieu of Logan Morrison, who was placed on the DL with a strained muscle in his foot. Remember, Cousins reaped the benefits of a line drive off of Morrison's face while he was in the on-deck circle last year; Cousins pinch-hit for the hurt Morrison and subsequently picked up his first career hit.  That's so Scott Cousins.

Playoff hockey at its finest -- Bruins scored late in the third to force OT and then score in the opening minutes of sudden death to knot up their series with the Habs.  Here's four-sport broadcasting star Kenny Albert with the call. With the call!

After you listen, tune into TNT and hear his daddy call the final quarter of the Heat/Sixers game.

With no regard for human life, Kevin Harlan called Chris Paul's buzzer-beating three-pointer to end the third quarter of Game 2 like he was auditioning to be the killer in Scream. I'd at least give him a call back.

Given how bloody ugly this game was, you can't blame Harlan for gettin' a little woozy over Paul's three-pointer. Of course, it's a signature call for Harlan, but he usually doesn't put so much English on it. It's fantastic.

[video via Blazers Edge]

Once upon a time, Jack Edwards was your average ESPN SportsCenter anchor.  He wasn't any different than Gary Miller or Steve Levy or Stan Verrett - just your everyday, straight-forward ESPN personality.  Unlike most other ESPN anchors though, Jack Edwards has made even more of a name for himself as a play by play man... and an insane one at that.  The last few years, Edwards has been NESN's lead announcer for coverage of the Boston Bruins.  You could tell Jack Edwards was on his way to Crazytown when he shouted jingoistic, patriotic slogans announcing USA soccer games during the 2002 World Cup, but he's really blossomed in Boston.  Inspired by this clip from Game 3, we've scoured Youtube for the best (and by best I mean most insane) Jack Edwards clips.  Here now, the Crazy Jack Edwards Top 13! (We can't stop at ten, can we?)  Come into the padded room, it's safe...

13) "TAKE THAT!"


12) "Rabblerobbleyabba"


11) "We are HIGH"

Earlier today, we threw up the NFL's Monday Night Football schedule, so to complete the primetime schedule on broadcast and cable (we're still waiting NFL Network), here is NBC's Sunday Night Football schedule.  If you want to waste some time and have fun with the schedule, NFL.com has a pretty cool interactive look at the full slate by team, week, and primetime.  All SNF start times are 8:20 ET with Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth calling the action.  Flex games will start in Week 11, so this schedule is subject to change where there are asterisks and the Week 17 game will be decided after Week 16's games are complete.  

NFL Kickoff: New Orleans Saints at Green Bay Packers
Week 1: Dallas Cowboys at New York Jets
Week 2: Philadelphia Eagles at Atlanta Falcons
Week 3: Pittsburgh Steelers at Indianapolis Colts
Week 4: New York Jets at Baltimore Ravens
Week 5: Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons
Week 6: Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears
Week 7: Indianapolis Colts at New Orleans Saints
Week 8: Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles
Week 9: Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 10: New England Patriots at New York Jets
*Week 11: Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants
*Week 12: Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs
*Week 13: Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots
*Week 14: New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys
*Week 15: Baltimore Ravens at San Diego Chargers
Week 16: Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers
*Week 17: TBA 

The SNF schedule is awesome.  Currently, it looks much stronger than the Monday Night Football slate.  The season begins with a fantastic Thursday night kickoff between the last two Super Bowl champs - New Orleans and Green Bay.  Week 1 also features an emotional home game in the Meadowlands between Dallas and the Jets on the 10 year anniversary of 9/11.  I can't remember a better primetime slate to start the year - Weeks 1-10 are absolutely stacked.  Mike Vick's return to Atlanta, Peyton Manning going home to New Orleans, and Rex Ryan's return to Baltimore are only a few of the compelling games.  The only matchup in there that can be deemed average is Minny at Chicago, if the Vikes can't rebound post-Favre.  The huge divisional rivalry games are also here like Pats/Jets, Ravens/Steelers, and Cowboys/Eagles.  Barring catastrophic collapses, expect the big NFC East games to remain in the flexed schedule, as well as Colts/Pats of course.  Since Christmas occurs on a Sunday this year, Packers/Bears is the only game scheduled on December 25 and is not a flex game.  All of Week 17's games will take place on New Year's Day.  On paper, the Sunday Night games are outstanding, it gets an A.  

Now for the bad news... your list of teams not on Monday or Sunday Night Football: Arizona, Buffalo, Carolina, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Houston, and Tennessee.  Of those teams, at least Cleveland and Houston get a Thursday Night Football bone thrown their way.