Let me start by being honest - I'm a Mizzou basketball fan and despise everything about Kansas basketball.  So, I was not a happy camper when the Jayhawks won in Columbia on Saturday.  As some measure of revenge, I came across this funny video of legendary Kansas radio announcer Bob Davis going crazy over an intentional foul call against one of the Morris twins late in Saturday's game.  Kansas would go on to win the game, although for some reason most of the nation, including Kansas City and Columbia, didn't get to see the last few minutes.  CBS says it was because of the evil schemes of sunspots, bizarre I know.  Oh well, enjoy your Monday bit of announcing insanity!  



Video: KU Basketball Announcer Can't Believe Marcus Morris' Intentional Foul Vs. Missouri - SB Nation

 

Here is your NBA announcing sked for the week. The Heat will have to dry their tears after Sunday's loss to Joakim Noah and the Bulls quickly as they welcome the Blazers and Lakers to Miami in another important week for the Superfriends. Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Dallas also make multiple appearances on the national slate. There's only one game on ABC Sunday afternoon and no ESPN night games due to Selection Sunday for the college game. Also, we may have an AA surprise related to a well-known NBA announcer this week so stay tuned!

Tuesday March 9

Portland Trailblazers @ Miami Heat (NBA TV 7:30PM) Rick Kamla, Kevin McHale, Chris Webber - American Airlines Arena, Miami, FL

Wednesday March 9

New York Knicks @ Memphis Grizzlies (NBA TV 8PM) Local Broadcast - FedExForum, Memphis, TN 

Thursday March 10

Los Angeles Lakers @ Miami Heat (TNT 7PM) Marv Albert, Steve Kerr, Reggie Miller - American Airlines Arena, Miami, FL
New York Knicks @ Dallas Mavericks (TNT 9:30PM) Kevin Harlan, Mike Fratello - American Airlines Center Dallas, TX

Friday March 11

Atlanta Hawks @ Chicago Bulls (NBA TV 8PM) Local Broadcast - United Center, Chicago, IL

Saturday March 12

Utah Jazz @ Chicago Bulls (WGN 8PM) Neil Funk, Stacey King - United Center, Chicago, IL
Los Angeles Lakers @ Dallas Mavericks (NBA TV 9PM) Local Broadcast – American Airlines Center Dallas, TX

Sunday March 13

Orlando Magic @ Phoenix Suns (ABC 3:30) Mike Breen, Mark Jackson, Jeff Van Gundy - U.S. Airway Center, Phoenix, AZ
Milwaukee Bucks @ Boston Celtics (NBA TV 6PM) Local Broadcast - TD Garden, Boston, MA

H/T Sammy!

Over the past couple months, there has been a lot of chatter about ESPN talent and their side incomes from endorsement deals. Something about journalistic integrity or double standards. As if you really needed Dicky V or Lee Corso to motivate you to go to Hooters for the third time this month.  "They really DO have good wings" is now officially the third most used excuse of all time behind "I was drunk" and "the dog ate my homework".

Just in time to give the impression that this commercial and product is somehow associated with March Madness, Mountain Dew has rolled out a new ad featuring Erin Andrews and Kenny Mayne.

IMO the commercial is half funny as Mayne's dry wit is entertaining but ultimately muted when intermixed with a pretty vanilla and somewhat out of place Andrews. While she is certainly soft on the eyes, playing opposite the notoriously goofy and aloof Mayne was just an odd combination. Dropping twitter bombs, wearing a purple sweater with a tie underneath reminiscent of myself at an 8th grade dance, and accompanied by the Mountain Dew Voltage entourage, Mayne would ultimately be better served by someone a bit more well versed in the art of sarcastic schilling. 

In the end though it is a memorable spot and one that does make me want to try these products. Any soda (they call it "pop" in the Midwest) that taste like its inundated with sugar and caffiene but ultimately isn't, is always a nice change of pace when you're craving some carbonation.

This morning on College Gameday, Bobby Knight and Digger Phelps were taking part in an end-of-clock situation.  Knight was in control of the offensive side and Digger had the defensive assignment.  In somewhat predictably ridiculous fashion, the segment went to an official review with the rest of the Gameday crew in referee uniforms.  With Bobby Knight back in coaching mode, you can probably guess what transpired - hilarious unscripted swearing on national television!  The best part of this video from Bubbaprog is Hubert Davis' reaction to Coach Knight going old school.  I just can't believe this doesn't happen more often.  Rece Davis' perfunctory and awkward apology is also included for your enjoyment!

The NFL Combine is a magical place where potential NFL careers are either made or broken by drills vaguely related to football. Needless to say, the highlight for me in the almost weeklong event is the 40-yard dash by NFL Network's Rich Eisen. I enjoy how they roll out Eisen each year in a suit and he goes full-bore as he attempts to break the magical 6 second mark running the 40-yard dash. The video gets really good when they start comparing Eisen and Julio Jones' 40-yard dashes side by side.

[Deadspin]

With the talk of ESPN's SkyCam and the response from sports fans around the country, it got me thinking about the best and worst innovations with regards to sports on television.  It may not seem like it when you watch a game today, but things have changed drastically over the years in how we watch our sports.  Some ideas have changed certain sports for the better, and even created a fanbase for some.  Others have been so laughable that they have long been forgotten.  Of course, with only five good and bad listed, this is nowhere near a complete list and doesn't go back as far to include things like color TV or instant replay.  Leave us a thought below on what we left out.  Enjoy!

5 Worst Sports Innovations

5) Sideline Reporters
-Believe it or not, sideline reporters date back to the mid-70s.  In fact, it's believed that the first sideline reporter was none other than HBO Boxing play by play man Jim Lampley.  Deadspin has a nice feature on Lampley and his first job in the business... and his disdain for the stupidity of the job.  Since Lampley, sideline reporters have naturally evolved into a pointless existence.  CBS has gotten rid of them on their NFL broadcasts without missing a beat.  There are some today that do a good job with what they have like Lisa Salters, Rob Stone, or Erin Andrews, but the nature of the beast is the problem.  The wide majority of sideline reports are completely unnecessary and add little to a broadcast.  When news does come from a sideline report, it's usually for negative reasons - do the words I want to kiss you ring a bell?  Maybe sideline reporters aren't so bad though, it has given us comedic gold like John L Smith and this video below from Michigan hockey.  If only all sideline reports were like this, they may be worthwhile.  Take it away, GUYS! 



4) Scooter


-It's sad that there could be so much hatred for a lovable looking cartoony baseball... but yet, MLB on Fox coverage is known for taking us to levels of hell previously uninhabited by mortal men.  Scooter is perhaps the clearest example of this phenomenon.  Scooter was meant to... well, actually, I have no idea what his (or her?) purpose was, except to explain things that baseball fans over the age of three already knew.  This demon spawn looks innocent enough, but children cried whenever he came on the screen during Fox's MLB games.  It made adults yearn for Joe Buck and Tim McCarver to come back and save us.  Thankfully, Scooter only lasted a couple years in the middle part of the 2000s, but it was long enough to leave a lasting impact that still haunts many baseball fans to this day.

There was a lot at stake in Tallahassee tonight as Florida State took on UNC. UNC has hopes of an ACC title while a victory by the Seminoles would most likely cement their place in the tournament. Anyways, the game came down to the last 10 seconds with UNC down by one and with the ball. UNC decided to put their hopes of an outright title in the hands of the much ballyhooed PTPer, DIAPERDANDY Freshman, Harrison Barnes. As soon as Barnes let that three go my ears were bracing for all out pandemonium. Instead...we got relative calm? Strange. I was expecting one of those "oooOOOHHHHHH  AREE YOUU SERIOOUSSS?!?!" yelps that has been the trademark of Dickie V for decades. It's a shame the game ends rather anticlimatically as an FSU player steps on the sideline just before he can attempt a half-court heave for the win.

Usually, the story of Troy Murphy signing with an NBA team after being bought out would not be an interesting subject for AA.  But, when two of the leading NBA reporters tweet conflicting reports regarding Murphy's landing place, that makes for a brief, but amusing sports media story.  As the story played out on Twitter, ESPN and Yahoo reporters had conflicting scoops.  As always, these are Real Tweets from Real People...

First, Yahoo NBA writer Marc Spears tweeted this scoop on Murphy:

SpearsNBAYahoo  Free agent forward-center Troy Murphy has agreed to sign with the Heat, sources tell Y! Sports. Murphy also turned down Celtics.

Seemingly seconds later, ESPN NBA writer Marc Stein had his own take on the story:

SpearsNBAYahoo  Fegan cont. on Y! report: "respond to 'yes' on Boston. I apologize for the mistake."

Stein 1, Spears 0.  ESPN 1, Yahoo Sports 0.

I find it interesting that in admitting the mistake, Spears basically threw Murphy's agent under the bus and outed him as the "sources" from the original tweet.  I do give Spears credit for the transparency shown, but it is interesting that he claims the errant tweet as a "Y! Sports report" instead of owning up to what he posted.  Interestingly, Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski also commented on Twitter taking responsibility for what was posted by Yahoo writers, but those tweets have also been deleted.  ESPN has been losing out on some reporting races recently, especially on the NFL side to Jay Glazer, but at least they can claim a victory in this Twitter duel.  Competition for the leader in grabbing scoops and sports reporting is nothing but good news for sports fans, as long as the stories are correct of course.  If nothing else, the Stein/Spears smackdown made for an interesting display of sports reporting in the Twitter age and what can happen when competing reporters tweet different scoops.  That was only the beginning to yesterday's exciting day on Twitter.  

 By now you've heard about former Alabama quarterback, Greg McElroy's, reported 48 out of 50 on the Wonderlic test given to all NFL draft prospects at the combine. McElroy can now add highest score for a quarterback (tied with Harvard QB Ryan Fitzpatrick) to the list of career accomplishments to go along with a Texas High School Championship, BCS Championship, and being named a team captain and a Rhodes Scholar Finalist. He is even giving this guy a good run for most successful Alabama Football player. 

 

But it's really McElroy's next accomplishment/job that has me really intrigued. If we do have a 2011 NFL season, McElroy will either fight his way onto a NFL roster or there is the alternative: Taking a job at ESPN.

Currently projected as a 5th round pick, McElroy's chances of making a NFL roster is pretty much a coin flip if the 5th round projection that most people have him at is accurate. Looking at the at the last 4 drafts shows 6/11 of those signal callers still in the NFL although only 4 of them were on the roster all season long and not  on practice squad or a late season addition.

Then there is the other option, where McElroy reinvigorates college football coverage at ESPN. Apparently a job offer has already been implied after McElroy absolutely killed it in guest appearances leading up to the BCS Championship.

"They haven’t said anything specifically to me, but rumors around were that if I wanted to come on, there was a place for me," McElroy said. "They were happy about the way things went, and I felt pretty confident about how I handled myself. It’s a lot more difficult that people give it credit for."

If you're a little miffed where all this is coming from, I take it you're not one of the many whose jaw was injured upon hitting the floor when McElroy absolutely overshadowed ever single other ESPN analyst and personality leading up to the BCS Championship Game. Think I'm crazy? Maybe, but I'm certainly not alone as evidenced by these clippings of similar sentiment.

Last week, Create the Caption starred Justin Bieber awkwardly talking with Craig Sager.  The winner was Rizzmiggizz with "Welcome to my chocolate factory, Charlie."  Thanks for those of you that participated!  This week, our caption comes from the man that is winning the moment - one Charlie Sheen.  I can't think of anyone that has so captivated the nation like the insane drugged out actor has for the past 72 hours.  After opening his Twitter account and gaining hundreds of thousands of followers instantly, Sheen tweeted this picture along with the words, "Winning!... choose your vice."  Can you create a create the caption to describe Charlie's madness?  At least he's still channeling his inner Ricky Vaughn with that Indians cap.  There's a lot to work with here people, I'm hoping for some awesome captions!



#Winning Links

ESPN is threatening suit over rights to... Conference USA?  Really?  [Sports Business Journal]

The first official shot is fired in the NFL Lockout saga - a victory for the players as owners will be denied their massive TV money in the event of football's absence.  [Sports Illustrated]

A journalist got fired for clapping for Trevor Bayne in the Daytona pressbox.  Here's his side of the story.  [Frontstretch]

The Sporting News on AOL has arrived.  Here's what it looks like.  [Sporting News]

Sadly, the Colombian club soccer mascot owl has died.  [Fox Sports]

ESPN's new ombudsman is actually a journalism school.  [ESPN Media Zone]

CM Punk made Shawne Merriman Go 2 Sleep in a cross-sport (or entertainment) Twitter fight.  [Hot Clicks]