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Athens, GA (Jan 29, 2009) - The University of Georgia Athletic Association has announced the immediate termination of Men's Basketball coach Dennis Felton. He will be replaced in the interim by Associate Head Coach Pete Herrmann. Here is a live blog transcript of this morning's press conference,

Update: Live Blog Transcript of UGA Press Conference Announcing Decision

Athens, GA (Jan 29, 2009) - Embattled Georgia men's basketball coach Dennis Felton is out. He joins former Alabama Coach Mark Gottfried as the second Southeastern Conference coach out of a job this week. Although the Felton-led Bulldogs had a miraculous run to last year's Southeastern Conference Tournament Championship title and a spot in the NCAA Tournament, this year's team (9-11, 0-5 SEC) was performing at a level that can only be described as lackluster at best. Last night's huge 83-57 road loss to Florida (18-3, 5-1 SEC) sealed the deal. Felton's record in 5+ seasons at Georgia was 84-91 (26-59 SEC)

Associate Head Coach Pete Hermann has been named the interim head coach for the remainder of this season.

The Felton Record

Year	School	Overall Pct.	Conf. Pct.	Postseason
1998-99	Western Kentucky	13-16 .448	9-7 (t3rd) .563	---
1999-2000	Western Kentucky	11-18 .379	8-8 (5th) .500	---
2000-01	Western Kentucky	24-7 .774	14-2 (1st) .875	NCAA
2001-02	Western Kentucky	28-4 .875	13-1 (1st) .929	NCAA
2002-03	Western Kentucky	24-9 .727	12-2 (1st) .857	NCAA
WKU TOTALS		100-54 .649	56-20 .737
2003-04	Georgia	16-14 .533	7-9 (5th) .438	NIT
2004-05	Georgia	8-20 .286	2-14 (6th) .125	---
2005-06	Georgia	15-15 .500	5-11 (6th) .313	---
2006-07	Georgia	19-14 .576	8-8 (5th) .500	NIT
2007-08	Georgia	17-17 .500	4-12 (6th) .333	NCAA
2008-09	Georgia	9-11 .450	0-5 .000
UGA TOTALS		84-91 .480	26-59 .306
TOTALS		184-145 .559	82-79 .509

Photograph Copyright 2008 by Eye On Sports Media/The Cayuga Group, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Athens, GA (Jan 28, 2009) - File this under the category of "would you do this." Last night was the official media party for Super Bowl XLIII^tm in Tampa. Over 4,000 credentialed media were invited to the Tampa Cuban Club for fellowship in the Ybor City section of Tampa. While not quite Burboun Street in New Orleans, it is considered to be the party spot in Tampa. Not only was the media wined and dined, but they were treated to an outdoor concert by 38 Special.


4,000 members of the media given free drink (and food) and let loose in YBor City, What were they thinking?:-)

Athens, GA (Jan 27, 2009) - Kevin Shea, who is working as a Comms Engineer at Super Bowl XLIII^tm in Tampa, Florida, has graciously given Eye on Sports Media permission to reprint some of his behind the scenes photographs from his Facebook photo album. You can see the full size versions by clicking on each image. Enjoy!

Athens, GA (Jan 27, 2009) - Here is a slide show of all photographs on Flickr tagged as superbowlxviii. Enjoy!

Athens, GA (Jan 27, 2009) - Forget unusual betting combinations for this Sunday's Super Bowl XLIII^tm Matchup between the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Forget the fact that the Associated Press is reporting on the XLIII, I mean 43, strip clubs in the immediate surrounding area of Raymond James Stadium.

For NBC Sports, these are the numbers that they are dealing with as they prepare to produce Sunday's coverage:

	450		More than 450 people will be part of the NBC production, technical, administrative and support crews
	93		Microphones (including 12 on-field parabolic microphones)
	52		High Definition Cameras (2 SD Cameras for Game Clock and Play Clock)
	50		Miles of Camera and Microphone cable
	45		Vehicles (control trucks, mobile units, office trailers, Horse Trailer)
	24		Digital Video Replay Sources
	22		Hard Cameras (including 2 Super Slo-Mo’s and three “X-Mo’s)
	20		Hand-held Cameras (including two SteadyCams)
	10		NEP Supershooter Trailers in the TV Compound
	8		Digital Post-Production Facility (5 Avid Suites, 3 Final Cut Pro Suites)
	5		Robotic Cameras (including two fixed on the Field Goal posts)
	2		RF Hand-held cameras
	1		“Cable-Cam” camera suspended above the playing field
	1		Hard Camera for scenic views of Tampa Bay

Source: NBC Sports

The numbers that stick out? One horse trailer, and the fact that they will be doing post-production work using BOTH AVID and Final Cut Pro. Did we mention the horse trailer???

Related Link(s)

NBC Sports Super Bowl XLIII^tm Site

Athens, GA (Jan 27, 2009) - A lot of times we know about birthdays and milestones of prominent sports media personalities. For example, friend of Eye on Sports Media Daryn Kagan celebrated her birthday a few days ago. Other times, events slip under the radar. In November, CNBC sports business reporter Darren Rovell took a two week vacation, and had a contest winning guest blogger fill in. But did any of us realize he was actually getting married during that time? (Mozaltov to Darren and Cortney!)

So today there is a birthday being celebrated by a person that many of you might not know about, but he does a lot of work behind the scenes to support sports reporters, particularly basketball reporters at this time of year. That would be Ted Gangi, former CBS Sports researcher and assistant sports editor of the Dallas Morning News web site. Ted spends a lot of time working with the membership of the United States Basketball Writers Association, maintaining the USBWA website and providing members with important information. Ted also runs collegepressbox.com, a virtual media site for accredited members of the sports media.


Happy birthday Ted!

Athens, GA (Jan 26, 2008) - When I was working on a long term project for IBM in Tampa back in 1999-2000, we used to get a kick out of listening to our in-car GPS system in different languages, just to break the monotony. Now football fans will have the ability to extend their Supoer Bowl XLIII listening pleasure to a whopping ten languages!

Yes, now that Sirius and XM have merged, its time to get ready for some serious radio broadcasts of Super Bowl XLIII from Tampa, Florida. As the the Official Satellite Radio Partner of the NFL (could there be any other?), Sirius announced last week that it will provide extensive coverage of the Super Bowl with 13 different live broadcasts of Super Bowl XLIII in 10 languages, plus the live halftime performance by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band and live talk programming from Tampa every day of Super Bowl Week.

On Super Bowl Sunday, February 1 at 6:00 pm ET, SIRIUS XM will air an expanded lineup of play-by-play broadcasts of Super Bowl XLIII live from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa nationwide. The 13 separate game calls in 10 languages is an increase from eight languages from last year and will be available for the first time to both SIRIUS and XM subscribers. SIRIUS subscribers and XM subscribers with the “Best of SIRIUS” programming package can choose from:

· Pittsburgh Steelers team broadcast - SIRIUS 122 / XM 143

· Arizona Cardinals team broadcast - SIRIUS 123 / XM 144

· Westwood One Radio broadcast – SIRIUS 124 / XM 124

· Westwood One Spanish broadcast – SIRIUS 91 / XM 102

· BBC Radio broadcast – SIRIUS 130 / XM 103

· NTV Plus broadcast (Russian) – SIRIUS 125 / XM 104

· France 2 broadcast (French) - SIRIUS 127 / XM 105

· NHK Japan broadcast (Japanese) - SIRIUS 121 / XM 106

· ARD broadcast (German) – SIRIUS 113 / XM 107

· Telenet Belgium broadcast (Flemish) – SIRIUS 126 / XM 108

· SMG broadcast (Mandarin Chinese) – SIRIUS 90 / XM 109

· RAI broadcast (Italian) - SIRIUS 117 / XM 110

· Sport1 broadcast (Hungarian) - SIRIUS 108 / XM 111

Of course, you could really say eleven languages if you consider the Queen's English different from American English.

XM subscribers can add “The Best of SIRIUS” channels by calling 1-866-9SIRIXM (866-974-7496) or go to XMRadio.com for complete details. SIRIUS subscribers can add “The Best of XM” channels by calling 1-888-7BESTXM (888-723-7896), or go to SIRIUS.com for complete details.

“Our plans for this year’s Super Bowl are more comprehensive and far-reaching than ever before,” said Scott Greenstein (pictured left), SIRIUS XM Radio’s President and Chief Content Officer. “For the first time, both SIRIUS and XM listeners will have access to the Super Bowl and our extensive lineup of 13 game broadcasts, plus Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band live at halftime.

During halftime of the Super Bowl, SIRIUS XM will provide listeners with a live broadcast of the on-field musical performance of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band on E Street Radio (SIRIUS channel 10, XM channel 58), the only radio channel dedicated to the music of Bruce Springsteen. E Street Radio will also carry the live Super Bowl Week press conference featuring Springsteen and other E Street Band members on Thursday, January 29 (2:30 pm ET) where Bruce and the band will answer questions about their upcoming performance. SIRIUS XM Radio host and Springsteen biographer Dave Marsh will be in Tampa Thursday through Super Bowl Sunday offering E Street Radio listeners reports from around the Tampa area and interviews with celebrities and Bruce fans in town to catch the Super Bowl.

From Monday, January 26 through Super Bowl Sunday, SIRIUS NFL Radio - the only radio channel covering the NFL 24 hours a day, 365 days a year - will broadcast live every day from Radio Row at the Tampa Convention Center offering listeners all the latest news and analysis leading up to the biggest game of the year, plus dozens of interviews with players, coaches, league executives and celebrities. Available nationwide on SIRIUS channel 124 and now on XM channel 124 with the “Best of SIRIUS” programming package, SIRIUS NFL Radio features a lineup of expert hosts that includes Gil Brandt, Randy Cross, Peter King, Pat Kirwan, Bob Papa, John Riggins, Tim Ryan, Shannon Sharpe, Solomon Wilcots, Adam Schein and others.

SIRIUS NFL Radio will also broadcast live from Raymond James Stadium on Media Day, Tuesday, January 27 (10:00 am - 1:00 pm ET), offering one-on-one interviews with players and coaches from the Steelers and Cardinals. On Saturday, January 31 (2:00 pm ET), SIRIUS NFL Radio will provide live coverage as the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2009 is announced at the Tampa Convention Center. Listeners will hear the live announcement as well as one-on-one interviews with the newly elected Hall of Famers.

Sports talk host Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo will also be in Tampa all week to host his daily show, Mad Dog Unleashed, live from Radio Row (2:00-7:00 pm ET). The show is the afternoon drive anchor program for SIRIUS XM’s all-sports talk channel, Mad Dog Radio (SIRIUS channel 123, XM channel 144). On Saturday, January 31, Russo will host a special Saturday edition of Mad Dog Unleashed live from the Bank of America exhibit at NFL Experience outside Raymond James Stadium, where fans can watch him as he breaks down the following day’s game and interviews the current and former NFL players in attendance.

Additionally, SIRIUS XM listeners can tune in 24/7 for traffic and weather reports for the Tampa area on SIRIUS channel 158 and XM channel 228.

Readers can visit www.sirius.com/superbowl and www.xmradio.com for complete information about Super Bowl coverage.

Orlando, FL (Jan 20, 2008) - I am sorry for the paucity of posting s the past few days. I am at Lotusphere 2009, the ultimate software conference on collaboration and messaging. So the days and evenings are full with networking, sessions, dinners, The Blue Man Group, and Dan Akroyd.

Will resume soon with more of the "Bloodshot Eyeball" awards.

Athens, GA (Jan 14, 2009) - As much as there has been righteous indignation surrounding the Buzz Bissinger appearance on Costas Live! last April (including on this site), sometimes some idiot fool posts a comment anonymously that makes myself (and hopefully others) sick to my stomach.

Today, this happened on Awful Announcing's post about ESPN deciding to broadcast the inauguration of Barrack Obama next Tuesday:

It sure took a lot of courage for this racist idiot (please forgive my rant, but this is unforgivable) to post this comment anonymously.

I cannot encourage Brian Powell, the editor of Awful Announcing, strongly enough to remove this and similar comments from this thread/blog, and to disable anonymous comments. He should also take the time to moderate comments and leave such vile trash off of his site.

Athens, GA (Jan 14, 2009) - The BBC will televise every match of the 2009 Australian Open featuring British number one Andy Murray live on BBC1 or BBC2.

The BBC television commentary team consists of John Lloyd, Chris Bailey and Sam Smith.









The following is the BBC broadcast schedule (all times local to the United Kingdom)

Monday 19 January to Sunday 1 February

0830-1400, live coverage on BBC Red Button and BBC Radio 5 Live sports extra

0000-0825 and 1400-2359 looped highlights on BBC Red Button

* Red Button coverage streamed on BBC Sport website throughout the fortnight

Saturday 24 January

1300-1430, BBC One - highlights package
0800-1100, Radio 5 Live sport extra

Saturday 31 January

Women's final highlights - 1300-1400, BBC Two

Sunday 1 February

Men's final live - 0830-1200, BBC Two
0830-1400, Radio 5 Live sport extra

Athens, GA (Jan 14, 2008) - The day I went to work for the United States Environmental Protection Agency as a Contracting Officer back in 1993, the man who hired me, Tom McEntaggart, asked me to go for a walk with him. We walked over to one of the Congressional Office buildings in Washington, D.C. and sat in on a hearing about the state of the EPA contract management process. Congressman were throwing bombs at the people testifying and taking no prisoners. Tom looked at me and said that my goal in the new job was to never be mentioned by name in congressional hearings like this. Not good for the career, I was told.

This type of notoriety hit the television sports world this past spring, when it was reported that U.S. Marshals Service Lawyer Joe Band arranged for government resources to provide transportation services to Tim McCarver and Joe Buck to and from Fenway Park for a World Series game. At the time, I wrote:

What is most surprising is that Joe is an attorney for the agency, and if the allegations are true, should have known better. Indeed he may have, and it is possible that the escort was cleared by the U.S. Marshals Ethics Officer before it was approved. If it was, the investigation will be quickly closed and this will have been much ado about nothing . Well except for any appearance of impropriety.

It is not unusual to try and get police escorts after a game, especially at venues where the roads are limited and flights need to be caught. Fenway Park is one of these venues and it would not be realistic to ask McCarver and Buck to ride the T with a bunch of drunken Red Sox fans. But there could have been other alternatives available.

I am willing to give Joe the benefit of the doubt here as these are currently only allegations. If they are proven to be true, I can only respond with "Say it ain't so, Joe!"

Well apparently it was so, and it was not an isolated incident. On January 9, 2009, the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General released the report of its investigation. In a word, it was damning. Not only had Joe done this for the original game in question, but for numerous sporting events involving Fox broadcasters over the years.

Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, Fox Sports AND CBS Sports people got dragged into the investigation, as they were interviewed as part of the investigation:



At 68-years of age, this may be a career-ender for Joe at the U.S. Marshals Service, but that is only speculation. I was told by a colleague a few weeks ago that, as a result of this incident, he (Band) is only allowed to work in the production trucks at games and cannot leave them (it is surprising he is still working games at all).

A Fox Sports spokesperson, in response to an inquiry from Eye on Sports Media, says that "At select events he [Band] did offer transportation to some FOX Sports personnel. We were unaware, however, that those arrangements were in any way inappropriate, and regret to learn now that they apparently were."

Related Link(s)

Report of Investigation of Alleged Misuse of United States Marshals Service Resources by Joseph Band, January 2009 (PDF File)

Joe, Did You Have To Strike Up The Band for McCarver and Buck? (Eye on Sports Media, May 2, 2009)

Athens, GA (Jan 13, 2008) - ESPN is getting ready to televise 100 lives hours of television, and 430+ live hours on broadband, as they begin coverage of their 25th Australian Open on January 19, 2009. Before going on, here is one of the commercials produced by Australian Open TV:

Cliff Drysdale – who has been with ESPN since its first tennis telecast in 1979 – and sportscasting legend Dick Enberg lead the broadcast team, along with Hall of Famer Bud Collins as analyst and essayist. Chris Fowler will again host and call select matches, with returnees former Australian star player-turned coach Darren Cahill, Mary Carillo, Mary Joe Fernandez, Brad Gilbert, Patrick McEnroe, and Pam Shriver, who will primarily serve as a courtside reporter. In addition, reporters Tiffany Cherry of ESPN International, a Melbourne native, and Tom Rinaldi will contribute features, news and interviews during event coverage and on SportsCenter.

Here is the ESPN broadcast schedule:

Date	Time (ET)	Event	Platform
Thur., Jan. 15	6 p.m.	Bracket Draw	ESPN360.com & ESPN Mobile TV	LIVE
Sun., Jan. 18	7 p.m. – 2 a.m.	Early round play	ESPN2	LIVE
	7 p.m. – 2 a.m.	“	ESPN360.com	LIVE
Mon., Jan. 19	3:30 – 8 a.m.	“	ESPN2 & ESPN260.com	LIVE
	3 – 7 p.m.	“	ESPN2	Same-day
	7 p.m. – 2 a.m.	“	ESPN360.com	LIVE
	9 p.m. – 2 a.m.	“	ESPN2	LIVE
Tue., Jan. 20	3:30 – 8 a.m.	“	ESPN2 & ESPN360.com	LIVE
	3 – 7 p.m.	“	ESPN2	Same-day
	7 p.m. – 2 a.m.	“	ESPN360.com	LIVE
	10 p.m. – 2 a.m.	“	ESPN2	LIVE
Wed., Jan. 21	3:30 – 8 a.m.	“	ESPN2 & ESPN360.com	LIVE
	3 – 7 p.m.	“	ESPN2	Same-day
	7 p.m. – 2 a.m.	“	ESPN360.com	LIVE
	11 p.m. – 2 a.m.	“	ESPN2	LIVE
Thur., Jan. 22	3:30 – 8 a.m.	“	ESPN2 & ESPN360.com	LIVE
	3 – 7 p.m.	“	ESPN2	Same-day
	7 p.m. – 2 a.m.	“	ESPN360.com	LIVE
	11 p.m. – 2 a.m.	“	ESPN2	LIVE
Fri., Jan. 23	3:30 – 8 a.m.	“	ESPN2 & ESPN360.com	LIVE
	3 – 7 p.m.	“	ESPN2	Same-day
	7 – 9:30 p.m.	“	ESPN2	LIVE
	7 p.m. – 2 a.m.	“	ESPN360.com	LIVE
	11:30 p.m. – 2 a.m.	“	ESPN2	LIVE
Sat., Jan. 24	3:30 – 8 a.m.	“	ESPN2 & ESPN360.com	LIVE
	9 a.m. – 2 p.m.	“	ESPN2	Same-day
	7 p.m. – 2 a.m.	“	ESPN360.com	LIVE
	10 p.m. – 1:30 a.m.	“	ESPN2	LIVE
Sun., Jan. 25	3:30 – 8 a.m.	“	ESPN2 & ESPN360.com	LIVE
	Noon – 5 p.m.	“	ESPN2	Same-day
	7 p.m. – 1:30 a.m.	Round of 16	ESPN360.com	LIVE
	9 p.m. – 1:30 a.m.	“	ESPN2	LIVE
Mon., Jan. 26	3:30 – 6 a.m.	“	ESPN2 & ESPN360.com	LIVE
	3 – 7 p.m.	“	ESPN2	Same-day
	9:30 p.m. – 1:30 a.m.	“	ESPN2 & ESPN360.com	LIVE
Tue., Jan. 27	3:30 – 6 a.m.	“	ESPN2 & ESPN360.com	LIVE
	3 – 7 p.m.	“	ESPN2	Same-day
	9:30 p.m. – 2 a.m.	“	ESPN2 & ESPN360.com	LIVE
Wed., Jan. 28	3:30 – 6 a.m.	“	ESPN2 & ESPN360.com	LIVE
	3 – 7 p.m.	“	ESPN2	Same-day
	9:30 p.m. – 1:30 a.m.	Women’s Semifinals	ESPN2 & ESPN360.com	LIVE
Thurs., Jan. 29	3:30 – 6 a.m.	Men’s Semifinal #1	ESPN2 & ESPN360.com	LIVE
	3 – 6 p.m.	Men’s Semifinal #1	ESPN2	reair
Fri., Jan. 30	3:30 – 6 a.m.	Men’s Semifinal #2	ESPN2 & ESPN360.com	LIVE
	3 – 6 p.m.	Men’s Semifinal #2	ESPN2	reair
Sat., Jan. 31	3:30 – 5:30 a.m.	Women’s Final	ESPN2 & ESPN360.com	LIVE
	9 – 11 a.m.	Women’s Final	ESPN2	reair
	8 – 10 p.m.	Women’s Final	ESPN2	reair
Sun. Feb. 1	3:30 – 6:30 a.m.	Men’s Final	ESPN2 & ESPN360.com	LIVE
	3 – 8 p.m.	Men’s & Women’s Finals	ESPN2	reair

and more information from ESPN:

Starting Sunday, Jan. 18, ESPN will do something no U.S. network has ever done: televise all four of tennis’ Grand Slam events in a single year. The tennis season begins with ESPN’s 25th Australian Open: nearly 100 hours of primetime and overnight coverage on ESPN2 plus 57 more in afternoon reairs. In addition, broadband ESPN360.com will offer more than 430 hours – all live from Melbourne, with users choosing between action on six courts. Play will begin on ESPN2 and ESPN360.com on Sunday, Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. ET and will continue through the women’s and men’s finals live Saturday, Jan. 31, and Sunday, Feb. 1, respectively. ESPN has televised the Australian Open since 1984 (there was no event in 1986), the French Open since 2002 (and 1986 – 1993), Wimbledon since 2003 and is adding the US Open this year.

“To be involved with all four Grand Slam events is a major moment in ESPN history and we are proud to begin the year with our silver anniversary in Australia, one of the longest relationships in sports television,” said John Skipper, ESPN executive vice president, content. “Tennis fans can sit back and enjoy all the sport’s premiere events all year on ESPN2 and ESPN360.com, brought to you by the people they know well, respect and enjoy.”

Reflective of ESPN’s new role carrying all four Grand Slam tournaments, the coverage will feature new animation, graphics, music and scoreboard. In addition, new on-air promos spotlight ESPN’s Grand Slam coverage and each event.

In addition, where appropriate ESPN’s SportsCenter – including the new live weekday 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. editions – and ESPNEWS will endeavor live look-ins to the action. Also, ESPN Deportes will present Spanish-language coverage in the U.S. and ESPN International will bring the event to viewers around the world.

Before the action begins, the random selection of the men’s and women’s brackets will be available on ESPN360.com and ESPN Mobile TV Thursday, Jan. 15 at 6 p.m.

TV: IN THE U.S. AND AROUND THE WORLD

DID YOU KNOW?

ESPN’s Bud Collins, Cliff Drysdale and Dick Enberg have worked -- or, in Drysdale’s case, played -- in approximately 286 Grand Slam events as of the end of 2008.

ESPN2’s Australian Open programming will generally consist of three shows each day: live coverage in the evening starting Sunday, Jan. 18 at 7 p.m., live matches at 3:30 a.m., and at least three hours of same-day action the next afternoon at 3 p.m. As with the French Open, ESPN2 is working with Tennis Channel to bring fans virtually round-the-clock coverage during the Australian Open. ESPN2 is producing all Australian Open coverage for both networks, with each channel utilizing its own commentators.

ESPN Deportes – the fulltime Spanish-language U.S. network – will televise 55 hours (including re-airs), January 19 through the finals. The commentators will be Luís Alfredo Álvarez, Eduardo Varela and former players José Luís Clerc and Javier Frana.

ESPN Interactive TV, exclusive to DIRECTV, will present the Australian Open for the first time, using a six-screen “mixed channel.” For 7-8 hours per night during the first eight days of the tournament, viewers will be able to watch the ESPN2 feed or one of five other courts, all with commentary. In addition, the women’s and men’s final will be available for one month after the conclusion of the tournament.

ESPN VOD (Video On Demand) is offering the 2009 Australian Open Preview Show up to the beginning of the tournament. The Women's Finals will be edited to a 30-minute summary and offered for a month starting Sunday, Feb. 1. The Men's Finals will be offered as a 30-minute highlight and be offered for a month starting Monday, Feb. 2.

In Latin America, ESPN International will provide two weeks of extensive live coverage over three different networks. The pan-regional ESPN networks in Latin America (in South and Central America) will showcase the biggest names in tennis along with players of local relevance in 100 hours, including the women’s and men’s finals. In the Southern Cone, ESPN+ (pronounced "mas") will air a minimum of 30 hours of complementary coverage in primetime throughout the early rounds. Additionally, ESPN Brasil will also show another 20+ hours of live coverage in the early morning hours.

SPORTSCENTER IN THE U.S. AND AROUND THE WORLD

In the U.S., throughout the tournament ESPN’s SportsCenter and ESPNEWS – the 24-hour all-sports news network – will look to show live “look-ins” to play in progress, as storylines dictate. Miguel Simón will provide reports from onsite for ESPN Deportes’ SportsCenter.

Other SportsCenters from ESPN International’s editions around the world will have reporters on site. Simón will provide reports for the Spanish-language SportsCenter aired in Latin America. Melbourne native Tiffany Cherry will offer updates for SportsCenter editions aired in Australia, Africa, the Middle East and Israel, and Anthony Howard will provide updates for international editions of SportsCenter.

PREVIEWING 2009

Novak Djokovic will defend his crown against a strong men’s field led by Roger Federer, who has won the Australian Open three times. Federer will be seeking to tie Pete Sampras’ record of 14 career Grand Slam titles. The women’s side is wide open upon the recent withdrawal of defending champion Maria Sharapova.

Patrick McEnroe: “It’s a phenomenal time in men’s tennis.”

McEnroe says the Big Two is now the Big Four, and that the level of play at the top has never been better:

“This has the makings of one of the most competitive years ever in men’s tennis. Four guys have separated themselves at the top, with Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray joining the Big Two, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Maybe each of them will win one slam this year. Murray is off to a great start, and on hard courts he has as good a game as anyone. As for Roger, he is healthy, had a good offseason and is eager. Having lost his long standing at #1, the week-to-week pressure is off and he is more concerned with another number – 15, what would be a new record for career Grand Slam titles. With 13 now, I expect he’ll at least tie Sampras at 14 this year.

“It’s a phenomenal time in men’s tennis. Years ago we had players with certain weapons or strengths. Now our top players have all-around games. Yet they possess different styles and distinct personalities. This year it is going to be very competitive to be ranked #1.”

Mary Carillo: “The storylines are intriguing.”

Carillo says that despite the recent withdrawal of defending champion Maria Sharapova, the women’s field is filled with legitimate title contenders, both familiar and new.

“On the women's side the storylines are intriguing. Sharapova's shoulder is keeping her from defending her title, which was as good and commanding a performance as she's ever given. Last year she won her third major without dropping a set – her serve was the dominant factor. After the glorious start to her season, Maria injured her shoulder, required surgery, and has decided she's not ready for Melbourne. This is a bad blow indeed....

“The good news is that no. 1-ranked Jelena Jankovic has worked very hard in the offseason and should be in very good form as she tries to win her first major. That she's beefed up her physical regimen means that she should end rallies quicker and save herself for the latter rounds of a the majors – that could be the deciding factor for her. Ana Ivanovic followed up her Australian Open finalist effort with her first major at Roland Garros, before pressure and injuries got to her. But she's been practicing hard and is probably better equipped emotionally to handle the demands of her status. And the Williams sisters are coming into Melbourne with more experience and understanding of the changing seasons than anyone. They were both Grand Slam titlists last year, and either one of them can win this thing.

“Other contenders: Dinara Safina, absolutely. Very powerful and keen after last year's breakthrough. She copes well in hot weather and has truly grown up. And though Elena Dementieva has never yet brought her best form to Melbourne, she should be feeling pretty good after her US Open semifinal run and her gold in Beijing.

“This should be fun.”

Over the years, the Australian Open has provided ESPN viewers many wonderful memories:

• In the 1984 semifinals, Helena Sukova upsets Martina Navratilova 1-6, 6-3, 7-5, ending Navratilova’s record 74-match win streak and thwarting her attempt at a seventh consecutive Grand Slam title.
• In the 2003 quarterfinals, Andy Roddick wins an epic 21-19 fifth set vs. Younes el-Aynaoui.
• In 2008, ESPN2 sticks with live coverage through two scheduled breaks, resulting in 14 hours, 43 minutes of consecutive live tennis (Friday at 9:54 p.m. – Saturday 12:37 p.m.), no doubt the longest live sports telecast in U.S. history. It is followed by a scheduled reair until 5 p.m., resulting in 19+ straight hours of tennis. The action is highlighted by three five-set matches: James Blake winning 4-6, 2-6, 6-0, 7-6, 6-2 over Sebastien Grosjean; Roger Federer outlasting Janko Tipsarevic 6-7, 7-6, 5-7, 6-1, 10-8; and Lleyton Hewitt ousting Marcos Baghdatis 4-6, 7-5, 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-3 in a match that ended at 4:32 a.m. in Melbourne. The fifth sets are aired commercial-free.

GREAT MATCHES FROM THE PAST ON ESPN CLASSIC

On Sunday, Jan. 18, the day the tournament starts, ESPN Classic will get fans ready with a quintet of memorable matches from a quarter century of coverage, as well as a one-hour preview show, starting at 7a.m.:

7 – 9 a.m.: 1996 Australian Open Finals, Anke Huber vs. Monica Seles - Monica Seles 6-4, 6-1 victory over Germany's Anke Huber was her first Grand Slam title since her comeback began in 1995. It was also her first Grand Slam title as a U.S. citizen and it also proved to be the final Grand Slam title of her career.

9 – 11 a.m.: 1995 Australian Open Quarterfinals, Pete Sampras vs. Jim Courier - Defending champion Pete Sampras, troubled by the health problems of his coach Tim Gullickson, wept in the middle of his Australian Open match with Jim Courier. Sampras would come back from two sets down for the second straight match and win 6-7 (7-4), 6-7 (7-3), 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 in a four-hour marathon to reach the semifinals.

11 a.m. – 1 p.m.: 2000 Australian Open Semifinals, Andre Agassi vs. Pete Sampras – Agassi and Sampras put on a show for the film archives, Agassi winning 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (0), 7-6 (5), 6-1 to become the first man to reach four straight Grand Slam finals since Rod Laver swept them all in 1969.

1 – 3 p.m.: 2003 Australian Open Finals Venus Williams vs. Serena Williams – Serena Williams survived an error-filled match to beat older sister Venus 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-4 to win the Australian Open for her fourth straight major championship.

3 – 6 p.m.: 2003 Australian Open Quarterfinal: Andy Roddick vs Younes El Aynaoui - Andy Roddick wins a marathon five-set quarterfinal. In a battle of wills, the American Roddick out dueled the Moroccan 4-6, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-4, 21-19. The match lasted 4 hours and 59 minutes and they walked off the court hand in hand.

6 – 7 p.m.: Australian Open Preview Show

DIGITAL MEDIA, AT HOME AND ABROAD

After the selection of the bracket draw Thursday, Jan. 15 (see above), ESPN360.com will expand its broadband coverage to include no fewer than six live feeds from various courts – including the women’s and men’s semifinals and finals – plus a simulcast of ESPN2’s live coverage, totaling more than 430 hours. For the first eight days (Jan. 18 – 25), coverage will commence at 7 p.m. (11 a.m. in Melbourne, when play begins). The courts to be included are the “TV courts,” the ones most likely to have top matches: Rod Laver Arena, Hisense Arena, Margaret Court Arena, plus Courts 2, 3 and 6. For the remainder of the tournament, ESPN360.com will continue the ESPN2 simulcast, and will carry the women’s (Jan. 31) and men’s (Feb. 1) finals.

Each window of coverage will be available for on-demand replay following its completion. With ESPN360.com’s dynamic interface, tennis fans will be able to fast-forward, rewind and pause action – during both on-demand replay and live action coverage.

ESPN360.com is ESPN's broadband sports television network, a 24/7 online destination delivering more than 3,000 live, global sports events annually. It is available at no cost to fans with a high-speed Internet connection from an affiliated service provider. In 2008, distribution grew to more than 24 million homes, up 40 percent year-to-year and more than triple just two years ago. It is available via more than 20 Internet service providers nationwide, including AT&T, Verizon, RCN, Insight, Frontier, Cavalier, Charter, Mediacom, Conway, Grande Communications and many more. It is also available at no cost to approximately 18 million U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers connected to on-campus educational networks and on-base military networks (those with “.edu” and “.mil” domains).

ESPN.com will debut Slam Central, featuring video highlights, original podcasts from the ESPN PodCenter (http://espnradio.espn.go.com/espnradio/podcast/index) and news and analysis from ESPN.com and Tennis.com. Other contributors: ESPN.com’s senior tennis writer Bonnie D. Ford, as well as additional coverage from Ravi Ubha, Kamakshi Tandon and Sandra Harwitt.

ESPNdeportes.com, the leading sports Web Site for Spanish-speaking fans in the U.S. and Latin America, will provide unmatched coverage with the latest news and results, high-quality video, chats and columns, daily polls and more.

Outside the U.S., for the first time ever, ESPN will transmit live multiple court coverage via its broadband service ESPN360.com Mexico – over 600 hours of live coverage from the first day all the way through to the finals, while ESPN360.com Chile will air the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals live via broadband.

ESPN MOBILE TV

ESPN Mobile TV, a 24/7 channel for wireless, will provide more than 80 hours of live coverage, starting with the bracket draw Friday, Jan. 16. ESPN Mobile TV, ESPN’s first 24/7 wireless channel that is not a simulcast of any existing ESPN network, offers full-length live events including college football and basketball, NBA, NASCAR, MLS and more. It also offers content from Mike & Mike in the Morning, First Take and Pardon the Interruption. ESPN Mobile TV is available through MobiTV and on MediaFLO USA’s mobile entertainment service.

Also, fans on the go can follow the action on their mobile phones via ESPN MVP with highlights and analysis as well as one touch access to their favorite ESPN.com columnists.

Athens, GA (Jan 13, 2009) - Back on December 12, 2008, we reported that Bobby Knight and Billy Packer are teaming up in a joint venture for this year's NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. The details were few, but are now starting to emerge as clearly as the neon signs of the Strip in Las Vegas. This is appropriate because this venture is going to be based/broadcast out of Steve Wynn's Race and Sports Book in Las Vegas.

As reported on Barry Horn's blog, Packer said that they will not be mentioning gambling on the show. Cough, couph, wince. The reality is that they will not have to because their set will be in the middle of it!

Here are two of the supposed paragons of virtue in college basketball selling out to Las Vegas Gambling. Complicit in this affair is Fox SportsNet, which will be broadcasting the shows.

When we reported the initual news of this arrangement we asked two simple questions:

Would this be considered competing with CBS Sports? And if so, did Packer have a non-compete agreement as part of his retirement?

Does Bobby Knight have a non-compete clause in his contract with ESPN?

So let's add this question:

What is the position of the NCAA on this venture? (courtesy of Horn)

Jim Nantz of CBS Sports has said publicly that he does not understand why people are so critical of Billy Packer. If this one glaring example does not help him understand, noting will. One of the raps on Packer over the years that is consistent about Packer is that he is all about making a buck. In fact, in Nantz's own book, he talks about Packer crawling around on a basketball court picking up shards from a broken backboard to sell for a profit.

It is a sad day for college basketball for Packer and Knight to be involved in this venture. As much as I have been an apologist for Knight, this turn is truly stunning and should not be easily excused.

It is ironic that only a couple of days ago I was explaining the 1951 point shaving scandal to my daughter, as she is working on a paper on the history and evolution of basketball. As this venture has not kicked off yet, I wonder what chapter this will add to the story of basketball in years to come. Undoubtedly, it will be a mere blip on the radar screen as more people become desensitized to the addicting nature of gambling and the problems it causes. Yes, I play the brackets as much as anybody else, but I know not to bet the house on them.

Alas, poor Knight and Packer! We thought we knew them, Jim, two fellows of basketball legend, of most excellent knowledge. They hath bore us on their backs a thousand times, and now how abhorr'd in my imagination it is! My gorge rises at it.


with apologies to William Shakespeare