Just a quick note to remind NFL fans that the start time for tomorrow's game between the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers has been changed to 4:15 PM ET. The game will go to 91% of the country.

Week eight of the 2009 NFL Season is here, and every network is seeing higher ratings except for CBS Sports. Is this tied into the notion, as espoused by a couple of talking heads on ESPN this week, that a lot of NFL games this year are unwatchable? And that CBS Sports seems to have been getting a lot of these games?

I am a huge fan of the Ace of Cakes, the Food Network's reality cake-making show that takes place at Charm City Cakes in Baltimore. The characters are quirky and the have done some very cool cakes. Duff Goldman rocks, and if he an Alton Brown of Good Eats ever did a show together, it would be food nirvana!

ESPN asked them to make a cake for the 40th Anniversary of Monday Night Football It may be a shock to some viewers that ESPN would ever be involved in a show on a non-Disney owned media outlet, the cake will be featured in an episode that will air in 2010.

Stadiums... A BIG Change In Football!
by Dave Rowe

Having been involved in football for more than 50 years gives you a lot of fond memories and a good perspective on things that have changed in your sport. One interesting aspect of this history has been both playing in a watching the growth of different stadiums around the country. People will ask “what is the biggest difference you see in football today?"

Some pictures are worth a thousand words, and ESPN uses a lot of words and pictures. So if you happen to be driving by the ESPN campus in Bristol, CT, AND you are not sure what they do as a business, the new garden plantings shown in this picture (found on Twitter) should help clear up any confusion you might have.

With the plethora of print and on-line publications that tout themselves as the be all and end all of college basketball, there is one publication that stands head and shoulders above the rest. That is the annual Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook. The 2009 - 2010 publication is now on the streets.

Athens, GA (Oct 28, 2009) - The following is the first cut of the 2009 - 2010 Men's College Basketball Television Broadcast Schedule. Notice I did not say NCAA or NCAA Division I as we have in the past. That is because the schedule includes a number of NCAA Division II games, as well as some NAIA games.

Russell Scibetti, the publisher of The Business of Sports blog and Senior Manager of Database Marketing/CRM with the New York Jets, asked a fairly straightforward question on LinkedIn the other day: What are some of your favorite examples of social media in sports?

All teams, leagues and sports organizations know that they should have a social media presence, particularly on Facebook and Twitter because of their popularity. The question though is how to make the most of those tools. What teams or sports organizations do you feel are doing the best job? Please share a couple of your favorite sports Facebook and Twitter pages as examples (and let's keep the self-promotion to a minimum - thanks!)

I gave a gut reaction answer because I did not feel the answer was so cut and dry as to give examples of the goos, as so many organizations are doing it wrong. Rusell liked the answer and asked if he could use it as a guest post. Here is the text of the guest post from his excellent site.

Social Media with Goofus and Gallant
by Christopher Byrne
Managing Partner, The Cayuga Group, LLC

Sometimes I think it is easier to say what teams, leagues and organizations are doing wrong. I do not know if it is intentional or the appearance that they do have a clue on what the world of social networking and social media is all about: collaboration and sharing.

I do not know if you remember Goofus and Gallant from Highlights Magazine or not (to summarize using the picture, Goofus is mean and doesn’t share while Gallant is nice to his friends and shares with others), but I will use their names and characters as an example.

• Goofus wants to manage all content, so his Facebook page does not allow people to share their ideas in the main wall thread.
• Gallant wants to engage people and build a community, so he allows people to post to the wall and interact with the larger member community, as long as they do it within the acceptable rules of conduct.

• Goofus deletes comments that they do not like (and I am not talking about profanity).
• Gallant realizes that people want honest, frank discussion, and that by allowing non-spun content actually helps build the page owners brand as a true social media/social networking participant/sponsor.

• Goofus wants everybody on the world to follow them on Twitter, but does not follow them in return. So he has no idea what they are saying about their organization. And because they are not followed, they cannot send feedback via direct messages.
• Gallant knows that the exchange needs to be two-way. First to get information out there, and second to receive feedback and monitor the conversation.

• Goofus wants all traffic to go to his web site, so he does not allow the embedding of any video from his site.
• Gallant knows that he will actually build up more goodwill AND increase traffic to their site by allowing people to embed video content from that site. He also knows that if he does not do it, people have no incentive to direct traffic to his site and that the risk of unauthorized pirating and distribution of the content goes up.

• Goofus thinks blogs are one way conversations and don’t allow comments of any kind for reasons that include corporate embarrassment.
• Gallant realizes that having a truly interactive blog is a way to not only engage people in community type dialog, but also a way to get unrestrained feedback from people.

So who are the Goofuses and the Gallants out there? Join the conversation on LinkedIn or leave your comments here.

Christopher Byrne is the managing partner of The Cayuga Group, LLC, a consulting firm focused on the development, deployment, management, and administration of information/collaboration systems including social networking tools. He writes about information technology and business process controls at the Business Controls Caddy, and sports media issues and opportunities at Eye on Sports Media.

Please feel free to share your thoughts here, on Russell's blog, or over on the LinkedIn discussion.

Turner Broadcasting tips off its 26th year of NBA coverage on TNT, the exclusive home of Thursday night NBA doubleheaders, with NBA on TNT Premiere Week presented by AutoTrader.com featuring two nights of doubleheaders beginning on Tuesday, October 27, 2009.

While we continue work on the 2009 - 2010 College Basketball Television Schedule database, here is a big chunk of the 2010 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball TV Schedule to continue to whet your appetite. Note that these are the conference games only.

Even though they do not have the big money contract that the SEC has, every conference game and the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament will be broadcast nationally on CBS Sports, ESPN, ESPN2 or the Big Ten Network.

Steve Phillips, in the wake of his affair with the 22-year old ESPN production assistant, has been fired by ESPN for "loss of credibility." The question is whose credibility took the hit. Was it Phillips, ESPN, or Disney?

On October 14, 2009, England faced Belarus in a 2010 World Cup qualifying game. England won by a score of 3-0. Englishman Shaun Brooks was there, and here are some of his pictures from the game.

On September 9, 2009, England faced Croatia in a 2010 World Cup qualifying game. England won by a score of 5-1. Englishman Shaun Brooks was there, and here are some of his pictures from the game.

The CBS Sports team of Gus Johnson, Steve Tasker, Vic Frank (producer), and Mark Grant (director) are in Charlotte, North Carolina for tomorrow's Panther gane against the Buffalo Bills. The crew is hard at work behind the scenes getting ready for tomorrow's show, setting the stage for Gus's enthusiasm to shine through..

Week seven of the 2009 NFL Season is here, and Baseball is still going on. That means for another Sunday, Thom Brennaman fills Joe Buck's chair on the Fox Sports "A" team. But with the Atlanta Falcons - Dallas Cowboys game only going to 56% of the double-header audience, the nominal "A" game status goes to the Minnesota Vikings - Pittsburgh Steelers game that is going to 85% of the early game audience. Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, and Tony Siragusa have the call of that game.

Sure it is not the Alps or some scenic venue that hosts the Winter Olympics. But as you can see from this picture posted by an ESPNer on site for College GameDay in Provo, Utah, it is as awesome as it can get for college football. Of course, when they take GameDay to West Point for a game someday, that will be even more beautiful.

THE BILL CHUCK FILES: IT’S TIME TO PLAY…”SECOND GUESS!”
By Baseball Newstalgist, Bill Chuck
October 23, 2009

(cue the music) Yes, America’s favorite participation show is back with more fun, more angst, more second-guesses. Here’s how it works: We’ll name a topic and then you just second guess. There’s no right, no wrong, no logic! That’s what makes it so fun! As always, “Second Guess!” is brought to you by talk radio and all those wonderful hosts and callers who spend every day, every night, every waking hour…second-guessing!

What Determines a “Big Moment” in Football?
by Dave Rowe

People will often ask a football player, what was your most exciting moment in football or what was the biggest game you ever played in? Looking back, the obvious game’s are easy, your first game; your last game in high school or college; championship games and perhaps great upsets! For me it’s perhaps the same but with some interesting twists.

I imagine that 16th-ranked Tulsa's goalie is feeling pretty much way down in the dumps. Wouldn't you be if you gave up a 95-yard goal to SMU which would hold up to be the winning goal? Well it happened yesterday.

Thanks to RPI guru Jerry Palm of collegerpi.com for pointing out this video of the event that is posted on YouTube.

Maccabi Haifa is an Israeli professional basketball team. Their roster includes US players Davon Jefferson (one year at USC), Ben Strong (Guilford College '08), Todd Golden (Saint Marys (CA)), Jeremy Tyler (San Diego HS), and Jason Rich (Florida State)

Flickr User Brule Laker (his Flickr name) took these pictures at the Tampa Bay Rays vs. Chicago White Sox game on July 23, 2009, the day White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle tossed the 18th perfect game in Major League Baseball history.

Burle offered to share these photograph's here, and this is what the lifelong Chicago resident had to say about the day.

Dominick Marziliano is the owner of Computer Clinic in Fort Myers FL and he also produces video tutorials for his website http://www.videotutorialsonline.net. He is also a horse racing fan.

Dominick took these pictures last week at Calder Race Course (owned by Churchill Downs) in Miami

Note: This was originally published on "The Business Controls Caddy" this morning.That is a site where I write about business process control and information technology risks, including the proper use and management of social software and social networking sites, and the business risks associated with them.

Dear A.J.,

Do you mind if I call you A.J.? I have a bunch of other names I would like to call you right now, but as a wise Jesuit priest once said in a homily, they just would not be appropriate for this forum.

With the new Rugby documentary, "A Giant Awakens", due for release this month, it is fitting to throw the spotlight on some Rugby today.

Paul Walsh of Dublin,Ireland took these pictures at an Irish provincial rugby match between Leinster and Munster - Magners League and at the Heineken Cup. The Irish league is part of the European Magners League rugby.

You can see more of Paul's pictures over on Flickr.

THE BILL CHUCK FILES: TAKE ME OUT TO THE (Mc)BALL GAME
By Baseball Newstalgist, Bill Chuck
October 21, 2009

After last night’s game, baseball commissioner Bud Selig is considering charging fans for two games – once for the game on the field and then a second time for the game the umpires are watching because clearly that’s something entirely different.

In fact, it may not even be baseball. I say that because I know in baseball when a fielder has the ball and he tags a runner, or runners off base, he, or they, is, or are, out. But in crew chief, and third base umpire, Tim McClelland’s game, “McBall” the rule is flexible, arbitrary, or simply undecided.

Let’s for argument’s sake say there is such a thing as McBall. Let’s create an imaginary sequence of events in which the Yankees have runners on second and third, with one out in the 5th. Let’s imagine Melky Cabrera hits a bouncer to an Angels pitcher, perhaps Darren Oliver. Oliver then throws to the plate and, we’ll call him, Angel catcher Mike Napoli gets the ball. And let’s say, just for the fun of it, that Jorge Posada is the runner on third and for giggles, we’ll call the runner on second Robinson Cano. So Napoli gets the ball chases Posada back to third as Cano advances from third. As they reach the bag, Posada runs past allowing Cano possession of the base, but Robinson inexplicably remains a foot away from third. Remember this is all an imaginary McBall sequence. So Napoli, Posada and Cano are all surrounding third base, in this version of McBall apparently nobody touches the bases. Napoli tags Posada, then Cano (who then touches the base. Why? It’s McBall!) and all eyes turn to Tim McClelland who is about to make the call. He decides Posada is out and Cano is safe. “Brilliant!” shouts the crowd. “Let’s re-invade Iraq!” they scream in delight. And that’s how you play McBall.

Sadly, that’s not how you play baseball and, since we were playing by McClelland’s rules last night, instead of a double play which the Angels deserved, only Posada was ruled out. By the way, Posada was in this situation because he too was playing McBall. Posada is not known for his speed. But to his credit Jorge does have 17 stolen bases in 15 big league seasons. Last night he stole his third base in 25 postseason series and presumably was so enamored with himself standing at second that he could only advance to third on Robby Cano’s double. That’s McBall for you!

“Even-Steven” is another part of McBall. Sometimes umps are out of position, which is not always their fault. This is a fast moving game with big guys. So kudos to second base umpire Dale Scott who was in perfect to call Nick Swisher out on pickoff play at second as Erick Aybar slapped the tag on him before he reached the base. But this is McBall and Swisher was ruled safe, something I suspect that even Nick would admit was wrong (despite the fact that he looks and acts like an actor who as a child appeared in the “Little Rascals” and as he grew older joined the “Dead End Kids”). Moments later, Swisher was on third and the innovative McClelland without taking his eyes off Torii Hunter catching a ball on third, ruled Swisher out for leaving the bag too soon on the sac fly and the Yankees lost a run. This is the McBall Even-Steven rule perfectly executed between Scott and McClelland.

Postgame we learned the McBall McCuse, “The first one, with Swisher leaving too soon, in my heart I thought he left too soon,” McClelland said. “On the play with Cano and Posada, I was waiting for two players to be on the base. When he tagged Cano, I thought Cano was on the base.” When Posada touched the base and continued and Napoli tagged him out, McClelland said, “I thought Posada was out. After looking at replays, I’m not sure I believe the replay of the first one. The second one it showed that Cano was off the bag when he was tagged. So, obviously there were two missed calls.” I believe he meant “McMissed” calls.

Billy Witz in this morning’s New York Times shares, “In my heart,” Mark Teixeira said to a Yankees official as he returned to his locker. “That’s funny. That’s a good one.”

That’s part of the joy of McBall, laughs are abundant. Just ask the Twins, the Rockies, the Red Sox, they were all victims of the umps playing McBall this postseason.

Growing up at Playground 10, we had some particularly contentious Jihad-like games against Playground 9. Occasionally we would have “officials” overseeing the games. These would be teammates from one of the teams who weren’t playing, but the majority of times we self-officiated. Now, I know these games weren’t for the big money that these athletes are playing for, it was for something larger: honor. For the most part the games ended successfully: nobody was injured and nobody was arrested. Perhaps the MLB should consider self-officiating as an alternative to the embarrassment of McBall this postseason.

In the spirit of McBall, I must wonder how McClellan would have called the play of August 15, 1926, at Ebbets Field, when Brooklyn Dodger rookie Babe Herman tried to stretch a double off the right field wall into a triple with one out and the bases loaded. The runner on third Hank DeBerry scored. The runner on second, pitcher Dazzy Vance responded to the hit in the same way that Posada did last night tentatively watching the ball between second and third and then upon rounding third headed back to the bag fearing he would be thrown out at the plate. Meanwhile, Chick Fewster, the runner on first, who had basically caught up with Vance, now retreated back to second base. Then came Babe Herman in the great McBall tradition running at full speed, paying attention only to the ball rattling around right field. Herman, passed Fewster at second (Herman was automatically out for that) and then slid into third as Vance was returning to the bag. Like Napoli last night, the opposing third baseman started tagging the two Dodgers who were now on the bag as Fewster advanced from second and stood just a few feet away. Finally the third sacker started chasing Fewster who not only ran back towards second but continued on towards the outfield where he was tagged out for the second out of the play and the third out of the inning. Babe Herman had doubled into a double play.

But then again in last night’s McBallgame, perhaps everyone would have been safe.

  

Bill Chuck is the creator of Billy-Ball.com (www.Billy-Ball.com) and, with Jim Kaplan, is the author of, “Walk-Offs, Last Licks, and Final Outs – Baseball’s Grand (and not so Grand) Finales,” with a foreword by Jon Miller, published by ACTA Sports.

Bill Chuck is a regular contributor to NESN and NESN.com and is available at Bill@billy-ball.com or by calling 617-566-2784.

The news world and blogosphere is abuzz with the sordid details of ESPN Analyst Steve Phillips' affair with 22-year old ESPN Production Assistant Brook Hundley. If you read the text of her letter to Phillips' wife, she says that she may be 22 years old, but she is "not stupid." Well she might not be stupid, but she needs some re-education on her faith.

In her letter, she says that "while I know our faith dissuades divorce, it also respects it with regards to infidelity because people should have the opportunity to be with whomever makes them and can give them what they need."

I have been around a number of conservative and liberal Catholic priests (including the Jesuits) in my life, and I have NEVER heard such words from their mouths.

And at 22 years old, if she thinks that Steve Phillips was with her because he saw a future with her, she is not only stupid, she is foolishly naive. And if you read and believe Steve Phillips statement to the police (and this is not in any way to condone his behavior), she sounds like a truly troubled person.

This will be a case study added to my presentations on social media and risk.

The economy is not so good these days. But if you are looking for the ultimate full time job, then ESPN has the perfect one for you. In fact, there is not only a base set of full-time hours, but guaranteed overtime as well. The pay isn't the best, and there are no health benefits.

By all reports, the excellent Blogs with Balls 2.0 (BwB 2.0) conference, held in conjunction with Blog World and New Media Expo 2009 in Las Vegas last week was a huge success. Even with their outstanding panel participants, there was a person in attendance at their Charity Poker event last week that was probably way under the radar. In fact, this is a person I recommended that HHR Media invite as a speaker at BwB 1.0 in Manhattan.

Chris Miller, pictured above with professional poker star Karina Jett, is one of the truly pre-eminent experts on social media today. But you may not of heard of him because he does not brandish an ego-based self-marketing approach that so many of the "so-called" experts use to hype themselves. Instead, he uses his solid understanding of technology and collaboration to demonstrate and critique various tools that are out there for people to use.

I can say this because I have known Chris for a number of years through our participation in the IBM Lotus Software Community. This is a community that understands collaboration and social networking better than most people today. That is because it is what we eat, drink and breathe when we work with Lotus Software and our customers. In fact, there were more people from the Lotus community blogging before most contemporary sports bloggers knew what a blog was.

I did not know Chris was in Las Vegas until I saw a tweet that he was at the Charity Poker event. He said he would write up a short piece for Eye on Sports Media about what he experienced at the poker table. He did share with me that he sat next to one of the Yahoo! Sports bloggers at the table, and they had a great conversation about branding.

So if you are looking for solid information on collaboration, social networking, and social media, you can visit Chris at IdoNotes.com. And if you need someone to come talk to your group on the topic AND you can find a free slot in his schedule, you will not find a better, more candid, and more engaging speaker than Chris.

Like it or love it, there is a new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. It is interesting how all of the criticisms of the new ball field have all but gone away from the fore front of discussion since the Yankee are winning there.

A gentleman who goes by the name of Futuradosmil spent his 2008 summer vacation touring major league baseball parks, documenting the visits in pictures. On October 9th of this year, he returned to New York to visit the new Yankee Stadium and see the Yankees 4-3 ALDS win over the Twins. He graciously offered to share his pictures on here.

This is his set from this visit. You can see his full collection called "Cathedrals of The Game" over on Flickr.

Philadelphia. The City of Brotherly Love. Do you know why it is called this name? I did not until recently. It is not because they want us to feel all warm and gushy when we visit there. And if you have ever been lost in South Philly at night in the winter, you do not feel warm and gushy for sure.

The moniker "City of Brotherly Love" comes the Greek meaning of Phildelphia: Φιλαδέλφεια, pronounced [pʰilaˈdelpʰeːa], Modern Greek: [filaˈðɛlfia], "brotherly love" from φίλος, (philos, love), and αδελφός (adelphos, brother). (see Wikipedia)

So if you are ever in a spelling bee and get Philadelphia as a word, you now know the language of origin and meaning. OK, chances are you are not going to be in a spelling bee anytime soon. So you can save this one for trivia night at the local tavern.

A gentleman who goes by the name of Futuradosmil spent his 2008 summer vacation touring major league baseball parks, documenting the visits in pictures. He graciously offered to share them on here.

This is his set from Citizens Bank Park in in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. You can see his full collection called "Cathedrals of The Game" over on Flickr.

We all now about Yankee Stadium, both the old and the new. We see it all of the time on national telecasts. But we don't always see the other ball parks, especially from a photographers eye.

A gentleman who goes by the name of Futuradosmil spent his 2008 summer vacation touring major league baseball parks, documenting the visits in pictures. He graciously offered to share them on here.

One of his visits was to Dodgers Stadium on July 3, 2008. This is his set from that visit. You can see his full collection called "Cathedrals of The Game" over on Flickr.

We all now about Yankee Stadium, both the old and the new. We see it all of the time on national telecasts. But we don't always see the other ball parks, especially from a photographers eye.

A gentleman who goes by the name of Futuradosmil spent his 2008 summer vacation touring major league baseball parks, documenting the visits in pictures. He graciously offered to share them on here.

This is his set from Angels Stadium in Anaheim, California. You can see his full collection called "Cathedrals of The Game" over on Flickr.

We can only hope that baseball does not produce a World Series between the California Angels (or however you decide to name them) and the Los Angeles Dodgers. That would be just plain boring for us folk on the East Coast.

But if they do meet, here is a photo gallery of pictures from their June 21, 2009 meeting, taken by Evan Wohrman. Watch carefully and you will even catch a glimpse of Kobe Bryant. You can see Evan's full photo stream over on Flickr.

Appearances are everything, especially when the impact the outcome of the game (or at least play a major part in the outcome. Two weeks ago, the Southeastern Conference acknowledged that the officiating crew improperly called an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that helped give LSU excellent field position to snatch victory from the University of Georgia.

That same crew worked the Arkansas - Florida game this past Saturday. Once again the made a critical call, this time a personal foul penalty, that gave Florida the ball on the Arkansas 10-yard line. Of course Florida tied the game on the next play and went on to win.

So what does the SEC reportedly tell Arkansas today? The same officiating crew blew that call as well.

From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

The penalty gave the Gators the ball on the Arkansas 10-yard line, and they scored on the next play to tie the game at 20. Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long said Monday the school had expressed its concerns to the league.


The league said schools can send in plays after each game for review. The SEC said it told Arkansas "there was no evidence on the video to support the personal foul penalty."

One blown call in one huge game, fans and media might give the crew a pass. But a second blown call by the same crew in a big game two weeks later? On appearances, something just doesn't smell right even though it very well may be on the up and up.

So unless the replay rules are changed to allow review of calls like this, the referees just need to sit back and get ready, because there is some explaining to do.

If not, the SEC needs to think about sitting that crew down for a rest or take them off of the big games.

I would never have guessed that Jum Nantz's home life was anything less than idyllic after reading "Always By My Side." Everything sounded so perfect in his life except for the death of his father. But his divorce trial became public information and sadly it has been reported in the Stamford Advocate.

Here is an interesting excerpt from the article:

"In 2004, I got the Man of the Year award from the New York Athletic Club. Rudy Giuliani had been the previous year's winner and it really meant a lot to me," he said, his eyes welling with tears. "My mother flew in from Houston, but Lorrie wasn't there." Nantz said he was given an oil portrait of himself at the dinner, but Lorrie wouldn't let him hang it in their Westport home.

I don't know that I would have cited Rudy Giuliani in a divorce proceeding, but this case shows a stark reality. Television sports is a hard life, and all the travel takes a toll on relationships and family.

I do not know if this explains why Nantz has been largely absent from golf on CBS this year, but I do hope they do the right thing for their daughter.

Facing Off Over Facebook:
The Impact of Social Media on Women’s Sports
Monday, October 19 • 7:00-9:00 PM CST

Hubert H. Humphrey Center • West Bank Campus

About the Panel: Over the past 30 years, scholars have documented numerous ways in which traditional sport media marginalize and sexualize female athletes. Into this vast—and influential—media landscape appears the recent and exponential explosion of social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Will this technological paradigm shift challenge or reproduce the ways in which female athletes are traditionally portrayed in mainstream sport media? Will the unprecedented popularity of social media—and the alternative “ways of knowing” it provides to traditional media—fundamentally alter how we view women’s sports? Panelists with diverse experiences and perspectives will “face off” and take on these important and largely unexplored questions as we move into the Age of New Media.

About the Panelists

Marie Hardin: Associate Professor of Journalism and Associate Director of the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism at Penn State University, Professor Hardin’s research explores diversity, ethics and professional practices in sports media. She has published extensively in Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, Sociology of Sport Journal, and Sex Roles. In 2006, Hardin received the Mary Ann Yodelis Smith Award for Feminist Scholarship from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. Her recent research focuses on social attitudes of sports journalists and bloggers, as well as career paths of women in sport journalism.

Rachel Blount: Sports reporter and columnist for the Star Tribune, Blount has covered a wide range of sports including the NHL, NBA, WNBA, college hockey, and the last six Olympic Games. One of the few female sports columnists in the country, Blount has won numerous journalism awards including national recognition from the Associated Press Sports Editors and state-wide honors from the Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists for her sports features and columns. Blount graduated from the University of Notre Dame and has a Master’s degree from the University of Missouri’s prestigious School of Journalism.

Angela Ruggiero: One of the most accomplished women’s hockey players in the world, Ruggiero is a three-time Olympic medalist and World Champion, leader of the 2010 U.S. Women’s Hockey National Team, record holder for most games played for Team USA, and Hockey Hall of Fame inductee. Ruggiero graduated cum laude with a degree in government from Harvard University, where she was an NCAA First-Team Academic All-American. She is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Sports Management at the University of Minnesota. Ruggiero uses multiple social media platforms to promote her individual career as well as women’s hockey.

Bill Hunter tells Eye on Sports Media he is just a fan in the stands, But he is also a gifted photographer, as most ordinary fans would not get shots like these in this gallery.

Bill Hunter tells Eye on Sports Media he is just a fan in the stands, But he is also a gifted photographer, as most ordinary fans would not get shots like these in this gallery.

Bill Hunter tells Eye on Sports Media he is just a fan in the stands, But he is also a gifted photographer, as most ordinary fans would not get shots like these in this gallery.

The first week of the 2009 Bowl Championship Series (BCS) rankings are out, and a school from Ohio is in the top five. Alas, it is the University of Cincinnati Bearcats. What has the college football world come to?

Nonetheless, here is a Flickr photo gallery slide show of pictures taken by Brandon Marchak of Tarmac Photos taken at Cincinnati's 13-10 home victory over Rutgers in October 2008. He and his partner William Derrickson take some incredible aviation photos as well. You can find out more about their work over at the Tarmac Photos web site.

Planet Blacksburg is a student-run new media organization at Virginia Tech that strives to provide content to the New River Valley and beyond. The following is a photo gallery of images taken last night at VA Tech's Midnight Madness (actually 9:00 PM Madness). You can visit their web site and/or Flickr page to see their excellent work.

I spent two years of my college life at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York. During this time I was cross-enrolled at Syracuse University for Military Science (i.e. Army ROTC), and some of my classmates were from the State University of New York - College of Environmental Science and Forestry, affectionately known as the "Stumpies." 

But we never thought as them as different than Syracuse students because they are so tightly integrated to the Orange culture. In fact, the live as Syracuse students and get a Syracuse degree for a fraction of the price. 

ESF freshmen live on common floors in SU residence halls while taking common sections of lower-division courses as part of the ESF Learning Community program. They can eat in any of SU’s five residential dining halls and the on-campus food court.

Outside the academic realm, the ESF/SU relationship provides students with the complete gambit of activities and sports. Students can join any of the 300 extracurricular SU clubs or activities from the marching band that performs during football games, to the Sour Citrus Society that serves as the pep band for the basketball team, to drama and musical groups, to sports clubs such as hockey or soccer. ESF students can’t participate in SU’s Division I NCAA sports, however that doesn’t mean our students don’t get in on the action.

On The Hill, the seasons are divided in three — football, basketball and lacrosse — giving our student body plenty of opportunity to cheer the Orange on to victory in the Carrier Dome (located right across the street from ESF’s Illick Hall).

At the end of four years, ESF and SU share joint commencement ceremonies in the Dome, and ESF graduates receive a diploma that proudly carries the Syracuse University seal alongside the seal of the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

Source: SUNY - ESF Web Site 

Well they do have a separate sports program, albeit a club sports program, that includes a competitive lumberjack team. And in news that may be shocking to people who have the same context that I do, they will start an intercollegiate sports program as part of  NAIA Division III as the "Might Oaks."

The ESF Stumpies, err I mean Might Oaks, have club teams in men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s cross-country, timber sports (the Woodsmen’s team), and men’s golf. In 2010, the will start competing against other Division III schools across New York State.

Here is the official press release from SUNY-ESF.

SUNY-ESF Joins National Association for Intercollegiate Athletics

Five-year plan for athletics will likely lead to additional teams in the next few years

The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) has become an official member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

The college recently learned that its application for membership has been approved.
The NAIA, headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., is the governing body for athletic programs at nearly 300 colleges and universities throughout the United States and Canada. Many NAIA members are smaller colleges like ESF. NAIA membership will provide the guidance and regulatory framework needed to move ESF’s existing sports programs from a club sport level to an intercollegiate schedule of competition beginning in the fall of 2010.

“We are pleased to complete the establishment of ESF’s first official athletic program,” said ESF President Cornelius B. Murphy, Jr. “This is an important step in the expansion of opportunities for our students.”

ESF currently has teams in men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s cross-country, timber sports (the Woodsmen’s team), and men’s golf. The college is developing a five-year plan for athletics that will likely lead to additional teams being added in the next few years.

ESF’s intercollegiate teams will compete primarily with NAIA and NCAA Division III-level teams from New York and neighboring states. ESF will not offer athletic scholarships. More than 800 ESF students participated in a May 2009 online poll that selected the “Mighty Oaks” as the official name for the college’s athletic teams.

Members of the NAIA Council of Presidents met in Kansas City last week and approved membership applications from ESF and three other schools: Benedictine University at Springfield (Ill.), Central Baptist (Ark.) College, and Warren Wilson (N.C.) College.


“The NAIA welcomes these four institutions and looks forward to working with campus leaders to advance character-driven intercollegiate athletics,” said John Leavens, NAIA senior vice president for membership services. “I am confident these new members share in the long-held mission of the NAIA to promote the education and development of well-rounded students and productive citizens through intercollegiate athletics.”

The NAIA was founded in 1937. The association provides opportunities for more than 45,000 young men and women to achieve academically while competing for the love of the game.

It was really cold and snowy in Happy Valley today. How cold and snowy? Let's just say that it gave "football weather" a new meaning in Pennsylvania. All of the grass lots, that provide most of the parking space for Penn State games, were shut down. Tailgating was banned. And Holly Rowe more than earned her keep on the ESPN sideline.

From Fox Sports comes a picture of audio technician Anthony LaMastro checking the 3rd base bag audio connection.

From Fox Sports comes a picture of Joe Buck trying to stay warm in the broadcast booth at Yankee Stadium where the temperature is a balmy 45 degrees. This is nothing. CBS College Sports play-by-play man Tom Hart worked in 8 degree wind chill conditions to call TCU's 20-17 win over Air Force game last week in Colorado Springs. Now THAT would be a picture!

Gary Clem is directing the broadcast of the University of Kentucky's Midnight Madness tonight. He recently uploaded this photo to Facebook.

The ESPN Family of Networks has announced ESPN and SEC Network Broadcaster Assignments for the 2009-2010 SEC Men's Basketball season.

There are some big omissions on the SEC Network Package. Tom Hammond, Tim Brando, and Larry Conley are gone. While it makes sense that Hammond and Conley would not be held over from RAYCOM (because of their network contracts), it is not clear why Larry Conley has been dropped. We will update as we find out more.

Being added to the ESPN/SEC Network schedule of 100+ games: Carter Blackburn. SEC Network Football play-by-play man Dave Neal moves into basketball from FSN South, and Dave Baker moves over from RAYCOM.

Whit Watson from FSN Florids/SunSports host the SEC Network studio show.

Here is the assignments as announced by ESPN for the 2010 SEC Men's Basketball Conference Games TV Schedule.

SEC SuperTuesday on ESPN
	Play-By-Play	Brad Nessler
	Analyst	Jimmy Dykes
	Reporter	Jeannine Edwards
SEC Thursday Night Showcase On ESPN
	Play-By-Play	Brad Nessler or Rece Davis
	Analyst	Jimmy Dykes or Hubert Davis
SEC Saturday On ESPN
	Play-By-Play	Brad Nessler
	Analyst	Jimmy Dykes
SEC ESPNU
	Play-By-Play	Rob Stone or Dan McLaughlin
	Analyst	Jay Williams or Mark Gottfried
SEC Network (Wednesday and Saturday)
	Play-By-Play	Eric Collins, Carter Blackburn, Dave Lamont, Dave Baker or Dave Neal
	Analyst	Joe Dean, Jr., Bob Wenzel, Mark Gottfried or Barry Booker
SEC Network Studio Show
	Host	Whit Watson
	Analyst	TBD

Coach Joe Paterno...Where do I start???
by Dave Rowe


Interestingly, Joe Paterno was an assistant Coach when I was recruited to Penn State. 15 years an assistant to Rip Engle, you would think that I made it through my senior season without any Joe Paterno influences or stories… NOT!

Joe was always the coach at Penn State. Even as an assistant he still pretty much ran the show. It’s been more than 40 years but he has held on to that “Squeaky Brooklyn” accent through it all. It’s also interesting because as I watch him I see no noticeable change in his demeanor, style of coaching or looks. I wonder how that hair stays black when mine is gray?

I have played at what I would call three distinct levels of football. High school where it is pretty much fun and games, college is where emphasis on winning is fairly important and professional where winning is not everything…. IT’S THE ONLY THING!

At each level I have been coached by someone who I would find out later in life would change my life. Coach Roy Pickens – Deptford High School, Deptford New Jersey. He would start the values. He instilled values in me that I would never change. Things that today are still building blocks of my life. Joe Paterno – he would teach me the greatest lesson in life! And of course, John Madden who would coach me in such a special way that I would experience all that football has to offer.

No Back Seat Taken: Former Penn State Great Dave Rowe says that Joe Paterno, shown here as a Penn State Assistant Coach to Coach Rip Engle (left), really ran the show even then.
Photo courtesy of Penn State Department of Public Information


But back to Joe Paterno and his “LIFE LESSON.”

I was a senior. It was my last year at Penn State. I started and played every down so it wasn’t like I was threatened. I knew I was pretty good. I had a little, what do you call it, “moxy, swagger, puffed up head,” whatever – I was a senior and ready to get out and go on my own.

Pre-season was fine. I was in shape and ready to play! We played our first game versus Maryland, winning 16-7. Good game. I played well. Defense scored 3 safeties. First time I ever saw that – three safeties in one game.

After the game HEAD Coach Paterno comes into the locker room and congratulates us. AND says there will be an 11:00 PM curfew tonight, AFTER the game!

I had been married for only three weeks before I left for pre-season. Faith, her mom and Dad were up – guess who missed curfew? RIGHT, ME! I remember saying don’t worry Coach Paterno will understand, tomorrow. WOW, was I wrong. He threw me off the team!

What I was shocked! I was out with my wife and her parents. I don’t drink! I don’t party! I don’t do any of those things!!! COACH…. No response, you are off the team!!! Stunned I walked back to the dorm. What does that mean? Does that mean I don’t come to practice or play in the games or enjoy my senior year? Does it mean that I have to give up my scholarship? YOU ARE OFF THE TEAM!!! Oh, do I remember those words… STUNNED!

Monday, Paterno calls me in to his office. “I’ve decided to let you finish out the year on the scout Squad.”


This is a group of players that actually run the opposing teams plays. I am just happy to be anywhere on the field. The scout Squad will be fine. Only problem is that I play scout plays at FULL speed! Stop ROWE he yells! But I am at full speed taking out all my aggressions on players. I am so happy to be back that everyone else is practicing at ¾ speed, but NOT me! FULL BLAST!

Unbeknownst to me, on Thursday, several of the seniors met with him and said, “Coach listen"… "NO I WILL NOT!!!” “Coach we don’t want to play Michigan State without Dave…In fact, we won’t!" "I’ll take all freshman," was the reply. "The freshman won’t play either!”

I will never know if this persuaded him or what, but BAM! He called me into his office and said “ROWE, if you break any rules, you as much as pick a flower without my permission YOU ARE GONE!!! UNDERSTAND?” Yes sir, I was back!

The incredible life lesson I learned was when you break the rules you pay the consequences! You had to give up something I loved. TOUGH! Yes, but I do not know if I would have survived my senior year had he not brought me back.

My poor wife, Faith, blamed herself for years. Definitely a “LIFE LESSON” I went through 13 years of professional football and NEVER broke a rule!

Other Paterno/Life Lessons will follow in the future. People always ask me, “what was it like to play for Paterno…?” My answer, “People do not understand Penn State football. The uniforms and Joe Paterno are all a part of that mystique. I greatly appreciate the stability Coach Paterno has in life and has given Penn State.

Today, he still lives in the same house as he did when he was an assistant coach. When I look at him pacing on the sidelines during a game, my mind flashes back more than 40 years…. He’s just like he was when I was at Penn State in 1967, his first year! “SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE” and I’m glad they don’t

WE ARE, PENN STATE!

Former Oakland Raider, NBC Analyst, and College Football Analyst Dave Rowe recently retired to the beautiful mountains of North Carolina after more than a 50 year association with the game of football. Eye on Sports Media approached Dave and asked him if he would like to write a series of guest articles recounting his history with the game. The man, who proudly states that his rear-end is enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, thought it would be fun.

THE BILL CHUCK FILES: TOP 10 REASONS YOU KNOW THE WORLD SERIES IS STARTING TOO LATE
By Baseball Newstalgist, Bill Chuck
October 14, 2009

With the weather in New York and Philly in the 30’s accompanied by a cold rain, we are huddled around are space heaters reminiscing about the World Baseball Classic.

This weekend is going to be a mess on the east coast and we are only in the first weekend of the LCS. Scheduling of pre- or postponed games looks like it could be a mess between two networks, NFL coverage and bi-coastal commuting. The thought of playing games in horrible weather may result in play that will be certainly painful for those in the stands to watch but even ugly for those of us to watch on television.

I mean it is cold and miserable out there…
(How bad is it?)

• The weather is getting so bad that even George Lopez is considering canceling his party.
• The weather is so cold that Joe Torre is actually drinking Bigelow Green Tea.
• The weather in New York is cold that you feel like you are with Frank and Jamie McCourt.

Before we get to the Top 10 list, instead of “Take Me Out To The Ballgame,” please join me as we sing:

Top 10 Reasons You Know the World Series is Starting Too Late

10. Postgame spread includes turkey, stuffing, candied yams, and pumpkin pie
9. Manny’s dreadlocks are turning to icicles
8. World Series MVP is not going to Disneyland; he’s headed for Santa’s Village!
7. Grounds crews equipped with snow blowers
6. Kate Smith’s “God Bless America” replaced with Darlene Love’s "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)"
5. Spots rolled out introducing “Budweiser Hot Chocolate”
4. Players spit turning into hail
3. Vendors are yelling, “Get your roasted chestnuts! Roasted chestnuts here!”
2. World Series Game 7 interfering with pitchers and catcher reporting

And the Number One reason you know the World Series is starting too late…

1. Leaf peepers are checking out Tim McCarver’s hair

Stay warm and dry everybody!

  

Bill Chuck is the creator of Billy-Ball.com (www.Billy-Ball.com) and, with Jim Kaplan, is the author of, “Walk-Offs, Last Licks, and Final Outs – Baseball’s Grand (and not so Grand) Finales,” with a foreword by Jon Miller, published by ACTA Sports.

Bill Chuck is a regular contributor to NESN and NESN.com and is available at Bill@billy-ball.com or by calling 617-566-2784.

From time to time, we receive email from readers asking questions about sports media. This weeks question comes from Brad T, asking how can the Vikings game be on Fox Sports at 1:00 ET if the Jets are playing a home game and is one of the CBS Doubleheader games at 4:15 PM ET.

TBS Sports kicked off their 2009 National League Championship Series (NLCS) coverage last night with the Phillies taking an 8-6 win over the Dodgers in Game 1. Although a day late, here is the remaining broadcast schedule and the TBS Sports broadcast assignments for the 2009 NLCS.

For the first time in many a year, both the National League Championship Series (NLCS) and the American League Championship Series (ALCS) are East Coast - West Coast battles. Fox Sports has the ALCS starting tonight, so here is a look at their starting lineup and the schedule for the games.

Fox Sports ALCS Talent Assignments

Pre-Game Show
	Host	Chris Rose
	Analyst	Eric Karros
	Analyst	Mark Grace
Game Coverage
	Play-By-Play	Joe Buck
	Analyst	Tim McCarver
	Field Reporter	Ken Rosenthal
	Field Reporter	Chris Myers

Fox Sports ALCS Broadcast Schedule

Game 1	Friday, October 16, 2009	Angels at Yankees	7:30 PM ET
Game 2	Saturday, October 17, 2009	Angels at Yankees	7:30 PM ET
Game 3	Monday, October 19, 2009	Yankees at Angels	4:00 PM ET
Game 4	Tuesday, October 20, 2009	Yankees at Angels	7:30 PM ET
Game 5*	Thursday, October 22, 2009	Yankees at Angels	7:30 PM ET
Game 6*	Saturday, October 24, 2009	Angels at Yankees	4:00 PM ET
Game 7*	Sunday, October 25, 2009	Angels at Yankees	8:00 PM ET
*If necessary

Week six of the 2009 NFL Season is here, and so are the 2009 Major League Baseball League Championship Series games. That means Fox Sports does some talent juggling. With Joe Buck over on baseball, Thom Brennaman fills his chair on the Fox Sports "A" team. Dick Stockton returns from his TBS duties to rejoin Charles Davis in the booth.

CBS Sports has the doubleheader this week with the Jim Nantz led "A" team heading to...wait for it...New England. But that goes without saying, doesn't it?

NBC Sports heads down to Hotlanta for the Bears - Falcons matchup, while ESPN heads out west to San Diego for the Broncos - Chargers beach fest.

Byes this week: Cowboys, Colts, Dolphins, 49ers



CBS Photo Credits

Lance Barrow: Craig Blankenhorn/CBS ©2004 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Rich Gannon: Craig Blankenhorn/CBS ©2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Randy Cross: Richard Cartwright / CBS ©2004 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Kevin Harlan, Solomon Wilcots: John Filo/CBS ©2001 CBS Worldwide Inc. All Right Reserved.
Steve Tasker: David Russell/CBS ©2004 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Dick Enberg: David Russell/CBS ©2000 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Jim Nantz: V. Sherwood/CBS ©2003 CBS Worldwide Inc. All Right Reserved.
Ian Eagle, Mike Arnold, Phil Simms: John Filo/ CBS ©2004 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Mark Grant Photograph Courtesy of LSUS.

All photographs used with permission.



Fox Talent Photo Credits

Kenny Albert Photograph Courtesy of MSG Network.
All Others Courtesy of Fox Sports.