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Chicago ratings: Cubs fans jumping back on bandwagon; Why NBC pulling for Blackhawks

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An excerpt from my latest Chicago Tribune column:

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Cubs: If they win, they will watch. It didn’t take long, as the ratings already show Cubs fans are jumping back on the bandwagon.

CSN did a 4.22 rating for Cincinnati’s 3-2 victory over the Cubs Tuesday night; 1 local ratings point is worth approximately 35,000 homes. The game ranked first in primetime in Chicago in every male demographic and with everyone age 18-49.

On Monday, the Cubs’ 7-6 win over Cincinnati still pulled a 3.94 rating despite airing on CSN Plus. The game peaked with an 8 rating in the late innings.

All told, the three Cubs games on CSN averaged a 3.6 rating, more than double last year’s season average of 1.5.

And it’s just a start for the Cubs and CSN. The ratings will soar much higher with the anticipated arrival of Kris Bryant and if Jorge Soler keeps doing his thing. Nothing sells more than promise for the Cubs.

Blackhawks: An unspectacular year resulted in flat ratings. The Blackhawks averaged a 4.3 rating for the 51 regular-season games that aired on CSN, virtually the same as last year’s 4.29. However, those still are strong numbers compared to what existed just a few years ago.

Besides, it’s all about the playoffs anyway in hockey. CSN pulled a 9.76 rating Wednesday for Game 1 of the Nashville series, peaking at 13.1 in the third period. CSN was No. 1 in primetime in every demographic.

With that kind of number, the biggest Blackhawks fans outside of Chicago probably are NBC executives. After the opening series, all playoff games will air on NBC and NBCSN.

The ratings tell why NBC covets another Blackhawks run. They were involved in five of the top seven rated games on NBCSN this year. Their 11 games on NBC and NBCSN averaged a 6.10 rating in Chicago. Only Pittsburgh had a higher local rating for its national games.

The avid Chicago following, plus the mass of the nation’s third largest market, often has accounted for 20-25 percent of NBC and NBCSN’s national rating on its hockey telecasts involving the Blackhawks. It won’t be nearly the same if Nashville, the nation’s 29th market, gets past the Blackhawks.

Author Q/A for Billy Martin biography: ‘So accomplished, yet so self-destructive’

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My latest Poynter column is on Bill Pennington’s new book, “Billy Martin: Flawed Genius.”

Here is an excerpt:

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Pennington’s detailed biography is filled with countless stories of the combustible Martin settling his many differences during his eventful 61-year life. He had a wild ride with stunning ups and downs as one of baseball’s most compelling characters.

“For the last 30 years, I felt like I had some insights about him that were valuable,” Pennington said. “Whenever his name came up, people always were asking me questions, wanting to know more about him. I knew there was a fascination about him. He was so accomplished and yet so self-destructive at the same time.”

Pennington thinks the biography provides a vivid snapshot of baseball in the ‘80s, and that includes how the game was covered. Back then, the beat writers had far more access, which led to deeper relationships with the players, manager and coaches. They even flew on the team charters, a practice that has been long since eliminated.

“From a reporter standpoint, you really got to know the team so well,” Pennington said. “You knew all the cliques. There would be conversations with players on the team buses that were completely informal, but many times they would lead to a story down the line. I understand the ethical questions of being on the charters [newspapers still paid their own way], but I think we’ve lost something.”

Pennington revisited those now long-time relationships with Martin’s former players in researching the book. He noted a common refrain even among people who didn’t like Martin, of which there were many.

“When I told them what I was doing, they’d all laugh and say, ‘There never was a dull moment with Billy,’” Pennington said.

Tragic tale of best-selling sports author: Long jail term looms for repeated DUI offenses

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There’s a good chance you have read one of Jim Dent’s books. You might have seen ESPN’s film adaptation of “The Junction Boys,” the story of Paul “Bear” Bryant’s insane preseason drills while at Texas A&M.

Well, unfortunately, here’s the rest of the story via Barry Horn and Valerie Wigglesworth of the Dallas Morning News.

And so Dent, 62, is being held in Collin County jail without bail on the DWI charges. He faces additional felony charges of bail jumping and failure to appear in court. Those charges carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison if he is convicted.

Dent is again scheduled to go before a district judge Thursday for sentencing on the DWI charges. When that’s over, he could be sent to Williamson County for sentencing on a similar charge.

“I realize now I have no one to blame but myself,” he said Wednesday afternoon, while sitting on the wrong side of a glass partition in a jailhouse interview. A guard watched his every move.

There’s much more. Definitely worth a few minutes of your time.

 

Remembering Stan Hochman: A Philadelphia icon in the press box

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Been tied up on several fronts, but wanted to pay tribute to Stan Hochman, the long-time columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News. He passed away last week. Hochman, a workhorse, grinded it out almost to the end, filing his last column in February.

From the Daily News:

Hochman, according to Pat McLoone, managing editor of the Daily News, could be summed up in one word: “Great.”

“When you think that Stan Hochman came on the Philadelphia sports scene in the late ’50s, made a mark right away and has been great, truly great, for more than 50 years, it really is overwhelming,” said McLoone, who was sports editor from 1989 to 2008. “I mean, Stan was great as a Phillies beat writer covering Gene Mauch in the collapse of 1964, great covering Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Doctor J, Bobby Clarke, Reggie White and great to his final piece [in February].

“His coverage of Dick Allen’s shot at the Hall of Fame, how he helped champion the cause, showed how great he still really was. I have been in awe of Stan since the first time I read the Daily News as a young kid and remain in awe of him today. For his insistence on accuracy, his incredible speed as a writer and his courage and truth-seeking as a columnist. Most importantly, I have been witness to him as a great husband, father and grandfather. It is a sad day in the history of Philadelphia sports, and he will be missed by so many.”

Rich Hoffman at Philly.com:

The integrity of the man and his work were unmatched. He had a strong belief in the homework because it best informed your questions. He had a strong belief in the interview, because the best columns were when you could display a connection with your subject in the subject’s words. He had a strong belief in fundamental fairness – that you give a guy his say, that you agree or disagree with it in your commentary, and that you show up the next time and let the guy tell you what he liked or didn’t like about what you wrote.

That was the Stan Hochman transaction, a three-way relationship among the columnist, the athlete and the reader, a transaction based on honesty at its core. The athlete was rarely surprised at what Stan wrote, even if he didn’t agree with it – and a lot of them did not agree. If he had remained a schoolteacher for more than a brief period at the beginning of his working life, Stan would have been known as a tough grader. But he was fair. He always said that was his goal, tough but fair, and he succeeded for a half-century.

 

Was it the Spieth factor? Masters ratings up 26 percent on Sunday

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An estimated 14 million viewers tuned in to CBS to watch Jordan Spieth clinch the Masters title Sunday. The 8.7 national rating was up 26 percent over last year when Bubba Watson outlasted Spieth on the final day.

There probably was a Tiger Woods bump over the weekend; he didn’t play in 2013. His big round on Saturday helped CBS pull a 5.8 rating, up 45 percent from last year.

Woods, though, mostly was a non-factor Sunday, as the focus mainly was on Spieth and runner-ups Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose. The rating also would have been higher with a bit more drama. Spieth held a four-shot lead for most of the back 9.

Clearly, viewers tuned to watch Spieth. The emergence of a new young champion bodes well for golf at a time when Woods is slipping and Mickelson now is 45. Expect the networks to try to hype a budding Spieth-Rory McIlroy rivalry going into the Players Championship in May and the U.S. Open in June.

DVR alert: Ben Crenshaw’s love affair with the Masters in Golf Channel documentary

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During its coverage of the Masters last week, the Golf Channel ran excerpts of its new documentary, “Ben Crenshaw: A Walk Through Augusta.” The entire film airs tonight at 10 p.m. ET, as Jimmy Roberts and the Golf Channel weave in footage of Crenshaw’s last Masters into the film. Should be outstanding.

The rundown from the Golf Channel:

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Capping an emotional week marked by his last competitive round at the Masters Tournament, Golf Channel Films will premiere Ben Crenshaw: A Walk Through Augusta, a hour-long retrospective on the life and career of Ben Crenshaw and his special relationship with the Masters, premiering Monday, April 13 at 10 p.m. ET on Golf Channel.

“It’s almost as if he has green blood in him, not red.” – wife Julie Crenshaw

Via special access to Crenshaw as he prepares for and plays his last Masters, Golf Channel will weave interviews and footage shot this week throughout the film, which will explore Crenshaw’s life and Hall-of-Fame career, from his childhood and upbringing in Austin, Texas – where he became a golf prodigy by the age of 16 – to the present. Included are never-before-seen home movies, interviews with friends, family and fellow golf professionals, and highlights and stories from his first Masters victory in1984 and the improbable win in 1995.

Led by Jimmy Roberts, Ben Crenshaw: A Walk Through Augusta also explores Crenshaw’s relationships with his longtime teacher Harvey Penick and caddie Carl Jackson, and stories about the roles the two men played in his life and two Masters victories. It delves deep into the state of Crenshaw’s game leading to the ’95 Masters – a tournament that seemed out of reach due to his poor play – and his state of mind, recalling Penick’s passing during the week. The film captures Crenshaw’s memory of a dreary day in Austin when he put his friend to rest. “I’d lost a father figure, someone who gave the love of golf my whole life,” Crenshaw said. “Seemed like it was raining everywhere that day.”

Ben Crenshaw: A Walk Through Augusta also explores the reverence Crenshaw holds for the Masters, its founder, Bobby Jones, and Augusta National Golf Club, and the special place they hold in his heart.

“When you listen to him talk about Augusta, he feels it. There’s just this relationship between him and the golf course.” – Crenshaw biographer Melanie Hauser

Lou Holtz is finished at ESPN

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ESPN posted a statement on its website saying Lou Holtz won’t return as a college football analyst in 2015:

“Lou brought a champion’s perspective and a legacy of accomplishment to our coverage along with his distinctive style and humor. We appreciate his contributions and wish him all the best in the future.”

Holtz’s agent, Sandy Montag, told Richard Deitsch at SI.com: “Lou enjoyed his time and friendships made at ESPN and looks forward to other opportunities in college football.”

Holtz, 78, had been at the network since 2004. Last May, he said he planned to retire after the 2014 season.

“I’d like to leave when people say, ‘Why are you leaving?’ not ‘When are you leaving?'” Holtz told Blue and Gold Illustrated. “This is my fifth last year. They usually talk me into it. ESPN is a great organization to work for. We’ve been together nine years now. That’s unusual. They’re like my family. I love them. We enjoy it. There comes a time where you need to step aside and let the younger people do it.”

Nantz: More focus should be on No. 1, McIlroy, instead of No. 111, Woods

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An excerpt from my Tribune column:

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CBS booked Jim Nantz for an hour of radio interviews the day before the opening round of the PGA Championship last August. While he expected the perfunctoryTiger Woods questions, Nantz thought he also would be asked about Rory McIlroy, who was on fire after winning previous two starts including the British Open.

“Guess how many questions I got asked about Rory in that hour?” said the veteran CBS lead golf announcer. “Zero. His name never came up. It was all about Tiger. As a journalist, how do you justify that?”

Nantz says the example shows that many members of the media, not to mention golf fans, are missing the point. As he covers his 30th Masters, he thinks it’s time for everyone to pay more attention to the No. 1 player in the world, McIlroy, instead of No. 111, Woods.

Nantz stressed he isn’t trying to put down Woods. He knows he will be a big focus as he tries to restart his derailed game at Augusta National. However, Nantz wants McIlroy to receive his proper due in his bid to win his third straight major and complete the career Grand Slam before the age of 26.

“There are people in the media who still are wrapping the game entirely around Tiger Woods,” Nantz said. “Rightfully, Tiger has gotten a lot of attention through the years. But the truth is, Rory has won four majors (since 2011) and Tiger hasn’t won a major in seven years. Are we accurately covering the story? In terms of who is at the top of the game, that has not been accurately reflected in the broad scope of the media.”