Category Archives: Uncategorized

It’s official: WGN to air 45 Cubs games

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The relationship stays on for another five years. And then it all will change in 2020. More on that later.

Here’s the official announcement:

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The Chicago Cubs and Tribune Broadcasting’s WGN-TV today announced a new 5-year agreement under which the local station will televise 45 games annually beginning with the 2015 season. This new agreement continues a broadcasting partnership that spans more than 60 years. Specific terms of the agreement were not released.

As part of the new agreement, broadcasters Jim Deshaies and Len Kasper will become employees of the Chicago Cubs after previously being employed through WGN-TV.

“Cubs fans have grown accustomed to watching Cubs baseball on WGN since 1948, so we are pleased to continue this longstanding tradition through our new broadcast agreement,” said Cubs President of Business Operations Crane Kenney. “We are very excited to begin a new chapter of Cubs baseball with WGN and welcome Jim Deshaies and Len Kasper, two of the best broadcasters in the business, as teammates in our organization.”

“We’re pleased to enter into this new agreement, which continues our longstanding, historic partnership with the Cubs and we’re looking forward to some great baseball,” said Larry Wert, President of Broadcast Media for Tribune Media. “The positive moves made by the Cubs, including the hiring of Joe Maddon, the signing of Jon Lester, and the club’s investment in Wrigleyville will be great for our city. We believe in the Cubs and the Ricketts family, and we look forward to growing the fan base even further for both the Cubs and WGN-TV.”

A badge of honor? Deadspin blocked me on Twitter

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I was out of town during the holidays. While trying to catch up this week, I noticed that there was a lineup change at Deadspin.

My old pal, Tommy Craggs, is the new executive editor for Gawker Media. Tim Marchman will replace him as Deadspin’s new editor.

OK, interesting. To find out more information, I went to Google, etc. Then I did a search for Deadspin on Twitter.

And voila, this is what I popped up: I have been blocked by Deadspin.

The blockage probably happened a while back, but I never noticed. Guess I haven’t been paying much attention to Deadspin these days.

I have written a few critical pieces of Deadspin, drawing its ire. Apparently, there’s a rule: Deadspin can knock anything and everything, but don’t dare criticize the site.

Craggs once called me “the dumbest fucking guy in sports media” on a Will Leitch podcast.

More love from Craggs: “He’s such a hack through and through. He only can see the world through a hack’s eyes. He thinks we’re responding to him the way he responds, i.e. hackily. He can’t fathom the idea that we hate him because he really sucks at what really should be a cool job.”

Now with that lovely assessment of my overall worth, I discover the good folks at Deadspin have denied me access to their Twitter feed. So nice to know they care.

Good luck, Tim.

Expand beyond baseball writers: Kenny, Costas, Olbermann should have Hall of Fame votes

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I have written many times that journalists shouldn’t be voting for Hall of Fames or awards in all sports. Journalists cover the news; they don’t make the news.

Once again, baseball writers reported on the news they made yesterday with their Hall of Fame votes.

However, I am not going to go on that soapbox today. I have a different issue.

I was watching MLB Network’s fine coverage of the Hall of Fame announcement yesterday. Brian Kenny, in particular, was killing it. He was coming up with one fact after another and making numerous observations about the candidates. I like to think I know a bit about baseball, and he was telling me so much I didn’t know.

Then it dawned on me: Kenny doesn’t have a Hall of Fame vote. That’s ridiculous.

Balloting is limited to members of the Baseball Writers Association of America. This year, there were 549 voters. Here is a link to the list.

It has been reported that there are numerous voters who haven’t covered baseball in years. Again, that’s a story for another day.

In the early days of the Hall, baseball writers were given the responsibility of conducting the vote because they were the primary reporters on the game. ESPN, sports talk radio, and local TV sports networks still were light years away.

Obviously that isn’t the case anymore. Now, the press box is full of sports TV and radio reporters in all markets who see virtually every game each year. In my town, Chicago, Bruce Levine, David Schuster, Jesse Rogers are among the radio heads who live at the ballparks.

Shouldn’t they have a Hall of Fame vote?

Naturally, MLB Network has many people besides Kenny who should be voting for the Hall. That includes you, Chris Russo. At ESPN, who watches and talks about more baseball than Karl Ravech?

And who has a better understanding about the history and context of the game than Bob Costas and Keith Olbermann?

It isn’t 1940. It is 2015. It’s time to include all forms of media who cover the game if the Hall wants the most qualified people voting on the players who will have plaques in Cooperstown.

 

 

David Duval gets increased analyst duties at Golf Channel

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David Duval’s once spectacular career has been derailed for a long time, but this announcement makes it seem like he’s done at age 43.

The good news for Golf Channel is that Duval has been very good in the analyst chair.

From the Golf Channel:

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Professional golfer and former World No. 1 David Duval has joined Golf Channel’s broadcast team and will serve as a studio analyst and on site at selected PGA TOUR events, at major championships and other marquee events. Over the past three years, Duval has worked as a guest analyst for both Golf Channel and other sports networks, while continuing to pursue competitive golf.

“We’re extremely excited to welcome David to our Golf Channel family and our talented team of golf analysts,” said Golf Channel Executive Producer Molly Solomon. “David not only brings an enormous amount of credibility as one of the best golfers of his generation, but a knowledgeable and candid voice that our viewers will enjoy and can depend on.”

Duval joined the PGA TOUR in 1995 and posted seven second-place finishes in his first two seasons. Between 1997 and 2001, his achievements rocketed him to a World No. 1 ranking and forged a competitive rivalry with another dominant golfer of the time – Tiger Woods. During that span, Duval was consistently among the top-10 on the PGA TOUR money list- leading the list in 1998 – won the Vardon Trophy and Byron Nelson Award, posted a 4-0 record at the 1998 Presidents Cup in only his second season on the PGA TOUR, won 13 times on the PGA TOUR, twice tied for second at the Masters (1998 and 2001), played on the victorious 1999 Ryder Cup team, and won the 2001 Open Championship.

A native of Jacksonville, Fla., Duval, 43, currently resides in Colorado with his wife, Susie, and five children.

Keith Olbermann on Stuart Scott’s professional courage; Wilbon on how Scott changed the game

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I wanted to share a few more tributes to Stuart Scott.

This Keith Olbermann clip actually has footage of Scott’s debut with the network in 1993.

Michael Wilbon, writing at ESPN.com, recalls his old friend in a poignant piece.

So here’s what Stuart Scott’s teammates could see that viewers couldn’t. They couldn’t see him suffer through a chemotherapy session at, say, 10 a.m., catch a quick nap and maybe a small bite, put himself through a kickboxing class or some other rigorous physical routine in an attempt to strengthen his body for its fight with cancer, show up at the studio to prepare for a Friday night NBA doubleheader that might require us to work until 1 a.m., and plow right through the evening without so much as a bad word for or to anybody.

That scenario, or something like it, played out way too often during the last seven years of Stuart’s 49. He’d close his eyes during the commercial breaks at times. There were trips to the bathroom that we knew included violent illness. There’s not a person in the Bristol studios who didn’t say at some point, “Stuart, seriously, you shouldn’t work tonight,” and his response pretty damn frequently was: “Bro, I’m good.”

And he was … to the last drop.

And…

I was brought up in a buttoned-up world of traditional journalism where the person reporting/commenting/analyzing didn’t call attention to himself. Stuart, very deliberately and without much fear, was in the process of taking us to a new world of sports coverage, one where you let your emotion come pouring out much of the time, where personality would infuse the coverage. It wasn’t just that a Scott-delivered story sounded “blacker” — and it did, it sounded younger, and hipper, had greater edge and connected with an entire population of viewers who had been ignored. Not every reference to music needed to be the Beatles or Rolling Stones, not for those of us who preferred Earth, Wind & Fire or Chuck D. More than anybody working then or now, Stuart Scott changed the very language used to discuss sports every day. He updated it, freshened it, made it more inclusive. And he took hell for it.

How nerdy is it, looking back, to have felt that Stuart was some kind of pioneer for simply wanting to be himself on television? But he was exactly that, and because that evolution took the better part of 20 years, there is now an entire generation of young media folks, black and white, male and female, who don’t feel the need to conform, and that is an enormous and admirable part of his professional legacy.

 

 

Outpouring for Stuart Scott shows power of his personality, ESPN

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My latest column for the National Sports Journalism Center at Indiana is on Stuart Scott.

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I have gotten to know many of ESPN’s personalities while covering the sports media beat through the years. However, for some reason, I had only one encounter with Stuart Scott.

It occurred a few years back at an ESPN event in Chicago. Truthfully, I really don’t remember much about meeting Scott other than that he seemed like a good guy. My loss for never meeting him again.

So my connection to Scott was pretty much like everyone else: I watched him do his thing on ESPN.

Like everyone else, I had sick feeling when I awoke and learned that he passed away on Sunday morning. His prolonged absence from the air was an indicator that bad news was coming soon. Yet it still is a shock when the finality of the moment occurs.

Only 49. Damn.

What struck me was the immense response to Scott’s passing. You would expect ESPN to go all out in paying tribute to their old friend. Kudos to all for doing such a terrific job. His former colleague Rich Eisen also delivered a moving speech on NFL Network.

Yet the outpouring was so much more. President Obama weighed in with a statement, and numerous athletes like LeBron James, Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods expressed their sentiments via Twitter. In fact, Scott’s name dominated social media Sunday.

There were moments of silence for Scott prior to the NFL playoff and NBA games. His face flashed on the video boards as athletes bowed their heads below.

Surely, Scott would have been overwhelmed by the tributes and kind words. Man, even the president. Now that’s a “Boo-Yow,” he would say.

The heart of this passionate response speaks to the immense platform of ESPN and the force of Scott’s personality. The two truly go hand-in-hand.

ESPN’s evolution has seen it become more than just a place to watch games. It also became about the people who talk about the games, especially during the ‘90s. Scott arrived at ESPN at a time when “SportsCenter” was transforming how sports were delivered. Chris Berman already set the tone with his nicknames and other shtick. Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann then took it to another level with an Aaron Sorkin-like repartee for their shows.

That opened the door for others like the wicked funny Eisen. Scott blew right through it.

“He didn’t just push the envelope,” said Patrick on ESPN.com. “He bulldozed the envelope.”

Scott is credited with bringing “hip-hop” to sports, peppering his telecasts with signature phrases. Nothing resonated more than an emphatic “Boo-Yow” (the correct spelling, according to Eisen).

Indeed, there were African-Americans doing sports on TV, but nobody did it like Scott.

“He was a trailblazer not only because he was black — obviously black — but because of his style, his demeanor, his presentation,” ESPN anchor Stan Verrett, also black, told ABC News for Scott’s obituary. “He did not shy away from the fact that he was a black man, and that allowed the rest of us who came along to just be ourselves.”

“Yes, he brought hip-hop into the conversation,” said Jay Harris, another SportsCenter anchor who followed in Scott’s footsteps. “But I would go further than that. He brought in the barber shop, the church, R&B, soul music. Soul period.”

In the ESPN.com piece, Suzy Kolber remembered attempts were made for Scott to change his approach.

“Even I encouraged him to maybe take a more traditional approach, but he had a strong conviction about who he wanted to be and the voice he wanted to project, and clearly, he was right, and we were wrong,” Kolber said.

Scott’s act wasn’t for everyone. He had more than his share of critics and even was parodied on “Saturday Night Live.”

Ultimately, Scott prevailed because he was so distinctive. He became as much of a star as the stars he covered.

The ESPN blowtorch gave Scott the platform to reach scores of sports viewers night after night. Yes, ESPN made him, but he also helped make the network what it is today as one of its signature personalities. They were good for each other.

As a result, people who never met Scott felt like they knew him. The connections ran even deeper because of his courageous battle with cancer.

That’s why the reactions were so strong to his death Sunday. There was a sense of not only Scott being cheated by living such a short life, but also for viewers like us missing out on not getting to watch him anymore on ESPN.

Still, it was a great and memorable run. “Boo-Yow,” Stuart Scott. And thanks.

Remembering Stuart Scott: He was mesmerizing

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Many, many words have been said about Stuart Scott. Thought it was worth sharing a few of them.

Steve Wulf at ESPN.com wrote a long piece on Scott’s career. Definitely worth a read in learning about his journey.

His career path took him from Florence to Raleigh, North Carolina, to Orlando, Florida, and in his pre-ESPN clips, you can feel his energy, hear his music and sense his on-camera charisma. At WESH, the NBC affiliate in Orlando, he first met ESPN producer Gus Ramsey, who was beginning his own career. Says Ramsey, “You knew the second he walked in the door that it was a pit stop, and that he was gonna be this big star somewhere someday. He went out and did a piece on the rodeo, and he nailed it just like he would nail the NBA Finals for ESPN.”

He first met ESPN anchor Chris Berman in Tampa, Florida. “He stuck out his hand and said, ‘One day I look forward to working with you,'” Berman said. “And I said, ‘Well, I tell you what, we’ll save you a seat.’ And I’m really thrilled that he was right on. [Later] I said, ‘Stu, maybe you were the Swami.'”

Richard Deitsch at SI.com had a nice piece on the producers who did Scott’s tribute on ESPN Sunday.

They all talked about what it would mean if the piece ever aired. It meant their friend and colleague was dead. But the small group of ESPN staffers who worked on the feature honoring the life of Stuart Scott believed they owed it to their colleague to produce something with love and care if that awful day ever came.

On Sunday the awful day came when Scott passed away from cancer at the too-damn-young age of 49. A popular anchor on ESPN for two decades, the network ran a 14-minute feature on his life and career, a piece that appropriately first aired on SportsCenter, the show that gave life to his television fame.

The video obit, a beautiful, moving tribute that should be watched and shared, was completed months ago. ESPN feature producers Mike Leber, Miriam Greenfield and Denny Wolfe, the point people for the project, began working on it shortly after Scott’s emotional speech at the ESPYs last July 16, when the anchor amplified how difficult his cancer had hit him. The group completed the feature on September 18 and silently hoped the original would stay buried in Leber’s desk forever.

“All of the people interviewed for the piece, and all those working on it, we all said at one point during the process that we hoped this would sit on the shelf for a long time,” Leber told SI.com on Sunday afternoon. “It was something that nobody wanted to think about or talk about but to pay the proper tribute, we knew we had to do it.”

Richard Sandomir in the New York Times: 

Scott joined ESPN in 1993 for the beginning of its first spinoff network, ESPN2, but he soon moved to “SportsCenter,” which had already developed stars like Keith Olbermann, Dan Patrick, Chris Berman, Robin Roberts and Bob Ley. Scott became defined as much for his energy, wit and stylish wardrobe as for his arsenal of catchphrases.

“Stuart brought a different, unique sensibility to ‘SportsCenter,’ ” said James Andrew Miller, an author of “Those Guys Have All the Fun,” an oral history of ESPN. “He invented his own style, and in doing so, he grew the audience. He was easily one of the most influential personalities in ESPN history.”

Bob Raissman in the New York Daily News:

For the very way Stuart Scott presented himself, and the flair in which he delivered the word, not only reflected the joy and enthusiasm he had for his work, but entertained and provided happiness for all the eyeballs peeping in from the other side of the television screen.

That’s what’s known as showmanship. We didn’t understand every bit of jargon exiting Scott’s mouth. And even though his presentation moved us to take issue with him, it never turned us off, never made us stop watching. As a performer, even on the smallest of screens, he could be mesmerizing. More importantly he was likeable.

Chad Finn in the Boston Globe:

(Keyshawn) Johnson remembered the advice Scott gave him when he joined ESPN. “[He told me] don’t change who I was. Be exactly who I was supposed to be. Looking at him, knowing that he was able to bring that hip-hop culture, that urban feel, to television sports broadcasting, something that’s never been done before, gave me the hope that I didn’t have to be some corporate guy in a white shirt and red tie and sit there and talk a certain way.”

Johnson paused, wiping away tears.

“I’m trying to find words,” he said.

“You did it,’’ said Berman. “You all did it.”

J.A. Adande at ESPN.com:

He could smoothly follow a producer’s instructions through the earpiece and mentally prepare for the next segment while speaking on the current topic. Or he could call an audible and guide the conversation in a direction he thought best. And although he was known for bringing hip-hop vernacular to ESPN, he took pride in packing more information than anyone else into each highlight. Go back and watch the clips, only this time ignore the sayings and count the number of facts.

You might be surprised at how low-key he could be off air. The most extreme example came once when he was on the set quietly talking on his phone between brief update segments, a steady flow of soft “Yeah, yeah” until the camera was hot; he said “Hold on, hold on,” put the phone down and ramped up the decibels:

“STUART SCOTT HERE WITH THIS ‘SPORTSCENTER’ UPDATE …”

ESPN gathered a collection of Twitter reaction to Scott:

LeBron James   @KingJamesCan’t believe you’re gone from us! I am deeply saddened because not only will not be replaced as a… http://instagram.com/p/xcDSM8iTET/

 

Boo-Yow Stuart Scott: Truly was as cool as the other side of the pillow

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The saddest press release I have ever received from ESPN.

Also, please check out link to ESPN’s tribute that ran this morning.

His acceptance speech at this year’s ESPYs.

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Stuart Scott, a dedicated family man and one of ESPN’s signature SportsCenter anchors, has died after a courageous and inspiring battle with cancer.  He was 49.

Scott is survived by his two daughters, Taelor, 19, and Sydni, 15; his parents, O. Ray and Jacqueline Scott; and his three siblings Stephen Scott, Synthia Kearney, Susan Scott and their families.  His girlfriend, Kristin Spodobalski, was with Stuart and cared for him every step of the way and along with support from his loving family, close friends and colleagues,  he went through several surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation and clinical trials to stay strong and ward off cancer for as long as humanly possible.

“ESPN and everyone in the sports world have lost a true friend and a uniquely inspirational figure in Stuart Scott,” said ESPN president John Skipper.  “Who engages in mixed martial arts training in the midst of chemotherapy treatments?   Who leaves a hospital procedure to return to the set?  His energetic and unwavering devotion to his family and to his work while fighting the battle of his life left us in awe, and he leaves a void that can never be replaced.”

On July 16, 2014, Scott accepted the Jimmy V Perseverance Award at the ESPYs.  During his speech, he expressed the following sentiment about his two daughters:  “Taelor and Sydni, I love you guys more than I will ever be able to express.  You two are my heartbeat. I am standing on this stage here tonight because of you.”

During his ESPY speech, Scott shared his approach to fighting cancer.

“I also realized something else recently,” he said.  “I said, I’m not losing. I’m still here. I’m fighting. I’m not losing.  But I’ve got to amend that.  When you die, that does not mean that you lose to cancer.  You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and the manner in which you live.  So live.  Live.  Fight like hell.”

For 21 years, years Scott was one of ESPN’s and ABC Sports’ most recognizable and quotable personalities and one of the most popular sportscasters around the world. His catchphrases, including his most famous “Boo-ya” and “As cool as the other side of the pillow,” have become an integral part of pop culture.  While Scott became instantly known for his enthusiasm and colorful descriptions, he was always proud of the facts he would weave into his storytelling, recognizing that every great story is based in fact.

After joining the network in 1993 for the launch of ESPN2, Scott became a leading voice on ESPN’s SportsCenter, where he anchored the 11pm show. Over the years, his talent and work ethic led to many additional high-profile assignments including major hosting roles on NFL and NBA programming.  During his career with ESPN, Scott covered a slew of major events, including the NBA Finals, Super Bowl, Major League Baseball playoffs and World Series, the NCAA Final Four and more.

From 2007-2011 Scott was the host of ABC Sports’ weekly NBA Sunday studio show, ESPN’s NBA studio show, and served as a host during the NBA Finals Trophy presentation each year. Scott also hosted numerous ESPN and ABC series and specials, including Dream Job, Stump The Schwab, ESPN’s 25th Anniversary Special, and The ESPY Red Carpet Show.

In addition to this busy TV schedule, Scott had also worked as a regular contributor to ESPN: The Magazine, ESPN Radio, and ESPN.com.

Scott was featured in countless This is SportsCenter commercials, which he so enjoyed.

Most recently, Scott was in the anchor chair alongside his longtime partner, Steve Levy, when ESPN re-launchedSportsCenter on a new set.

Scott not only interviewed most of the world’s top athletes, he interviewed top celebrities, newsmakers, and politicians. Stuart interviewed and played a televised game of one-on-one basketball with President Barack Obama, one of his two interviews with the President, and conducted numerous one-on-one interviews with the likes of Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Denzel Washington and President Clinton.

Hollywood and Madison Avenue also took notice of Scott’s wide appeal; he was featured in numerous high-profile commercial campaigns. He appeared on many TV shows, sitcoms, feature films and music videos and was parodied in a Saturday Night Live skit.

Over the years, Scott earned numerous awards and honors.  He was recently honored with the NABJ Award of Merit, received a Rammy Award which pays tribute to superlative performances in athletics, academics and sports from his beloved alma mater, UNC-Chapel Hill, and was a guest of honor at the 14th annual “An Evening with Heroes” celebration in Indianapolis, which benefits the Heroes Foundation. In 2011 he was honored by The V Foundation with “The Spirit of Jimmy V Award.”  He was instrumental in raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for The V Foundation, Livestrong, and participated in Stand Up To Cancer campaigns as well donating time to raise awareness and funds for numerous other charities.

He always said a personal and professional highlight for him came in 2004, when he was requested by U.S. soldiers to be a part of “ESPN’s SportsCenter: Salute the Troops” effort, in which he and fellow anchors hosted a week of programs originating in Kuwait.

Prior to joining ESPN, Scott worked at local stations in Orlando, Florida; Raleigh, North Carolina and Florence, South Carolina.  He was graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1987. One of his proudest moments came when he served as the commencement speaker at his alma mater in 2001.

At North Carolina he played wide receiver and defensive back for a club football team.

He was diagnosed with cancer in November 2007, and dealt with recurring bouts of the disease.  He met the challenge as he did everything in his life – with determination, a courageous fighting spirit and an always positive attitude that impacted and inspired everyone who knew him.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to The V Foundation (www.jimmyv.org).

 

 

Novelty fading? Despite strong Chicago numbers, all-time low rating for Winter Classic

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I’m back in the saddle. Happy New Year to all. Looking forward to an eventful 2015.

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Even strong numbers from Chicago couldn’t prevent the Winter Classic delivering its lowest national rating Thursday.

The Blackhawks-Washington game at Nationals Park did a 2.3 overnight rating of major markets on NBC; 1 national ratings point is worth more than 1 million homes. The previous low was a 2.4 for the 2012 Winter Classic featuring the Rangers at Philadelphia in Citizens Bank Park. Last year’s Detroit-Toronto game at Michigan Stadium did a 2.9 rating.

Chicago did its part with an 11.4 rating on WMAQ-Ch. 5; 1 local ratings point is worth an estimated 35,500 households. The nation’s No. 3 market accounted for more than 20 percent of NBC’s overall audience.

Why weren’t the numbers bigger? A few factors could have been in play:

*A sunny, relatively nice Washington day in the 40s negated much of the intrigue of playing in the elements on Jan. 1. Games in snow and cold usually draw more non-traditional hockey viewers.

*No offense to Nationals Park, but it doesn’t have the same iconic appeal as previous Winter Classic venues like Wrigley Field, Fenway Park, and Michigan Stadium.

*Strong competition from compelling early afternoon bowl games on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC likely cut into the Winter Classic’s numbers. The Cotton Bowl (Michigan State-Baylor) and Outback Bowl (Wisconsin-Auburn) each had last-minute finishes.

*Last year, the NHL staged six outdoor games, including the Winter Classic. Perhaps the novelty of seeing these games is wearing off?

Yet having said all that, Thursday’s Winter Classic rating is up 77 percent from NBC’s regular-season rating for the NHL last year. It still is a strong number for hockey on a day traditionally dominated by football.