I have a feeling this 30 for 30 will do strong ratings, especially airing on eve of NCAA hoops tournament.

From ESPN:

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ESPN Films today announced a new 30 for 30 film that will debut in 2015 as part of the award-winning and critically-acclaimed documentary series. “I Hate Christian Laettner,” directed by Rory Karpf (“The Book of Manning,” “Tim Richmond: To The Limit”), will premiere Sunday, March 15, at 9 p.m. ET after Bracketology on ESPN. Through interviews with former teammates and rivals as well as Laettner himself, the film explores why the polarizing basketball player was—and still is—so disliked.

“I Hate Christian Laettner;” Sunday, March 15, at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN

He made perhaps the most dramatic shot in the history of the NCAA basketball tournament. He’s the only player to start in four consecutive Final Fours, and was instrumental in Duke winning two national championships. He had looks, smarts and game. So why has Christian Laettner been disliked so intensely by so many for so long? Maybe it was the time he stomped on the chest of a downed player, or the battles he had with his teammates, or a perceived sense of entitlement. But sometimes, perception isn’t reality.

“I Hate Christian Laettner” will go beyond the polarizing persona to reveal the complete story behind this lightning rod of college basketball. Featuring extensive access to Laettner, previously unseen footage and perspectives from all sides, this film will be a “gloves-off” examination of the man who has been seen by many as the “Blue Devil Himself.”

Of course, then we wouldn’t have their feud, which escalated to a new level Tuesday. Woods, writing in Derek Jeter’s Players Tribune of all places, took exception to a parody piece Jenkins did in which he does a fake interview with him.

Woods writes:

Did you read Dan Jenkins’ interview with me in the latest Golf Digest? I hope not. Because it wasn’t me. It was some jerk he created to pretend he was talking to me. That’s right, Jenkins faked an interview, which fails as parody, and is really more like a grudge-fueled piece of character assassination.

Journalistically and ethically, can you sink any lower?

Later, Woods writes:

Golf Digest even hired an actor to pose as me in photos.  The truth is, Jenkins has no idea how I think or feel about any of the things he claims to know about, which is why he had to make things up. Frustration or resentment because I have not been more available to him should not give him a license for an underhanded attack on me as an athlete, as a professional and as a person. I guess Golf Digest’s editors believe this is a good way to sell more magazines. I’ll bet their readers don’t think so. Funny they didn’t think this poorly of me when I worked with the magazine. I have to say I was surprised when I saw this piece came from Jenkins, who is one of the most distinguished golf writers out there.

None of this happens if Woods had a relationship with Jenkins. The legendary writer is forever miffed that he never got a sitdown with Woods at the height of his powers.

I’d say join the club since Woods rarely granted one-on-one interviews. Then again, Jenkins is in a much different club than us mere pedestrians in the press room.

Jenkins vented in a 2008 interview I did with him at the U.S. Open:

“I can’t talk to him. I don’t know him. I tried for 10 years to get a one-on-one. You know what Mark Steinberg says? ‘We have nothing to gain.’ I said, ‘You can read it before you print it. Take things out.”

Jenkins then said with considerable disgust, “We have nothing to gain.”

Later, Jenkins talked of how things used to be between golfers and the writers.

“I knew everybody,” he said. “Knew Hogan better than anybody. Knew Jack, Knew Arnold. I was friends with them. Had dinner with them. They would tell you things you knew you wouldn’t write. There was a relationship. There was a camaraderie.  I miss it.”

One lunch would changed all that. Given Jenkins’ standing in our profession, it was a missed opportunity for Woods. Besides, he probably would have liked it. Woods would have enjoyed hearing all of Jenkins’ Hogan stories.

More to come.

The latest installment in Peter Berg’s “State of Play” series for HBO looks at athletes adjusting to life after football (Tonight at 10 p.m. ET). What happens to these guys when the cheering stops?

The first part is really strong with a film featuring Brett Favre, Tiki Barber and Wayne Chrebet on adjusting to the real world. Favre talked of wanting to crawl into a hole after he finally retired.

The last half of the show has Berg in a round-table discussion that features Michael Strahan. Frankly, I’m starting to see Strahan in my sleep. I wish there had been more of the documentary element and much less, if no, discussion.

I was watching the Blackhawks-Dallas game Sunday night when the phone rang.

On the other end, a booming voice said, “Ed, this is Patrick Foley.”

A bit startled, I said, “Pat, aren’t you doing the game right now? I was just listening to you.”

Actually, it was in between periods, giving Foley the chance to thank me for the story I wrote in Sunday’s Chicago Tribune about his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame, which took place Monday (pictured above).

Knowing Foley and his sense of family, it didn’t come as a surprise that he was most appreciative that I included his mother, Mary, in the story.

“It really meant a lot to her,” Foley said.

I really appreciated getting a call from Foley, especially during a game. Often, reporters hear volume when subjects are upset about a story, but it is crickets on a positive piece.

Then again, Pat Foley is a class act.

I wish I could have been on hand for Monday’s induction ceremony in Toronto. I heard Foley nailed it according to the Blackhawks contingent who attended.

On the Blackhawks site, my old Tribune colleague Bob Verdi wrote about Foley’s big day in Toronto.

TORONTO—Chicago’s favorite voice of winter cracked a bit here on Monday, but this happens when an industry giant accepts the award of a lifetime and there is no cough switch nearby.

Pat Foley, the Blackhawks’ beloved TV play-by-play man, graciously accepted the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award with the same passion that he brought to the booth as a 26-year-old kid in 1980. Instead of congratulating himself, though, Foley passed out thanks for making this dream career possible, and that’s where those famous pipes briefly lost a little heft.

His dad, Bob, didn’t make the trip, but rest assured he’ll look great wearing his eldest son’s Hall of Fame jacket to Mass when Pat returns home. Mother Mary got first dibs on the keepsake garment, seated with Pat’s family members and many friends, professional and golf.

Pat tees it up more often than Arnold Palmer, but he’s always prepared, and he was primed for Monday’s induction. Foley found himself at table No. 3, and he took that placard to the podium in memory of an absent pal who wore that number, Keith Magnuson.

Scores and highlights matter in this business, but so do people, and as Foley reminded us all, hockey’s community is in a league of its own. How lucky can a guy be to grow up in Glenview, Ill., listening to Lloyd Pettit, then make good on an opportunity to talk about the Blackhawks for a living, and still love everything about the job, including those parades?

Foley’s attachment to the Blackhawks, never in doubt, was confirmed early. He spoke of superstars Steve Larmer and Doug Wilson, and why they belong in the Hall of Fame. Foley saluted the Wirtzes—Bill, Michael, Rocky. John McDonough, the team’s President and CEO, brought Foley back after he was let go. A masterstroke, to public acclaim. But beside McDonough at lunch, there was Jay Blunk, Executive Vice President. He phones my mom every so often just to see how she’s doing, Foley said, because that’s what these Blackhawks do. Off camera, a random act of caring.

My latest column for the National Sports Journalism Center at Indiana is on a new book by Bill Polian that includes a passage on coaches and the media.

Here is an excerpt:

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Bill Polian didn’t become one of the game’s greatest NFL general managers by ignoring the small details.

In an autobiography co-written by Vic Carucci and published by Triumph Books, Polian writes about his career in “The Game Plan: The Art of Building a Winning Football Team.” He delves into the methods that enabled him to build Super Bowl teams in Buffalo and Indianapolis.

You might consider sending a copy to your favorite team’s general manager if he’s struggling to produce a winner. Your book is in the mail, Chicago Bears GM Phil Emery.

Polian, now an ESPN analyst, dedicates a chapter on his criteria for selecting a head coach. His “Point No. 9: Public Relations” got my attention.

Polian writes:

“Essentially, it boils down to, can he handle himself well in this media maelstrom that he’s forced to endure these days?

“I wouldn’t disqualify someone if he wasn’t good at that, as long as he was willing to work with a professional who could coach him up and help him get through what really is a trial by fire every day.”

Media maelstrom? Trial by fire? Interesting choice of words. Later in the passage, Polian writes:

“Does he accept dealing with the media as an obligation or an occupational hazard? It’s something that you have to do. If, intrinsically, you hate doing it, it’s going to be tough to get better at it. So you have to accept the fact that you have to do it. I know very few people who like it, but you have to accept it.”

Sort of like choking down nasty cough syrup when you’re sick. Finally, Polian concludes:

“Ultimately, you want to know whether the coach can sell his program and make some converts in the press. That’s not as important as the other qualities, but if he can, that’s a decided plus and some of that is personality driven.”

Digger Phelps is going new media.

The former Notre Dame coach has signed on to be a basketball analyst for Campus Insiders, the Chicago-based site that covers college sports. His first appearance is today. Phelps will appear on Campus Insiders throughout the season, including conducting select interviews with coaches.

Phelps, 73, also is joining Twitter at @diggerphelps. As of 1 p.m., he had 20 followers. His old pal, Dick Vitale, has 663,000 followers. So Phelps has some catching up to do.

“Digital media has already become such a strong medium for consuming college sports so I’m excited to join the Campus Insiders team and be a part of all of the great, high-quality college basketball coverage,” said Phelps.

“Anyone that knows college basketball, knows that Digger Phelps is a legend with years of experience as a coach and broadcaster,” said Crowley Sullivan, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Campus Insiders.  “Adding Phelps’ expertise and profile to our vast collection of talent speaks volumes to the quality, growth and potential of Campus Insiders.  We are sure that fans will love what Digger will have to say during the season.”

Phelps left ESPN last spring after serving 20 years as an analyst.

Technically, New England’s 42-20 victory over Indianapolis wasn’t as bad as some of the previous clunkers on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football.” The Patriots only held a 14-10 lead at halftime. At least there was the promise of some suspense in the fourth quarter.

However, any drama quickly disappeared as Jonas Gray (who?) looked like John Riggins, rolling over the Colts with 199 yards and 4 TDs. Like the Colts, I also suffered since my fantasy running back was Shane Vereen.

The subsequent rout now makes an amazing nine straight games in which the margin of victory on Sunday Night Football has been 18 points or more. The average victory margin is 23 points.

It also marked the sixth out of the last seven games in which the winning team scored 42 or more points.

Sept. 21: Pittsburgh 37, Carolina 19.

Sept. 28: Dallas 38, New Orleans 17.

Oct. 5: New England 43, Cincinnati 17.

Oct. 12: Philadelphia 27, Giants 0.

Oct. 19: Denver 42, San Francisco 17.

Oct. 26:  New Orleans 44, Green Bay 23.

Nov. 2: Pittsburgh 43, Baltimore 23.

Nov. 9: Green Bay 55, Bears 14.

Nov. 16: New England 42, Indianapolis 20.

Meanwhile, Fox had a major dud with Green Bay’s 53-20 victory over Philadelphia in the doubleheader window. It marked the second straight game in which Aaron Rodgers barely played the second half. Rodgers and the Packers look like the varsity playing the JV team these days.

Last week, I wrote I can’t remember a season with so many blowouts in featured primetime and Sunday doubleheader games. I’m starting to think it isn’t a coincidence.

The modern offenses are so good that when one team gets on a roll, games get out of hand very quickly. Sunday’s big games were yet another example.

Gary Shelton opened his final Tampa Bay Times column with a telling line:

“I always thought the ink would last a lifetime.”

I think we all felt that way. Then the industry blew up.

Shelton now is moving on to a new frontier after spending nearly 25 years at the Tampa Bay Times.

He writes in his final column:

This is my final column for the Tampa Bay Times, a newspaper where I have worked for the last 24 years and 10 months. I’ll be honest. There have been easier departures. A man doesn’t spend all of these words and not stumble upon the final one: Goodbye.

And so I move to a different field. In the coming weeks, I will launch a subscription-based web site, GarySheltonsports.com. I hope you will join me. We’ll look at sports in the Tampa Bay market, sports that vex us and frustrate us, and every now and then, define us.

And here’s the link to his new site. It includes his selling points

 No one covers Tampa Bay like Gary Shelton.
 No one has seen as many moments, as many athletes, as many coaches as he has over the past quarter of a century.
 No one has won more awards, including two national Associated Press Sports Editors Best Columnist awards and eight top 10 finishes.
 No one has seen more big events, including 29 Super Bowls, 10 Olympics and 11 Final Fours.
 No one has made you angrier, or laugh louder, or think harder about what he has written.
Now, he begins a blog designed to keep him in touch with the readers who have grown up on his words. 

And here are his rates:

 Sit in the bleachers (99 cents an article).
 Buy a season ticket ($4 a month).
 Splurge on a club seat ($24 a year).
 Or go all in with a skybox ($54 for three years, which is only $1.50 a month).

Shelton faces a tough challenge. He likely will find out it is tough to get people to pay for anything on the Internet when there’s so much content out there for free.

Here’s hoping Shelton can do it. I will have more on his new venture soon.