Let’s face it, there’s no escaping Tim Tebow. He may be out of football, but he hardly is out of the spotlight.
Today, Tebow served as co-host for Good Morning America. Sunday, he will be featured in ads for T-Mobile. The spots show that as a TV pitchman, Tebow could be another Peyton Manning.
If you need to be warmed up on this cold January day, take a listen to Jack Buck’s legendary call of Ozzie Smith’s game-winner in 1985.
From MLB Network on tonight’s installment of My Most Memorable Game.
*****
Co-hosted by Bob Costas and Tom Verducci, Ozzie Smith will reminisce about his walkoff home run to end Game Five of the ‘85 NLCS at 9 p.m. ET and Bob Gibson talks about his record-setting 17 strikeout performance in Game One of the ‘68 WS at 9:30 p.m. ET
Bob Gibson:
When I struck out [Al Kaline], it was 15 and that’s when Tim [McCarver] was making me look at the scoreboard and I had no idea what he wanted me to do. I just wanted the ball so we could keep going, and then I turned around and looked at the scoreboard and I said, “Okay, fine. Let’s go.” I wasn’t concerned with the strikeouts. We needed to win the ballgame.
On his mound presence:
After my career was over and I hear all these horror stories about this ogre that was out there on the mound, it surprised me. And I thought to myself, if I had known that, I probably would have been a lot uglier than I was when I was out there. … I didn’t like to waste time. I just wanted to get the ball and let’s go. Even to the point where I rushed the hitter a lot of times without really meaning to, and I think most of the hitters thought I did that on purpose and I really didn’t.
On losing the 1968 World Series:
We had a problem with Mickey Lolich. … Before we started playing, [Roger Maris] said, “We don’t have a problem trying to beat anybody on that team except Lolich. You got to watch Lolich because he’s got a really, really good slider.” And that’s the way it turned out. … The reason it hurts is because I think we had a better ballclub. They had more power, [but] I think we had a better defensive team [and] a faster ballclub. We could do some things. … Even though we didn’t win it, I believe we had the best team.
Ozzie Smith:
We all live for those special moments. … For me, playing the game 19 years, I don’t know if it gets any better than that because that really is the dream, the dream to be at the plate in the bottom of the ninth to get the hit to win the ballgame.
I looked at myself and the team as being very fortunate in that we were able to go to three World Series, and there are a lot of guys who play this game for 20 to 25 years and never experience that. So, that in and of itself was a blessing for me and all my teammates, and I would not change anything with what happened to me through the 1980’s because it was the best time of my life. I think it was the best of times for anybody that was a baseball fan, not just Cardinals fans.
It created a memory that will last for a lifetime. … Of course the legend Jack Buck on the call with, “Go crazy, folks.” When I sign things now, it is signed with, “Go crazy, folks.” … It’s become a part of my life.
OK, Richard Deitsch. I can hear you. Enough with the Skip Bayless, right?
Earlier today, I posted my Chicago Tribune column on Bayless. As you would expect, I had much more that I could squeeze into 750 words for the newspaper.
Thanks to the infinite Internet, I thought I would share more from my interview with Bayless, which took place at the hotel where he lives year-round in Bristol. It provides more of an idea of what makes him tick.
How did you enjoy your Chicago years? What struck you about being a columnist in Chicago?
Some of the best years of my career.
Why?
Because it’s the most passionate sports city in America. The interest stays high 365 days a year for every sport, including the Blackhawks, even when they’re down. And I loved living downtown. It was a great experience because it’s such a great place, and what I liked the least about Chicago was the traffic, because I think it might be the worst traffic city in America.
It got worse.
Did it?
You caught the tail end of Jordan, right?
I got ’98. I got the last year. Which to me was the best ‑‑ it was the most writable year because of the in‑fighting between Krause and Michael and Phil. Every day the story just got better and better, and remember, I got Sammy at his height. And I got Cubs with Kerry Wood rising into the playoffs. They flamed out quickly against the Braves that year, but it was still a great year. And then I got the end of (Dave) Wannstedt, who I’d known very well from Dallas, so it was still interesting to me to be that connected to him and the Bears and to watch his struggle and ultimate collapse. It was a good time to be there.
And then you made a decision to leave.
I made a decision.
And the decision was based on philosophical differences?
Extreme philosophical differences because (of the length of his column). Over breakfast one morning (editor Anne Marie Lipinski) glanced at her sections spread out before her in the Tribune and realized that the only section without an anchored column on the front was the sports. We believed it gave us the best flexibility. If I had the goods on a story and I had done the reporting on a story that I could go a little longer than 650 words. I could maybe even write 1,000 words, and it gave (sports editor John Cherwa) the flexibility with the art on the front to be very creative and to, as he often did, win awards with his section front.
She wanted all the section fronts to look alike. So I immediately went in and said, ‘this won’t work for us.’ I liked her a lot, went to lunch with her several times and personally got along with her great. She said, “you will learn to like this.” That was the quote. I said, “I will try,”
And I got more miserable by the day because I can’t write 650‑word columns. It doesn’t fit me. I wasn’t good at it. My columns suffered over it. And I suffered emotionally over it. It was so frustrating that I knew at the three‑month mark I just wasn’t going to make it, but for the sake of John and because I loved my job so much, I stuck it out for three more months. I got to the six‑month mark, and I told John, “I just can’t do this anymore,” He knew how miserable I had become.
I told (Lipinski), ‘I tried it, can’t live with it.’ She smiled and said, “Great. Where are you going?” I said, “I don’t have a plan yet.” She said, ‘OK, it was great having you here.’ And that was the end of that.
What does that say about you? You had a great job in a great city, and yet you walked away?
In the big picture, it says that I chose not to have children. Seriously. And I knew going in that my career was first. Every woman I have been with has known my career was first. My current knows that my career came first, and she was the first one who’s been good with that, which is why we’re so good together.
But my career is my life and my passion. It’s not a job, it’s just my life. So I was able to do that when the job no longer fit what I do best. Then I was able to say, I need to find another one, and I did.
No compromise?
That is correct. I didn’t want to compromise my work ethic, because John was good for me and to me in that he would encourage me to be a reporter, to not just be an opinionist, and so occasionally I would really dig into something if we had the time, because I always had the inclination, even though I’m writing four times a week, occasionally if you do the reporting as you well know and you have the goods where you can write both a take with some heavy support and maybe you could do an opinion that actually breaks some news, which every once in a while I was able to do, I needed more than 650 words.
How does that work ethic even factor into what you’re doing now?
My work ethic has now found its ultimate challenge because I have never, and I do not exaggerate this, as hard as I have always worked and been known as a hard worker, never have I worked harder than I do now. This is a relentless insatiable beast. I’ve been only taking two weeks a year off. I think I might take three this year.
But I love it and I live for it, and I still leap out of bed at 5:30 every morning, but this is a rough one because if you’re doing live, unscripted debate for two full hours five days a week, 50 weeks a year, the preparation for it can be overwhelming, because within the confines of any given debate, it might go places that you’re not expecting or predicting or preparing for, so you have to prepare for every possibility. If he goes here, I could go there. Or what if he brings this up? And you just have to constantly look up, look up, look up, and I feel like I’m back in college cramming for exams. I cram for an exam every night.
You talk about authentic. You know the one thing that people don’t necessarily believe is that you’re authentic
They’re all wrong. They’re all wrong.
They all think that you do this…
Well then they don’t know. I don’t know, I can’t explain. I’m just telling you the truth. Whoever says that has no idea what he or she is talking about.
How frustrating is that?
They don’t know me. It doesn’t frustrate me at all. I don’t care. I get asked about it, so it irritates me.
People don’t believe me when I talk about working with you. I know you don’t do anything for show.
It’s 1,000 percent authentic. It’s as legit as legit can get. It’s the realest sports TV on TV because it is completely unscripted. And remember, I’m working with one of the loosest cannons in the history of cannons, and I have no idea where he’s going to go because sometimes he has no idea where he’s going to go. That’s as real as it gets.
I believe what I believe down to my toes. Anyone who’s ever worked with me will tell you that’s me. For better or for worse. I’m not saying it’s a great thing because I’m stubbornly proud. But I am proud as proud can be, and I believe everything that I’m going to say on TV with all my heart and soul. And I have the courage of my convictions.
If you follow our show, I defy you to show me something that I said that you thought was completely outlandish and that I said only for the sake of saying it that did not prove true. I am often ahead of curves. And I’m not willing to back off. I don’t usually get credit for it when it proves true over time, but I’m not stupid, and I’m not doing it for ratings because our audience is sophisticated and smart, and they will see right through that. They keep coming back because they know I believe what I believe, and yet even though they might occasionally think, that’s crazy, they listen to me explain it and deliver the whys of it, and I think people start to think it makes sense.
But there are people out there who trash you. It doesn’t bother you?
It doesn’t bother me a bit. Don’t lose any sleep.
Really?
Nope, doesn’t bother me a bit because I’m so comfortable in my skin because in my heart I know I put in the hours and I am a sports nut. That’s what people can’t understand. But I live for this stuff, and I watch games a little differently, maybe, than other people do, because I’m constantly asking myself why did that happen, what’s really going on here.
And I think I bring things every morning to that debate table that people haven’t thought about that prove true. And I drive my partner crazy with my stubbornness, my stubborn pride, but he respects me just as I respect him. He has a great mind for sports. I think I have a good mind for sports, for people. Maybe my mind is even better for just people, what makes people tick, what are they all about.
What are you and Steven A. like after a show? Are there times you walk out of there where you guys aren’t talking, or does it ever get that heated?
I love him like a brother, but I do not always like him. But Ed, again, bottom of heart, I have never taken anything home, any anger home, any sort of brotherly hate or whatever you would call that when you just start to hate each other because you’re brothers over some topic. From topic to topic, we both get mad. I’ve gotten mad a number of times. But we’re so close and we have so much respect that, believe me, we always shake it off in the break. And you’ll see us come right back the next topic, and it’s just business as usual.
Is he keeping score, too?
Absolutely. I’ve read quotes from him in the last piece that somebody wrote. Was it the Washington Post one, I think he said I want to win every debate. The truth is I do win every debate.
You never lose a debate?
I have never lost a debate.
Come on.
In my mind.
This is where you live during the week?
Yeah. When we were doing the show in New York, and somebody up here had the bright idea, and I mean that literally, it was a bright idea, why are we doing this? There was a regime change from the Mark Shapiro years, and so they wanted to keep our show intact but they wanted to save millions of dollars in studio costs in New York. Why shouldn’t we just bring it up to Bristol? I can’t blame them.
So they said, hey, why don’t you just stay in a hotel for a couple of weeks until you figure out your living situation, and I did, and here I am ‑‑ it’s been like six years.
And you go down to New York over the weekend?
I do, and sometimes she comes up here occasionally just to kind of break it up a little bit for me.
What do you do about watching all the games during the weekend?
I watch college football from noon to 1:00 a.m. every day. We’ll go get something to eat for a few minutes, but I watch it, and it’s partly because I love it but partly because I have to watch it. On Sundays, obviously I watch the NFL games.
This job is relentless like that. And I’ll watch the NBA on Friday night. Fortunately she likes the NBA. It’s the one sport she really has come to love, and I like the Spurs, and she’s come to love the Spurs, so she really enjoyed ‑‑ if the Spurs play on a Friday, we will definitely watch that. But if the Heat play on Friday night, I’m going to watch every bit of it, and she’ll roll with that.
So that’s life with Skip Bayless?
It’s insatiable. It does not stop.
A good night for sports viewing besides games.
ESPN’s new 30 for 30 is The Price of Gold, recounting the incredible saga of Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding (8 p.m. ET). Interestingly, Kerrigan did not participate in the film. She will be part of a NBC documentary about it. Coincidentally, Kerrigan is working the OIympics for NBC.
Still even without Kerrigan, the film is terrific. Here is a link to Ben Koo’s review in Awful Announcing.
******
Meanwhile, more pleasant memories will be recounted on MLB Network. My Most Memorable Game makes it debut at 9 p.m. ET.
In tonight’s episode, Cal Ripken Jr. has a hard time staying composed while discussing Game No. 2,131.
Here’s the official rundown on the series from MLB Network:
*******
Major League Baseball legends recount unforgettable games in their careers in MLB Network’s new series My Most Memorable Game beginning this Thursday at 9:00 p.m. ET as Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. discusses the night in September 1995 he played his 2,131st consecutive game and broke Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig’s streak of games played.
Co-hosted by Bob Costas and Tom Verducci, My Most Memorable Game features Ripken, eight-time All-Star John Smoltz, and Hall of Famers Ozzie Smith, Bob Gibson, Johnny Bench and Tom Glavine as they relive the memories they have from a signature game in their storied careers.
Throughout the hour-long interview filmed in Cooperstown, New York in July 2013, Ripken talks about his emotions leading up to and during the game, being linked to Gehrig in baseball history, criticism he faced during the streak, the closest he came to missing a game prior to breaking the record, and the mentality needed to accomplish the feat.
My Most Memorable Game will continue throughout the offseason as Smoltz discusses his complete game shutout to win Game Seven of the 1991 NLCS (Jan. 23, 9pm ET), Smith reminisces about his walkoff home run to end Game Five of the 1985 NLCS (Jan. 30, 9pm ET), Gibson talks about his record-setting 17 strikeout performance in Game One of the 1968 World Series (Jan. 30, 9:30pm ET), Bench recounts his game-tying home run during Game Five of the 1972 NLCS (Feb. 6, 9pm ET), and Glavine relives his eight shutout innings to clinch Game Six of the 1995 World Series (Feb. 6, 9:30pm ET).
Go out to lunch, and they make changes at ESPN….
The Vince Doria retirement watch finally is over. Whoever had early 2015 in the pool wins.
However, the transition is beginning now. ESPN President John Skipper announced that Rob King will assume control of SportsCenter and ESPN’s news operations.
Also, it looks like 2014 is shaping up as a farewell tour for Doria.
Skipper writes: “Vince has elevated us immensely each day of his time with us, and his contributions deserve more time and consideration than a passing reference in a note such as this. . . stay tuned.”
Also, a big new position for John Wildhack.
Here is John Skipper’s memo to the staff via ESPN Front Row.
********
ESPN President John Skipper sent the following note to the company this afternoon announcing changes within the content division:
A hallmark of our company has been consistent focus on enhancing creativity and innovation in service to sports fans and it is important to continually align our people and resources to support that effort. Toward that end, we are implementing a new structure in our Programming and Production departments that seeks to renew and expand our creative energies while effectively positioning our individual strengths.
John Wildhack will assume the new role of EVP Programming and Production reporting to me. He will continue to oversee all of our production efforts while adding overall responsibility for programming acquisitions, rights holder relationship management and scheduling. In his 33 years with ESPN, John has expertly filled a wide variety of production and programming management roles, and is without question, exceptionally well qualified to lead the now-combined areas.
Norby Williamson will assume the new role of EVP Production, Program Scheduling & Development, reporting to John Wildhack. In addition to continuing his oversight of program scheduling, Norby will take on additional responsibilities in programming and production with a portfolio that includes, among other duties, ESPN International production, Audio, ESPN Deportes, Production Operations, Creative Services and a more formal approach to creating innovative new programming — a skill he has admirably demonstrated over the years. In this role, Norby will help us advance the strategy of our programming lineups and incubate new original programming concepts and show development across our platforms.
The following executives will now also report to Wildhack:
• Mark Gross, SVP Production & Remote Events, will now oversee all event production for the domestic networks, our Talent office and multiple studio operations covering NFL, NBA and college. Jed Drake, SVP & Executive Producer, will maintain his current portfolio now reporting to Mark. Mark has proven adept at guiding our studio and football programming expansion and we look forward to bringing his perspective to all of our game productions going forward. Jed has distinguished himself and ESPN with innovative techniques on a variety of sports categories and special projects in the past, and we look forward to what he and his team have in store with this year’s World Cup in Brazil.
• Rob King, SVP SportsCenter and News, will transition from the digital and print arena to oversee all of SportsCenter and our newsgathering operations. In his time with ESPN, Rob has brought his many talents to all of our editorial platforms, and is well suited to lead the future efforts of our company’s biggest sub-brand. Vince Doria, SVP, Director of News, who has notified us that he plans to retire in early 2015, will now report to Rob and will begin to transition his newsgathering responsibilities to Craig Bengtson, VP, Director of News, who is currently quite busy with bringing SportsCenter to Digital Center 2 later this year. Vince has elevated us immensely each day of his time with us, and his contributions deserve more time and consideration than a passing reference in a note such as this. . . stay tuned. Patrick Stiegman, VP, Editorial Digital & Print Media, will assume Rob’s previous responsibilities overseeing digital and print editorial operations reporting to John Kosner, EVP, Digital and Print Media.
• Burke Magnus, SVP Programming Acquisitions, will be responsible for all of the company’s program acquisitions and rights holder relations. He and his team have done a tremendous job crafting our leadership position in college sports, and ESPN and our many programming clients will benefit from his experience. Scott Guglielmino, SVP Programming & Global X; Justin Connolly, SVP College Networks; Julie Sobieski, VP League Sports Programming; and Pete Derzis, SVP & GM ESPN Regional Television, will report to Burke. In addition, Rosalyn Durant, VP College Sports Programming, will also report to Burke and assume expanded responsibilities as a key leader of ESPN’s college programming.
• Stephanie Druley, VP Production College Networks. Stephanie recently added production oversight of the SEC Network launch to her existing Longhorn Network duties, and she is working diligently with Justin on both those businesses. The SEC Network is an outstanding opportunity for the company warranting our significant attention.
The following executives will report to Williamson:
• Steve Anderson, EVP Content Operations & Creative Services, who will continue to oversee production operations and creative services, areas that are essential in our continued quest to innovate.
• Traug Keller, SVP Production Business Divisions/Audio & Deportes, who will continue to be responsible for our ESPN Audio and ESPN Deportes businesses, each of which has grown consistently under his leadership.
• John Papa, VP Programming Content Strategy and Scheduling, who, in addition to his responsibility for scheduling all of ESPN’s television networks and services, will now have the opportunity to contribute to our overall programming development efforts. John and his team have done a masterful job of solving a very complicated puzzle each day in pursuit of maximizing viewership, and his new area of focus will help us in that pursuit as well.
• Marcia Keegan, VP Production, who will continue in her current role and whose responsibilities include stewardship of several of our high-profile studio shows, including First Take, Numbers Never Lie and SportsNation. She will continue to work with Norby in supervising Jamie Horowitz, VP Original Programming.
• Rodolfo Martinez, VP International & ESPN Deportes Production, who, as a dual report to Norby and Tim Bunnell, Sr. VP, Programming & Marketing ESPN International, will continue the excellent work he has done leading our international and ESPN Deportes production efforts. ESPN Deportes just celebrated 10 impactful years and Rodolfo and his team have contributed significantly to our success.
This team is unparalleled in our industry and I am very much looking forward to their future contributions. Please join me in congratulating everyone and in wishing them continued success.
– John
Dan McNeil is returning to WSCR-AM 670 in Chicago.
Earlier this morning, his partner, Matt Spiegel, posted this via TwitLonger:
Dan McNeil returns today at noon, and the Mac and Spiegs show will reconvene.
I know many of you have hungered for information and details about the show; I’m sorry I haven’t been able to respond and provide them along the way. The situation was simply too delicate personally, legally, and professionally to comment on publicly.I look forward to Mac being able to tell you about his absence and return, in his words, as he sees fit.
Laurence Holmes is a complete pro, a great host, and a phenomenal teammate. It’s been awesome to work with him these 7 weeks and get a rhythm going; I enjoyed my radio tryst. We appreciate those of you that stuck with us, or found us and stayed.Game on. Let the Iron Man streak begin anew.
Interesting comments from Howie Long about watching his sons, Chris and Kyle, play in last Sunday’s Chicago-St. Louis.
It’s been a long run for Dan Dierdorf, who received Hall of Fame honors as a player and analyst.
Who replaces Dierdorf at CBS’ No. 2 analyst? I’m betting another former Monday Night Football alum: Dan Fouts.
From CBS:
After 43 consecutive years in the National Football League as a Hall of Fame player and Hall of Fame broadcaster, Dan Dierdorf has announced his retirement following this season.
Dierdorf, who is the longest tenured NFL analyst on television and teams with Greg Gumbel for NFL ON CBS coverage, has spent the past 30 years as an NFL broadcaster, following a 13-year playing career with the St. Louis Cardinals.
“I have been blessed to spend my entire life in the game I love,” said Dierdorf. “I had an opportunity to go from the field directly to the broadcast booth where I have had the privilege of working with the giants of our business including Ray Scott, Lindsey Nelson, Jack Buck, Dick Stockton, Al Michaels, Frank Gifford, Verne Lundquist, Dick Enberg and lastly, my partner, Greg Gumbel. It has become a challenge for me to travel to a different NFL city every week, so it’s time to step aside. This has been a wonderful ride as I really have lived the dream.”
“For 43 NFL seasons Dan Dierdorf has been a consummate professional both on the field and in the broadcast booth,” said Sean McManus, Chairman, CBS Sports. “Very few people in any profession can boast a Hall of Fame playing career and Hall of Fame broadcasting career. Dan, without question, is one of them. His CBS Sports family will miss him on Sundays, but we wish him all the best in his retirement.”
Dierdorf was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996 and was the 2008 recipient of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award. The Rozelle Award is annually given by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of “long-time exceptional contributions to radio and television in professional football.” He joins Frank Gifford, John Madden and Len Dawson as the only members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame to also have won the Rozelle Award.
Dierdorf began his NFL broadcasting career in 1984 as a color analyst for KMOX’s Radio coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals and NFL games for CBS Radio Network. He was a play-by-play announcer for THE NFL ON CBS broadcasts in 1985 before switching to color analysis in 1986. In 1987 Dierdorf joined ABC Sports’ “Monday Night Football” for 12 years, before returning to CBS Sports in 1999.
“A Hall of Fame player and a Hall of Fame broadcaster, a unique combination of knowledge and experience that few others can match,” said Gumbel. “There has never been a day I’ve worked with Dan when I didn’t learn something about the game of football. For that, and for so much more, I’m forever grateful. His departure is the fans’ loss. Our loss. My loss. We will all miss Dan Dierdorf.”
Sorry ESPN, this won’t help you on Sunday nights.
From Ken Fang of Awful Announcing:
Starting in 2014, CBS and Fox will be able to air more attractive games in the 4:25 p.m. ET window. And that means you could see a 1 p.m. ET or 4:05 p.m. Fox game in a CBS late afternoon window and vice-versa. In a nutshell, you will see NFC games on CBS and AFC contests on Fox. Confused?
Let’s take Week 11 of this season as an example. The NFL had moved Kansas City at Denver into primetime giving it to NBC’s Sunday Night Football. This was originally scheduled for a 4:05 p.m. ET regional window on CBS. Under the new rules, the NFL would have had the option to move it into Fox’s 4:25 p.m. window to allow more viewers to see the game. A less attractive Fox game might have been moved to 1 p.m. to accommodate this flex. And if the NFL wanted to put another game into primetime, it would have been able to do so.
The idea makes perfect sense. If it’s all about serving the fans, then make sure the best games get shown to the largest audience possible.
Interesting to see where the story goes from here. Or if it ends here.