Spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of sports media….

Best sports days: Matt Yoder of Awful Announcing writes about the 10 best sports days on the calendar. As a golf guy, I support his No. 2 choice.

2. Final Round of the Masters

Maybe it’s Jim Nantz and his poetic praise of the azaleas over the piano and strings.  Maybe it’s the hushed tones of the announcers referring to “patrons” instead of fans.  Maybe it’s the sight of sunshine and green grass after a long winter.  Whatever the case, there’s something totally unique about The Masters as a television event.  And more specifically, the presentation of the Final Round convinces you that the entire world is watching.  From Arnold Palmer in 1960 to Jack Nicklaus in 1986 to Tiger Woods in 1997 and Adam Scott last year, there’s no better amphitheater in sports than the Back 9 on Sunday at The Masters and it’s proven year after year after year.

NBA TV: John Lombardo and John Ourand of Sports Business Daily write about the landscape for the NBA as it pursues new network TV deals.

Moving the NBA on TNT off of Thursday night?

Taking on a third TV partner?

Bringing the NBA’s digital rights back in-house?

These are three of the ideas that have been floated as the league starts the process of negotiating its next media deal.

The talks are still in their embryonic stages, so the ideas may never come to fruition. But the fact that such topics are even being contemplated illustrates how the league and its TV network partners are viewing the upcoming negotiations: Everything is on the table as both sides try to figure out how the NBA media landscape will look into the next decade.

Adam Schefter: On page 2 of his voluminous weekly column, SI.com’s Richard Deitsch talks to Schefter about the competition among NFL TV reporters.

Believe it or not, what drives me is my boss, Seth Markman. He knows how to push my buttons. Before free agency every year, he gives me a list of players and the stories he wants me to get. This year he dubbed it “The Markman 50.” He promised me $1 — very Trading Places-ish — for each name I got. Maybe I shouldn’t admit this, but I was obsessed with landing every player I could on The Markman 50. It had nothing to do with the dollar, and everything with the competition with him. We would argue about whether guys belonged, where the credit should be. Even when a player like Ravens linebacker and Markman 50er member Daryl Smith re-signed, it brought me far more gratification than it should. When Seth first sent me this year’s list, he wrote he expected 45 of the 50 stories. So considerate of him to leave such a wide margin of error. All week I felt like I was competing to get as many players as possible on The Markman 50. I told him he’s driving me like a mule. He offered not to do it next year. I told him it’s like going through boot camp; you’re better for having gone through it.

Dodgers TV Network: The Los Angeles Daily News writes an editorial saying the new Dodgers network shuts out too many people in LA.

George Will: Sports Book Review Center reviews Will’s latest book on the 100th anniversary of Wrigley Field.

Will has lived in the Washington area for many years, and he certainly can go to an Orioles or Nationals game when convenient. However, it’s still true that your favorite team as a child usually stays with you for a lifetime. “A Nice Little Place on the North Side” is a charming love letter to a team that has frequently broken his heart, yet left him coming back for more.

Boomer and Carton: Neil Best of Newsday writes about national exposures for the WFAN morning team.

McManus said he has not heard complaints from the hinterlands about hearing and seeing New York voices.

“It’s playing well, I think, nationally,’’ he said. “It’s more obviously geared toward local New York sports, but I think both of them are entertaining enough and both of them talk about even non-sports elements sometimes that I think it plays really well.

“Whether you’re talking about New York sports or the Los Angeles Lakers or the Miami Heat, if it’s good entertaining radio and good entertaining television it will play well across a national audience.’’

Covering the beat: Jason Lloyd, the Cleveland Cavaliers beat writer for the Akron Beacon Journal, writes about being on 24/7 call.

I was standing on a golf course when I learned the Cavs were trading J.J. Hickson. I was at Panera trying to have lunch with my wife when Chris Grant was fired.

I was standing in a pet store last summer trying to replace the family goldfish when news broke Andrew Bynum would join the Cavs. When I had a story that was critical of Kyrie Irving a few weeks back, my boss edited it from the frozen-food aisle of Giant Eagle.

Covering the tournament: Michael Bradley, writing for the National Sports Journalism Center at Indiana, says it still is tough to beat covering the NCAA tournament.

The media can’t help but fall prey to the moment, too. Despite the time-honored mandate of remaining objective, writers and broadcasters find themselves rooting – for the event itself. It’s so much fun to be in an arena knowing there are four important games ahead, and the whole day is part of an event that captivates America. Just as the teams try to elevate their performances to reach the tournament’s level, so too do media members seek to do their jobs to a higher standard. Even the pre-game hanging out takes on a tone of greater importance, since A Teamers from outlets around the country have congregated to chronicle the happenings.

APSE: As the association nears its 40th anniversary, president Tim Stephens outlines some goals for APSE.

In D.C., we’ll celebrate APSE’s 40th anniversary with a forward-thinking conference lineup that will emphasize professional development and hands-on training. APSE was formed in 1974 to help set high standards for American sports journalism. It has been a support group, an advocate for access, a source of mentorship and career development and a beacon of quality during that time. Our mission has not changed even if the industry around us has, leading us to evolve with it.

APSE has taken on serious challenges before; we must do so again now.