Sports Media News

Keeping Up With All The Industry Press Releases

Archives for June 2010

Showtime Sports® To Again Offer Popular Online Experience To Global Audience

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STRIKEFORCE & M-1 GLOBAL: ALL ACCESS

Pre-Order and Sample Today at http://strikeforce.sho.com

Live Strikeforce & M-1 GLOBAL: Fedor vs. Werdum

To Stream Simultaneously With Live SHOWTIME® Telecast

Saturday, June 26, From HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. 

SHOWTIME Sports once again will offer Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fans around the world STRIKEFORCE: All Access, the cutting edge online interactive experience, live on Saturday, June 26, for STRIKEFORCE and M-1 GLOBAL: Fedor vs. Werdum from HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.

The immersive digital initiative will stream simultaneously with the live SHOWTIME® telecast beginning at 10 p.m. ET* and will be available to fans around the world.

STRIKEFORCE: All Access debuted on April 11, 2009, when world-class MMA promotion STRIKEFORCE brought Frank Shamrock vs. Nick Diaz to SHOWTIME.  The unique experience was offered again on June 6, 2009 for the Robbie Lawler vs. Jake Shields event and went global for “Carano vs. Cyborg” on Aug. 15, 2009.  STRIKEFORCE and M-1 GLOBAL: Fedor vs. Werdum will be the first offering of STRIKEFORCE: All Access in 2010.

With STRIKEFORCE: All Access, fans can be their own director and toggle among five live cameras with full pause and rewind capabilities including SHOWTIME Sports exclusive CageCam®—a small and high quality camera worn by the referee which takes viewers inside the cage during the fights.  It is the closest and most intimate viewing experience ever presented in MMA.  Audio tracks will include the SHOWTIME telecast fight call by host and play-by-play man Gus Johnson, and color commentators Frank Shamrock and Mauro Ranallo, as well as the corresponding audio to the selected camera.

STRIKEFORCE: All Access will cost $24.95 per user and is available for pre-order at http://strikeforce.sho.com beginning today.  Purchase includes access to the live stream and replays anytime thereafter through July 1.

As part of STRIKEFORCE: All Access fans also will receive a live Twitter feed from the event and can join behind-the scenes staff in tweeting about “Strikeforce” and “SHOWTIME Sports” during the evening.

Through a Facebook® Connect application, fans will be able to make predictions, comment on the live fights, discuss outcomes and even talk a little smack directly on the All Access page.

Other features include professional and amateur photography from the spectacle in the arena.  Images of the fights, fan interaction and backstage will be uploaded during the live event via Flickr, the popular image and video hosting website and online community.

The June 26 event will mark the first time in MMA history that the No. 1 male and female fighters in the world will step into the cage on the same night.  Fedor, long considered the world’s top pound for pound fighter, will take on world-ranked Fabricio Werdum and share the spotlight with female wrecking machine Cris Cyborg, who will defend her STRIKEFORCE Women’s World Middleweight (145 pound) Championship against Jan Finney.

*Telecast airs live in the U.S. at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME (delayed on the West Coast); STRIKEFORCE: All Access will be webcast live in available countries at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

Facebook® is a registered trademark of Facebook Inc.

CageCam® is a registered trademark of Showtime Networks Inc.

CBS Rebuts Claims that “ESPN3 BELIEVES U.S.-ALGERIA IS MOST-VIEWED BROADBAND EVENT EVER”

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According to ESPN.com news services, “ESPN said 1.1 million people watched at least some of the USA’s 1-0 win as it was streamed on ESPN3.com Wednesday. The match, which was also watched on ESPN by 6.2 million people, lasted from 10 a.m. to noon ET, during working hours for most of the United States. The network says it was the biggest online audience for a sporting event, beating the Duke-Butler NCAA championship basketball game on a Monday night from earlier this year.”

As anyone who has followed NCAA March Madness on Demand (MMOD) since we started streaming the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship in 2003 will tell you, CBSSports.com has always said we get the biggest audiences for the first round games. With that in mind, it was incorrect for ESPN to assume the Duke-Butler championship game, which was viewed by 48 million people on CBS Television in primetime, would produce the largest online number for the tournament. Unfortunately, we were never contacted by ESPN to confirm that the Duke-Butler game was our largest single game from the 2010 tournament before they reported it.

To set the facts straight, we pulled the per game streaming data for 2010 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship on MMOD and the attached chart shows traffic for the individual games – 3rd party sourced by Akamai – with the two World Cup games and the data that ESPN is reporting.

U.S. – Algeria: ESPN’s Highest-Rated and Most-Watched Soccer Telecast

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U.S. – Algeria: ESPN’s Highest-Rated and Most-Watched Soccer Telecast

Thru 40 Games on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2, Ratings Up 40% and Viewership Up 49% vs. 2006

ESPN3.com Logs Largest U.S. Audience for a Sports Event on the Web

Wednesday morning’s United States vs. Algeria FIFA World Cup match on ESPN – in which the Americans scored a dra matic goal in stoppage time to earn a 1-0 win and a spot in the Round of 16 – is the highest-rated and most-watched soccer game in the history of ESPN networks, delivering a 4.6 rating (4.0 household U.S. rating), 4,582,000 households and 6,161,000 viewers for the two-hour contest (10 a.m. ET – noon).

The previous households record was set five days earlier with the U.S.-Slovenia match (June 18) – 3,906,000.

Excluding holidays, ESPN’s coverage of the U.S.-Algeria game ranks as the most-watched weekday morning telecast ever for ESPN, surpassing the U.S.-Germany World Cup match from eight years ago (June 21, 2002) – 4.4 rating and 5,335,000 viewers.

The game ranked as the highest-rated program of the day on any network among M18-34 and M18-49.

Through Wednesday, June 23 (40 games on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2), the 2010 World Cup is averaging a 1.8 U.S. rating (for the two-hour match window) — up 40% from 2006 (1.3).  Household impressions are up 46% (from 1,389,000 to 2,025,000) and P2+ impressions are up 49% (from 1,789,000 to 2,658,000).

San Diego was the top market for yesterday’s Team USA game, delivering an 8.9 rating – all the more impressive considering the 7 a.m. local start time.  Rounding out the top 10 were Baltimore (6.7), San Francisco (6.1), Washington, D.C. (5.4), Sacramento (5.4), Houston (5.4), Las Vegas (5.4), Miami-Ft. Lauderdale (5.3), New York (5.3) and West Palm Beach (5.3). San Diego was also the top market for both the U.S./England game on ABC (11.5) and the U.S./Slovenia game on ESPN (8.5).

U.S. – Algeria Sets Records for ESPN Digital Platforms

ESPN3.com – The U.S. vs. Algeria game marked a milestone for online video, logging the largest U.S. audience ever for a sports event on the web.  It attracted nearly 1.1 million unique viewers with an average time spent viewing of 43 minutes. The match also averaged 328,000 viewers per minute in its live coverage.  When combined with the concurrent England vs. Slovenia match, ESPN3.com reached its peak point of viewing at around 11:30 a.m. ET when 513,000 viewers were watching each minute.

For the four World Cup matches on June 23, ESPN3.com captured 1.4 million viewers who watched for 84 million total minutes.  Through 14 days of World Cup coverage (June 10-23), five million viewers have watched the World Cup on ESPN3.com and consumed more than 9.2 million total hours.

ESPN.com & ESPNSoccernet.com – ESPNsoccernet.com set an all-time record Wednesday with more visits than any day in its history. On June 23, ESPN.com World Cup content generated 8.8 million visits and 33.3 million page views.  To date, the site has had 68.7 million visits and 239.3 million page views of World Cup coverage.

Additionally, GameCast for the U.S. vs. Algeria match reached one million visitors who spent 10.1 million total minutes watching the match. ESPN.com also logged a record day of delivering live scoring updates to fans.  The site peaked at 1.7 million concurrent users, beating its previous record by 42 percent.

ESPN Digital Audio – ESPNRadio.com logged the largest concurrent audience ever to a single stream according to Ando Media.  The player peaked at 180,000 listeners connected to the U.S. vs. Algeria match, nearly doubling its previous record for the U.S. vs. Slovenia (June 18).  Additionally, ESPNRadio.com saw record online traffic with 668,000 visits and 1.1 million page views throughout the day, according to Omniture.

From June 11-20, the World Cup had generated nearly 3.8 million total listening hours, with an average time spent listening of 47 minutes.

ESPN Mobile — June 23 was the most-trafficked day to-date for World Cup content across all of ESPN’s mobile platforms. ESPN’s FIFA World Cup 2010 iPhone app delivered 3.2 million visits and 19.9 million page views for the day.  Since the World Cup began, the app has seen 30.8 million visits and 200.6 million page views. World Cup content on the ESPN mobile Web site also added another 2.4 million visits and 13.7 million page views to the mobile tally.  To date, the mobile Web has generated 20.2 million visits and 90.7 million page views.

Nearly 650,000 users accessed the U.S. vs. Algeria match via mobile GameCast and generated 7.9 million minutes of usage.

World Cup Schedule – Round of 16

The 2010 FIFA World Cup continues with the Round of 16 elimination matches starting Saturday, June 26, on ESPN and ABC. Six of the eight matchups have already been determined, including the highly anticipated U.S. vs. Ghana (Saturday, 2 p.m./ABC), Germany vs. England (Sunday, 9:30 a.m./ESPN) and Argentina vs. Mexico (Sunday, 2 p.m./ABC). Round of 16 matches will also be available on ESPN3.com, ESPN Radio, ESPN 3D, ESPN Mobile TV and ESPN Deportes.

Date Time (ET) Matchup Site Network
Sat, June 26 9:30 a.m. Uruguay (A1) vs.

South Korea (B2)

 Port Elizabeth ESPN/ESPN3.com/ ESPN Radio
2 p.m. United States (C1) vs. Ghana (D2) Rustenburg ABC/ESPN Radio
Sun, June 27 9:30 a.m. Germany (D1) vs.

England (C2)

 Bloemfontein ESPN/ESPN3.com/ ESPN Radio
2 p.m. Argentina (1B) vs.

Mexico (A2)

 Johannesburg ABC/ESPN 3D/

ESPN Radio
Mon, June 28 9:30 a.m. Netherlands (E1) vs. Slovakia (F2) Durban ESPN/ESPN3.com/ ESPN 3D/ESPN Radio
2 p.m. TBD (G1) vs.

TBD (H2)

 Johannesburg ESPN/ESPN3.com/ ESPN 3D/ESPN Radio
Tues,  June 29 9:30 a.m. Paraguay (F1) vs. Japan (E2) Pretoria ESPN/ESPN3.com/ ESPN Radio
2 p.m. TBD (H1) vs.

TBD (G2)

 Cape Town ESPN/ESPN3.com/ ESPN Radio

ESPN Inc.’s 2010 FIFA World Cup Coverage in the United States

South Africa 2010 is ESPN’s seventh 2010 FIFA World Cup and coverage of the event is the most comprehensive in company history. ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC will air all 64 matches live and in high definition. ESPN3.com, ESPN’s signature broadband network available in more than 50 million homes, will feature live English-language simulcasts of matches on ESPN and ESPN2. ESPN 3D will feature 25 matches.  ESPN Mobile TV will show all matches. ESPN Deportes, the Spanish-language all sports network, will air more than 50 matches in Portuguese live in the U.S., and ESPN Radio will broadcast all 64 matches. Additionally, ESPN will present television studio programming from site in South Africa, offering U.S. sports fans the most comprehensive news and information coverage throughout the month-long soccer showcase.

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California Hockey Showcased as Los Angeles Hosts First Entry Draft

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CALIFORNIA HOCKEY SHOWCASED AS LOS ANGELES HOSTS FIRST ENTRY DRAFT

LOS ANGELES (June 24, 2010) – The NHL Entry Draft coming to California for the first time is the latest milestone for the growth of hockey in the Golden State.

The Los Angeles Kings and California Seals brought the NHL here in 1967, but it can be said that hockey really didn’t arrive in California until Aug. 9, 1988, the day of Wayne Gretzky’s monumental trade to the Kings. In their first season with Gretzky, the Kings improved from 68 points to 91, and won a playoff series for the first time since 1982. In 1990-91, they won the only division title in club history and finished with 102 points. Two seasons later, they had their magical run to the 1993 Stanley Cup Final.

More than 20 years later, the reverberations of the Gretzky Trade still can be seen at this year’s Entry Draft.

Medicine Hat Tigers right wing Emerson Etem, No. 8 on NHL Central Scouting’s ranking of North American skaters, grew up in nearby Long Beach. Five players in Central Scouting’s top 100 North American skaters hail from the Golden State — Etem; No. 32 Beau Bennett of Torrance (Penticton, BCHL); No. 51 Jason Zucker of Newport Beach (US Under-18, USHL); No. 68 Jacob Fallon of Riverside (Indiana, USHL); and No. 88 Taylor Aronson of Placentia (Portland, WHL).

Those five are one more than hockey-centric Massachusetts (four) and just one fewer than Michigan (six).

Rancho Santa Margarita native Jonathan Blum became the first California-born and -trained first-round draft pick when the Nashville Predators took him No. 23 in the 2007 Entry Draft, and California players have dotted the draft list over the last few years. Etem, who is expected to go in the top 15, could replace Blum as the highest-drafted California-born player.

“Wayne’s influence created a demand for ice time,” said Pat Brisson, a Los Angeles-based agent who represents top NHL players like Sidney Crosby and Patrick Kane. “I saw it firsthand. I was here. Youth hockey took off. … And now you see kids born in 1990, 1991, ’92 or ’93 in L.A. are now going to come into the NHL draft because of what Wayne did.”

Over time, more and better ice facilities were built, and youth hockey, which had been a near non-entity, began taking off. According to USA Hockey, there were 8,094 youth players (through 18 years old) registered in California for the 2009-10 season. Another 12,310 adults were registered through USA Hockey.

The Los Angeles Jr. Kings have 16 teams under their umbrella and are now members of the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League, which is scouted heavily by the USHL and top collegiate programs in the U.S. The Anaheim Junior Ducks have 14 teams under their umbrella and the San Jose Junior Sharks have 16 teams.

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Filed Under: NHL

TNT’s NASCAR Coverage Continues with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Racing from New Hampshire on Sunday, June 27

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TNT’s NASCAR Coverage Continues with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Racing from New Hampshire on Sunday, June 27

Pre-race coverage begins at Noon (ET); green flag drops at 1 p.m. (ET)

TNT heads back to the track for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Racing from New Hampshire presented by Captain Morgan on Sunday, June 27 live from Loudon, N.H. at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.  The network will air exclusive coverage of the LENOX Industrial Tools 301 beginning at 1 p.m. (ET) with play-by-play announcer Adam Alexander calling the race alongside analysts Kyle Petty and Wally Dallenbach in the booth.  In addition, analyst Larry McReynolds will make frequent contributions from the in-field as he breaks down crew strategy and analyzes car adjustments.

The network’s pre-race coverage will get underway at Noon (ET) with Countdown to Green featuring Lindsay Czarniak (host), Petty and McReynolds with reports from pit reporters Ralph Sheheen, Marty Snider, Phil Parsons and Matt Yocum.  No. 11 Denny Hamlin will join TNT’s infield rig for an interview prior to the race to discuss his current season on the track.  In addition, Czarniak will take a ride around the track with No. 31 Jeff Burton who has the most career wins of any driver at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

TNT’s acclaimed Pride of NASCAR series will feature the legendary Dale Inman who was the crew chief for Richard Petty at Petty Enterprises for three decades.  Together, they won 198 races and seven championships.

Throughout this year’s NASCAR on TNT Summer Series, the network will join forces with NASCAR.COM, the official site of NASCAR, to provide TNT RaceBuddy a multiplatform experience for race fans which features live feeds from the racetrack including pit road and in-car cameras, as well as live chats and polls.

2010 NASCAR on TNT Summer Series:

ALL TIMES EASTERN (ET)

SUNDAY, JUNE 27
12 – 1 p.m. Countdown to Green
1 – 4:30 p.m. NASCAR Sprint Cup Racing from New Hampshire presented by Captain Morgan (New Hampshire International Speedway)
SATURDAY, JULY 3
6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Countdown to Green
7:30 – 11 p.m. Coke Zero 400 at Daytona powered by Coca-Cola (Daytona International Speedway)
SATURDAY, JULY 10
6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Countdown to Green
7:30 – 11 p.m. NASCAR Sprint Cup Racing from Chicago (Chicagoland Speedway)

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Joe Louis kicks off HBO Sports’ summer documentary festival

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HBO SPORTS® PRESENTS A SUMMER FESTIVAL OF

ACCLAIMED DOCUMENTARIES, FEATURING A DIFFERENT FILM EVERY

THURSDAY FROM JULY 1 TO AUG. 5 ON HBO

NEW YORK, June 25, 2010 – Recognized as sports television’s best storyteller, HBO Sports presents six of its pioneering documentary films Thursday evenings on HBO this summer.  The collection of acclaimed documentaries, which feature HBO Sports’ trademark blend of archival footage, home movies, revealing interviews and unique storytelling, launches July 1 with “Joe Louis:  America’s Hero…Betrayed” and concludes Aug. 5 with “Rebels with a Cause:  The Story of the American Football League.”

Films include:

JOE LOUIS:  AMERICA’S HERO…BETRAYED (July 1, 6:30 p.m. ET/PT) examines the life of the boxing legend, showing how the grandson of slaves became one of the greatest heavyweights of all time, served as an iconic figure in World War II and carried himself with dignity and class through numerous setbacks.

DARE TO DREAM:  THE STORY OF THE U.S. WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAM (July 8, 6:30 p.m.) tells the inspiring story of a group of young women who not only excelled on the soccer field, but achieved landmark status on the American sports landscape by empowering millions of young girls to dream and achieve their goals.  Featuring Mia Hamm and Julie Foudy.

REVERSE OF THE CURSE OF THE BAMBINO (July 15, 6:30 p.m.) chronicles the Boston Red Sox’ historic 2004 comeback victory over the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series and their sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series, capturing the delirious celebrations of Sox faithful after the 86-year-old “Curse of the Bambino” was finally broken.

THE UCLA DYNASTY (July 22, 7:30 p.m.) traces the incredible success of the UCLA men’s basketball program, led by coach John Wooden, which captured an astounding ten national titles during a 12-year run.  The film examines the evolution of this landmark sports institution as it set standards excellence and consistency during a time of tremendous social and political change in the United States.

TED WILLIAMS (July 29, 6:30 p.m.) explores the life of the legendary Boston Red Sox slugger.  A larger-than-life baseball icon and war hero, Williams’ playing career, complex personal saga and relationship with the city of Boston make a fascinating story of courage, triumph and redemption.

REBELS WITH A CAUSE:  THE STORY OF THE AMERICAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE (Aug. 5, 6:30 p.m.) follows the colorful history of the AFL from its genesis in 1959, when Lamar Hunt announced his intention to form a competitor to the established National Football League, through its ten-year rivalry with the NFL.

Following its Thursday night presentation on HBO, each documentary will also be seen the following Wednesday on HBO2.  The films will also be available on HBO On Demand® during the festival’s run.

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Filed Under: HBO

McCarver: Torre’s Success with Dodgers Shows Growth as Manager

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FOX SPORTS NOTES, QUOTES & ANECDOTES

Yanks Invade Dodgertown on FOX Saturday Prime Time Baseball Game of the Week

McCarver: Torre’s Success with Dodgers Shows Growth as Manager

CHAMPS RETURN TO HOLLYWOOD IN PRIME TIME – For the first time in six years, Derek Jeter and the Yankees return to Chavez Ravine to take on Manny Ramirez and the Dodgers on Saturday, June 26 at 7:00 PM ET. In Chicago, it’s another Midwest battle royale as Paul Konerko and the White Sox welcome Alfonso Soriano to the South Side. Also, the resurgent Red Sox, led by a reignited offense travel to the Bay Area to face Giants’ lefty Jonathan Sanchez. This week, the pregame show originates live from the FOX Sports studio in Los Angeles with host Chris Rose and analyst Kevin Millar.

For instant updates throughout the week and during games from the entire MLB on FOX crew, follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MLBONFOX.  Fans can gain more access to exclusive FOX Sports content by logging on to www.facebook.com/foxsports and www.myspace.com/foxsports.

GAME PLAY-BY-PLAY/ANALYST COV.

New York Yankees at Los Angeles Dodgers               Joe Buck, Tim McCarver                                                  74%

& Ken Rosenthal

Dodger Stadium – Los Angeles, CA

MARKETS INCLUDE:  Albuquerque, Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Birmingham, Buffalo, Charlotte, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Fort Myers, Greensboro, Greenville, Hartford, Houston, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Memphis, Miami, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Norfolk, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, Raleigh, Richmond, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, Seattle, Tampa, Tulsa, Washington, West Palm Beach

Probable Pitchers: CC Sabathia, LHP (8-3, 3.68 ERA) vs. Hiroki Kuroda, RHP (6-5, 3.06 ERA)

Chicago Cubs at Chicago White Sox                             Kenny Albert & Mark Grace                                              16%

U.S. Cellular Field – Chicago, IL

MARKETS INCLUDE:  Chicago, Cincinnati, Dayton, Indianapolis, Knoxville, Louisville, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, St. Louis

Probable Pitchers: Carlos Zambrano, RHP (3-5, 5.10 ERA) vs. Freddy Garcia, RHP (8-3, 4.85 ERA)

Boston Red Sox at San Francisco Giants                    Dick Stockton & Eric Karros                                              9%

AT&T Park – San Francisco, CA

MARKETS INCLUDE:  Boston, Providence, Sacramento, San Francisco

Probable Pitchers: Tim Wakefield, RHP (2-5, 5.33 ERA) vs. Jonathan Sanchez, LHP (5-5, 2.90 ERA)

MCCARVER: TORRE’S SUCCESS WITH DODGERS SHOWS GROWTH AS MANAGER – This weekend, Joe Torre welcomes the franchise that established his future Hall of Fame managerial career to his new home field when the Dodgers host the Yankees. MLB on FOX lead analyst Tim McCarver calls this Saturday’s historic clash with Joe Buck, and looks back on the development and evolution from his early days wearing the skipper’s cap. “Not many people thought Torre would have the immediate success in Los Angeles that he did.  Everybody considered Joe ‘a winner’ but few predicted that he’d be in the playoffs twice in his first two years. It’s further indication of how good of a manager he has become. He’s making the decisions the same way he always did but his confidence level is the biggest difference between Joe Torre now and Joe Torre when he managed the Cardinals, Braves and Mets.”

ROSENTHAL: DODGERS NOT FAR FROM SURGE BUT ECONOMICS MIGHT BE BIGGEST OPPONENT – MLB on FOX Insider and FOXSports.com senior columnist Ken Rosenthal examines where the Dodgers need help to make a run in the West and the likelihood they’ll add the pieces they lack. “The Dodgers are only three games out in the West and I love their lineup when Rafael Furcal is healthy.  The problem is their starting pitching. It simply isn’t deep enough, particularly with Chad Billingsley on the disabled list.  In theory, the Dodgers should be major players for a top of the rotation starter at deadline, whether it’s Cliff Lee or Roy Oswalt but I doubt they will get either due to payroll concerns under owner Frank McCourt.”

WORLD BEST SKATEBOARDERS BATTLE FOR MALOOF MONEY CUP SUNDAY ON FOX – FUEL TV, the only network dedicated to the lifestyle of action sports, presents the 2010 Maloof Money Cup presented by Vans during its thrilling New York City stop in a one-hour special on FOX Sports. On Sunday, June 27 at 2:00 PM ET, this action-packed one-hour wrap-up of the Maloof Money Cup featuring event highlights and exclusive behind-the-scenes interviews with the world’s best skateboarders, giving audiences an entirely new look at the epic contest.

EUROPEAN GRAND PRIX ROLLS ONTO FOX SUNDAY – The European Grand Prix comes to FOX on Sunday, June 27 (12:00 PM ET) from Valencia, Spain.  Current points leader Lewis Hamilton looks to defend his post against the best drivers in Formula 1 racing.  Twisting through the America’s Cup port, the Juan Carlos I marina, Valencia is a relatively long track that consists of 25 turns, most of which are sweeping corners that give the circuit a fast and flowing nature.

FOX SOCCER CHANNEL OFFERS ALL-ACCESS ‘TICKET TO SOUTH AFRICA’ – Daily at 5:00 PM ET, Ticket to South Africa on Fox Soccer Channel offers viewers in-depth FIFA World Cup™ news and analysis from experts Andy Gray, Christopher Sullivan and Warren Barton.  The one-hour show is hosted by Richard Keys of Great Britain’s Sky Sports, with Nick Webster reporting live from South Africa. Fans can voice their opinions live on-air by calling 866-FOX-FANS or texting to 32369. On Sunday, June 20, Gray said this about players’ wives and girlfriends potentially being a distraction during the World Cup:  “I relate to all the people in the Armed Forces who have to spend months and years away from their loved ones and families, without a complaint or a moan.  So I don’t get that footballers can’t go for four weeks to try and win the biggest tournament in the world and make themselves legends, without having their wives there on a daily basis.”

— FOX SPORTS —

Three More Distributors Sign on for Turner/NASCAR Daytona 3D Coverage

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COMCAST, TIME WARNER CABLE AND BRIGHT HOUSE NETWORKS TO OFFER THE COKE ZERO 400 IN 3D IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NASCAR MEDIA GROUP AND TURNER SPORTS

Sprint Cup Race from Daytona International Speedway on July 3rd will be Presented in 3D for the First Time in NASCAR’s Storied History

Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks, in partnership with NASCAR Media Group, a media, marketing and entertainment company, and Turner Sports, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., announced they will air NASCAR’s first foray into 3D programming, the Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola, in next generation 3D. The event will take place on July 3, 2010. Full race coverage will air on TNT beginning at 7:30 p.m. (ET).

The 3D production will feature two custom racing feeds produced specifically for 3D. The first will provide a unique look at the racing action from strategically placed cameras around the track designed to maximize the effect of 3D. The second stream will bring the mayhem of pit row into the third dimension creating a one-of-a-kind visual experience.  In order to experience the event in 3D, viewers will need a 3D TV display with matching 3D glasses.

The 3D production will also be made available through TNT RaceBuddy on NASCAR.COM (NASCAR.COM/RaceBuddy3D), serving as a complement to the special Wide Open television presentation on TNT that features continuous race coverage free of national commercial breaks and provides more unobstructed race action than that of a standard telecast by using a letterbox widescreen format. Earlier this week, DIRECTV announced it will also air the Coke Zero 400 in 3D.

NASCAR Media Group is the exclusive rights holder of NASCAR event footage, race data and content and its credits include Dale and The Ride of Their Lives, NASCAR-themed movies for Viacom distributed on TV and via DVD.

About NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for one of North America’s premier sports. NASCAR is the No. 1 spectator sport – holding 17 of the top 20 highest attended sporting events in the U.S. and is the No. 2 rated regular season sport on television. NASCAR races are broadcast in more than 150 countries and 20 languages. NASCAR fans are the most brand loyal in all of sports, and as a result more Fortune 500 companies participate in NASCAR than any other sport.

NASCAR consists of three national series (the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series,) four regional series, and one local grassroots series, as well as two international series. Also, part of NASCAR is Grand-Am Road Racing, known for its competition on road courses with multiple classes of cars. NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races at 100 tracks in more than 30 U.S states, Canada and Mexico. Based in Daytona Beach (Fla.), NASCAR has offices in New York, Los Angeles, Charlotte (N.C.), Concord (N.C.), Bentonville (Ark.), Mexico City and Toronto.

About NASCAR Media Group

NASCAR Media Group is a media, marketing and entertainment company that creates and produces programming related to the sport, manages its media partnerships, and forges relationships to integrate the sport into mainstream entertainment. As the internal production and creative services company of NASCAR, NASCAR Media Group is the exclusive rights holder of NASCAR event footage, race data and content. The NASCAR Media Group leverages The Sight, Sound and Emotion of NASCAR through TV and film production, home video, licensed consumer products and premiums for the sports’ sponsors, tracks, teams and fans. To learn more, visit www.nascarmediagroup.com.

About Turner Sports

Turner Sports, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., presents some of the best and most popular sporting events worldwide and is a leader in televised and online sports programming. With events airing on TBS, TNT and truTV, Turner Sports’ line-up includes NASCAR and NASCAR.COM, the NBA, Major League Baseball, the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, professional golf, PGATOUR.COM and PGA.com. Turner Sports and the NBA also jointly manage NBA Digital, which includes NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA LEAGUE PASS, NBA LEAGUE PASS Broadband, NBA Mobile, NBADLEAUGE.com and WNBA.com.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

Former MLBer Warren Cromartie Manages All-Japanese Baseball Team in “Season of the Samurai”

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Former MLBer Warren Cromartie MANAGES ALL-JAPANESE BASEBALL TEAM in Season of the Samurai

Japan’s Samurai Bears team handles cultural differences and Cromartie’s intense personality in the independent Golden Baseball League

Season of the Samurai makes its national broadcast premiere on MLB Network on Saturday, June 26 at 7:00 p.m. ET

Secaucus, N.J., June 24, 2010 – Eleven-year MLB veteran Warren Cromartie (Montreal Expos, Kansas City Royals) is the focus of the documentary film Season of the Samurai, in which he manages the all-Japanese Samurai Bears baseball team in the inaugural season of the Golden Baseball League in 2005. Premiering on MLB Network on Saturday, June 26 at 7:00 p.m. ET, the film follows Cromartie and the team during 90 games in 97 days on the road throughout California, Arizona and Utah. Cromartie’s on-edge personality guides the team both on and off the field as the first all-foreign team competing in an American sports league. A preview of the film can be viewed here.

Cromartie played for Japan’s Yomiuri Giants under world career home run record holder Sadaharu Oh after retiring from Major League Baseball and signed on as manager of the Samurai Bears in an effort to jumpstart his managerial career. Cromartie is not the only former Major Leaguer to participate in the Golden Baseball League: 60 other former Major League players have played in the league, including Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson, who played for the San Diego Surf Dawgs in 2005 and is featured throughout Season of the Samurai.

Season of the Samurai was directed and produced by Danny Gold and Matthew Asner of Mod 3 Productions. The film first premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and the Comedia Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal, Canada. Additional information on the film is available at www.SeasonoftheSamurai.com.

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