Twitter & ESPN Strike Deal
140 Character Not Enough
If you like sports highlights but spend more time on social networks than watching TV, Twitter and ESPN are going to do their best to meet your needs.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Twitter and ESPN plan to announce a deepening of their existing relationship, agreeing on a pact under which the leading sports channel will unveil a wide variety of highlight clips in its tweets. The videos would be available on Twitter “shortly after” they take place live.
Naturally, the new arrangement which expands on a pact signed in December under which ESPN began embedding replays of college football highlights into its tweets is all about ad revenue. The sports network will place ads inside the clips, and advertisers will agree to purchase a minimum number of promoted tweets related to the highlights, the Wall Street Journal reported. Sports covered under the deal include World Cup soccer and X Games tournaments, according to the Journal.
A Twitter spokesperson confirmed the Journal’s story, and this afternoon, several people in senior roles at the social-networking giant posted tweets linking to it. Adam Bain, Twitter’s head of revenue, went so far as to note in his tweet,
“More news from the upfronts,” referring to the TV network meetings with advertisers that are taking place this week.
The Twitter-ESPN agreement goes a long way to bolstering the theory that Twitter is moving quickly to strengthen its ties to TV networks. Last month, a Bloomberg report suggested that Twitter was in talks with NBC and Viacom about bringing more of those networks’ content to the tweets users see all in the hopes of boosting ad revenue.
And earlier today, the Journal also noted that Twitter and Fox agreed to bring some of that TV network’s video to users via the tweets they see. As with the ESPN relationship, the Fox pact would be built to leverage advertisers’ ability to reach users.
Jenn Brown out at ESPN
TALENT
Once tabbed as the heir apparent to Erin Andrews, Jenn Brown has left ESPN as reported by Sports Illustrated. The reasons for her departure are still unclear, but ESPN confirmed Brown is no longer working for Bristol.
Brown joined ESPN in February 2010, and when Andrews left the mothership last summer, it seemed like Brown would be taking over her role as ESPN’s most visible sideline reporter. But then that gig went to Samantha Ponder, who took over Thursday night sideline reporting duties on ESPN as well as Andrews’ old spot on the College Gameday set. Brown was paired with Dave Pasch and Bob Griese, generally calling the early game on ESPN.
Brown’s future is currently unknown. Brown seemed to slowly fade from the spotlight in recent months and with the nice jobs ESPNers have picked up elsewhere (Michelle Beadle at NBC, Erin Andrews at Fox, Rachel Nichols at CNN), perhaps the grass was greener elsewhere.
WTF: Fox Sports West
What Are Interns For
As the old cliché goes, it’s spring training for everybody which includes players, umpires, announcers, and yes, even those behind the scenes of Major League Baseball telecasts need a little time to knock the rust off. For a classic example of just how bad it’s needed by all parties involved, look no further than the person in charge of graphics for Fox Sports West during Cactus League battle for Los Angeles between the Angels and Dodgers. With one of the Dodgers prized offseason signings, South Korea’s Hyun-Jin Ryu, taking the hill for his first spring appearance, a graphic appeared the 26-year-old rookie’s career stats unfortunately, with his official major league debut still one month away, he doesn’t have any of those number just yet.
Donald Driver surprises 78-year-old fan before leaving Green Bay
Green Bay Packers fans are going to miss Donald Driver as he retired the team’s leader in receptions and receiving yards and was a steadying, consistent force during his 14-year career.
The local Fox affiliate in Green Bay ran a story on the day of Driver’s retirement celebration that featured a 78-year-old cancer survivor who wished for a hug from her favorite player. Driver heard about the story and swung by Angie LeRoy’s house in Bellevue before his family boarded a flight to his native Texas.
Terry Bradshaw Says Reggie Bush Chasing A Bucket Of Chicken
Terry Bradshaw made a remark during FOX’s halftime show Sunday might have been one of the stupider things he’s ever said. Yukking it up with co-host Jimmy Johnson while showing a Reggie Bush touchdown run from the first half of the Miami Dolphins-Indianapolis Colts game, Bradshaw commented that the Miami running back was “chasing that bucket of chicken that the wind was blowing the other day,” leading to guffaws from Bradshaw and Johnson and an awkward groan from co-host Curt Menefee.
Jim Leyland Near Tears After World Series Loss
Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland handled an emotional loss of the World Series, in which he witnessed his team get outplayed and swept by the San Francisco Giants, with class and respect. Leyland was almost in tears during his postgame interview with FOX’s Ken Rosenthal.
Fan Creates Ultimate Albert Pujols Sign For NLCS
Brilliant
Marty Prather of Springfield, Mo made a deal with a buddy of his: You paint some amusing signs of Albert Pujols not in the playoffs and I’ll trade you some pizzas for them, Marty owns some Dominoes franchises and voila! We have a fun painting of the back of Albert’s head as he sits at home in front of a TV watching the NLCS on Fox TV.
50 Cent On FOX NFL Sunday Pregame Show Promo
Here is 50 Cent promoting his upcoming appearance on the FOX NFL Sunday pregame show. Crazy beat.
Terry Bradshaw, Jimmy Johnson & Jay Glazer Go Gangnam Style
PSY’s Gangnam Style is huge really huge. Having just come back from a month long trip in South Korea, I can write that you have no idea the magnitude it has taken ahold of in that country. FOX’s Terry Bradshaw, Jimmy Johnson and Jay Glazer lend their bodies to the phenomenon.
Michael Strahan Is Regis Philbin’s Replacement
Take It To The Gap
Fox NFL studio analyst Michael Strahan has survived what has to have been his longest tryout and will be Regis Philbin’s replacement in co-hosting the morning TV talk show Live!
Philbin, who co-hosted the ABC morning show with Kelly Ripa, left about a year ago. Since then, there have been dozens of co-hosts with many, such as Strahan, appearing in what amounted to auditions for a permanent role alongside Ripa.
Erin Andrews Heads To FOX To Host College Football Pregame Show
TALENT
Erin Andrews will host FOX’s new college football pregame show. Two days after ESPN said the broadcaster was leaving after eight years, FOX officially announced her hiring. Andrews also will contribute to the network’s NFL and Major League Baseball coverage.
The main FOX network will start its first regular-season college football package this fall. The 30-minute pregame show will premiere Sept. 1. Fox plans to challenge ESPN in the primetime slot as the network this season carries its first-ever regular-season college football.
Andrews has over 1.3 million Twitter followers. She calls the new job a “once in a lifetime opportunity.”
In terms of who’ll replace Andrews in those reporting roles, one possibility is Jenn Brown,who was recently taken off ESPN’s Thursday night college football for an undisclosed reassignment.
ESPN’s second leading lady Michelle Beadle recently also left as she departed for NBC.
Humberto Quintero Makes Slanted Eyes Gesture
Poor Taste
Kansas City Royals pitcher Bruce Chen found himself on the wrong end of a crude and racist gesture on Saturday night as teammate and catcher Humberto Quintero approached him during an interview and made the “slanted eyes” action behind his back.
Chen, a native Panamanian of Chinese descent, was just starting to chat with Fox’s Kenny Albert and Tom Verducci in the bottom of the fourth inning in Pittsburgh when Quintero, a native of Venezuela, approached from behind and made the gesture.
Chen told the Kansas City Star on Sunday that he was not offended by Quintero’s move:
Eli Manning Says He’s Still Third Most Talked About Quarterback In Own City
Live From New York Its...
Eli Manning may have two Super Bowl rings and he may be more successful than his famous brother Peyton Manning. But despite that success, there has been little chatter about Manning in New York this offseason.
That’s because all of the offseason talk in the city has centered around the New York Jets quarterback drama involving Mark Sanchez and the recently acquired Tim Tebow.
“(The) New York Giants just won a championship,” Manning told Fox News Channel’s Shepard Smith, “yet I’m still the third most talked-about quarterback in my own city.”
Earlier in the offseason, Manning commented to the New York Daily News that he was enjoying the quiet. The comment was made one day after the Jets held a press conference for Tebow.
“I’ll continue to enjoy this. And when we get our rings, I’ll continue to celebrate our championship season.”
Mama Margie’s Major Meltdown: Ross Shimabuku
Ross Shimabuku
Every Thursday Sports Grind Entertainment will present you with the Mama Margie’s Major Meltdown. The recipient of this honor goes to San Diego FOX sports anchor Ross Shimabuku for implying a sexist slur when talking about race car driver Danica Patrick. Fox 5 San Diego suspended Shimabuku without pay for a week for his comments about Patrick. The anchor stopped just short of calling Patrick a derogatory name on the air after the NASCAR driver complained the media always describe female athletes like her as “sexy.” When the broadcast returned to Shimabuku, he responded by saying: “Oh, I’ve got a few words starts with a B, and it’s not beautiful.” Shimabuku has since apologized.
TV anchor In Trouble For Sexist Slur Against Danica Patrick
Fox 5 San Diego’s Ross Shimabuku is backpedaling and apologizing for stopping just short of calling NASCAR driver Danica Patrick a “bitch” on-air last Monday. Fox posted a video of him apologizing on its web site Sunday. Shimabuku says he hopes Patrick has a great race today and that she’s great for the sport.
I love the part when the female anchor counters with it’s tuff for a woman to crack it in a male driven industry and Shimabuku stumbles and just throws Jimmie Johnson problems out there for discussion.
Reporter Refers To Gary Carter As Elite Pitcher
That’s WNYW (FOX 5 New York) reporter Adrienne Supino, discussing the sad passing of Hall of Famer Gary Carter in which she says he will be remembered as one of the elite pitchers in baseball history.
FAIL
Jason Whitlock Apologizes For Offensive Jeremy Lin Tweet
Rudy J's Two Most favorite People
Fox Sports Jason Whitlock apologized for an insensitive and some called a racist tweet about New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin, which Whitlock posted after Lin’s 38-point performance against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday.
In a reference to a stereotype about Asian men, Whitlock tweeted, “Some lucky lady in NYC is gonna feel a couple of inches of pain tonight.”
The Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) demanded an apology from Whitlock.
The tweet “doesn’t hold up to the conduct of responsible journalists, those in sports or otherwise, who adhere to standards of fairness, civility and good taste. Nor does it meet the standards of Fox Sports, with which you are associated,” the AAJA wrote on its Facebook page. “Outrage doesn’t begin to describe the reaction of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) to your unnecessary and demeaning tweet.”
Whitlock later wrote on FoxSports.com, “I’ve cried watching Tiger Woods win a major golf championship. Jeremy Lin, for now, is the Tiger Woods of the NBA. I suspect Lin makes Asian Americans feel the way I feel when I watch Tiger play golf.
“I should’ve realized that Friday night when I watched Lin torch the Lakers. For Asian Americans and a lot of sports fans, his nationally televised 38-point outburst was the equivalent of Tiger’s first victory in The Masters. I got caught up in the excitement. I tweeted about what a great story Lin is and how he could rival Tim Tebow.
“I then gave in to another part of my personality — my immature, sophomoric, comedic nature.”
Create-A-Caption: Zooey Deschanel & Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
c-a-c
Create-a-caption of FOX sitcom star Zooey Deschanel and NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Adbul-Jabbar got together for a photo op.
Steven Tyler Tells Joe Magrane His 15 Year Old Daughter Is Hot, Humid, & Happening
For those that don’t know Joe Magrane had an 8 year career in Major League Baseball and even pitched Game 7 of the 1987 World Series for the St. louis Cardinals against the Minnesota Twins. Magrane can now be found on MLB Network where is one of their top anchors.
However last night on American Idol he was just dad as his 15 year old daughter Shannon Magrane auditioned in front of the judges. One of those judges, Steven Tyler, creepy said to Joe that his daughter was “hot, humid and happening”
Alabama-LSU Draws Lowest Ever Rating For BCS Title
Snoozer
The game had number one versus number two plus one 50-50 kicker but all that couldn’t help ESPN’s BCS title game Monday drew a 13.8 overnight rating the lowest rating in the BCS system’s 14-year history.
That 13.8 translates to 13.8% of households in the 56 urban markets measured for overnights. The previous record low was a 14.3 for Miami-Nebraska at the 2002 Rose Bowl. Last night’s game was down 14% from last year’s Auburn-Oregon title game on ESPN and down 24% from Alabama-Texas on Fox in 2010.
The new low isn’t surprising. Alabama’s 21-0 win was less-than-suspenseful, both schools are from relatively sparsely-populated states and from the same conference. The schools had already played earlier this season in an overtime game where neither team scored a touchdown. CBS coverage of that game drew an 11.9 overnight
Terry Bradshaw & Boomer Esiason Take Turns Ripping New York Jets
Never Allow A Grown Man To Put Their Apple Sack On Your Shoulders
The New York Jets season has ended, but the criticism won’t stop. Ripping them has come from two former NFL quarterbacks turned analysts Terry Bradshaw of FOX and Boomer Esiason of CBS. Bradshaw said he would cut Jets wide receiver Santonio Holmes. And Esiason said Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez played timidly down the stretch, like a “Chihuahua.”
Bradshaw said he believes the Jets should part with Holmes, after he was blasted by teammates for his lack of effort and attitude.
“I’d cut his butt, send him down the highway, move him on,” Bradshaw told ESPN New York 1050’s the Michael Kay Show. “Why would you put up with it? Because he can run a 4.3 40 and make one-handed catches whenever he feels like it?”
Esiason who has defended Sanchez in the past, but not anymore.
“If you watched Mark Sanchez the last month of the season, he was like a Chihuahua standing on Madison Avenue and 36th Street entering the Midtown Tunnel, eyes bigger than you-know-what, and just so shaky,” Esiason told Boston’s 850-AM.
Esiason later told ESPN that the Chihuahua reference had nothing to do with Sanchez’s Mexican-American heritage.
“I chose a small dog that always looks shaken and has big eyes, and doesn’t like big things a Chihuahua,” Esiason said. “It’s a skittish dog, and he’s been a skittish player.”
Esiason also blamed coach Rex Ryan and general manger Mike Tannenbaum for team chemistry that turned toxic.
“I think that Rex Ryan’s ways have come back to haunt him,” Esiason said. “And Mike Tannenbaum has a lot of responsibility in this regard, because they have put a lot of bad guys together in this locker room. There’s a good core of players with the New York Jets. But, unfortunately, all it takes is one guy. And Rex Ryan giving Santonio Holmes the captain’s ‘C’ on the chest was an absolute embarrassment. It’s a slap in the face of all the good guys in that locker room.”
And now, with their disappointing 8-8 season over, the Jets are still getting slapped around.
NFL Rules Expert Rips Jon Gruden For Being Blowhard
Blowhard
Jon Gruden is a blowhard who doesn’t understand the NFL rule book, according to the league’s former director of officiating Mike Pereira. The former NFL VP who now writes for Fox Sports blasts Gruden in a column regarding the ESPN commentator’s remarks on this week’s Monday night game.
Writes Pereira:
“I am not a fan of Gruden’s. Not today, not yesterday, not when I worked for the NFL and not when I was working on the field as a side judge. He was a loudmouth as a coach who constantly disrespected officials and he is a blowhard in the broadcast booth who spouts off when he doesn’t know what he is talking about.
I respect his knowledge about the X’s and O’s when it comes to coaching and playing the game of football, but I have very little respect for him when it comes to officiating and his knowledge of the rules.”
Specifically, Pereira assailed Gruden for his criticisms on two catches. Gruden opined that if the officials flagged Atlanta Falcons Curtis Lofton for a helmet-to-helmet hit on the New Orleans Saints Marques Colston then they also should have penalized Malcolm Jenkins later when he took down the Falcons Reggie Kelly.
“I just don’t understand how games are being officiated,” Gruden said.
Pereira says Gruden totally misunderstood the NFL’s guidelines on when a receiver is considered a “defenseless receiver” and that the two collisions were very different.
Says Pereira: “Gruden said he doesn’t understand how games are being officiated? Correctly and consistently in this case. But that’s OK, Jon. Just throw the officials under the bus when you don’t know the rules.”
Ndamukong Suh Suspended 2 Games After Stomp
One Bad Dude
The NFL has suspended Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh for two games without pay for his stomping incident in last Thursday’s Week 12 home loss to Green Bay Packers, FOX Sports Jay Glazer first reported via Twitter. According to Glazer, the Lions were informed of that decision by Commissioner Roger Goodell on Tuesday.
Pending appeal, it means Detroit will be without Suh for Sunday’s night critical game in New Orleans against the Saints. He would also be in line to miss Week 14′s home division game against the Minnesota Vikings.
Suh was ejected in the third quarter of the frustrating Thanksgiving defeat for stepping on Packers offensive lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith. He apologized for the incident after the game and reportedly reached out to Goodell on Monday night to appease the Commissioner. But as a repeat offender and with an offense that had a precedent in a similar incident involving fellow defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, there was little chance that Suh wouldn’t have received a multiple-game ban.
Texas Rangers fan gets 2011 World Series champs tattoo
Idiot
This unidentified Texas Rangers fan can hang his head in the idiot department after getting this tattoo that declares the American League pennant winners World Series champs in 2011. The problem is that the Rangers lost in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals, marking it’s eleventh trophy in its organization.
Who’s the real jinx for the Rangers FOX affiliate KDFW, who sent out a massive tweet congratulating them on a World Series they won, or this tattoo Rangers fan that got inked up before game seven?
