Veteran ABC/ESPN Analyst Bob Griese Retires

Bob Griese, a twenty-nine year veteran behind the mic calling college football games for ABC & ESPN has decided to retire.

According to a press release from ESPN, Griese worked several of college football's biggest football games over the years as well as several BCS Bowl games. In addition, Griese was behind the mic for his son, Brian's, final collegiate game and in October of 2009, Griese and Brian worked together in the TV booth for the Minnesota at Purdue game.

http://www.espnmediazone3.com/us/2011/02/03/veteran-football-analyst-bob-griese-retires/

TV Schedule, Friday February 4

Boxing: Friday Night Fights 8pm on ESPN2

College Basketball:

Harvard @ Princeton 6pm on ESPNU
Iona @ Fairfield 8pm on ESPNU

College Hockey:

Michigan @ Miami, OH 6:30pm on CBS College Sports
Michigan St. @ Ohio St. 6:30pm on Big 10 Network
Minnesota @ Minnesota-Duluth 7pm on FS North
Denver @ Colorado College 9pm on CBS College Sports

Golf:

European PGA Tour 8:30am on Golf Channel
PGA Tour (Phoenix Open, 2nd round) 3pm on Golf Channel

NBA Basketball:

Dallas @ Boston 7pm on ESPN
Utah @ Denver 9:30pm on ESPN

NBA D-League: Sioux Falls @ Iowa 7pm on Mediacom Channel 22

NHL Hockey:

Washington @ Tampa Bay 6:30pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago & NHL Network
Edmonton @ St. Louis 7pm on FS Midwest

Disclaimer: All times are Central and blackouts are likely for regional NHL telecasts outside of Iowa.

ESPN family of networks to provide 16 hours of coverage on Super Sunday

ESPN today announced that the World Wide Leader in Sports will offer a mind boggling 15 hours worth of coverage on Super Sunday. According to an ESPN Press Release, ESPN's coverage will get underway at 5am (CT) on Super Sunday with a special edition of "Mike & Mike" on ESPN Radio and the coverage will continue right up to kickoff and resume with post game coverage following The Big Game.

A full schedule of Super Sunday programming across all of the ESPN family of networks can be found here: http://www.espnmediazone3.com/us/2011/02/02/espn-super-bowl-sunday-16-hours-of-tv-and-radio-coverage/

TV Schedule, Thursday February 3rd

College Basketball:

Big 10:

Iowa @ Purdue (women's) 5:30pm on Big 10 Network
Michigan @ Ohio St. 6pm on ESPN
Illinois @ Northwestern (women's) 7:30pm on Big 10 Network

National Games:

Georgia Tech @ Miami, FL 6pm on ESPN2
Wofford @ College of Charleston 6pm on ESPNU
South Alabama @ Western Kentucky 7pm on Fox College Sports
South Dakota St. @ Oral Roberts 7pm on Fox College Sports
Murrary St. @ Tennessee St. 8pm on ESPNU
Notre Dame @ DePaul 8pm on ESPN
Tennessee @ Auburn 8pm on ESPN2
Arizona St. @ Cal 10pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FS Midwest, & JIP on FS North
Gonzaga @ Portland 10pm on ESPN2
Pacific @ UC Santa Barbara 10:30pm on ESPNU

Golf:

European PGA Tour 8:30am on Golf Channel
PGA Tour (Phoenix Open 1st Round) 3pm on Golf Channel

NBA Basketball:

Miami @ Orlando 7pm on TNT
San Antonio @ LA Lakers 9:30pm on TNT

NHL Hockey:

Nashville @ Philadelphia 6:3pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago
Minnesota @ Colorado 8pm on FS North & Mediacom Channel 22

Disclaimer: All times are Central and blackouts are likely for regional NHL telecasts outside of Iowa.

TV Schedule, Wednesday February 2

College Basketball:

Big 10:

Minnesota @ Indiana 5:30pm on Big 10 Network
Michigan St. @ Iowa 7:30pm on Big 10 Network

Big 12:

Nebraska @ Kansas St. 7pm on Big 12 Network*
Oklahoma @ Iowa St. (women's) 7pm on Mediacom Channel 22
Missouri @ Oklahoma St. 8pm on ESPN2

*Check local listings for channel availability in your area.

Missouri Valley: Drake @ Southern Illinois 7pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago+ & FS Midwest

National Games:

Marquette @ Villanova 6pm on ESPNU
Syracuse @ UCONN 6pm on ESPN
Tulsa @ Memphis 6pm on CBS College Sports
Virgina Tech @ North Carolina St. 6pm on ESPN2
Clemson @ Virgina 8pm on ESPNU
Duke @ Maryland 8pm on ESPN
San Diego St. @ Colorado St. 8pm on CBS College Sports
Nevada @ Utah St. 10pm on ESPN2
USC @ UCLA 10pm on FS Midwest & FS North

College Football Signing Day: 8am on ESPNU & 9am on CBS College Sports

NBA Basketball:

New Orleans @ Oklahoma City 7pm on NBATV
Memphis @ Minnesota 7pm on FS North
Chicago @ LA Clippers 9:30pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago & NBATV (subject to blackout in Iowa on NBATV)

NHL Hockey: NY Islanders @ Pittsburgh 6pm on VERSUS

Disclaimer: All times are Central and blackouts are likely for regional NBA telecasts outside of Iowa. Schedule is subject to change due to the Blizzard.

FX to get back into the game of televising sports

The general entertainment cable channel FX wants to get back in the business of televising sports.

Sports Business Journal.com is reporting that FX would like to use the model that TNT has, consisting of a mix of general entertainment programming and sporting events as a way to boost its distribution numbers.

Earlier this winter, Fox Sports acquired the TV rights to Conference USA football games and as part of the agreement, Fox Sports has the right put some of the Conference USA games on FX and a Fox Sports/FX combination may be player in bidding on potential cable packages in coming years.

The Big 12's TV contract with FSN expires at the end of the current academic year. If the Big 12 reups with FSN, I think you will find Fox asking the Big 12 to discontinue subleasing a handful of games to ESPN and instead put those games on FX.

http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2011/01/20110131/Media/Fox-Hill-FX.aspx

ESPN announces it's schedule of Spring Training Games

With today being February 1, MLB pitchers and catchers are about 2 1/2 weeks away from the start of Spring Training and Grapefruit & Catcus League games aren't that far away. According to an ESPN press release, the Worldwide Leader in Sports will televise the following spring training games:

Thursday, March 3: Detroit vs Atlanta 12pm on ESPN
Monday, March 14: NY Yankees vs Boston 6pm on ESPN2
Wednesday, March 16: Boston vs Philadelphia 12pm on ESPN
Monday, March 21: Boston vs Philadelphai 12pm on ESPN
Tuesday, March 22: NY Yankees vs Baltimore 12pm on ESPN
Wednesday, March 23: NY Mets vs St. Louis 12pm on ESPN
Thursday, March 24: Chicago White Sox vs Chicago Cubs 4pm on ESPN2
Friday, March 25: Atlanta vs Philadelphia 12pm on ESPN
Saturday, March 26: Chicago Cubs vs Texas 3pm on ESPN
Tuesday, March 29: Detroit vs NY Yankees 1pm on ESPN

Disclaimer: All times are Central.

http://www.espnmediazone3.com/us/2011/01/20/espn-to-televise-10-mlb-spring-training-games/

AFC/NFC Pro Bowl Ratings

Just how popular is the NFL in this country? A meaningless exhibition game televised by Fox (The Pro Bowl) Sunday night drew a record 12.3 million viewers and attracted more viewers than the World Series. Further proof that the NFL & the NFLPA need to get a new CBA in place and the quicker, the better.

TV Schedule, Tuesday February 1

College Basketball:

Big 10:

Purdue @ Wisconsin 6pm on ESPN
Penn St. @ Illinois 8pm on Big 10 Network

Big 12:

Baylor @ Oklahoma 6pm on ESPN2 (Update: Game has been postponed due to Blizzard and ESPN2 will simulcast the Kentucky Ole/Miss Game)
Iowa St. @ Colorado 7pm on FSN Rocky Mountain (Maybe subject to blackout in Iowa)
Kansas @ Texas Tech 8pm on ESPNU

Missouri Valley: Creighton @ Bradley 3pm on KMTV (Omaha) (tip time has been changed due to Blizzard)

National Games:

Kentucky @ Ole Miss 6pm on ESPNU
Rutgers @ St. John's (women's) 6pm on CBS College Sports
Marshall @ Houston 8pm on CBS College Sports
Vanderbilt @ Florida 8pm on ESPN

NBA Basketball: Houston @ LA Lakers 9:30pm on NBATV

NHL Hockey:

Chicago @ Columbus 6pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago
Pittsburgh @ NY Rangers 6:30pm on VERSUS
Colorado @ St. Louis 7pm on FS Midwest (postponed due to the Blizzard)
Los Angeles @ Minnesota 7pm on FS North
Phoenix @ San Jose 9pm on VERSUS

Disclaimer: All times are Central and blackouts are likely for regional NHL telecasts outside of Iowa.

TV Schedule, Monday January 31

AHL Hockey: All Star Game 6pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago & FS Midwest

College Basketball:

Big 12: Texas @ Texas A&M 8pm on ESPN

National Games:

Duke @ UCONN (women's) 6pm on ESPN2
Maryland-Eastern Shore @ Hampton 6pm ESPNU
Louisville @ Georgetown 6pm on ESPN
Alabama St. @ Texas Southern 8pm on ESPNU

NBA Basketball: Denver @ New Jersey 6pm on NBA TV

Disclaimer: All times are Central.