March Madness 2014 Is Here!

Photo Courtesy of: Wikimedia

Mahanga under CC BY 3.0 License 

For all you college basketball fans out there, the real fun has just begun.  Now I know today is officially the start of the second round of the tournament, but to me the first Thursday of the tournament will always symbolize the beginning of March Madness.

My picks for the Final Four are as follows. I have Florida facing Michigan State in one national semifinal and Wichita State facing Arizona in the other semifinal.  I have Michigan State beating Florida and Wichita State beating Arizona to reach the National Championship.

Drum roll please!  In the National Championship I have the Spartans of Michigan State coming out on top beating the Shockers of Wichita State.  This is a departure from how I usually fill out my bracket because I tend to go all chalk with my picks.  I just don't think Wichita State's magical run will be enough to finish with a perfect record at the end of the tournament.  I also fill out only one bracket for the whole tournament.

In any case, by the time we get to Arlington many brackets will have probably been busted (mine included), but as is the case each year, we look forward to those big upsets where a 13 seed beats a 4, a 12 bests a 5 or by some miracle a 16 ousts a 1.  Good luck to all of you and enjoy the Madness that March has to offer.

Tim Musick
Copyright 2014
All Rights Reserved.

Where To Watch And How To Listen: New York Mets

This is a new series of posts with the goal of providing the most in-depth information possible for where you can catch your favorite local MLB team broadcasts (for those who live outside of the local broadcast area, MLB offers subscriptions to mlb.tv).

New York Mets

Photo Courtesy of:
Wikimedia
Richiek under CC BY-SA 3.0 License

Radio Broadcasts

WOR 710 AM

Commentators: Howie Rose, Josh Lewin, Jim Duquette (play-by-play), Seth Everett (Pre/postgame host).  Duquette fills in when Rose or Lewin are unavailable.

Starting with the 2014 season, WOR 710 AM will be the new radio radio home of the Amazin' Mets.  It is owned by Clear Channel Communications.  All 2014 season games will be broadcast on WOR as well as advertised on all local Clear Channel stations.

Television Broadcasts

SportsNet New York (SNY), WPIX local channel 11

Channel Availability:

WPIX-11 (local channel)

SNY

DirecTV-639 (HD/SD)
Time Warner Cable-26/11
Verizon FiOS-577 (HD). 77 (SD)
Cablevision-718 (HD), 60 (SD)
Comcast-843 (HD), 73 (SD)
ATT U-Verse-1704 (HD), 704 (SD)

Commentators: Gary Cohen (play-by-play), Ron Darling, Keith Hernandez (color analysts), Bobby Ojeda (pre/postgame analyst), Kevin Burkhardt (field reporter), Chris Carlin (pre/postgame host)

SNY is a New York City-based regional sports network that is part of a joint ownership consisting of the New York Mets (65%), Time Warner Cable (27%), and Comcast (8%).  The network has carriage in the New York metropolitan area and all of New York state on cable television, and nationwide via satellite.

Tim Musick
Copyright 2014
All Rights Reserved

  

Michelle Beadle Goes Full Circle

If there's one thing to take from the following story, it's that the you sometimes don't realize how good you have it until it's gone.  Better yet, the grass isn't always greener on the other side.

Does this sum up how things have gone for you the last few years Michelle Beadle?  For those who need a quick update, Beadle is back at ESPN, the network that made her a big name star as co-host of Sportsnation in 2009.  To say that Beadle is ecstatic to be back at the World Wide Leader after spending two rather tough and tumultuous years at NBC would be a huge understatement.

Her show at NBC Sports Network, "The Crossover" was canceled about as quickly as it began.  Beadle apparently couldn't find the right chemistry with co-host Dave Briggs like she had with Colin Cowherd on Sportsnation.  Combine that with the fact that "The Crossover" had putrid ratings, then you have the makings for a disastrous show.  It also probably didn't help that at the time Beadle left ESPN to join NBC, NBC Sports Network was in the stages of its infancy at the time and hadn't gained the traction with viewers that it probably has today.  

For the record, I admire Beadle for her honesty and willingness not to sugarcoat what she's thinking at any given moment, even if she's a little too honest and forthcoming at times.  Sports programming needs these kind of personalities to thrive in my opinion.  Best of luck to you Beads on your second go around with ESPN.

Tim Musick
Copyright 2014
All Rights Reserved  

MLB 2014 Where To Watch And How To Listen: Toronto Blue Jays

This is  a new series of posts with the goal of providing the most in-depth information possible for where you can catch your favorite local MLB team broadcasts (for those who live outside of the local broadcast area, MLB offers subscriptions to mlb.tv).

Toronto Blue Jays
Photo Courtesy of: Wikimedia
Keith Allison under CC BY-SA 2.0 License
 

Radio Broadcasts

CJCL Sportsnet 590 AM "The Fan"

Commentators: Jerry Howarth, Mike Wilner (play-by-play),  Joe Siddall (color analyst), Mike Wilner (Blue Jays Talk host).  Mike Wilner serves the secondary role in play-by-play.

CJCL 590 AM is a Canadian sports radio station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  It is owned and operated by Rogers Communications.

Television Broadcasts

Sportsnet

Channel Availability:

Bell TV-405-408 (SD), 1405-1408 (HD)

Shaw Direct-416-419 (SD), 260-263 (HD)

FibreOP-110-113 (SD), 472-475 (HD)

Bell Fibe TV-405-408 (SD), 1405-1408 (HD)

MTS-171-174 (SD), 471-474 (HD)

Optik TV-111-114 (SD), 664-665, 667 (HD)

SaskTel-24, 120-122 (SD), 324 (HD)

Available on most Canadian cable systems.  Check local listings for channel number.

Commentators: Buck Martinez (play-by-play), Pat Tabler (color analyst), Jamie Campbell (Blue Jays Central host), Gregg Zaun (Blue Jays Central analyst)

Sportsnet is a Canadian English-language sports specialty channel that is owned by the Rogers Media division of Rogers Communication.

Tim Musick
Copyright 2014
All Rights Reserved 

 

Ohio High School Hockey State Championship Ends With A Tie And Co-Champions

Last week, something quite unusual happened in the sports world.  A championship hockey game ended in a tie.  Okay that may not be so unusual but what if I told you seven overtime periods were played before a tie was declared.

Photo Courtesy of: Wikimedia

kmf164 under CC BY-SA 2.5 License

That was the case in the Ohio High School State Championship between Cleveland St. Ignatius and Sylvania Northview who played to a 1-1 tie and both being named co-champions.  Now you may be thinking why didn't they go to a shootout after say one overtime?  That's because unlike the NHL and other levels of hockey, there are no rules or provisions for a shootout to take place at the high school level.

Using the existing rules that are already in place here are the options I would have considered.  Recognizing concerns for player health and safety, my first option would have been to suspend play until maybe a week later and continue the game from the end of the seventh overtime.  That way players could get enough rest leading up to the resumption of the game.  This option would also allow for a week of festivities and activities geared toward the game's resumption, such as a pep rally.

The second option involves throwing the current high school rules out the window somewhat.

Even though there were no provisions for a shootout to occur, the circumstances of the event should have dictated otherwise.  As the saying goes, there's always a first time for everything.  If I were in charge of making those decisions, I can assure you a shootout would have occurred well before there was a thought of a seventh overtime being played.  I would have limited the game to one overtime and had a shootout take place if there was still a tie at that point.

In any case, this game should not have ended in a tie.  It was the championship game for crying out loud! In the final game of the year for any sport there should be a winner and a loser.  I can say with almost absolute certainty that no athlete, young or professional, wants to be given congratulations on a job well done for a championship that ends in a tie.

Tim Musick
Copyright 2014
All Rights Reserved    

MLB 2014 Where To Watch And How To Listen: Los Angeles Dodgers

This is  a new series of posts with the goal of providing the most in-depth information possible for where you can catch your favorite local MLB team broadcasts (for those who live outside of the local broadcast area, MLB offers subscriptions to mlb.tv).

Los Angeles Dodgers

Photo Courtesy of: Wikimedia

Craig Y. Fujii under CC BY-SA 3.0 License 

Radio Broadcasts

KLAC 570 AM 

Commentators: Vin Scully, Charlie Steiner, Rick Monday (play-by-play).  Scully does the first three innings of all games in California and Arizona as a simulcast on radio and television.  Steiner and Monday handle the radio broadcasts from the fourth inning until the completion of the games.

KLAC serves the Los Angeles metropolitan area.

Television Broadcasts

Time Warner Cable (TWC) Sportsnet LA

Channel Availability:

Time Warner Cable-431 (HD) 249 (SD)
Bright House Networks-1107 (HD) 21, 107 (SD)
(channel not available on any other carriers at this moment because of the pricey cost per subscriber that Time Warner Cable is seeking.)

Commentators: Vin Scully, Charlie Steiner (play-by-play), Orel Hershiser (color analyst on non-Scully broadcasts.  At least I hope that's the case since Vin usually serves as his own color analyst.)  Alanna Rizzo (pre/post game host and field reporter.)  She did a terrific job as a reporter for MLB Network the last two years. Nomar Gaciaparra, Jerry Hairston Jr., Orel Hershiser (pre/postgame analysts), John Hartung (studio host)

Starting with the 2014 season the Dodgers began their own television network to televise most of their games exclusively.  The only exceptions being MLB On Fox national broadcasts on select Saturdays as well as select Sunday Night Baseball telecasts on ESPN.

Vin Scully will call all games that take place in California and Arizona with Charlie Steiner calling all other road games broadcast on TWC Sportsnet LA.  For those that are fortunate (I use that term cautiously because of the pricey cost) to have the channel, you should consider yourselves very lucky.   

Tim Musick
Copyright 2014
All Rights Reserved

Two Weeks Until Opening Day!

By the time this scene plays out at Dodger Stadium in 2014, they will have already played 2 games that count.

 

Photo Courtesy of: Wikimedia

abrowncoat under CC BY-SA 2.0 License

I'll try my best to not hyperventilate while I write this.  Let's get excited folks!  Not only is it a Happy St. Patrick's Day today, but Major League Baseball's North American Opening Day is two weeks away!  I say North American because the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks will open up their season in 5 days for a two game series at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Australia.

While I'm sure the opener in Australia will be fun, it probably won't compare to what will take place two weeks from now.  It will be the one day when all other teams will start the season with such promise and hope.  The smells of ballpark food and the sights of freshly manicured green grass with thousands of upon thousands of screaming fans filling the stands will take center stage across America and Canada.  Yes, we can't forget about the Blue Jays who play their home games north of the border.

Here's to hoping these next two weeks go by as quick as the offseason has and our favorite teams end Spring Training with players who are 100% healthy.

Tim Musick
Copyright 2014
All Rights Reserved