College Football Schedules Shaping Up

We're three days away from the Super Bowl, but that's not the only game on the mind of sports TV programmers -- because ESPN has already announced game times for seven college football games for next fall.

The slate includes several Atlantic Coast Conference teams, a doubleheader on Labor Day and four Thursday night games.

Here's the initial list:

• Saturday, Sept. 4. -- LSU vs. North Carolina (in Atlanta), TBA
• Monday, Sept. 6 -- Navy vs. Maryland (in Baltimore), 4 p.m., ESPN
• Monday, Sept. 6 -- Boise State vs. Virginia Tech (in Landover, Md.), 8 p.m., ESPN
• Thursday, Sept. 16 -- Cincinnati at N.C. State, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
• Thursday, Sept. 23 -- Miami at Pitt, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
• Thursday, Oct. 28 -- Florida State at N.C. State, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
• Thursday, Nov. 4 -- Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech, 7:30 p.m., ESPN

A Hall of Famer's Bobbled Pitch, Insights

OK, as much as the cattle call of athletes, celebrities and publicists (and the usual abundance of self-promotion) makes the nationally syndicated Jim Rome Show from Radio Row during Super Bowl week tiresome, it also produces some good radio.

Among the highlights Wednesday was the final guest during the show's second hour, the NFL's leading rusher and certain Hall of Fame selection this year, Emmitt Smith.

Smith was one site in Miami for several reasons this week, among them his upcoming election to the Hall and, as usual with many recognizable former athletes, his work as a pitchman.

Talking football and his Hall of Fame chances, Smith was solid when addressing what-if questions.

"Since I was 6 years old I've been thinking about playing football," he told Rome. "This is the final chapter. This is the ice cream and the cake."

Even better, he looked ahead, and talked about what he would do once elected -- the type of speculation athletes rarely entertain.

"Right now all I’m doing is putting down all of my thoughts and ideas, all the people I want to thank. Once I get the all out, I’ll organize them and put them in a format so I can communicate them in a way that's powerful, meaningful and effective."

When Rome moved discussion to Smith's necessary pitch, though, the former All-Pro selection fumbled.

After making the rounds on Radio Row most of the day, Smith needed a long pause to come up wih the name of the cause he was supporting. In fact, he never really named the cause.

But, he did specify he was working the the American Association of Orthodontists to encourage young athletes to wear protective mouth guards -- and to protect their mouth, jaw and teeth from serious injury. Plus, he knew the correct Web site, http://www.braces.org/, where people could find additional information.

All in all, it was the best of Radio Row, a good session for listeners who got some decent information and insights from a former Super Bowl MVP, and a productive visit for the AAO, who benefited from a pitchman who recovered from an early fumble and did his job well.

Significant, Small Stories: Peyton, Pro Bowl

While hundreds of media members chased stories about the Super Bowl, two stories that emerged Tuesday gave insights about the game that remains four days away and the status of pro football as a monetary and ratings giant, respectively.

First, "Mike and Mike in the Morning" on ESPN Radio talked with former Colts coach turned motivational speaker and NBC Sports analyst Tony Dungy. It was a nice phone interview with a former Super Bowl-winning coach the week of the game, but it got better when the discussion focused on Colts QB Peyton Manning.

While many respect Manning's commitment to preparation, Dungy related a story that made that point. He said the standout quarterback, one of the best players in the league, drove from Indianapolis to Columbus, Ohio, twice a week in early 2007 to work out with an unknown rookie receiver.

In an effort to better integrate then-Ohio State student Anthony Gonzalez into the Colts' offense, Manning drove nearly three hours each way to make the trip to throw passes to the team's newest receiver. No A-list pro player needs to do that -- unless he wants to maintain his spot among the sport's best and ensure his team's success.

And, as if there was any doubt, the hefty ratings for the Pro Bowl on Sunday probably ensured that game would eventually have a permanent home the week before the Super Bowl in the same stadium as the big game.

About 12.3 million viewers watched the game on ESPN, up from 8.8 million in 2009. This year's game was the most-watched Pro Bowl since 2000, and it earned good ratings opposite the Grammy Awards, which drew nearly 26 million viewers.

The sellout crowd on site also helped ensure the game's future timeslot.

Despite complaints from some analysts and players, soe others enjoyed the location in the continental United States -- and fans most certainly had a good time and responded.

Just as they do in pro baseball and basketball, fans see the game as their own. They know the hits are not hard and the game has little meaning, but they do not care. They're glad to attend in person -- and to watch on TV. That all makes the game marketable for the league, and that means it will remain on the schedule.

Super Bowl Media Day Available on TV, Web

Wet weather in South Florida prompted a second day of actual news during Super Bowl week, as the annual Media Day was moved from the field at Sun Life Stadium to the club level of the facility.

While Dwight Freeney's ankle injury drove much of the news cycle on TV and radio Monday, the two-hour media session with team members at the stadium -- one hour for the Colts and one for the Saints -- takes center state Tuesday.

The typical media frenzy might be more subdued because of the move. Most years the event takes on a circus-like atmosphere, with pro football beat writers, sports columnits and on-air types from across the nation rubbing elbows with all manner of pseudo-reporters and people with microphones in hand from entertainment shows or completing whimsical assignments.

While that allows sports types to pooh-pooh the process, it also enables the NFL to promote its product for free to many traditional and non-traditional platforms and outlets at the same time.

NFL officials do not expect the location change to impact what happens on Media Day.

"This should not be a major problem," NFL spokesman Michael Signora told The Associated Press. "It just will look different."

Activities begin at 10 a.m. with the Colts facing the media for an hour. After an hour-long break (to feed the media and for NFL Network and other analysts and media types to interview each other), the Saints get all the attention from noon to 1 p.m.

It might be the most-hyped two hours of any non-event on an annual basis in the world.

Along with live updates from national sports-talk radio networks and ESPN, the NFL Network and NFL.com provide additional access to the league-owned event.

Specifically, visitors to nfl.com/superbowl may find live streaming video of each of the 12 podiums used during media day. (Twelve players from each team are situated at a personal podium while all other players and coaches are available at the session as well.)

Throughout the week the site will provide live streams of other events as well. Those include the commissioner's State of the League Address on Friday and the announcement of the Pro Football Hall of Fame class on Saturday.

Jon Miller -- A Deserving Hall of Famer

Steady play-by-play man Jon Miller, who has served as the voice of five Major League Baseball teams during his career, was named Monday as the recipient of the 2010 recipient of the Ford Frick Award.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum made the announcement. The Frick Award, presented annually since 1978, recognizes major contributions to baseball broadcasting. And Miller clearly has been a major contributor to the sport over the airwaves.

Miller has earned recognition both locally and nationally for his work. He started with the Oakland A's in 1974 and then moved to the Texas Rangers (1978-79) and Boston Red Sox (1980-82). The bulk of his career came with he Cal Ripen-era Baltimore Orioles (1983-96) before he moved back to his native San Francisco to work for the Giants in 1997.

He has been the lead play-by-play man for ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball" broadcasts since 1990.

With the emergence of regional sports networks, the demise of a true game of the week on network TV and the plethora of baseball games available throughout the season, Miller served as one of the few national voices for the game because of his ESPN assignment. Plus, he was in San Francisco as Barry Bonds chased numerous records late in his career.

Still, it was not just location that defined Miller's career. He has made the most of his opportunities with a great voice and a great feel for the game. He will be inducted into the broadcaster's wing of the Hall of Fame this summer -- and it's a well-deserved honor.

NFL Network Starts Week Strong

NFL Network, with more than 50 hours of programming scheduled from South Florida this week, got started with good opinion and information early in the week from the site of the Super Bowl.

There was opinion from the network's outspoken analysts -- Michael Irvin, Deion Sanders and Warren Sapp -- before the Pro Bowl about the Hall of Fame chances of Colts quarterback Peyton Manning. Several argued Sunday that Manning needs a victory in the Super Bowl to cement his credentials while others (especially Sapp) said a quarterback cannot be penalized for playing with weak defenses.

In terms of information, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told NFL Network host Rich Eisen on Sunday night that he is "virtually certain'' the league will conduct its 2010 in an season without a salary cap. An uncapped season will result if an agreement cannot for 2011 and beyond cannot be reached by March 5, 2010. "We're all frustrated there's not more progress,'' Goodell said.

While the Super Bowl hype builds, with appropriate focus on the teams and activities surrounding the game this week, that labor story lurks in the shadows as the one that will shape the league's future the most.

Planning, Location Key for ESPN Radio

The more than 55 hours of Super Bowl programming on ESPN Radio, set to originate from South Florida this week, sounds like a lot of work -- but that's only part of the story.

Planning for the numerous shows that will originate from Lummus Park on Miami Beach started months ago, when ESPN's operations team began working with the NFL regarding set location. That location makes ESPN different from most other national sports talk programming throughout Super Bowl week because those other shows typically originate from "Radio Row," table after table of sports stations from across that nation and world that often get set up in the same room of an a nearby convention center.

Even with the planning, live, on-location radio provides challenges.

It means less technology on hand and fewer staff personnel just a few steps away to solve problems. It also means potential distractions with weather (rain the early part of this week) and people watching the live radio shows.

Still, that atmosphere helps -- especially shows like "Mike and Mike in the Morning," with Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic working their 11th Super Bowl week together, and "The Herd with Colin Cowherd." Both shows have talent who can play well off an audience.

"You get a real sense of atmosphere," explained ESPN producer Amanda Gifford about on-site shows. "Colin is usually on his game with an audience. You can feed off the energy of the crowd."

For behind-the-scenes folks such as Gifford (who coordinated planning but did not make the trip to Miami for this week's Super Bowl shows), getting guests to the set on time provides a daily challenge during remote shows, and she prefers to leave nothing to chance.

"Everything is pretty calculated," she said. "I'd rather have everything planned, but I've learned that sometimes you get some great things on the fly and you have to be able to adjust."

Determining which guests are used on a program provides a show's biggest challenge during the week. With all of the activity and media attention, many former players (with guiding publicists) show up at the Super Bowl site to pitch their cause, charity or product.

While smaller shows on Radio Row might take any and all such guests, ESPN Radio shows can be a bit more selective. They have major markets to serve and less time to waste on borderline guests.

"We get a lot of A-listers through Super Bowl week, and we get pitches for a lot of people who aren't considered A-listers," Gifford said. "We make determinations by when they're available, if we're on the air at that time, and if they make sense for our biggest affiliates." For Cowherd, those affiliates are in Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta and Dallas.

Typically, ESPN's name and the talent and reputation of the hosts produce a potent combination -- with good guests wanting to appear on the shows and the on-air talent making the visits entertaining. The combination produces one of the best weeks of sports talk radio of the year.