Highs and Lows (2012) and A Look Ahead (2013)

In 2012, another sports network officially came to life -- with the launch of NBC Sports Network (rebranded from Versus) on Jan. 2 -- and the year produced many moments when on-air and production types shone during game coverage and related programming.

Of course, there were moments when those same folks were out to lunch as well. One of the most noticeable came during ESPN's coverage of the Notre Dame-USC football game when Brent Musburger and Kirk Herbstreit, as well as two sideline reporters and their supporting production personnel, missed the on-field action when Irish QB Everett Golson lost his helmet and was forced to leave the game or one play.

Without that perspective, the on-air team speculated about irrelevant penalties and unrelated game strategy, neither of which served the viewers who knew more by simply watching what was on the screen.

As usual, it was year filled with that mix of highs and lows. Some of my favorites follow, as well as a quick look ahead at 2013.

Best Studio Show
"College GameDay" -- On Saturday mornings, this show sets the stage for all of the day's college football action, and it does so in an engaging and informative manner. Its weekly on-campus location provides unparalleled atmosphere, as well as the backdrop for some schtick. Still, the show invariably rises above the silly and delivers information, insights and news.

While TNT's NBA studio show comes close, thriving in its own right on the strengths of opinions and personalities, "College GameDay" remains the standard for which all other studio shows should strive.

Best Studio Host
Chris Fowler, ESPN -- The best studio show rests squarely on the shoulders of the best host. Fowler knows college football and always keeps the show on track, across conferences, across newsworthy and across the country. He keeps things comfortable for viewers and his partners, but he's clearly in control.

Close behind would be Ernie Johnson of TNT, in large part because of his ability to keep a show that features Charles Barkley on task but mostly because Johnson is very good at what he does.

Best Play-by-Play Team
Mike Breen/Jeff Van Gundy, ESPN/ABC -- Engaging and entertaining, steady and solid, a true team. Breen never misses the nuts-and-bolts action while offering appropriate moments for Van Gundy to share his expertise and options. They play well together, and play well on TV as a result. They're serious about their work and also provide appropriately lighthearted moments as well.

Many others teams are close, but none are as good.

Best Play-by-Play Man
Joe Buck, Fox Sports -- He's their top guy for baseball and football, and he deserves that spot in both instances. He's simply a pro who relates game action well and allows his color commentators to do their jobs. The few moments when he does not do that, and imposes his own opinion on broadcasts, represent the only glaring downside to his work.

Best Color Commentator
Chris Collinsworth, NBC Sports -- Always prepared and always opinionated, the two best possible traits of a color commentator. He knows what he's talking about and he's not afraid to tell viewers why. Too often, people in his seat offer silliness or the same-old tired approach. That's just not the case with Collinsworth. He makes play-by-play man Al Michaels better, and he always keeps the viewers in mind.

Best Sideline Reporter
Tom Rinaldi, ESPN/ABC and Doris Burke, EPSN/ABC -- In a world of the over-blonde and under-talented, these two stand out because they act and look different. They're serious reporters who share provide context and information, knowing all the while that the show and the segment of the show on which they appear is not about them. Viewers appreciate that approach and the resulting work.

Best Insider/Expert
Peter King, NBC Sports/Sports Illustrated -- During his comparatively brief TV time on Sunday nights as part of "Football Night in America," King shares good, timely information. Like all the best insiders, though, he sets himself apart by contributing to numerous outlets on various platforms, always sharing the kind of information readers/listerners/viewers want and often cannot get anywhere else. His connections seem ot set him apart.

Newcomer of the Year
Adnan Virk, ESPN/ABC -- With several radio hosts, most notably Doug Gottlieb, leaving ESPN Radio for other opportunities, depth could be a slight concern for ESPN Radio moving forward. Plenty of talent exists, it's just not easy for someone who move into a role and quickly make a connection or prove themselves. Virk did that well when filling in for Mike Greenberg on "Mike & Mike in the Morning" and got additional airtime throughout the year. The Canadian-born talent started as a host on ESPNNEWS and seems set for bigger and bigger roles in coming years.

Comeback Talent of the Year
Joe Buck, Fox Sports -- OK, he never really left but after a virus in the laryngeal nerve of his left vocal cord hampered him (and almost ended his career) in 2011, Buck recovered and returned to his usual high level of performance.

Where Have You Gone Award
Erin Andrews, Fox Sports -- Hired as host spot on the network's mostly overlooked college football studio show on Saturday nights, Andrews might not have been seen by any fewer viewers than she was in her role as a sideline reporter for games on ESPN/ABC, but she certainly seemed like a less important part of gamedays. Plus, she has not yet developed the gravitas to be a studio host.

TV Moment of the Year
Game-Winning Touchdown on "Monday Night Football" -- The controversial game-ending play as the Green Bay Packers lost to the Seattle Seahawks was the final game action of the season for the NFL's replacement officials and it was something that would not have happened without TV.

The shared-possession/touchdown call itself would have been problematic for the regular officials but that was really not a primary part of the discussion after viewers saw they play and then flocked in record numbers to watch "SportsCenter" after the game ended.

TV's ability to show the play from all angles fueled debate and quickly prompted league officials to end the dispute with officials. It was a testament to the power of TV.

LOOKING AHEAD TO 2013
Four things to watch for in radio/TV during the coming year.
1) The launch of CBS Sports Radio on Jan. 2 provides a challenge on another front for ESPN and ESPN Radio. With talent such as John Feinstein, Jim Rome and Doug Gottlieb -- each of whom hosts consecutive three-hour shows beginning at 9 a.m. -- and important support from CBS and Cumulus Media the sports network's lineup has already supplanted ESPN offerings in some markets.

2) The need for programming for CBS Sports Network and NBC Sports Network as they strive to compete with ESPN will drive rights fees for live events and related programming to even higher levels. Live sports events on TV remain highly desirable programming because viewers generally do not record those events. They watch -- and that's what the fledgling networks need.


3) The launch of a network for the Southeastern Conference should provide even more revenue for programs in that conference.

4) The debut, albeit a one-time-only affair, for Charles Barkley and Dick Vitale as they work a college basketball game together.

Avengers? Nah, The World Really Turns to Sports as Broadcasters Do a Job That's Not Really Theirs

In a time of crisis or need, a time of despair or tragedy, people the world over turn to sports. As an extension, they to sports broadcasts.

It's not just that people seek sporting events as a diversion or something that can bring a sense of normalcy. At its misplaced worst, those seekers want perspective as well.

The understandable need for community, shared perspectives and support drives many to burden sports leagues, teams and especially the sports broadcasters -- whether it's during the games themselves or as part of the associated pre-game and studio shows -- to provide a barometer of concern and some measure of news gathering and reporting about the crisis of the day.

In so many ways, that's like asking a dentist to set a broken leg. The person or persons doing the work might have some sense of how it's done, but it's hardly their job.

This past weekend's reaction to the horrific shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., provides the latest example.

Too many people expected networks to lead their NFL pre-game shows and game broadcasts with coverage of the tragedy. The broadcasters did so, and in general they did so in an appropriate manner.

Still, it's really not their job -- and even those in charge know it. Credit NBA commissioner David Stern for admitting as much Tuesday when discussing his league's moments of silence and efforts related to the tragedy with "Mike and Mike in the Morning" on ESPN Radio.

"There is no way to help. When we do those tributes and moments of silence, we're more helping ourselves than anything else," Stern said. "You do the necessary, which is pay tribute of some kind, but the images were so graphic and sad that I just don't think sports adds anything. We all together felt so helpless watching this, that it was more profound than anything we could have done."

Not even such honesty -- which those in charge across broadcast networks and leagues certainly share if they're truly open about it -- can limit expectations, though. Hypersensitive and thin-skinned consumers and critics, often the most vocal of all who listen or watch, always want more. And in this latest instance broadcasters acquiesced.

On ESPN's coverage of the New Mexico Bowl, for example, the on-air tandem of Bob Wischusen and Danny Kanell referred to Nevada's pistol offense as the "Nevada offense" to avoid any reference to guns.

In fairness, some outlets and schools do have a higher level of responsibility in this situation. They have the credibility and proximity to address the situation with as much concern as they would like. That includes ESPN, located just a half hour or so from the site of the shootings, and New York-area professional teams, as well as UConn and other local colleges and universities.

Beyond that, sports media types really should not be expected to weigh in on the matter. They have other jobs to do.

That they do offer perspective, though, provides more insight about their personality, and the humanity of the people producing the shows. It's a good thing for them to do. It's the right thing for them to do. But it's not their job -- especially in regard to the death of 20 young children and six adults in a shooting spree by a disturbed young man.

Broadcasters must cover a murder-suicide involving an NFL player that took place in part at a team's practice facility, which happened three weeks ago. They also must cover the death of an NFL player in a drunk-driving accident when a teammate was driving the vehicle, which happened two weeks ago.

When we have expectations of what happens on TV or radio in regard to coverage of the tragic deaths of elementary school children, though, those expectations should be heaped on newscasts and cable news networks, not outlets that focus on sports. Instead, we should appreciate their work and thank them for providing that community, that forum and that shared place to enjoy (just a little bit) a small bit of normalcy. Anything beyond that is not their job.

A&R: Expect Another Big Number in Birmingham

The outcome of the SEC Championship Game between Alabama and Georgia might be in doubt for much of Saturday, but the biggest certainty related to the game should come in terms of TV ratings.

Expect Birmingham, Ala., to pull the nation's biggest number among TV markets for the game.

That's hardly a surprise, though. Birmingham viewers watch college football, especially Alabama, more passionately and regularly than anyone else in the United States. While the game might be in Atlanta, with Georgia involved, it'll still be Birmingham that moves the needle the most.

Some not-surprising decisions, two mistakes and one bit of appropriate sports PR chutzpah provide other points for this edition of Act & React. Please follow along ...

Act: The San Antonio Spurs take a no-stars-on-the-floor approach for their game against the Miami Heat and NBA commissioner David Stern promises appropriate actions from the league.
React: Some might consider it much ado about nothing because Spurs coach Gregg Popovich can certainly put whomever he wants on the court as he, from his perspective, keeps his eye on an eventual championship at the end of the season as compared to a regular season game in late November. After a series of road games, the Spurs' decision to rest some players might seem logical to some.

But, it was a nationally televised game against the defending champion Heat for a league that likes to promote the star power of its individual standouts.

So, it's much ado about TV -- and a league's relationship with a broadcast partner. With his stance, Stern is protecting an NBA partner that pumps some $400 million a year into the league.

While Popovich's decision is not surprising, neither is that of Stern. But, you have to think the commissioner would feel differently if the game involved other teams with different stars and the game was not on TV. Interestingly, the game still pulled a decent 1.7 overnight rating.

In terms of the protagonists in the little drama, Stern correctly and invariably protects his league -- that's his job, even if he seems like a bully, petty or even pugnacious at times -- while Popovich's strong will sometimes does not get viewed regularly nationally simply because he works in San Antonio. If he'd coached all these years in New York, Chicago or Los Angeles, fans would certainly react to/view him in much stronger terms.

Act: TV color commentator Solomon Wolcotts talks about Steelers DB Ryan Smith wearing a larger, supposedly safer helmet and compares him to Great Kazoo.
React: Good idea, but while that might be the name of a some sort of giant musical instrument it's certainly not the correct cultural reference. It should be the Great Gazoo, from "The Flintstones."


Act: The broadcast team for last week's Notre Dame-USC missed an obvious storyline last week.
React: First, it was an inexcusable mistake for a top on-air tandem (Brent Musburger-Kirk Herbstreit) supported by two sideline reporters and a team of production personnel. While viewers clearly saw Nortre Dame quarterback Everett Golson go out of bounds, get hit and lose his helmet -- necessitating, by rule, that he miss at least one play -- the broadcasters only focused on his absence.

They speculated about an injury to Golson. They wondered if a quarterback rotation was part of the game plan.

All the while, cameras had caught the action and the director even had a shot of Golson on the sideline working with an equipment manager to check his helmet.

Still, Musburger and Herbstreit rambled on about the situation. And nobody corrected them. It was a mistake that should not have happened -- especially with that much talent on site and viewers seeing the entire story themselves but being told something else by the folks in the booth.

Act: The wording of choice at Penn State has become "on-field record."
React: Although NCAA sanctions stripped the Penn State football program of 112 victories -- requiring a re-write of record books and, at least officially, changing what happened during games that multiple thousands of people saw in person, listened to on radio or watched on TV -- the athletic department admirably and wisely found a way to refer to those games and the records related to them on social media and outer outlets as the season progressed. On Twitter especially, references were made to the program's "on-field record" in those games, or in series against other teams. That's a nice move, as they follow the letter of the ruling and make changes where necessary but acknowledge reality for fans who care enough to follow the program on social media.

A Tough Day for a No. 1 Broadcast Team

Maybe Jim Nantz and Phil Simms were impacted by the effects of Hurricane Sandy in a manner unknown to viewers that left them a little preoccupied. Maybe they were not feeling well. Maybe they just had a bad day.

Whatever the reason, Nantz and Simms, the No. 1 NFL team for CBS Sports, struggled while working the Pittsburgh Steelers-New York Giants game Sunday afternoon.

It's always a challenging assignment to broadcast an NFL game, but a network's top on-air tandem gets the benefit of a superior resources and support. That typically means a few more cameras from a variety of different angles, one of the network's top producer-director tandems and a strong research/reporting team.

Unfortunately for viewers, it never felt like a top-team effort for what was probably the most-watched game Sunday afternoon.

With teams that have won four of the past seven Super Bowls and the backdrop storyline of a major sporting event in the New York City area after the historic storm, the game certainly had abundant interest.

Neither Nantz nor Simms did much to raise their level of effort to match that of the game, though. From the mundane to the most important, they either missed or whiffed.

Something viewers could hear and see for themselves that Simms said did not exist was the first sign the broadcast team was in trouble.

Simms said Steelers fans were not a big part of the crowd at Met Life Stadium, but viewers could hear loud cheers for good plays by the visiting team repeatedly. That included one instance when tight end David Paulson caught a pass and Steelers fans, thinking it was tight end Heath Miller, chanted "Heeath!" Those cheers continued throughout the game, for Miller and every time Pittsburgh did something well.

It was just unsettling -- at least for viewers looking for an accurate feel of the game -- that Simms did not get that sense or felt otherwise.

Along with that, Nantz and Simms seemed like company men for the NFL or were simply wrong early in the game with regard to several poorly officiated plays. While Fox Sports NFL expert Mike Pereira offered tweets citing a personal foul against Pittsburgh and a what was ruled a fumble by Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger as incorrect calls, Simms was indecisive about the fumble and then later agreed with the call on the field.

The personal foul, whistled in the end zone after Giants receiver Victor Cruz was hit on a pass play, was perhaps the most glaring problem of the afternoon for CBS Sports. Hampered by a commercial break, Nantz and Simms were slow to point out it was a bad call and replays of the play, which led to a New York touchdown, were slow in being shared.

Plus, Simms often seemed uncharacteristically ill-prepared, indecisive or out of sorts. Insights were rare, even though he talked a lot.

In one instance, after Pittsburgh running back/return man Chris Rainey produced several long kickoff returns, Simms said, "that kinda shows you why they want to get the ball in his hands." Kinda? You think? Viewers deserve, and certainly expect, better information and insights.

In another instance, the Steelers attempted a long pass for the end zone on second down from the Giants' 36-yard line. Receiver Antonio Brown was hurt on the play, and CBS and Simms focused on that a bit. Perhaps preoccupied by that, Simms then said, as the Steelers prepared for their third down play from the same spot: "This is the spot on the field where teams usually take a shot (at the end zone." But, they had just done that. The observation was a play late and perplexing as a result.

Likewise, when the Steelers went ahead for good on touchdown pass to Mike Wallace, who crossed the field from right to left, caught the ball and sprinted down the left sideline, Nantz offered over-the-top and somewhat out-of-context praise about Wallace's speed. Sure, he's fast, one of the fastest guys in the league, but Nantz crowed about how Wallace beat "defensive backs who had an angle on him."

In truth, and as the replay showed, only one DB had a shot at Wallace -- whose speed was the difference. It prevented the defender from even attempting a tackle, but it's not as if Wallace outran every defensive back on the Giants' roster to score.

There were just too many examples of that kind of generalization and sloppiness that made the game a sub-par effort for CBS Sports overall.

Even worse, viewers never got an update on Brown's injury, or that of Rainey, who left the game later after carrying the ball, getting tackled and then collapsing near the sideline while trying to leave the field. NFL games are always more TV shows than sporting events, but it's somewhat unusual that the status of impact players would not be updated at some point before the broadcast ended.

Oh My, Oh Mayock -- A True TV Talent

Thank you, NBC Sports and the NFL Network. Thank you for giving Mike Mayock so much work -- because it does it so well.

Too often color commentators working major college football or the NFL make no impression. Or, they try to hard and make the wrong impression. Too many of them live on either clichés or the sports version of "Fifty Shades of Gray," sharing so many words but, ultimately, so little information because they're not prepared enough to capably critique what happens on the field.

With Mayock, it's just the opposite. He picks his spots well, makes points that matter and makes them in a timely manner. He's arguably the best color commentator working on TV because he always does his homework and comes to work ready to share information.

If he worked only college games (focusing on Notre Dame for NBC) or only NFL games, he'd be good in either role. That he does both makes his work even more impressive.

He's always prepared, capably conveying his years of preparation for NFL Draft coverage in the form of player evaluation and explanations of what those on the field do best ... or not very well at all.

He's engaging, honest and informative.

When San Diego Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers threw an interception in the end zone at the end of the first half of Thursday night's game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Mayock did not mince words.

"Can't do that. Can't make that throw," Mayock said. "He threw one in the 10th row two snaps ago, why would you make that throw? Everything was bad about the decision, and then the throw. There's no way in the world you can make that throw."

In fairness, and he was fair to Rivers, Mayock cited the QB's overall work in the first half as "almost perfect" until the interception. Mayock rarely raises his voice, shares silliness or shouts. He's simply solid, setting a standard to which others should aspire.

There's not much better in terms of TV viewing than getting to watch Mayock work twice in a three-day span -- with a Thursday night game on the NFL Network and then a Notre Dame game on Saturday.

Commitment to Late Night Latest Sports TV Move

Not so long ago, businesses actually shut down for the night.

Major retailers closed their doors at 9 p.m., many restaurants stopped serving about that time and radio and TV stations signed off at midnight or sometime in the early morning hours as well.

Round-the-clock service existed at some places, but it was rare. That was also true on radio and TV, where late-night hours were reserved for B movies, reruns and paid programming.

All-sports channels have changed that -- especially in recent years -- with events that start at all times of the day. In addition, ESPN's commitment in recent years to a presence in Los Angeles has allowed the production of live, original episodes of "SportsCenter" much later in the broadcast day.

Overall, as younger generations of viewers have continually extended the typical viewing day, TV programmers have noticed. It's not by accident that ESPNU added a late-night program ("UNite") earlier this year, and that CBS Sports Network does the same starting tonight with "Lead Off."

Of the two, "Lead Off" has the best chance to produce engaging and entertaining -- something worth staying up to watch -- because it has Doug Gottlieb as a co-host. He's clearly the best and most proven of any of the on-air talents involved with either of those two late-night shows.

A former college basketball player with on-air skills honed through assignments on ESPN and ESPN Radio, Gottlieb left the four-letter all-sports network to join CBS Sports Network on radio and TV. His national radio show begins Jan. 2, as launches its lineup of sports-talk radio. He'll also work college basketball games and, of course, "Lead Off."

Such lat-night shows will never draw the viewers and overall interest of their prime-timeor daytime counterparts, but it's good to see an attempt at quality, with a proven, talented host, as opposed to creating something just to fill time.

Even Out of Sight, Beano Cook Mattered on TV

College football fans rarely saw Beano Cook during the final years of his life. At most, he made a weekly appearance on ESPN Radio -- and even that had ended earlier this season as his health took a turn for the worst.

Still, Cook -- who died in his sleep Wednesday at the age of 81 -- was seemingly an ever-present force in the industry. He made an impact on the business and on the people who share college football with millions of fans each week on television.

He was honest, opinionated, irreverent and often impersonated. He was a character, an original, and he clearly cared about college football. His voice was distinctive and his passion was unquestioned.

A former sports information director at Pitt, Cook joined CBS Sports as a publicist and later made his on-air debut for ABC Sports in 1982. He moved to ESPN in 1985 and worked almost exclusively as a studio analyst, although he did do some games despite his aversion to travel.

No matter the network, though, and no matter if it was on TV in front of millions, in the press room at old Pitt Stadium or anyplace else he appeared, Cook was himself.

He was not an expert on Xs and Os, but he understood college football. He knew what it meant in various regions of the country, and he knew the politics involved in athletics and higher education. He was moreso a commentator on that culture -- and the related tug of war -- then he was regarding action on the field.

Cook evaluated and listened, but his best characteristic was that he was simply not afraid to tell you what he thought. Because of that, he made an impact. He was the Pope of College Football, an experienced voice that earned respect of others around him.

Sure, his anecdotes and stories repeated later in his career, and he was years removed from high-profile assignments on a regular basis, but everyone knew Beano Cook.  Coaches, colleagues and fans have shared memories in the days since his death, and all the accolades and respectful recollections have been deserved.

His death is a true loss for college football, because of his impact on the sport in general and on how the sport was presented TV after he helped elevate the role of of on-air analysts.