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CBS Sports Enhances High School Coverage with New Partnerships

May 15, 2013 by Leave a Comment

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Increasingly fans are following not just college teams and players but looking at the incoming prep classes and watching where the top high school star athletes end up, and also increasingly this is being catered to by the broadcast networks

The latest to head this way is CBS Interactive which has lined up a pair of partners, 247Sports and MaxPreps.com to enhance its coverage and provide fans with year round coverage in the area of recruitment and emerging stars.

CBS has already had a trial run with 247Sports, teaming with the site for coverage for the 2013 National Signing Day, a partnership that CBS reported had strong viewership. The relationship will have CBSSports.com carry news, analysis and rankings of the Top 247 players in football and basketball.

CBSSports.com will use the content that 247Sports generates to complement its existing coverage of college football and basketball and will be running a web page called “Signing Day”.

The deal with MaxPreps.com provides an additional layer of information for fans, following the athletes during their high school years so that dedicated fans are informed about the quality of the players that are part of the favorite, or arch enemy’s next recruiting class. This will also be carried on line at CBSSports.com, along with blogs and on-demand and live video.

For fans of both high school athletics and collegiate level this looks to be a great place to garner information on teams and players and to hear how future draft classes and individual players are shaping up. With the recent recruiting rule changes from the NCAA, if they are not rescinded, coaches can start contacting players earlier so it will be important for fans to know who the coaches are contacting and what they are capable of doing on the court or field

Filed Under: Athlete to Follow, Basketball, CBS Sports, High School Football, NCAA Football, NCAA Hoops, NCAA.com Tagged With: , , ,

Watching Golf this Week: Wells Fargo Championship

May 2, 2013 by 2 Comments

Bad greens! Bad greens! Want more proof that professional golfers have no idea what the real world is like? Witness all the big stars pulling out of this week’s Wells Fargo Championship because… the greens aren’t in top shape.

On some level we can understand: The best players in the world, like Tiger Woods, play at a high level of perfection and hate it when they can’t count on the conditions being as perfect as they are. I mean — lost in the whole Tiger drop controversy at the Masters was the fact that the guy knew that if he moved the ball back two yards and hit the same shot it’d be perfect. And it was. Anyone else have that kind of control over distance and accuracy? No. So if Tiger doesn’t want to putt on shabby greens, I guess that is his perogative.

The real reason, I think, is — bad greens or not, somebody will walk off with the win this week, so top players may not want to be “shown up” by other guys who are willing to gut it out, and play through the oh-so-challenging troubles of some brown patches on the short grass. I think we have used up all our sarcasm for the week, so enjoy the golf. Phil will be there this weekend, along with Mr. Orange Rickie Fowler, who won here last year.

WELLS FARGO CHAMPIONSHIP

(all times Eastern)
TV COVERAGE

Thursday, May 2 — Golf Channel, 3 p.m. — 7 p.m.
Friday, May 3 — Golf Channel, 3 p.m. — 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 4 — Golf Channel, 1 p.m. — 2:30 p.m.; CBS, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Sunday, May 5 — Golf Channel, 1 p.m. — 2:30 p.m.; CBS, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.

LIVE ONLINE COVERAGE

Thursday and Friday, Golf Channel TV simulcast coverage via PGATour.com and GolfChannel.com; Saturday and Sunday, CBS coverage via the PGA site and from CBSSports.com. NOTE: If you are using the PGA Mobile app to watch the Golf Channel online video, be advised that it only works with iOS phones and with some (not all) Android phones. There is no fix planned for the immediate future.

SHOT TRACKER
Don’t forget the PGA’s Shot Tracker, a great way to track the action online.

RADIO
SIRIUS XM (Satellite) 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The live broadcasts are also available to subscribers on the SiriusXM Internet Radio App and online at SiriusXM.com.

FACEBOOK PAGE
Here is the Wells Fargo Facebook page.

TOP TWITTER FEEDS TO FOLLOW
The Wells Fargo Twitter feed.
Geoff Shackelford — well known golf writer. If you’re not following Geoff you are missing the online boat.
Golf Channel — official Golf Channel feed
@PGATOUR — official PGA Twitter feed
@StephanieWei — great golf writer who is a Twitter fiend.
Doug Ferguson is the lead golf writer for AP. Good Twitter insights that often aren’t part of your wire-service lead.

LOCAL FLAVOR
The Charlotte Observer has you covered with a special golf section that has columnists, features and news.

WHO WON THIS THING LAST TIME?
Rickie Fowler.

Filed Under: CBS Sports, Golf, Golf Channel, PGA Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Watching Golf this Week: Zurich Classic of New Orleans

April 25, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Got to hand it to the folks who run the Zurich Classic of New Orleans — if your event doesn’t have Tiger, what better way to get attention than to invite the Masters sensation, 14-year-old Guan Tianlang? Let’s hope there are no slow-play penalties this week.

Other possible stories to emerge from the Bayou: What has happened to Jason Dufner, last year’s victor in this tourney, who seemed poised for a breakout year but then sorta just… laid back? And is Bubba Watson finally ready to play golf again, now that his career as most recent Masters champion is over? Answer for both of them: Maybe not. But even so, they’re still entertaining. In their own way.

No @Live video this week (wait until the Players for that) but Comcast customers can still get simulcasts online.

ZURICH CLASSIC OF NEW ORLEANS

(all times Eastern)
TV COVERAGE

Friday, April 26 — Golf Channel, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Saturday, April 27 — Golf Channel, 1 p.m. — 2:30 p.m.; CBS, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Sunday, April 28 — Golf Channel, 1 p.m. — 2:30 p.m.; CBS, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.

LIVE ONLINE COVERAGE

Thursday and Friday, Golf Channel TV simulcast coverage via PGATour.com and GolfChannel.com; Saturday and Sunday, CBS coverage via the PGA site and from CBSSports.com. Right now only Comcast cable subscribers can watch live online video on weekdays. NOTE: If you are using the PGA Mobile app to watch the Golf Channel online video, be advised that it only works with iOS phones and with some (not all) Android phones. There is no fix planned for the immediate future.

SHOT TRACKER
Don’t forget the PGA’s Shot Tracker, a great way to track the action online.

RADIO
SIRIUS XM (Satellite) 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The live broadcasts are also available to subscribers on the SiriusXM Internet Radio App and online at SiriusXM.com.

FACEBOOK PAGE
Here is the Zurich Classic Facebook page.

TOP TWITTER FEEDS TO FOLLOW
Zurich Classic Twitter feed.
Geoff Shackelford — well known golf writer. If you’re not following Geoff you are missing the online boat.
Golf Channel — official Golf Channel feed
@PGATOUR — official PGA Twitter feed
@StephanieWei — great golf writer who is a Twitter fiend.
Doug Ferguson is the lead golf writer for AP. Good Twitter insights that often aren’t part of your wire-service lead.

WHAT’S THE COURSE LIKE?
Take a good look at the TPC Louisiana.

WHO WON THIS THING LAST TIME?
Jason Dufner.

Filed Under: CBS Sports, Golf, Golf Channel, PGA Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Watching Golf this Week: RBC Heritage, AKA Masters Hangover

April 18, 2013 by 1 Comment

After our Masters smorgasboard, are you ready to watch golf again? As we said last year — get ready to “get bad in plaid” because this weekend the tour goes to the beaches and the Rodney Dangerfield memorial winner’s jacket — aka the big bad plaid that goes to the winner of the RBC Heritage on Hilton Head Island, S.C.

If you think lighthouse finish, you know this tour stop. If you’re watching you fancy coastal golf, or wish you had the bucks to go to Hilton Head and the Harbour Town Links. Which must be expensive, since they put the extra U in Harbour. Anyway — we’re tapped out from the Masters weekend so you’re on your own for humor. See you next week.

RBC HERITAGE

(all times Eastern)
TV COVERAGE

Friday, April 19 — Golf Channel, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Saturday, April 20 — Golf Channel, 1 p.m. — 2:30 p.m.; CBS, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Sunday, April 21 — Golf Channel, 1 p.m. — 2:30 p.m.; CBS, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.

YOUTUBE CHANNEL
Love them bagpipes at the RBC Heritage YouTube Channel.

LIVE ONLINE COVERAGE

Thursday and Friday, Golf Channel TV simulcast coverage via PGATour.com and GolfChannel.com; Saturday and Sunday, CBS coverage via the PGA site and from CBSSports.com. Right now only Comcast cable subscribers can watch live online video on weekdays. NOTE: If you are using the PGA Mobile app to watch the Golf Channel online video, be advised that it only works with iOS phones and with some (not all) Android phones. There is no fix planned for the immediate future.

SHOT TRACKER
Don’t forget the PGA’s Shot Tracker, a great way to track the action online.

RADIO
SIRIUS XM (Satellite) 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The live broadcasts are also available to subscribers on the SiriusXM Internet Radio App and online at SiriusXM.com.

FACEBOOK PAGE
Here is the RBC Heritage Facebook page.

TOP TWITTER FEEDS TO FOLLOW
RBC Heritage Twitter feed.
Geoff Shackelford — well known golf writer. If you’re not following Geoff you are missing the online boat.
Golf Channel — official Golf Channel feed
@PGATOUR — official PGA Twitter feed
@StephanieWei — great golf writer who is a Twitter fiend.
Doug Ferguson is the lead golf writer for AP. Good Twitter insights that often aren’t part of your wire-service lead.

LOCAL FLAVOR
Who are we to dim the plaid? Check out Willie’s World because while the tartan jacket may seem so old school it creaks, the tournament is all over Facebook and Twitter. The local paper, the Island Packet, has a special Heritage section but beware the popup ads.

WHAT’S THE COURSE LIKE?
Take a good look at the Harbour Town Golf Links.

WHO WON THIS THING LAST TIME?
Carl Pettersson.

Filed Under: CBS Sports, Golf, Golf Channel, PGA Tagged With: , , , ,

Watching Golf this Week: The Masters, AKA Tiger’s Revival

April 11, 2013 by Leave a Comment

masters skedLet’s get the basics out of the way first. You want to know when to watch the Masters, right? It’s easy. TV coverage Thursday and Friday is on ESPN, 3 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Eastern time, both days. On the weekend it’s CBS, 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday, 2 to 7 p.m. Sunday.

Online: You can’t go wrong. We have already said we think the Masters coverage is not just the best in golf, but the best online coverage of any event, anywhere. We have CBS and IBM and AT&T to thank, but mostly it’s because the Masters calls its own shots. So they’re not concerned whether or not online will take away from TV ratings. Like the Honey Badger, the Masters doesn’t give a you know what.

CBSSports and the Masters sites will both show live video, and you can even watch the ESPN coverage simulcast on WatchESPN. Here are some handy links:

HERE IS THE MAIN MASTERS COVERAGE LINK.

HERE IS THE MAIN CBS MASTERS PAGE.

HERE IS THE CBSSPORTS LIVE ONLINE COVERAGE PAGE.

If all else fails, go to the Masters.com page, find the mobile device apps for iPad, iPhone or Android and download. You know the drill. Be thankful that the Masters is the best, bar none, sports event for sports fan viewing. We are talking minimum commercials, multiple alternate views online, experienced crews who aren’t doing this for the first time… there is the occasional weirdness like the Butler Cabin stuff but unless this is your first time watching you have already embraced all that as part of the Masters lore and lure. So on to the actual tournament preview:

It’s Tiger’s to lose.

If you look at it from a purely unemotional standpoint — so far this season Woods has been destroying the fields on courses he knows well. Torrey Pines. Bay Hill. Augusta is another one of those multiple-win places, where he announced his plans to not just win but to posterize the rest of the Tour, back in 1997. If you watched that tournament, like millions of us did, it changed you as a golf fan.

Even as Woods struggled the past few years, he was surprisingly competitive at Augusta: Since his last green jacket in 2005, here is how Tiger has finished: 3rd, 2nd, 2nd, 6th, 4th, 4th, and then 40th last year. Those results are a career for most of the stiffs on Tour; so now that Tiger is back in form (especially on the greens) how can he not win?

In terms of work ethic, physicality, smarts — he has the whole package, something nobody else has. What is missing… is the mojo.

Majors are all about psychological pressure. What Woods showed last year is that he is susceptible to it. He didn’t use to, but now — he cracks. He’s the closer who can’t close anymore, Mariano Rivera without the cut fastball. He fooled us all, even the best: Sports Illustrated’s Alan Shipnuck, best golf beat writer out there, wrote this after the first round of the U.S. Open and probably still regrets it.

What Shipnuck thought — what we all thought — is that the Tiger of old had returned. On Thursday it looked like Woods had it wired again, like he was the GOAT. Then on Saturday he looked like a club member, complete with the hospital shoes. Timid. Afraid. The same thing happened at the British Open — on Sunday there was Woods trying to play smart golf while Ernie Els smoothed his way to the kind of major Tiger used to clear off the table. And then at the PGA the whole golf world ran into the Rory McIlroy buzzsaw, which is awesome to see whenever it flits into focus.

Rory, Phil, or some unknown ready to rise up like Bubba Watson or Charl Schwartzel… there are a hell of a lot of good golfers on Tour now, with what looks like a much higher level of overall play than when Tiger broke in back in the ’90s. And the hype on golf has ramped up too, making all the tournaments that aren’t majors a beta release.

Golf fans and even casual sports fans get it — the Masters is one of the times of the year we need to pay attention, and we will. Majors are about history. Lore. They are player-defining moments. For many of us, there is no doubt that Tiger Woods is the greatest golfer to ever play the game. But until he gets past Jack Nicklaus’ 18 major wins, Tiger knows he can’t legitimately make that claim himself. Nicklaus, as great a student of the game as any, publicly says Tiger can beat his total. Then he adds: But he’s got to go out and win them.

And that’s what a lot of golf fans want to see. They want to witness the greatest, at the top of his game. I think that second chapter starts this weekend — I can see Woods blowing everyone away, just like in 1997. The intimidation factor is creeping back in, and if he gets 4-5 strokes clear by the weekend Shipnuck can go back to his early close-out predictions. But I could also see it going the way of Jim Harbaugh play-calling at the goal line in the Super Bowl… Tiger pressing too hard, staying close but never getting in a groove, and someone who doesn’t feel pressure, like… Jason Dufner? … emerging from the pack.

Enough talk. Fore, gentlemen.

THE MASTERS

(all times Eastern)
TV COVERAGE

Thursday, April 11 — ESPN, 3 p.m. — 7:30 p.m.
Friday, April 12 — ESPN, 3 p.m. — 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 13 — CBS, 3 p.m. — 7 p.m.
Sunday, April 14 — CBS, 2 p.m. — 7 p.m.

RADIO
SIRIUS XM (Satellite)
2 p.m. — 6 p.m., Thursday-Sunday
Sirius will also have several feature shows. Check this schedule for more.

Masters.com
There will be a live streaming radio report on the Masters.com site.

ONLINE
Full live video coverage at Masters.com and CBSSports.com. Different cameras start at different times each day, so… check the schedule to see when they go live. Right now tentative start times for Thursday are: Amen Corner camera, 10:45 a.m.; Holes 15 & 16, 11:45 a.m.; Featured Groups 1 & 2, 12:00 p.m.

ESPN: The Worldwide Leader will be at the Masters in force, with its live coverage Thursday and Friday, and more online coverage goodies. Here is ESPN’s Championship Central link. This is also a good place to check for live ESPN online coverage, via ESPN3 or the WatchESPN app for mobile devices.

Golf.com is going Masters overboard, with more content than you could possibly read. But the Sports Illustrated group of writers hanging out there may be the best covering the game right now.

TOP TWITTER FEEDS TO FOLLOW
Dan Jenkins — golf’s Shakespeare. From Texas. Hope he is on form for the Masters. If you don’t know who he is, hit Google. And buy a few books.
Geoff Shackelford — well known golf writer is slinging Masters lore and great links.
Golf Channel — official Golf Channel feed
@PGATOUR — official PGA Twitter feed
@StephanieWei — great golf writer who is a Twitter fiend

LOCAL FLAVOR
The Augusta Chronicle knows how to play the biggest event of the year. A good bookmark.

WHAT’S THE COURSE LIKE?
Here’s an incredible service: The Masters course page has video flyovers of each hole. I think I will only spend about 80 hours on this page alone.

Want to check out the historic clubhouse? Sports Illustrated’s Golf.com has a video that takes you inside.

WHO WON THIS THING LAST YEAR?
The man who hates publicity who has been so overexposed I would bet that just about every Golf Digest reader could go out to the pines at #11 and replay Bubba’s hook shot to win it. Well maybe not. But Bubba Watson sure did know how to win his first major. Props.

Filed Under: AT&T, CBS Sports, ESPN, Golf, PGA, The Masters, Tiger Woods, WatchESPN Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

CBS, Masters Team Up Again with Massive Masters Online Coverage

April 3, 2013 by 1 Comment

Masters logoWe’ve said it before: Nobody does online sports better than the combination of CBS Sports and the Masters. And if press releases are any indication, the duo is setting out to defend its title with a massive online coverage plan for this year’s Masters, which begins next week.

Forget having to validate viewership through a cable plan: More than 90 hours of live online coverage is scheduled, and it can be accessed via both the Masters.com live TV site as well as the CBSSports.com site. (We found the Masters.com site to be a bit better performing last year, but it’s simply a matter of personal preference. They will both get you to where you want to go, which is live online coverage.)

We are also guessing all the online coverage will also be available through the Masters app, though no press release yet on whether or not there are more goodies in the apps. From what we hear last year’s iPad app really was magnificent. Looks like iPad, iPhone and Android are all supported again this year.

While the online stuff from the Masters will be different from the simulcast TV coverage we’ve seen for regular tour stops this year (and by the way — what a great treat that service is for us lucky Comcast customers), there’s still enough online to keep you satisfied for the few hours you won’t be in front of your couch during golf’s “holy weekend.” Or, let online be your “second screen” since the online offerings include the always-popular Amen Corner channel (coverage of holes 11, 12 and 13), another channel for the underrated 15th and 16th holes, plus two “featured group” channels.

There’s also a Masters studio show, recaps, and highlights from the Par 3 contest but really, the thing we want and the thing we get at the Masters is an unbelievable amount of online coverage. TV coverage, by the way, will be on ESPN Thursday and Friday (3 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Eastern time, both days) and CBS on the weekend, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m Saturday, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. But online coverage starts earlier — the Amen Corner cam is scheduled to go live at 10:45 a.m. Thursday, with the others following later on.

No word yet whether or not we’ll be able to use WatchESPN to see simulcast coverage Thursday and Friday — we’ll check that out by next week. ESPN will also show the Par 3 contest live on Wednesday, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern, but wondering how many people are like me… I don’t want to jinx my Masters viewing by watching the Par 3 contest since… well, you know. Anyway: we usually don’t do this but the full CBS press release with all the details and times is below. Enjoy.

Masters Live on CBSSports.com Returns for 2013 Masters®

Four channels of live golf action let fans follow the Masters Tournament on CBSSports.com and Masters.com

NEW YORK, NY, and AUGUSTA, GA, April 3, 2013 – CBSSports.com, in conjunction with Masters.com, CBS Sports and the Masters Tournament, today announced that Masters Live, live full day video coverage from the Augusta National Golf Club, will return for the 2013 Masters Tournament. With four live channels of golf action, Masters Live will be presented throughout the week of the 2013 Masters, April 8-14, providing more than 90 hours of live video from Augusta National.

The 2013 Masters Live suite of video productions features a line-up of four channels of live golf action from the Masters, including:

● Masters On The Range: Now in its third year, the live show originating from the Tournament Practice Range at Augusta National will be available on CBSSports.com, Masters.com and CBS Sports Network. Presented on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of Masters week on CBSSports.com and Monday through Sunday on Masters.com and CBS Sports Network, Masters On The Range will feature interviews with players and analysis of the field leading up to the start of the 2013 Masters. Brian Crowell, Billy Kratzert and Bobby Clampett will provide commentary and analysis for Masters On The Range.

● Amen Corner: Live streaming video of the 11th, 12th and 13th holes from Augusta National. Grant Boone and Matt Gogel will provide commentary and analysis for Amen Corner.

● Hole Nos. 15 & 16: Live streaming video of the 15th and 16th holes from Augusta National. Jerry Foltz and Billy Ray Brown will serve as the announcers for 15 & 16.

● Featured Group: Live streaming video of selected groupings as they play hole Nos. 10-18 from Augusta National. Andrew Catalon and Kratzert will be providing commentary and analysis of the featured groupings.

Immediately following the conclusion of CBS Sports’ television coverage on Saturday and Sunday, CBSSports.com will present a Masters Live Weekend Recap Show. Hosted by Boone and Gogel, the Masters Live Weekend Recap Show will review all of Saturday’s and Sunday’s action and be available live and on demand.

In addition to the four channels of live golf action and the Masters Live Weekend Recap Show, CBSSports.com will present the following video highlights from the 2013 Masters Tournament:

Highlights from the Par 3 Contest: First played in 1960, the Par 3 Contest has become a beloved Wednesday tradition at the Masters. The 2013 Masters Par 3 Contest will be held on Wednesday, April 10. CBSSports.com will provide video highlights of the action.

Press Room: Video highlights of player interviews conducted in the Interview Room from Augusta National.

Tournament Highlights: Video highlights of play from each day of the 2013 Masters Tournament.

Historical Highlights on Demand: On-demand video of memorable highlights and classic moments from past Masters Tournaments.

Augusta National Aerials: On-demand video fly-overs of the Augusta National Golf Club, allowing fans to enjoy the beauty of one of the most famous golf courses in the world.

All elements of Masters Live will be available free of charge at CBSSports.com and Masters.com.

The Masters, the most renowned tournament in golf, will be broadcast on CBS Sports for the 58th consecutive year, a record for the longest-running sporting event broadcast on one network. This year marks the 77th Masters Tournament, one of the most highly anticipated sporting events of the year.

Schedule for Masters Live Video on CBSSports.com and Masters.com in 2013 (all times Eastern U.S.)

Masters on the Range (Presented Monday-Wednesday on CBSSports.com and Monday-Sunday on Masters.com)
Monday, April 8: 12:00 Noon – 2:00 PM
Tuesday, April 9: 9:00 – 11:00 AM
Wednesday, April 10: 9:00 – 11:00 AM
Thursday, April 11: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Friday, April 12: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Saturday, April 13: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Sunday, April 14: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Featured Group*
Thursday, April 11: 12:00 Noon – Completion of play
Friday, April 12: 12:00 Noon – Completion of play
Saturday, April 13: 12:30 PM – Completion of play
Sunday, April 14: 12:30 PM – Completion of play

Amen Corner*
Thursday, April 11: 10:45 AM – 6:00 PM
Friday, April 12: 10:45 AM – 6:00 PM
Saturday, April 13: 11:45 AM – 6:00 PM
Sunday, April 14: 11:45 AM – 6:00 PM

15 & 16*
Thursday, April 11: 11:45 AM – 7:00 PM
Friday, April 12: 11:45 AM – 7:00 PM
Saturday, April 13: 12:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Sunday, April 14: 12:30 PM – 6:30 PM

* Start and end times are estimates and subject to change. All times eastern daylight.

Filed Under: CBS Sports, ESPN, Golf, PGA, The Masters, Tiger Woods Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
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