You are here: Home / Archives for ESPN

Friday Grab Bag: Replacement Refs Make the Cut, Apple/Motorola Bury the Ax, Sort of

August 31, 2012 by

ESPN pays out $5.6 billion for MLB broadcast rights
ESPN will remain the broadcaster of choice for Major League Baseball for Sunday, Monday and Wednesday night baseball as the broadcast giant has inked a new deal with the league for $5.6 bn according to the Sports Business Journal.

The eight year deal will work out to be approximately $700 million per annum, more than double the current deal. Other broadcast rights are still in the process of being bid and baseball may have many windfall years ahead. I wonder what this will do to the luxury tax in the league, although I am sure that it is already covered in the CBA.

Microsoft offers SkyDrive for Android
Although it sounds vaguely like the plot for Terminator 4, it is simply Microsoft offering its SkyDrive cloud storage service as an app for Android users and they can go over to the Google Play store and pick it up. While it can run on early versions of the Android operating system it is optimized for version 4.0.

Apple’s win a loss for standard-essential patents?
While I write a good deal about patent issues due to the seemingly constant state of litigation that is ongoing in the mobile and handheld space, I am far from an expert on the topic, and do not pretend to be so. An interesting look at some of the after affects from Apple’s win over Microsoft can be found at this piece from Reuters.

An interesting conclusion I gain from the piece is that the host of patents that Google gained in the Motorola purchase may not have quite the value that the company believed that it would have, and that could make the deal a lot less valuable than previously believed.

ESPN’s top college football markets
Ever wonder why a game is on and how well it did in terms of viewership? Well ESPN did not release all of its market data but it has provided a look at the top 25 markets, but from last year and going back 12 years.

There is a lot of interesting data in there, mined quite well to show you the shifting interest in teams , regions and leagues. The only two areas that stayed in the top 5 over the entire span were Birmingham and Columbus, Ohio.

Motorola and Apple bury the ax in Ge

rmany
Peace at last? That is probably too much to ask but at least one bone of contention between the two has been buried as Motorola Mobility and Apple have agreed on a FRAND licenses in Germany. An earlier attempt had failed when Motorola asked for 2.25% revenue rate.

Apple called the deal “fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory” and will call for Apple to pay Motorola an unspecified sum for all previous use of Motorola technology, Foss Patents reports. It also said that the deal is probably a result of the ruling in the Apple/Samsung case.

Images of next generation Sony tablet leaked
As the release date for Windows 8 nears more news about the hardware developers plans appear to be leaking out, intentionally or unintentionally. Sony is the latest with a very interesting looking tablet called the VAIO Duo 11.

Sony’s efforts in the tablet space have been met with less than open arms but the image shows a tablet that has a built-in, fold out keyboard in a sharp looking industrial design. The tablet appears to be running Microsoft Office, meaning that it uses an Intel or AMD processor.

NFL Replacement Refs to start season
Well one group made it through the pre-season without getting the chop and that is the NFL’s replacement reps. Not happy with this since I am pretty sure I saw a couple of 17 yard penalties marched off last week.

I suspect that no matter how well they actually do, fans for half of the teams will be blaming the refs on everything from their teams’ loss to costing them in the points category in their Fantasy Football league. I wonder how long this will go on or will the NFL change its mind in less than a week?

Samsung shows five pending Windows 8 phones
Samsung took the floor at the IAF trade show in Berlin and backed the truck up with a wide range of new and future devices including the Galaxy Note II, hybrid PCs and a new high end camera. It also previewed five smartphones that will be using Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system.

The devices, with info on them here from Gizmag, will all carry the brand name ATIV as the company appears ready to use that moniker to cover aa wide range of next generation devices including PCs and phones. The official launch of Windows 8 is in late October and expect to see more details from all of the players adopting Microsoft’s Windows 8 for a variety of products.

zp8497586rq
Filed Under: Android, Apple, ESPN, Google, Intel, Microsoft, NFL, Samsung Tagged With: , , , ,

Friday Grab Bag: Apple/Samsung Jury Forms, NFL Cutdowns, Kindle Loses Big Sale

August 24, 2012 by

Major League Baseball

Now that it has decided to test expanded replay, Major League Baseball is testing a pair of systems to see which will better meet its needs which will now include examining fair/foul calls and trapped balls.

MLB will have one system installed at Yankee Stadium and the other at the Mets' Citi Field in order to conduct tests. The systems are expected to be up and running by the end of this month and will be used in September games, according to Yahoo Sports.

Google Nexus 7 sales to hit 7 million
A report has surfaced from Tech-thought.net that said it estimates that Google will sell as many as 7 million of its Nexus 7 tablets this year, an amazing feat that would put it in among the leaders in tablet sales.

That number would be more than twice what Google had originally estimated it would sell, but demand has been strong and in the first weeks it sold out of its entry level model that starts at $199.

Look to Awful Announcing for your NFL broadcast news
Now that the NFL season is around the corner its time to look at one important aspect of the games — the announcers. I find most announcers to be pretty grating and often watch games on mute rather than expose myself to their blather.

Some brave souls not only listen, but rate them with the pros. So head over to Awful Announcing and lend a hand. The site also does nice work covering many aspects of sports.

Microsoft to build 3 million Surface tablets in 2012?
Market research firm IDC said that it expects Microsoft to build 3 million Surface tablets in 2012, according to an interview run in C/net. The estimate includes tablets that run Windows 8 Pro and Windows RT.

In the interview with IDC analyst Bob O’Donnell C/net reported that he believed that the entry level price of at least one version of the tablets would be in the $199 range, putting it in a head to head price competition with the smaller 7-inch tablets and making it much less expensive than offerings from Apple and Samsung.

America’s Cup World Series mishaps
One captain at this week’s America’s Cup World Series races predicted carnage due to the sailing conditions on San Francisco Bay. Well the San Francisco Chronicle has done a nice job of providing a photo essay on that topic.

Dell not as enthusiastic on Surface sales
Dell executives said that the company expects that Microsoft’s Surface tablets will represent a very small percent of the overall PC units in the next year. Michael Dell, founder and CEO said that he expects the numbers to be between 1% and 2%.

The company has reported that its PC and mobility sales were down 14% for the most recent quarter and sees tablets as eroding that space. The company will be among the hardware developers expected to deliver Windows 8-based tablets in the fall.sales have been

ESPN bids on BCS playoffs
Now that the BCS has altered its championship format to now feature a playoff, the next step is of course to sell the rights to broadcast those games. ESPN has been broadcasting the BCS Championships the past few years and it has the opportunity to continue.

It has been reported that starting Oct 1, ESPN will have an exclusive 30-day window in which to purchase the playoff rights from the BCS. The BCS is also working on a new revenue-sharing plan to work out how the playoff money will be divided.

BCS Championship

Think you are well informed re Apple vs Samsung — look at Jury form
The form that the jury is using for the case is 20 pages long and looks like a college exam. I really feel sorry for the jury and expect that they will need to constantly have to get refreshers on what all of the varied elements are in the case.

Huge U.S. Government Kindle purchase killed
ITWorld is reporting that the U.S. Department of State has canceled a large order for Amazon’s Kindle Touch tablets along with additional content. The order was valued at $16.5 million over the course of its lifetime.

The department said that it was taking a second look at the requirements of the program and was conducting additional market research. The contract originally called for an initial 2,500 e-readers and 50 titles of content.

NFL roster reductions start Monday
For NFL fans some of the most interesting days, prior to when they actually start playing, will be coming up over the next week as teams will have to reduce rosters from the current 90 player level to 53 by Aug. 31.

Teams will be looking to shore up perceived weak areas as a flood of players hit the market with the first cut down next Monday to 75 and then again later in the week. I wonder how many might find a place in the USFL or other alternative leagues?

zp8497586rq
Filed Under: Android, Apple, Awful Announcing, Baseball, BCS, Dell, ESPN, Kindle, Major League Baseball, Microsoft, NFL, Samsung, Smartphone, Surface, Tablets, Windows 8 Tagged With: , , ,

Watching NASCAR: No Groove at Bristol

August 24, 2012 by

A week after Jimmie Johnson had swept into the top of the Sprint Cup standings it looked as if he was about to add a bit of a lead to his position as he managed to reach the front of the pack at the Pure Michigan 400.

Leading with only nine laps to go was a major accomplishment for the driver that stared at the back of the race, and with a dominant car seemed destined to capture the checkered flag. Unfortunately his car decided to let him down and his engine failed with only six laps to go.

That opened the door for Greg Biffle, who not only won the race but took the points lead away, with Johnson dropping from 1st to 4th with his 27th place finish. Due to a late caution Biffle was forced to fend off Brad Keselowski, who came in second. Kasey Kahne came in third with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Marcos Ambrose filling out the top five.

Next Up: Irwin Tools Night Race
The teams are in for a short track as they hit Bristol and its .533 mile oval for the Irwin Tools Night Race, in a race that has a lot of promise. It appears that the track has been resurfaced to make it harder to run side by side. This was accomplished by grinding down the concrete in order to remove the top groove. I expect it will add to the banging and bumping and with so many drivers so close to the wild card spots for the chase, an increase in driver internal temperatures.

Broadcast: August 25, 7 pm ET ABC

Twitter

Sprint Cup

Series
1) Greg Biffle
2) Matt Kenesth -20
3) Dale Earnhardt Jr. -22
4) Jimmie Johnson -28
5) Brad Keselowski -47
6) Martin Truex Jr. -60
7) Clint Boyer -66
8 ) Kevin Harvick -85
9) Tony Stewart -95
10) Denny Hamlin -96

What could be better that racing on a track that shares your last name and leading the race by almost 20 car lengths with a lap to go? I guess winning the race would rank right up there in the top position because failing to win was what Jacques Villeneuve did in Montreal.

He resorted to the tried and true, yet unproven, tactic of turning on and off his motor in an effort to preserve gas, and while it may have achieved that it failed to preserve the lead as Justin Allgaier managed to slip past for the win with a little bump to help thins out. He was then also passed by Sam Hornish Jr. fourth was taken by Elliot Sadler and Ron Fellows followed in fifth.

There was oddity during the race that I, and the announcers, have never seen. A fan offended by who knows what, threw a show onto the track, which was subsequently run over by then race leader Danica Patrick.
While she said over the radio immediately after hitting the shoe that she was having issues with her steering, her crew chief later said that the shoe had no relationship to the parts problems that dropped her from race leader to a 27th place finisher. NASCAR has said that it still has the shoe.
http://youtu.be/UxQ4t-yZLPc

This Week: Food City 250
The Nationwide teams are again sharing the track with the Sprint drivers at the refurbished track in Bristol. It seems that in recent weeks there has been a bit of late bumping and with no top groove at Bristol, expect to see more of the same..

Broadcast: August 24, 7 pm ET ESPN

Nationwide Series Standings
1) Elliott Sadler
2) Ricky Stenhouse Jr. -22
3) Sam Hornish Jr. -22
4) Austin Dillon -35
5) Justin Allgaier -68

zp8497586rq
Filed Under: Athlete to Follow, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Danica Patrick, ESPN, Greg Biffle, Jimmie Johnson, NASCAR, Nationwide Series, Sam Hornish Jr., Sprint Cup Series, Tony Stewart Tagged With: ,

Fanzooloo Debuts Full College Schedule Sept. 1 With Alabama Versus Michigan Game

August 23, 2012 by

Self-described as a sports fan's combination of ESPN, Trip Advisor and Yelp, the mobile application Fanzooloo and its corresponding website has launched its check-in system and will debut into college sports Sept. with the Alabama vs. Michigan game in Arlington, Texas.

Fanzooloo touts it streamlines the fan experience with parking, last-minute ticket, merchandise and restaurant deals and is using the moniker:  “Fanzooloo, It's About More Than Just The Game.”

The Fanzooloo website (www.fanzooloo.com) offers the same information as the mobile application plus additional content while designed like a sports and leisure magazine.

Entertainment, sports, entertainment, food, and social activities nea

r each sports venue will be offered.

According to Fanzooloo, content is both fan-generated and aggregated and will target the overall live game experience – leisure, food, drink and social interaction.

Although the check-in system will premier at the Cowboys Classic, Fanzooloo will encompass all SEC football teams this season, as well as roll out the check-in system for NFL teams and stadiums.

Fanzooloo already includes more than 1,500 merchants and information for every NFL, MLB and NBA team stadium. Fans can find what local bars offer a free shuttle to the game; locate and purchase parking and game tickets within the app; read, write and share fan experiences; find pre-game happy hours; and conveniently locate fan recommended food and beverages inside every stadium.

For additional information, visit: www.fanzooloo.com. The mobile download is available, at http://fanzooloo.com/appstore

zp8497586rq
Filed Under: Denver Broncos, ESPN, iPhone, NCAA Football, NFL Mobile, Sports Social Media, Total College Sports Tagged With: , , ,

Watching NASCAR: The Sprint Cup Heads to Michigan

August 17, 2012 by

Remember earlier this season there were complaints about dull races and that NASCAR should make some rule changes to bring excitement back? Seems like a long time ago, and was pushed further from memory with the tremendous race and finish last week at Watkins Glen.

Three abreast on a road track? I guess anything can happen and it did so on the last lap as Kyle Busch, Marcos Ambrose and Brad Keselowski fought almost down to the wire in the race. Busch hit some oil on the track, of which after race reports said there was a great deal of, and then bumped from behind by Keselowski.

That allowed for a two way fight that Ambrose won, with Keselowski, also having an oil on the track issue at just the wrong time, coming in second. The top five was filled out by Jimmie Johnson coming in third, followed by Clint Boyer and Sam Hornish Jr.

This Week: Pure Michigan 400
The race for the chase wildcard spots will be a key factor in the upcoming Pure Michigan 400 race at the 2 mile, D-shaped oval track at Michigan International Speedway. This should lead to some great bursts of speed that many fans might have missed last week.

Broadcast: August 19, 12 pm ET ESPN

NASCAR Twitter
Last weeks road race also led to a shakeup in the standings as Dale Earnhardt Jr. dropped from 1st to fourth while Jimmie Johnson took over the overall points leadership, moving up three spots. Earnhardt’s late spin, pushing him to 28th in the race, cost him dearly in the standings.

Sprint Cup Standings
1) Jimmie Johnson
2) Greg Biffle -1
3) Matt Kenseth -2
4) Dale Earnhardt Jr. -17
5) Brad Keselowski -44
6) Martin Truex Jr. -49
7) Clint Boyer -58
8 ) Tony Stewart -61
9) Kevin Harvick -67
10) Denny Hamlin -84

Nationwide Series
It seems that it was a weekend of seconds for Brad Keslowski as he managed it two days in a row, falling to Carl Edwards who beat him off a restart in a two lap sprint to the checkered flag. Edwards was racng in his first Nationwide race of the season, not a bad start!

It looked like Keselowski would pull this one out after he managed to pull even with Edwards but after a bit of banging Edwards broke away for the win. The top five was filled out with Sam Hornish Jr. in third, then Rickey Stenhouse Jr. and Ron Fellows.

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve



This Week: NAPA Auto Parts 200 presented by Dodge
Once again the Nationwide drivers will be at a different track than their Sprint Cup brethren, heading north of the border to Montréal for the NAPA Auto Parts 200 presented by Dodge at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. This will be the second week in a row on a road course, so the drivers will be use to the constant turns involved. The 2.71 mile course has 14 turns, so last week’s experience at Watkins Glen will be appreciated.

Broadcast: August 18, 2 pm ET ESPN

Nationwide Series Standings
1) Elliott Sadler
2) Ricky Stenhouse Jr. -13
3) Sam Hornish Jr. -24
4) Austin Dillon -29
5) Justin Allgaier -74

zp8497586rq
Filed Under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., ESPN, Greg Biffle, Jimmie Johnson, Michigan International Speedway, NASCAR, Nationwide Series, Sam Hornish Jr., Sprint Cup Series Tagged With: , ,

Little League World Series Starts – Plenty of Games Available to View on Mobile Devices

August 15, 2012 by

Little League World Series

The Little League World Series starts in earnest this week. Over the last few weeks I have caught parts of the various regional games as the field has been narrowed down to the 16 teams that get invited to play in the championship rounds in South Williamsport, Pa.

Now the two fields, US and International, have been filled out and the teams will start to play for the glory that is winning the championship an event that virtually every baseball fan I know wishes that they had the opportunity to play in. Where I grew up one of the local teams made it (but lost 2-0) when I was young and the younger brothers and sisters of the players got reflected glory for even being related.

It is interesting to note that in the 66th playing of the LLWS, US teams have won 33 times and international have won 32 times. Will an international squad even the score this year?

There are eight regional sections in the US Pool:
1) Mid-Atlantic: Par Troy East Little League, Parsippany, N.J.
2) West: Petaluma National Little League, Petaluma, Ca.
3) Southwest: McAllister Park, San Antonio, Texas
4) Great Lakes: New Castle Little League, New Castle, Ind.
5) New England: Fairfield Little League, Fairfield, Conn.
6) Midwest: Kearney Little League, Kearney, Neb.
7) Southwest: Goodlettsville Little League, Goodlettsville, Tenn.
8 ) Northwe

st: Gresham Little League, Gresham, Or.

As well as eight in the International Pool:
1) Caribbean: Pariba Little League, Willemstad, Curacao
2) Japan: Kitasuna Little League, Tokyo,
3) Mexico: Oriente Little League, Nuevo Laredo, Mexico
4) Europe: Kaiserslautern Military Command (KMC) American Little League
5) MEA (Mideast & Africa) Lugazi Little League, Lugazi, Uganda
6) Latin America: Aguadulce Cabezera Little League, Aguadulce, Panama
7) Canada: Hastings Community Little League, Vancouver, British Columbia
8 ) Asia-Pacific: Kuei-Shan Little League, Taoyuan County, Taipei

The first round is a double elimination round that starts on August 16 with Japan vs. Caribbean and then an additional three games, all broadcast on a variety of ESPN outlets including ABC, ESPN HD, ESPN3.com and ESPN 3D. I think that with mid-day starts fans will appreciate the ability to use ESPN3.com’s watchESPN and view the games live on their work computer or mobile device.

I did not realize the scope to which the tournament and others related to it has grown over the years. While this article mostly mentions the Little League Baseball World Series, the 66th annual, there are seven additional tournaments in all.

The other seven Little League World Series dates and sites are: Big League Baseball (15-18-year-olds; Easley, S.C.; July 25-Aug. 1); Big League Softball (14-18-year-olds; Kalamazoo, Mich.; Aug. 1-8); Senior League Softball (13-16-year-olds; Lower Sussex, Del.; Aug. 5-11); Little League Softball (11-12-year-olds; Portland, Ore.; Aug. 9-15); Junior League Softball (12-14-year-olds; Kirkland, Wash.; Aug. 12-18); Junior League Baseball (12-14-year-olds; Taylor, Mich.; Aug. 12-18); and Senior League Baseball (13-16-year-olds; Bangor, Maine; Aug. 12-18).

zp8497586rq
Filed Under: ABC, Baseball, ESPN, ESPN3, Little League World Series, WatchESPN Tagged With: ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »