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Thanks, TNT, for the Boss Alert Screen

March 15, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Gotta admit — the folks at TNT have a little bit of humor skills. I like the “Boss Coming? DRAMATIC PAUSE” button which appears when you are watching NCAA Hoops online.

It gives you a mock spreadsheet which upon close review isn’t fooling anyone:

Of course, I am not sure whose employer even cares anymore. At MSR, having games on or watching on mobile platforms is “work.” And this morning I stopped by the offices of Bleacher Report, where there are something like 27 flat screens and today there was a food truck and cold beer.

But thanks TNT, for those folks who still have a misguided overlord overlooking their shoulder.

Filed Under: bleacherreport, NCAA Hoops, TNT Tagged With: ,

Where to Watch the NCAA Tourney, TV or Online

March 15, 2012 by 1 Comment

Here’s the Mobile Sports Report quick guide to watching the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament, either on TV or online.

TV: The games will be broadcast on either CBS, or on one of the Turner cable channels — TNT, TBS, and something called TruTV (channel 65 here on Comcast in the Bay area). You need to check a schedule to see which game is on which network. We refer you to this excellent Deadspin post which has all Thursday and Friday games listed.

Online: Here is where it gets confusing. You can watch all CBS broadcast games for free at CBSSports.com, and Turner broadcasts for free at the Turner websites, as long as you are a cable subscriber. When you click “watch now” you should get a screen like the one to the left asking you to select your cable provider to log in with your cable subscription credentials. Good to check these before leaving for work.

Note: The free online games are ONLY the games being broadcast at the time. If you want to watch something else, you need to get the March Madness app for $3.99.

If you want to watch on a phone or tablet you need to pay $3.99 for the March Madness app, which you only need to pay once and then can watch on multiple devices with the login you create.

COMCAST CUSTOMERS: Here’s a handy schedule of all the games available for streaming. HT to Todd Spangler at Multichannel News for the link.

Filed Under: CBS Sports, NCAA Hoops, TNT, truTV, Turner Sports Tagged With: ,

Kwarter Seeks to Meld Social Apps and Sports with FanCake

March 14, 2012 by 1 Comment

Kwarter, a San Francisco-based startup that is focused on developing mobile apps that will serve as a melting pot that blends social media, sports viewing and fan interaction has delivered its first product, FanCake, just in time for March Madness.

FanCake boils down the essence of what many fans do today using multiple applications and technologies. FanCake combines it all into a single app. Instead of tweeting groups, texting individuals and logging into the Internet to follow individuals, make predictions and look up trivia, it is all here, and more.

The company touts the app as having the ability to turn a televised sporting event into a interactive event with connected fans around the country. Fans can focus on players or teams and compete by predicting the next play, among other activities. The app will support all of the games during the Men’s NCAA Hoops March Madness tournament and will have an in-app contest for participating fans with a variety of FanCake related awards available.

Create your own ‘Game Rooms’

There are several components to the FanCake app. Possibly first and foremost is the creation of game rooms. A game room is a chat room and one can be created for each FanCake event. This is where the fans interact with each other. They are all public venues and while in one, information on the live game as well as contests will be broadcast in all game rooms, keeping everyone up to date on what is going on.

It features a live, in-game leader board that has storable features enabling fans to find or focus on information that is relevant to them. Click on any player and it is a live button that reveals details about the individual.

The overall goal of FanCake is to not just to create online communities built along team, player or sporting events, but also around fan participation and the creation of fan communities that actively interact with each other. The app is fully integrated with Facebook and Twitter.

The free app is now available and is available at Apple’s iTunes store for iPod Touch, iPad and iPhone users.

Kwarter has managed to deliver the app in a relatively short time and with minimal outside investment, receiving $950,000 in seed money in October 2011 as its sole infusion. The company is led by co-founder and chief executive officer Carlos Diaz who has founded three previous startups and served as CEO at all of them, including Kwarter. The other two were Reflect Digital Agency that was acquired by Emakina group in 2007 and BlueKiwi Software in 2006. Sam Hickmann is co-founder and head of product at Kwarter and has worked at several other startups including peetch.com and twit, both as CEO.

Filed Under: Apps, NCAA Hoops, Social Media, Sports Betting, Twitter Tagged With: , ,

Four Signs Your Bracket Has Gone to Hell

March 14, 2012 by 1 Comment

I like the Funny or Die Tournament Challenge Challenged video, even if I don’t know who all the stars are in it. It’s embedded below, so have a watch. Before that though, I can offer four signs that your bracket has gone to hell. Today is Wednesday, when all brackets are shiny and clean. But tomorrow, the carnage starts. And here are some of the reasons why:

1. “Your Team” went one-and-done. Thanks to Colorado’s miracle run at the Pac-12 tournament this year, I am set up for exactly this kind of failure. Had CU not won the tourney, they wouldn’t have been anywhere near the Big Dance. Now they’re in — and fans like myself are considering it reasonable to believe that the Buffs can win not just one, but two games! Here we go! Our boys will shock the world! No, they won’t. Vegas loves you, superfan.

2. Your “upset special” for the Final Four… just got upset. It’s cool to pick a 2 or 3 seed to not just win their regional, but to go all the way to the title game. Butler! you say. Butler two years in a row! you say. I say, there’s a reason for teams being a No. 1 seed. And even if a lower seed does make the move — odds are it won’t be the one you picked.

3. You picked Duke. Even though the Blue Devils are a perennial title threat… it’s a North Carolina year this year. Sorry.

4. Your team’s NBA prospect center apparently forgot to go to class. Shouldn’t they make a rule that tells us about things like this before the seedings come out?

Anyway, enjoy the professional humor below.

Filed Under: ESPN, NCAA Hoops Tagged With: ,

Tweet for Cash: Belmont Bruins Have an NCAA Twitter Contest

March 13, 2012 by Leave a Comment

I am guessing you will want to be living in the Nashville area or be a Belmont alum to be interested — but the 14 seed Belmont Bruins are celebrating their return to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament with a Twitter contest that will give tickets and other schwag worth $300 to the fan who “produces the most creative (as well as clean and positive) Tweet while Belmont is alive in the NCAA tournament.”

Since the 27-7 Bruins drew traditional powerhouse Georgetown in a Friday opener, you might want to sharpen up those keyboard skills and get tweetin’ since Belmont may be a one-and-done. Rules? You gotta follow the Belmont Twitter account, @BelmontMBB, and include the hashtag #itsbruintime to enter. More rules and prize information available here. I am pretty sure I have the Bruins going out quickly in my bracket, but maybe you know better?

Filed Under: NCAA Hoops, Twitter Tagged With: , ,

Fab Melo Blows Up Twitter; Should You Blow Up Your Bracket?

March 13, 2012 by 1 Comment

That smoke you are smelling is the aroma from ESPN’s website servers, cooking at full temperature as everyone changes their brackets to downgrade Syracuse after the Fab Melo news today.

Even before the tournament has started, it’s clear that Twitter will be the de facto “news wire” for updates of all kinds: scores, injuries, missed shots and inevitably, academic eligibility questions like Melo’s, which just adds to a very weird year in upstate New York.

The question is, how will Syracuse be affected by Melo’s absence? They got beat by Notre Dame during the season when Melo missed three games due to “an academic issue” but he only averages 7.8 points per game. But then he also averages 5.8 rebounds and possibly most important, 2.9 blocks per game. So can Syracuse survive without its signature big man? Will they become the first first seed to fall in a first-round game? Or will they complete the strangeness of the season and take the title?

Carmelo Anthony’s not walking through that door. And Fab Melo’s walking out of it. See ya, Syracuse.

March 13, 2012 12:10 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite
@jimrome

Jim Rome

Whatever happens… we know we’ll hear about it on Twitter first.

UPDATE from the New York Times which says Melo is probably out at Syracuse. Love the throwaway line at the end of the story: “The announcement is likely to force some late scrambling in office pools.” ya think?

Filed Under: NCAA Hoops, Twitter Tagged With: , ,
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