Breaux "Hurricane" Greer by Paul Drinkwater/NBC Photo
While most Olympic hopefuls spent the last few months devoutly focused on training for Beijing, Breaux Greer lived up to his rebellious reputation with a unique form of cross training. The 31-year-old javelin star did a stint on America Gladiators, beginning tonight and running throughout the remainder of the season (Mondays, 8 pm/ET, NBC).Greer is an eight-time national champion in the javelin and won the bronze medal at last year's world championships, making him a serious threat to reach the podium at the Olympics in August. So why risk injury on something as goofy as Gladiators? “The quote that I live my life is, ‘I was not here to be a background character in someone else’s movie,’” he says. A fan of the original series, the high-strung Greer was eager to jump into events like the Pyramid and Powerball. "The best part of all of this to me is I can beat the hell out of anybody and no police will be involved," he jokes. (We think!) "I’m not holding ...
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Tiger Woods by Lester Cohen/WireImage.com
Tiger Woods' flair for drama has turned the U.S. Open into the gift to golf fans that keeps on giving. After a stunning 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole at Torrey Pines in San Diego on Sunday, Woods forced a playoff against 45-year-old Rocco Mediate. Coverage of Monday's playoff will begin on ESPN at noon/ET before moving to NBC at 2 pm.Watch video of the clutch birdie:
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Phil Mickelson by Craig Sjodin/ABC/ESPN, Tiger Woods by Phil Ellsworth/ESPN
The U.S. Open — the second of men's golf's four majors — tees off Thursday morning from Torrey Pines Golf Club in San Diego. Two of golf's most popular players — and two of its most competitive rivals — will be paired during the first two rounds. Tiger Woods will be seeking his third U.S. Open title (and 14th major title) and is coming off a two-month layoff following knee surgery. He has won at Torrey Pines six times in his career. Phil Mickelson seeks his first Open title and is no stranger to Torrey Pines. The San Diego native played his high school matches at the golf club. —J.R. WhalenThis year's U.S. Open is the first to be scheduled to air in primetime. NBC and ESPN share coverage:Thursday, June 12 1-3pm/ET and 5-9:25 pm/ET, ESPN3-5 pm/ET, NBCFriday, June 131-3pm/ET and 5-10 pm/ET, ESPN3-5 pm/ET, NBCSaturday, June 144-10 pm/ET, NBCSunday, June 153-9 pm/ET, NBC
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The NBA Finals are living up to the hype. Tuesday night's Game 3 scored 14.51 million viewers for ABC, the most-watched of the series so far. It's also a 53 percent increase over 2007's Game 3 (9.49 million) — which isn't that surprising given how much more interest there is in the Celtics/Lakers series than last year's Spurs/Cavaliers snoozer.Games 1 (13.38 million) and 2 (13.50) were the most-watched television programs of last week. The Celtics lead the series 2-1 and Game 4 is Thursday in Los Angeles (June 12, 9 pm/ET, ABC).
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HBO will rebroadcast the Emmy-winning documentary Jim McKay: My World in My Words in honor of the legendary sportscaster who passed away over the weekend at age 86.The show will air on HBO Thursday and Sunday (June 12, 7 pm/ET and June 15 11:30 am/ET). It will also air on HBO2 on June 16 (11:55 pm/ET).In addition, ESPN will air Spanning the Globe: The Wide World of Jim McKay, a retrospective of McKay's life and career on Tuesday (June 10, 9 pm/ET). — J.R. WhalenRelated:• Jim McKay passes away at 86
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Da'Tara by Brendan McDermid / Reuters
Saturday's Belmont Stakes was a bust for Big Brown, but ABC came out a winner. Overnight ratings were up 169 percent from last year — no surprise given that there seemed a good chance for a Triple Crown winner for the first time in 30 years.Big Brown, winner of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, finally saw his hot streak end down the Belmont Park homestretch. Jockey Kent Desormeaux eased up on the horse, and trotted home last. Instead the upset winner was Da' Tara, who entered the race at 38-1.UPDATE: The race drew an audience of 13.24 million viewers, a huge increase over last year (4.86 million), but well shy of the 21.89 million in 2004, the last time a Triple Crown winner was possible.Watch video of the race:
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Lorena Ochoa by Steve Grayson/WireImage.com and Annika Sorenstam by Steve Levin/WireImage.com
The Golf Channel's coverage of the final round of the LPGA McDonald's Championship — the second women's major of the year — begins at 4 pm/ET. It looks like it could be a clash of the titans, with the player of the moment, Lorena Ochoa, and the legendary Annika Sorenstam tied for third, just two shots off the lead at Bulle Rock Golf Course in Havre de Grace, Maryland.Ochoa is bidding for second major of 2008. She's already won six tournaments this year. Sorenstam, who recently announced that she will retire at the end of the season, is looking for her 11th career major.Ochoa tees off at 1:15 pm/ET, five minutes before Sorenstam. They are both at 10 under, and chasing Jee Young Lee, who is at -12, and Maria Hjorth, at -11.
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Jim McKay courtesy ABC
Jim McKay, the popular sportscaster who became the face of ABC's Olympic coverage, passed away Saturday at age 86. According to the Associated Press, McKay died of natural causes at his home in Monkton, Maryland. McKay's son, CBS News and Sports president Sean McManus, confirmed the news to the AP.McKay is perhaps best known for his calm and heartfelt coverage of the hostage crisis at the 1972 Munich Olympics. With the memorable words, "Our worst fears have been realized tonight… they're all gone," he solemnly relayed the news that all 11 Israeli athletes taken hostage had been killed. He won both news and sports Emmys for his work that day. McKay worked for CBS at the 1960 Rome Olympics and then covered 10 Olympics for ABC and was a special commentator for NBC during the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games. He also was the host of ABC's Wide World of Sports, an anthology series that debuted in 1961 and famously showcased, according to McKay's iconic voiceover, "the thrill of vict...
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Big Brown, with jockey Kent J. Desormeaux by Jason Reed/REUTERS.
ABC and ESPN are going all out with coverage of the Belmont Stakes (June 7, 5 pm/ET, ABC). In the mile-and-a-half race Big Brown is attempting to be the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978. If successful, he would be just the 12th horse to sweep the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes. Ten others have won the first two legs, only to fall short at Belmont Park.ESPN's preview coverage starts with Today at the Belmont Stakes from noon to 3 pm/ET, followed by The Belmont Stakes Special from 3 to 5 pm/ET. ABC takes over after that, with coverage of the race itself scheduled for about 6:25 pm/ET.
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Kobe Bryant by Kirby Lee/WireImage.com, Kevin Garnett by Adam Hunger/REUTERS
After a nail-biter of a Super Bowl, an overtime NCAA men's hoops final and a resurgence of ratings in the NHL Stanley Cup, the NBA Finals are poised to continue a fantastic 2008 sports year. This is your father's NBA Finals. And get your grandfather in the room, too. The Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics — two of the league's most storied franchises (and one of the most heated rivalries in all of sports) — are set to battle for league supremacy. Before Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls took over the world in the 1990s, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird owned the '80s, with the Lakers and/or the Celtics appearing in the NBA Finals every year, save one. Gone are the short shorts and the knee-high socks. This year, the Lakers' Kobe Bryant and the Celtics' Kevin Garnett lead a new generation of roundball phenoms battling for the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy. ABC analyst and former New York Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy sees the series going the distance. "Whoever wins i...
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