Two major NFL-related TV announcements came down Monday. Ex-ESPN anchor Dan Patrick is joining NBC's Football Night in America pregame studio show as co-host. He will reteam with his former SportsCenter deskmate Keith Olbermann. "I'm delighted to be reunited with my tag team partner," Olbermann said, and in an homage to a favorite SportsCenter catchphrase, "I can't stop Dan Patrick from working with me again, I can only hope to contain him."Patrick left ESPN last summer after 18 years with the company. He continues to host his eponymous radio show and write a column for Sports Illustrated.Meanwhile, over at Inside the NFL, which is moving to Showtime from HBO, James Brown, Phil Simms and Cris Collinsworth were named cohosts. Brown and Simms will continue their work for CBS (which owns Showtime), as host of The NFL Today and lead game analyst, respectively. Collinsworth is a holdover from the HBO incarnation, and will remain on the Football Night in America panel and as analyst for ...
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At Monday's Sports Emmys, HBO led all networks, taking eight trophies. Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel was honored along with its Ghosts of Flatbush documentary and the network's boxing coverage.ESPN scored seven total Emmys (including three for ESPN.com) and Fox picked up five Emmys. CBS and NBC won three statues apiece.It was a big night for NBC's football coverage. Sunday Night Football's Al Michaels won best play-by-play honors and his boothmate John Madden took top analyst honors. Football Night in America co-host Cris Collinsworth was named best studio analyst. James Brown won best studio host for CBS' The NFL Today.Other Emmys went to Fox's Fiesta Bowl coverage along with NASCAR on Fox. ESPN's College GameDay won best weekly studio show, and TNT's Inside the NBA snared the Emmy for best daily studio show. —J.R. Whalen
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When the New York Giants' star running back and biggest play-maker Tiki Barber announced that he was going to retire after the 2006 season — during the 2006 season — there were plenty of questions about his dedication to the sport and his team. All of which blew up out of control when Barber's book Tiki: My Life in the Game and Beyond was published in September. In it, he spoke frankly about Giants coach Tom Coughlin and quarterback Eli Manning. Now the guy with the photogenic smile is a correspondent for Today and a commentator on Football Night in America (tonight at 7 pm/ET, NBC, followed immediately by the Giants vs. the Washington Redskins game) — and he's setting the record straight on his Project Runway appearance,
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Tiki Barber may have broken the New York Giants’ all-time rushing record, but he’s finding his most rewarding breakthrough with his post-NFL career as a coanchor on Today and Football Night in America."It’s fabulous and fulfilling in many different ways," Barber said Oct. 22 at the 2007 Quill Awards in New York City. "I’m growing and learning as I go, just like my football career. You start out small and start seeing where your dreams go. That’s what I’m trying to do."Today, which recently added an additional fourth hour of programming, has gotten some competition from ABC’s Good Morning America, which is creeping up in the ratings. However, Today weatherman Al Roker is not worried about their position."I think there’s an ebb and a flow," Roker told TVGuide.com. "But at the end of the day, we’re still No. 1, so it’s good competition." — Reporting by Rob Moynihan
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Here's my quick take on the Fall 2007 primetime schedule that NBC announced earlier today....MONDAY8 pm Deal or No Deal9 pm Heroes10 pm JourneymanMonday has the potential to be NBC's biggest night. DOND is a game show juggernaut. Heroes will have a make or break sophomore season and Heroes: Origins better not be too gimmicky. Journeyman will try to carry the futuristic vibe of Heroes, but will fare about as well as Studio 60 did.TUESDAY8 pm The Biggest Loser9 pm Chuck10 pm Law & Order: SVUHistorically, this is the night where NBC shows go to die. The Biggest Loser has a small but loyal following. Chuck will be this season's failed attempt at government geek gone good. SVU just rolls on.WEDNESDAY8 pm Deal or No Deal9 pm The Bionic Woman10 pm LifeHey, it's another non-scripted show at 8 o'clock for NBC! DOND on Mondays and Wednesdays will wear thin. The Battlestar Galactica team is involved with The Bionic Woman, so I'll give Jamie Sommers the benefit of the doubt. Life is this ...
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