Do you want to win your own man cave?
- Tony Siragusa, host of DIY series “Man Caves”
The MLB Network is teaming up with the DIY Network to deliver one lucky viewer a man cave fit for the major leagues with their “Who Wants A Man Cave?” contest. From June 12 to July 24, guys in desperate need of a getaway can submit a video explaining why they want their own baseball-themed man cave to www.diynetwork.com or www.mlbnetwork.com.
After selecting the winner in August, DIY Network’s “Man Caves” host Tony “Goose” Siragusa and licensed contractor Jason Cameron will join MLB Network studio analysts Harold Reynolds and Mitch Williams to transform the winner’s space into the ultimate man cave, equipped with official MLB merchandise from his favorite team, high-tech toys and deluxe furnishings. Four runners-up will receive an MLB Authentic Collection cap and jersey from the team of their choice. Viewers can witness the fast-paced renovation from start to finish on a special edition of the DIY series “Man Caves” at 8 p.m. Sept. 29 and on MLB Network in October.
“I’m always willing to lend a hand if it means giving another guy a space of his own,” said Siragusa. “And as a sports fanatic, I especially look forward to building a man cave where our winner can kick back and watch his favorite major league team.”
Whether building a swanky cigar bar, a well-equipped wine cellar or an upscale sportsman’s lodge, DIY Network’s “Man Caves,” 8 p.m. Tuesday, delivers jaw-dropping getaways outfitted with high-tech toys and all the manly essentials for homeowners and even celebrities like Snoop Dogg and Rainn Wilson.
ESPNU to provide coverage of NBA draft combine
Should the Oklahoma City Thunder selected Connecticut center Hasheem Thabeet with its No. 3 pick in the NBA draft. Viewers can form their own opinions by watching ESPNU’s coverage of the NBA draft combine from Chicago, 1-4 p.m. Thursday and 9-11 a.m. Friday.
Besides Thabeet, other top draft prospects expected to participate include Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin, Davidson’s Stephen Curry, USC’s DeMar DeRozan, Memphis’ Tyreke Evans, UCLA’s Jrue Holiday, and North Carolina’s Tyler Hansbrough and Ty Lawson.
Mike Gleason will host the coverage from an on-site set alongside analysts Steve Lavin and Jay Williams, as well as ESPN.com’s NBA Insider expert Chad Ford. ESPN.com senior writer Andy Katz will give live courtside reports and interviews with players and coaches.
Spelling Bee coverage: Spellers from across the country will meet in Washington, D.C. this week for the Scripps National Spelling Bee, and ESPN360.com has exclusive live coverage of the preliminary rounds from 12:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. Wednesday. ESPN will air the semifinals at 9 a.m. Thursday, and ABC will air the finals at 7 p.m. Thursday.
Bee fans with iPhones and iPod Touch devices can also be part of the spelling action by downloading the ESPN Spelling Bee game application from the iTunes App Store. The app, developed with EpicTilt and with voiceover by ESPN’s Trey Wingo, includes 400 challenging words and simulates an actual spelling bee with options to hear the word again, get the
Hasheem Thabeet is expected to be among the top three players selected in the NBA draft.
definition, use it in a sentence, get the part of speech and find out the word origin. A leaderboard will showcase the highest scores.
Colin Cowherd moves herd to television with daily ESPN2 show
ESPN Radio personality Colin Cowherd ventures into television with a new ESPN2 show that debuts at 3 p.m. July 6. “SportsNation” is modeled after ESPN.com’s SportsNation, where fans interact with athletes, coaches, sportswriters, commentators and each other in real time. Michelle Beadle will be co-host.
“The fans will have unprecedented input in the show’s daily rundown,” said SportsNation coordinating producer Jamie Horowitz. “Our goal is to bring the fan into our production meetings. The fans choose the topics, provide the angles, and decide how much Brett Favre talk is really needed.”
Fans will be able to interact with the hosts before, during and after the show by e-mail, text, Twitter or just making a phone call.
“SportsNation will really have three hosts – Colin, Michelle and the fans,” Horowitz said. “We are counting on the fans’ commentary and feedback to make the show unique. I’d like to rely on Colin, but he doesn’t listen to anything we tell him.”
Said Cowherd, host of the “Herd with Colin Cowherd on ESPN Radio, “I’m stunned management let me do a TV show. I know what the producers and I find interesting and funny – and it leads me to conclude that we probably won’t be on the air very long.”
ESPN2 also will be simulcasting the second hour of ESPN Radio’s “Scott Van Pelt Show” from 2 to 3 p.m. Mike Tirico, who has co-hosted the show, will focus on a variety of other network opportunities.
NFL honoring old AFL teams with legacy games
Look for plenty of throwback uniforms this NFL season, celebrating the 50th season for the eight original American Football League teams. The NFL has scheduled 16 AFL legacy games, including the Dallas Cowboys playing the Kansas City Chiefs (former Dallas Texans) at noon Oct. 11 at Arrowhead Stadium and hosting the Oakland Raiders at 3:15 p.m. Nov. 26 in the Raiders’ first Thanksgiving Game since 1970.
The AFL played its first season in 1960 with eight teams. The original eight teams were the Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos, Dallas Texans (now the Kansas City Chiefs), Boston Patriots (now the New England Patriots), Titans of New York (now the New York Jets), Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers and Houston Oilers (now the Tennessee Titans).
The schedule:
Aug. 9, 7 p.m., Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, Canton, Ohio. Buffalo Bills vs. Tennessee Titans, NBC.
Sept. 14, 6 p.m., Buffalo BIlls at New England Patriots, ESPN.
Sept. 14, 9:15 p.m., San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders, ESPN.
Sept. 27, noon, Tennessee Titans at New York Jets, CBS.
Oct. 11, noon, Dallas Cowboys at Kansas City Chiefs, Fox.
Oct. 11, 3:15 p.m., New England Patriots at Denver Broncos, CBS.
Oct. 18, 3:15 p.m., Tennessee Titans at New England Patriots (Boston Patriots), CBS.
Oct. 19, 7:30 p.m., Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers, ESPN.
Oct. 25, noon, San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs, CBS.
Oct. 25, 3 p.m., New York Jets at Oakland Raiders, CBS.
Nov. 1, noon, Miami Dolphins at New York Jets, CBS.
Nov. 15, noon, Buffalo Bills at Tennessee Titans, CBS
Nov. 15, 3 p.m., Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders, CBS.
Nov. 26, 3:15 p.m., Oakland Raiders at Dallas Cowboys, CBS.
Nov. 29, noon, Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills, CBS.
Dec. 6, 7:20 p.m., New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins
NBA series that will never end (it seems) sets ratings record for TNT
Bulls center Joakim Noah celebrates in third overtime of Game 6.
Like the Energizer bunny, the Boston Celtics-Chicago Bulls first-round playoff series just seems to go and go and go. … Four of the games have gone into overtime for a total of seven overtime periods.
Not surprisingly, the Bulls’ 128-127 triple-overtime victory Thusday night on TNT set a cable record as the most watched round one game ever with a 3.5 rating and 5.3 million viewers. The Bulls evened the series at 3-3 with Game 7 at 7 p.m. Sunday on TNT.
TNT game analyst Doug Collins on the multiple overtimes: “This game is on the heels of a series that has been amazing. What these guys have thrown out on the floor throughout the entire series. It looks like they are dead in the water and you find a way to get a couple of baskets. Then it looks like you’ve taken control and the other team comes back.”
TNT analyst Charles Barkley on why he thinks Bulls-Celtics series is not the greatest series ever: “It’s been a really good series to watch. You have seen some great individual performances. The first round of the playoffs can’t be the best series ever.”
NBC analyst Bob Neumeier is picking Dunkirk to win the Kentucky Derby: “I like Dunkirk because he ran an incredible second in the Florida Derby to the horse that I thought was the best horse in the country, and that is Quality Road, who has been scratched for the Derby. For that reason and the fact that Pioneerof the Nile has never run on conventional dirt, makes me give the nod to Dunkirk. I don’t care about historical precedents about him not running as a two-year old. I think he’s the best horse in the race.”
Bob Costas will interview Sports Illustrated writer live in-studio at 6 p.m. Sunday on MLB Network. Roberts will discuss her new book, “A-Rod: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez.”
