I apologize for the delays in posting this week, but with all of the snow and power outages....I sort of gave up on trying to get any new information out. Anyway the Winter Olympics kicked off last night, and just like the rest of the world I'm trying to get past that horrible Luge accident during the day. Here is your schedule for the next two days....

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13 (DAY 2)

NBC:

2:00pm - 6:00pm
Men's Speed Skating - 5000m Gold Medal Final (LIVE)
Ski Jumping - Individual K95 Gold Medal Final
Women's Biathlon - 7.5km Sprint Gold Medal Final

8:00pm - 11:30pm
Men's Short Track -1500m Gold Medal Final (LIVE)
Women's Freestyle Skiing -Moguls Gold Medal Final (LIVE)
Moguls Competition (LIVE)
Men's Alpine Skiing - Downhill Gold Medal Final

Midnight - 1:00am
Women's Short Track - 3000m Relay Semifinals
500m Competition
Medals Plaza - Award Ceremonies

1:00am - 4:30am
Primetime Replay

CNBC:

3:00pm - 5:30pm
Women's Ice Hockey - Sweden vs. Switzerland (LIVE)

8:00pm - 10:30pm
Women's Ice Hockey - Canada vs. Slovakia (LIVE)

MSNBC:

3:00am - 5:30am
Women's Ice Hockey - Canada vs. Slovakia (replay)

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14th (DAY 3)

NBC:

1:00pm - 6:00pm
Women's Speed Skating - 3000m Gold Medal Final (LIVE)
Nordic Combined - Individual Gold Medal Final: K95 Jumping (LIVE)
10km Cross Country (LIVE)
Men's Luge - Singles Competition (LIVE)
Men's Biathlon - 10km Sprint Gold Medal Final (LIVE)

7:00pm - 11:00pm
Figure Skating - Pairs Short Program (LIVE)
Men's Freestyle Skiing - Moguls Gold Medal Final (LIVE)
Women's Alpine Skiing - Super Combined Gold Medal Final
Men's Luge - Singles, Gold Medal Final

11:35pm - 12:05am
Figure Skating - Pairs Post Game
Medals Plaza - Award Ceremonies

12:05 a.m. - 4:05 a.m.
Primetime Replay

USA:

3:00pm - 5:30pm
Women's Ice Hockey - USA vs. China (LIVE)

CNBC:

7:30pm - 10:00pm
Women's Ice Hockey - Finland vs. Russia (LIVE)

MSNBC:

3:00am - 5:30am
Women's Ice Hockey - USA vs. China (replay)

(P.S.- If anyone can find me an HD screenshot of Al Michaels from last night I'd appreciate it. The guy looks like he went through twenty rounds of botox!)

Awhile back, I mentioned that ESPN wasn't ruling out making a run at the Olympics in the near future, and today there comes more word about their intentions. According to USA Today, a run at the contract could come as early as 2014, and the Olympic committee has promised ESPN a seat at the discussion table....

After scoring big with its coverage of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, you'd think NBC would have the inside track on TV rights to the 2014 and 2016 games. But ESPN/ABC will likely be a strong competitor. Without blinking an eye, ESPN outbid Fox by more than $100 million for the rights to college football's Bowl Championship Series (BCS) from January 2011 to January 2014.

As it celebrates its 30th anniversary, the once rinky-dink and now incredibly deep-pocketed cable network seems hungrier for the validation an Olympics would bring. "There's no question the Olympics would continue the process of establishing ESPN as the home of championship sports and great sports," Skipper said.

The International Olympics Committee has assured ESPN, said Skipper, that it will have a seat at the table when bidding begins in earnest for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, and the 2016 Summer Games in a still-to-be-determined host city.

To show it has the chops to handle a global event, ESPN will give its 2010 FIFA World Cup coverage the Olympic treatment. ESPN is already planning to send anchors Chris Fowler, Mike Tirico and Bob Ley to South Africa for the entire event, said Norby Williamson, executive vice president of remote/studio production.

"What we're hoping to bring to (the World Cup) is Olympic-quality production," said Skipper. "Not just the cameras but the feel of it. That it feels big. That it feels international. That it feels about more than just competition. It's competition. But it's also culture. And human drama."

I'm telling you, ESPN will have every major Sport under their umbrella, sooner than you think. I still don't think the Olympics are as much a money maker as they used to be, but a switch in network could certainly change that.

ESPN/ABC taking aim at nabbing 2014, 2016 Olympic Games (USA Today)

Eric Collins has been a staple on ESPN's College Baseball coverage, now has a new gig. Collins has won the coveted Dodgers announcing gig that a dozen or so really wanted, and will be taking over the role next season. Via the LA Times....

Eric Collins spoke from South Bend, Ind., Saturday about how he'd just realized "an unattainable dream."

Collins, who has also called some college baseball playoff games for ESPN as well as doing part-time radio and television play by play for the Chicago White Sox in 2004 and 2008, will handle play by play for the Dodgers on the road games played east of the Rockies when veteran Vin Scully takes off.

It was a role held last season by Charley Steiner, who will move to the radio booth full time, partnering with Rick Monday.

Collins and other candidates auditioned during Dodgers spring-training games.

Collins said even though he was born in Cleveland, went to Syracuse University and lives in Chicago does not mean he can't be quickly up to speed on the Dodgers and what they mean to Los Angeles.

Collins also called Baseball for NBC during the Olympics, and while he was one of the people I didn't really enjoy, I guess he impressed the Dodgers enough to fill in for Vin Scully during the season.

Dodgers hire ESPN college baseball announcer (LA Times)

In one of the more interesting moves as of late, NBC announced today that Al Michaels would be involved in Olympic coverage for the first time since 1988. Michaels will be the host of the network's daytime and weekend Winter Olympic coverage, and will be putting in over 50 hours of work over the seventeen day event. Via NBC PR....

Emmy Award winner Al Michaels, one of the most renowned broadcasters of all-time and whose legendary "Do you believe in miracles? YES!" call at the Lake Placid Olympics 30 years ago stands as the most famous call in sports television history, will serve as host of NBC's live weekend and weekday daytime coverage of the Vancouver Winter Olympics. The announcement was made today by Dick Ebersol, Chairman, NBC Universal Sports and Olympics.

This will be Michaels' first Olympic broadcast assignment in 22 years when he called hockey games at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics. Michaels will host more than 50 hours of live weekend and weekday daytime coverage from Vancouver, a significant increase in hours from NBC's daytime shows from Torino in 2006.

"I've loved the Olympics since childhood and to have a chance to be a part of the coverage again, especially on the 30th anniversary of the Lake Placid Games, will be a thrill," said Michaels. "I am very excited about the opportunity to work another Olympic Games."

I had absolutely no desire to watch the Winter Olympics (except for Hockey), but now that the most famous voice of the game is involved, I might actually check them out. Good move, NBC.

Journalists worldwide are giving their final opinions on the Games of the XXIX Olympiad and I thought I'd chime in as well. NBC's broadcast of the 2008 Beijing Games brought on varying emotions throughout the two weeks for everyone, both good and bad. People across the Country seemed to be both happy and mad at the network's coverage at various times throughout the two week span and my feelings probably don't differ from all of theirs all that much.

I personally enjoyed many aspects of the coverage and after bashing them, and NBC, for just about the whole Summer, I was certainly impressed at times with the end product. The majority of the announcers were very knowledgeable of the Sports they covered and every host and reporter appeared genuinely interested in the country of China and topics they covered. Cris Collinsworth said last night that these Games provided a great place for the World to forget about its problems for two weeks, and I couldn't agree more.

With that said, there were mulitple frustrating elements of NBC's programming that infuriated viewers in the U.S. and across the globe. In the States, everywhere but the East Coast suffered by not being able to see live events and even those in the East were "blacked out" of monumental and record breaking performances. Let's delve into this a bit more with the good, the bad and the ugly of the broadcast and then I'll give you some announcing winners and losers.
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The Good, The Bad and The Ugly:

The Good- Sheer Numbers and The FOBs

Given that these Games were across the World from us in Beijing, I think that NBC did an admirable job of getting at least some of the contests to us live (well at least for us East Coasters). I don't even remember watching the past two Summer Olympics (Athens and Australia) because barely any of the event were aired as they took place and the change this year was certainly welcomed. It obviously wasn't perfect, but for Gymnastics and Swimming at least they seemed to get it right. I personally thought that 3600 hours of coverage was an insane undertaking but for the most part, they pulled it off in the end.

Bob Costas and his FOB's were also a "good" for the Peacock during these Olympics. I truly enjoyed the excitement of Bela Karolyi and the heartfelt love for his Sport. Collinsworth and Carillo didn't really give us anything groundbreaking but both filled a lot of the downtime with at least somewhat interesting stories. Costas himself pulled no punches in delivering controversial pieces himself and his interview with George W. Bush was surprisingly eye-opening. I don't think anyone else has gotten more out of the Leader of the Free World in eight years.

Obviously numbers don't lie and through sixteen days of coverage over 211 million people tuned in. That makes the 2008 Summer Olympics on NBC, the most viewed event in U.S. television history. Even though there are no other programs considered "events" other than the Olympics within the ratings system (not even the Super Bowl), that's a heck of a lot of people.

The Bad- Online and Post Phelps Coverage

It's hard to find fault in a network that aired events live online for free and gave of us one of the most awesome performances we've ever seen, but I'm going to try. There are reports that NBC's online content only made a quarter of the ad revenue that March Madness did and that's pretty mind blowing given the number of people that signed in online. The network actually decided against airing certain events on the platform (I.E.- Usain Bolt) and in turn hurt the final product that it put out there for customers and even advertisers.

(Now my personal relationship with NBC Universal's Piracy Department aside) It was more than frustrating that they billed NBCOlympics.com as the go to site for every live event, when that certainly wasn't even close to being true. They also didn't even make their videos available for embedding and promotion on other sites (not just blogs). They seemingly ruined their chances at a big payday and record numbers online with that move alone.

As far as post-Phelps coverage, the absence of one individual illustrated exactly how he alone gave NBC the boost they needed in the ratings. After Phelps left the pool, NBC only surpassed the ratings of the Sydney Olympics on one night out of seven. The Games in total were 7% higher than those in 2000 and that percentage is all Phelps.

The Ugly: "Live Events"

I think we've beat this one into the ground but the live/delayed coverage across the country was reprehensible. I still don't understand how if Swimming and Gymnastics started at 10/11pm on the East Coast that they couldn't be aired live in West Coast primetime, but I'm not a TV exec. It's completely unrealistic to think that someone could go through an entire day/night and not hear or see a result. When you're also not airing the most important events live online just to save them for TV....you're going to piss a good number of people off.

There's absolutely no way they can do this again in London, but it wouldn't surprise me.
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Announcing Winners and Losers:

Winners-

Bob Costas (see above)
Ato Bolden (Track and Field)- Provided great insight to running events for a rookie
Bela Karyoli (FOB)- "BEAUTIFUL!!!!"
Dan Hicks (Swimming)- The call of the 4x100 Free Relay will be replayed for decades
Tim Ryan (Rowing and Canoeing)- A vet of the Games but continues to impress
Mike Breen (Basketball)- Solidifying himself as the second voice of the NBA after Marv.
Doug Collins (Basketball)- When not talking about himself, he's one of the best analysts out there (I still can't stand him though)
Bob Papa (Boxing)- Anybody who can work well with (and understand) Teddy Atlas is a winner in my book
Andrew Catalon (Handball)- I didn't know this until recently but Handball is exciting as hell. So are the announcers.
Bill Clement(Various)- He called events from Shooting to Table Tennis and was even sideline reporter for Badminton. He was solid throughout.
Kirch Kiraly (Beach Volleyball)- Exactly what an ex-athlete analyst should sound like covering his/her Sport.

Losers-

Cynthia Potter (Diving)- MSMers applauded her but I couldn't stand her. She was negativity personified and coming from me....that's saying something.
Rowdy Gaines (Swimming)- The Doug Collins of Swimming
Eric Collins (Baseball)- Just downright boring
Craig Sager (Basketball)- Outside of talking about Hooters the sideline reporter was dreadful. He ruined results from events for West Coasters and even said that if the U.S. beat Argentina they'd "play finalist China on Sunday".
Andrea Kremer (Swimming)- "How does it feel to win ______ swimming race?" was all she ever asked
Shane Hamman (Weightlifting)- Actual Quote: "What a huge amount of weight! We're talking a refrigerator, not just a regular refrigerator, but like a big one!"
Al Trautwig (Gymnastics)- Just terrible and the hyperbole was off the charts. He was even quoted as saying this at one point...."The Olympics begin with footprints in the sky." (Blech!)
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There you have it. Overall the Olympics were ultimately just what they've always been, a nice distraction. They come at the perfect time during the Sports Calendar, and some of the physical performances amaze you, but are you really starting the four year countdown right now? Didn't think so. Outside of the live event issues and not utilizing the Internet content correctly, the Games were a success for NBC because they made money.

In the end the bottom line is all that really matters. Who cares if they screw an entire half of the country, right? Right???

Let them shut me down for posting this one. 118-107 is your final and Team USA Basketball has been officially redeemed....

I have to admit that I got a bit teary eyed when all of the players went over and shook Doug Collins hand after the buzzer. Even though I've heard Collins tell the '72 Games story about a million times, it's good to know that these players know their roots. Just a great run for a great team. I'm proud to be an American, proud to be an NBA fan and proud that this team got their Gold.

So the payback to all of you not living in east coast standard time is a live gold medal basketball game tonight that isn't starting at 2:30 in the morning (the start time for us East Coasters). NBC, for once, plans on airing the USA-Spain game tonight (tomorrow in Beijing) live in all parts of the country.

Sure the game is going to be on awfully late in most States outside of Hawaii, but if you're a night owl and a Basketball fan, you should be able to make it through the whole thing. Who hasn't gone to bed at 4:30am (Okay, don't answer that)? Here are your start times for the game and while NBC has made terrible scheduling decisions for those destinations out West, at least they're getting one right before the Closing Ceremonies.

Eastern- 2:30am
Central- 1:30am
Mountain- 12:30am
Western- 11:30pm
Alaska- 10:30pm
Hawaii- 8:30pm

I still haven't decided what my plans are for the evening, but if I'm up, you might see something in this spot early Sunday morning.

NBC's Coverage of The Beijing Olympics Has Been...Slightly Better (Bleacher Report)

Right at about 10:20am eastern standard time, I got about seven or eight emails asking me what channel the USA-Argentina game was on. I replied that it should be on both the HD Basketball channel and NBC. A few more messages trickled in and I immediately knew what had happened.

NBC has once again decided to not air an event live anywhere but the East Coast and the rest of the Country has to sit through three hours of the Today Show before getting to watch the game.

NBC has already started to receive praise from major media outlets (of course on the East Coast) for their coverage of the Game, but I really wish that some of the bigger papers rethink their position. Just because they covered Michael Phelps for five or six days, and he broke a record, is no reason to ignore everything else. If anyone from the West Coast wants to chime in, I'll add your comments below. We know NBC is reading now, don't we?
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Via BF- "Once again NBC decides to fuck more then half the nation in the ass by not televising the USA vs Argentina basketball game live to anyone except the EST. You know the Today Show is so damn important. God, does NBC suck!"

Via JT- "I cannot believe they did this again, and without warning."

Via JS- "Unfreakingbelievable."

illini81887- Game is going to be tape delayed here as well in the Midwest. What a freaking joke, just show it on USA or MSNBC."

Mike- "I'm in Chicago and it's tape delayed as well. Just appalling."

KB- "I'm in Chicago. I'm so sick of NBC's crap coverage, I hate to say it, but it might be a plus if ABC/ESPN took over the coverage. Per NBC "We are just about ready for the Tip Off of the Argentina/Redeem Team game". What crap."

Tyler- "I just read over on Sports Media Watch that Denver (mountain time zone) has had the highest Olympic ratings of any of the major US cities. Imagine what those ratings would be if NBC would show those of us in the west some live (actually live--not just "was live EDT"). In this day and age and with the amount of money they are spending on these Olympics, there is no excuse to not show major events live in all time zones."

Brent- "This is such a joke. I'm at work anyway, but the game should be available to those who want it. NBC has seriously dropped the ball here, and has really decided to screw half a continent. I just don't get it."

Anon- "This is embarrassing. The whole world is watching this event LIVE and half of America has it on a %^&$# tape delayed. Who are the direct people responsible for this decision? What would the outcry be if this happ'd on the West Coast."

TZ- "It should also be noted again that unless you're with one of the huge cable companies like Comcast or Time Warner, you have to lie about your provider and zip code to watch the game live on NBCOlympics.com."

Daniel- "The only common-sense thing to do is to tape-delay it to tonight in primetime. But no, NBC decided to punish the 97% of those who would want to watch this game but have a job. What does NBC have against employment? Are they secretly pandering to the blogging crowd, noted for being jobless?"

Anon- "Couldn't they show it live for the people that want to watch it live. Then show it on tape delay on USA or CNBC instead of whatever crap they are running during the day on those channels? Or just the opposite. They could show it live on USA or CNBC or MSNBC and then show it on tape delay on NBC. Why wouldn't that make sense?"

Dan- "hear that peacock? i'm not watching anything you broadcast AND i'm going to your your competitors and thanking them for coverage YOU purchased. Oh yeah, when it comes to the closing ceremonies, i'm going to grab them off bittorrent on monday. how's that taste?"

Joseph- "Living in SoCal what I find ironic is that I'm currently watching MSNBC's post-game coverage of the game (highlights, interviews, analysis) before the game has even come on the air on our NBC affiliate!"

Ken B.- "How about the fact that we have to sit through at 15 minute "halftime" that could be easily fast forwarded since its on a tape delay."

David T.- "The sad thing is that this is NBC's MO. They do this for Wimbledon and the French Open in the summer. They "play" it as though it is live but it's obviously not. So I not really suprised to hear they are doing it to the rest of the country."
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P.S.- Man, I feel so bad for everyone. I'm not going to do a live-blog or provide any updates so you people that want to watch it live can. Keep the emails and comments coming.

Update: I just remembered that reader Brent L. sent an email to NBC during the Phelps nonsense and thought I'd share the email addy he used....

Brian Walker- NBC Olympics spokesman in Beijing
brian.walker@nbcuni.com

NBC Prepares To Screw West Coast Viewers The Rest Of The Olympics (Awful Announcing)

It's no secret that I have been fawning over Bela Karolyi these Olympics. I think he's fun, boisterous and genuinely loves the Sport he covers. He's gotten some criticism for rooting for the Americans too much and he and Costas addressed that in a phone interview with The New York Times....

“I think people are getting a kick out of him,” Costas said by telephone early Sunday. “He’s provocative and entertaining. What else do you want?”

Karolyi is the only partner Costas has ever worked with, in a studio or at a game, about whom Costas reminds viewers, jokingly, about his lack of objectivity.

“I believe I try very hard not to go overboard or to step overboard,” Karolyi said, on the phone with Costas after the Tuesday night prime-time show ended. “But I must clear the air. You can’t let injustices go unnoticed. You have to fight. You have to take a stand.”

And when Liukin was performing her floor exercise during the individual all-round, Costas introduced video of Karolyi’s reactions as he watched the routine. NBC has not shown any other video like it, but Costas said there have been more moments of subjective, off-air reaction. “I’ve got the bruises,” he said. “He’s a hugger. He gives you the fist in the elbow or in the shoulder.”

If Karolyi were not working for NBC, how would he react? “I’d elbow the television set,” Karolyi said. “That would be my best friend.”

Again, I see nothing wrong with the way that he's been covering the Games as an American for an American network. Somebody seriously needs to add Bela to other sports throughout the year. I know one guy at NBC he could replace for Sunday Night Football this very year!

Karolyi Puts the Color in Color Commentary (NY Times)

Late Thursday night, Tiki Barber (through an MSNBC spokesperson) denied uttering the "See You Next Tuesday" word during an Olympic Update segment last week. The two parties combined to give Neil Best and Newsday a few interesting "turns of phrase" regarding the issue....

To many ears, it sounded like an offensive word usually aimed at women. But MSNBC said Barber meant to say “You’re a total medal count,’’ meaning Wolfe was on that side of the ongoing debate.

“I would never disrespect a colleague and friend with that kind of language,’’ Barber said from Beijing through an MSNBC spokeswoman, who said Barber had no idea of a budding controversy until she informed him of it.

“It’s disappointing someone would intentionally misrepresent the hard work Jenna and I are doing.’’ Barber and Wolfe co-host “Olympic Wrap-up’’ from 5 to 7 p.m. Eastern Time.

MSNBC said in a statement, “Tiki and Jenna were discussing total medal count versus gold medal counts and Tiki’s words were unclear.’’

Let me start by saying that NBC and I obviously aren't exactly the best of friends at the moment. I feel the need to tell them and you that I would never bash a network or its personalities without cause, even in the current state of the "relationship" between NBC and myself. With that out of the way....

YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME?! First of all, everyone knows he was trying to say "count". I don't think that was ever in question. Second, there's not a chance in hell that Barber said the word "count". I'm pretty sure there was no intent behind the word, and that it was a slip up, but he said "cunt" plain as day in that clip. I also don't believe that he was directing the word to his co-host at all. If he had been, she should of kicked his ass and he should have been immediately fired.

As for as people "misrepresenting" the "hardwork" that you are doing in Beijing, Tiki. You and Jenna are doing a damn good job of that on your own. This interview was a classic no denial, denial and I hope everyone sees through that. "We don't admit to saying it, and we don't admit to not saying it." It seriously wasn't that big of a deal, but I echo Mike Florio's statement when I say that for Tiki to now try and paint himself as a victim after the fact, comes off pretty ignominious. No one would have even cared if he had said it, and the original point of my story was to show how much of a disgrace that the show itself was to the Olympic Games. Hell, using the word cunt was much more pleasant than the homophobia that the two hosts gave off when joking about the European congratulatory kiss.

It's a shame it had to come to this, but seriously....please show a little more class NBC. That show is, and has been, a disgrace throughout these past two weeks. The word cunt said on the airwaves should be the least of your worries.

Tiki Barber speaks unclearly, causes blogosphere stir (Newsday)
Maybe Tiki Should Stick To Big Words (Pro Football Talk)
MSNBC's "Olympic Update" Continues To Disrespect The Beijing Games (Awful Announcing)

Hop on that back with 0.2% body fat, grab onto those giant condor-like wings arms and ride....RIDE....young Michael Phelps to ratings gold, NBC! The Peacock has issued a press release today telling the world that they have signed on to air next year's Swimming World Championships. Oh, and next year's U.S. National Championship.

Wait.....there's more? My fault. Make that the National Championships for the next three years!

On the heels of the most memorable Olympic swimming competition in history, in which Michael Phelps won an unprecedented eight gold medals, NBC Sports, in cooperation with USA Swimming, today announced an agreement for the most significant U.S. television package in the history of the sport. NBC Sports and Universal Sports will broadcast the 2009 World Swimming Championships from Rome and the 2009 USA Swimming National Championships (which will serve to qualify the U.S. team for the 2009 Worlds), as well as the National Championships in 2010 and 2011. The agreement is the first major announcement for the sport of swimming since the remarkable Beijing Olympic swimming competition that saw 20 new world records in the 32 morning finals. NBC already holds the broadcast rights to the 2012 U.S. Olympics Swimming Trials and 2012 London Olympic Games. The announcement was made today by Dick Ebersol, Chairman, NBC Universal Sports & Olympics and Chuck Wielgus, Executive Director, USA Swimming.

Michael Phelps, who has long stated a goal of getting more exposure for the sport of swimming, said: "I've said for a long time that my most important goal was to leave swimming better than I found it and this move to network coverage on NBC of our major championships is a dream come true and a big step in that direction."

Again, I don't know how a Sport that doesn't really have a "season" can succeed in something other than a record breaking Olympics, but I guess anything is possible. The one benefit that the Championships have though, is that they take place in the barren Sports months of July and August.

Update: Ooooh lookie what else NBC has made available to you Swimfans. Via Sports Business Daily....

"Michael Phelps: Greatest Olympic Champion … The Inside Story" and a general Beijing Games highlight DVD, each for $19.99, and an Opening Ceremony two-volume DVD for $29.99 (NBCU). NBC's "Today" show promoted the Phelps DVD heavily earlier in the week, airing spots for it heading into and out of commercial breaks

(Via NBC PR)

An interesting story from The Live Feed today about how NBC's coverage of the Olympics is causing record lows in ratings for the every other major network. Sure it's the summer, and the shows we're seeing are the likes of Terminator and Big Brother, but these numbers are still pretty mind blowing.

Little noticed in all the fanfare is that NBC's competitors are setting records of their own, having uniformly endured their worst week ever.

From the ratings week ending Aug. 17, ABC, CBS and Fox each had their lowest-rated and least-watched week in recorded People Meter history (which almost certainly means their all-time lowest; People Meters were rolled out in 1987 and broadcast averages have eroded significantly since then). Fox's 3.2 million average marks the lowest-ever turnout for a major network; ABC's 1.1 rating represents the lowest rated in the adult demo.

That all this ratings misery is delivered courtesy of NBC is almost like some cosmic prank. It's as if the least popular kid in high school suddenly became the football quarterback and Prom King.

NBC averaged 28.7 million viewers, with a 9.6 average among 18-49 (28 share). Even with the conclusion of Michael Phelps' successful quest to become the most-decorated Olympian in history, interest in the telecasts remained high, with Sunday night's coverage (28.2 million, 9.2/26) keeping pace with Athens four years ago. The coverage peaked last Tuesday (34 million, 12.4/34), lifting the network to its highest primetime rating in the adult demo for any night since the 2004 "Friends" series finale.

Again, I was seriously wrong when predicting the ratings for these Olympics, but when Big Brother and the Mole are your only counter programming....you're in for a rough summer. With the high profile events over (outside of the Basketball Final), I'm curious as to how they ratings will finish up this weekend. Only four days left!

Weekly ratings: Olympics crush competitors (The Live Feed)

I'm all for Michael Phelps and patriotism, but this kid from Jamaica is just off the charts fast. Usain Bolt just set a new world record in the 200-Meter Final with a 19.30 beating the previous record time of 19.32 by Michael Johnson. USA's Wallace Spearmon finished third but was disqualified for running out of his lane, so Shawn Crawford (also of the U.S.) took the bronze in his place. Churandy Martina of the Netherlands-Antilles finished second in 19.82 and was never even close to Bolt.

I've also never been more pissed in my life that NBC didn't show it live online just to save it for primetime tonight. It's my mission now to find the video and post it here. If you see it online please let me know.

Update: BBC's feed....

(Video Removed)

Amazing.

Bolt claims 200m gold with record (BBC Sport)

Why not a pseudo little live-blog this morning? If anyone's around feel free to comment and I'll follow with some videos following the contest.

8:15- Close game early on. The U.S. leads by only three halfway through the first. Howard is settling in down low (Bogut has two fouls) but Australia is nailing their threes.

20-17 with 2:50 left in the first. There's been a couple of shots by the Aussies early as well. Something to keep in mind.

"Stop being stupid. You're making dumb plays"- Coach K via Craig Sager

2:20- Australia's point guard, Patty Mills (St. Marys) is giving Team USA's guards some problems early and it might be time to bring in Chris Paul. We were tied, but Anthony hit a three to give "Redeem" the lead back

24-21 (under a minute left in the first)

2:24- The U.S. is 4-11 from the FT line early as well. Mills hits a beautful running layup and gets fouled, but misses the free throw. Paul drives and is hammered at the buzzer....no call.

25-24 U.S. at the end of one

8:28- We start the second quarter with an obligatory Michael Phelps story from Sager and Wade completes a three-point play. Bogut looks terrible by the way. Australia is still bumping and it's about time to start hitting back.

30-26 with 9 minutes left

8:33- Patrick Mills again! He takes it right at Chris Bosh for two. Bosh misses another throw and the U.S. is shooting somewhere in the teens from the line. Wade to James....Slam! Bogut finally scores but Kobe follows on the other end with a dunk. Kobe again with a behind the back fake and a layup.

37-30 USA with 6:30 left in the second

8:39- Bogut with an and one and I'm thinking that I shouldn't have called him out. Doug Collins tells us that USA has 10 offensive rebounds and I thank him for the stat. James gets a layup and was fouled but no call. Lead is nine and Bogut dribble off of his fat thigh out of bounds. Layup for Newley of AUS and the lead is seven. Kobe misses a three and Anderson hits for the Aussies. James and one!

"Pure strength and power for Lebron James."- Mike Breen

Bron misses and Anthony is hammered. Here we go! Some pushing and shoving after the play between Worthington and Howard.

45-36 USA with 4 minutes left in the second

8:44- AUS gets a couple of throws, but Kobe gets another and one as he blew past Mills....ANOTHER MISSED FREE THROW! Good lord. James misses a three. Eight point lead. Prince with a steal and Lebron again...he can't be stopped down low today (or tonight). Under two to go. Newly drafted Houston Rocket, Mike Newley hits a three. Another U.S. miss but Mills misses a three.

50-43 U.S. under a minute to go

8:47- Aww...a great shot of Chris Collins in the stands. Doug swoons. Kobe with a fadeaway, Newley misses a three and AT THE BUZZER!!!!!!! GOOD! Deron Williams with a three. Whew.

55-43 USA at the half

9:05- Second half is underway and Kobe starts it with a three. That's good because the U.S. is 10-20 from the line. Melo for three! Here comes the run. Lebron with the steal! Dives out of bounds!!! Bryant to the line. Now that's the hustle we need.

62-43 U.S.

9:09- Jason Kidd with a layup and Mike Breen says they're pulling away. Way to jinx it Mike. Or not....Kobe and one.

"Kobe has just played for a minute and a half."- Mike Breen

Pretty sure you meant sat Mike....okay, he corrected himself. Nielsen gives Carmelo a shot in the chest and Australia still hasn't scored. 26 point lead as Kobe hits another three. A 14-0 run to start the quarter.

69-43 with 6 minutes left.

9:14- Mills hits a three and he's looked awfully good today/tonight. He's their backup point guard too. Lebron and one....it's officially a blowout.

"This is the Lebron we don't see much in Cleveland."- Doug Collins

Amen Doug. Amen. (Bill) Worthington with a dunk on a follow for Australia and I wasn't aware anyone on the team could dunk. We sure as hell know Bogut can't. And right on cue, Bogut is shown icing his knees and is done for the night. James with the no look to Bosh....SLAM!

73-50 USA

9:17- Dwyane Wade banks in a three from the corner and I'm going to call this one over myself at this point. The lead is 30 with 2 minutes left in the third.

"Did I see that he scored 37 in his first game in College?"- Doug Collins on Patrick Mills

It was his fourth game, but great recall there Dougie Fresh. Seville hits a three for AUS but Prince answers on the other end.

85-55 with 1:30 left in the third

9:22- Seville with a four point play and he jaws with Wade. Again....Mills with the drive. Oop to Prince and then Bosh swats a three attempt out of bounds.

That's the end of the third. U.S. won that quarter 34-18 and they lead 89-61.

9:30- The fourth starts rather slow but Deron Williams finishes a nice layup. Kobe hits one from the Water Cube and the lead is 31. AND KOBE AGAIN! He's got 25. This Ingles kid for Australia is pretty good. Only 20 years old and he adds a dunk and three to his Olympic resume.

101-70 with 6 minutes left

9:35- Ingles with another three. Outside of the guy Marlowe with the blond faux-hawk....he's my favorite player. AND AGAIN FOR INGLES!!! Redd hits a three. I'm also a big fan of Australia's yellow lowtops. Sporty.

106-78 with 4 minutes left

9:40- Deron Williams misses a layup after a nice pass from Paul. Boozer looks like ass and Newley takes it to Prince and gets to the line. Good draft pick by the Rockets but that's nothing new for them overseas. Nielsen is in there still throwing bows and the U.S. needs to just chill out.....or just foul the shit out of him. Good job Carlos Boozer.

Mike Breen thanks the interns....that's nice. Under two. Boozer scores and that means everyone on the team has scored. Mills and one. Look out WCC! Whoa....Australia has a guy that looks just like Brent Barry. Put him in!

116-85 Final

Key Players:

Lebron James- 16pts, 9 rebs, 3 asts, 4 steals
Kobe Bryant- 25pts, 5 rebs
Carmelo Anthony- 15pts, 5 rebs
Patrick Mills- 20pts
Joe Ingles- 11pts in 10 mins
Brad Newley- 10pts

(Highlight video coming shortly)

The been photo above of Russian Gymnast, Ksenia Semenova, giving a teammate a kiss on the lips after her uneven bar routine has been circulating throughout most of the day (I watched the video and it was really only just a peck). Sixteen year old girls kissing really isn't my thing, so I found the video below much more entertaining.

We know that Tiki and Jenna Wolfe don't seem to get the customary European Kiss, and apparently neither does U.S. Gymnast Alicia Sacramone. Here is the beleaguered vaulter, after taking a disappointing fourth in the event, receiving one of "those" kisses from an Italian competitor and walking away before she was finished....

(Video Removed)

Awkward! "You're going to take this third kiss even if it means it might come across looking like we're necking!" In Italy, two kisses is reserved for a greeting, but three kisses is for someone who just did something really good. I just love the determination from the Italian Gymnast, that's the kind of love the world needs! Good for her.

The Italian Gymnast Could've at Least Taken Alicia Sacramone to Dinner and a Movie First (TSB)
Gymnastics Looks Cool (With Leather)

Everyone saw the goofy clip of Tiki Barber getting lifted off the set by Rulon Gardner right (if not, click here)? Well, Barber has been getting hammered by multiple outlets for his "juvenile and nasty" segments with co-host Jenna Wolfe on MSNBC's "Olympic Update" and the two don't really seem to be making any progress. In fact, Michael Zuidema of The Grand Rapids Press even said the two, "seem to have worse chemistry than Barber and Eli Manning." It really hasn't been a good showing for Tiki and Co. at the Olympics.

Well since those articles were published, and that cheesy wrestling piece linked above aired (end of last week), I've found two more clips to throw on the fire. Watch first as Jenna decides to take a dig at Tiki Barber for not winning a Super Bowl (not sure what that has to do with the Olympics) and then listen for Tiki's freudian slip when trying to say "medal count" (at the :28 mark, and sorry for the sketchy footage, it came from Youtube)....

Yes, he really did just say "medal c*nt" on live television. I'm not sure why MSNBC has stayed with this abortion of an evening show (other than to ridicule the Olympics and diminish the athletic achievements of the participants), but they really should check out their own message boards from time to time....

anewvoicein08- Not only is the leather distracting, Jenna is sophmoric and Tiki is no orator.

Necey20- The report I just saw on the tensions and politics being brought into the Olympic games through out the years was APPALLING. It wasn't just the announcers though, there saw background noise, the film work was shoddy and the video clips used to illustrate their points were absolutely irrelevant. Jenna had no idea what she was talking about when discussing paying players to compete for nations they are not really citizens of, and it made the whole report confusing. Not to mention that there was no understanding of the European practice of kissing each other on the cheek and I got a sense of homophobia out of it because of course the "men would not have been hugging and kissing"

Lainy625- Frankly I am appalled at the broadcast on the Olympic update that I just saw with Tiki Barber and Jenna Wolfe. This was the worst broadcast I have ever seen. I have worked in television truck for several years and have a good idea of what it takes to do a decent broadcast. From a television production point of view the whole broadcast was horrible, the graphics need to be updated, the talent needs to be better informed, the background noise needs to be taken out, and the information needs to be RELEVANT!

Softstep- i have to agree that the olympic update i just watched my have been the worst broadcast i have ever seen. tiki and jenna are so unprofessional! they seem to be constantly cracking jokes and taking shots at olympians shown on the screen. this is the olympics folks, i believe the athletes deserve a little respect.

There's about forty more of those as well if you want to check them out, but spelling errors aside....I think you get the idea. The whole show is pretty much an embarrassment and an insult to the hardworking Olympians. I really hope NBC is taking note, but I doubt they are.

MSNBC Olympic Update - Tamryn, Tiki, and Jenna (MSNBC Message Boards)

The "Redeem Team" was taking on Germany this morning in a game that didn't really matter in the standings, but that didn't seem to let slow them down in the least. USA seemed to want to make a statement before elimination play gets underway on Wednesday, and that they did with a 105-57 win over Dirk and Germany.

Dwight Howard had about fifty dunks during the game but it was Lebron's jam in the third quarter that sent the loudest message (2:10 mark). Here's a little montage for everyone (Thanks to With Leather for the save after the vid was taken down)....

(Video Removed)

Team USA just plowed through the opening rounds by an average margin of victory of just over 30ppg, but the team who gave them the biggest challenge in warm up play waits in the Quarterfinals. Australia (who was missing Andrew Bogut at the time) had USA scared through most of their exhibition game in Shanghai two weeks ago, but the U.S. pulled out an eleven point win.

It should be an interesting game with the rematch coming early Wednesday morning (either 8 or 10:15am). I should be around to have videos from the game as it goes along.

Germany Capitulates To U.S. Assault (With Leather)

I haven't come to a decision on the above question myself, but a few other outlets have. From Ms. Underestimated via News Busters via Juiced Sports comes video of Cris Collinsworth interviewing Kobe Bryant over the weekend. At one point Collisworth asks Kobe if it's "cool" for him to say that he "loves his country" and then throws a wry smile after doing so. Take a look for yourself....

Kobe: Well, you know it’s just our country, it’s… we believe is the greatest country in the world. It has given us so many great opportunities, and it’s just a sense of pride that you have; that you say ‘You know what? Our country is the best!’

Collinsworth: Is that a ‘cool’ thing to say, in this day and age? That you love your country, and that you’re fighting for the red, white and blue? It seems sort of like a day gone by.

Kobe: No, it’s a cool thing for me to say. I feel great about it, and I’m not ashamed to say it. I mean, this is a tremendous honor.

The point of contention seems to be with that brief smirk that Collinsworth gave after asking the question to Bryant, and while I understand how that could be taken, that's really Collinsworth's M.O. all the time. Even when he's not being sarcastic, he tends to come off that way. Still, it was an odd question to ask someone and it really had no business being asked at all. I don't know if CC was trying to show Kobe's good side, or just show him up, but either way good job by Bryant to stick to his guns.

I also have no idea what the whole "historically" part meant in the previous question. Cris Collinsworth really should have just sat that whole exchange out.

NBC’s Collinsworth Questions Kobe’s Patriotism (VIDEO) (Ms. Underestimated)
NBC Questions Kobe Bryant's Pride of Being on Team USA (News Busters)
I Finally Respect Kobe Bryant (Juiced Sports)

I'm still not sure exactly how NBC is tabulating these ratings, but either way, they were huge for Phelps' run at eight on Saturday night. Not only did it crush any other Sport the network has aired, it was the highest Saturday rating since Empty Nest debuted back in 1990. Via Yahoo....

The telecast averaged 31.1 million U.S. viewers, NBC's biggest audience for a Saturday night program since an episode of "The Golden Girls" spinoff "Empty Nest" drew 31.4 million viewers in February 1990, according to Nielsen Media Research data cited by the network.

It was the culmination of an especially dramatic day of Olympic competition, which also saw Phelps' U.S. teammate Dara Torres, 41, lose the women's 50-meter freestyle by a 1/100th of a second to 24-year-old Britta Steffen of Germany. Torres, the oldest U.S. swimmer, ended up with three silver medals.

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt grabbed gold in the 100-meter dash after the reigning world champion Tyson Gay of the United States, who suffered a hamstring injury six weeks ago, was eliminated in the semi-finals.

But the dramatic story arc of Phelps, who came away with gold medals in all eight events he competed in, has been the biggest draw for NBC's Olympic coverage.

The network has averaged 30 million viewers in prime time -- on par with the numbers tuning in for "American Idol" -- since the games opened on August 15, and Saturday night's audience peaked at 40 million viewers in the half hour during which the men's 400-meter medley was held.

Through nine days, 191 million viewers have tuned in to at least one six-minute bloc of the Beijing Games on NBC and its various sister cable networks -- 14 million more than for the Athens Games and 5 million more than the Atlanta Games over the same period, NBC said.

First of all, that's just an insanely large amount of people. To put things into comparison, last year's Super Bowl pulled a 43.2 and the only American Idol to ever beat that figure was the Season Two finale (Ruben Studdard won).

Second, 31.4 million people watched Empty Nest?!?! I never knew the Golden Girls spinoff was that popular. RIP Estelle Getty.

Phelps' Olympic feat lifts NBC to 18-year record (Yahoo)

I think Michael Phelps owes Jason Lezak his career after the relay performances he put in for Team USA. Just an amazing performance by all four members of the team and with it, Michael Phelps sets the record for most gold medals in one Olympics with a grand total of eight. Let's relive the moment....

I really tried to hate Swimming about halfway through all of the events. People were setting records almost every single race and the events just seemed to drag on. But in the end, when you have competitors finishing within one one hundredth of each other, and a record that seemed impossible to match and surpass, it was just an awesome week or so for the Sport and the Olympics.

I'm happy to have witnessed history and the way the history went down is truly amazing. More videos to come.

(+1,000 to NBC for using the band Muse during the intro. I was ready to punch a wall when "Assassins" "Knights....." came on.)