If you're hearing rumblings of a backlash about the praise heaped upon North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough, some of it likely has to do with the nature of that praise. Even one of my favorite commentators, Jay Bilas, got caught up in it on Saturday night, when Hansbrough had a magnificent game, including hitting clutch outside shots late in the second half.

Here's some of what Bilas had to say: "He's not supposed to be able to make those [shots from beyond 15 feet]. ... He's willing the ball into the basket. ... His will exceeds his skill, and his skill is considerable. ... Michael Jordan did not out-compete Tyler Hansbrough -- no way."

Now, no one would deny Hansbrough works incredibly hard on the court, but "willing the ball into the basket"? Was anybody saying Davidson's Stephen Curry -- who sure looked like he was working pretty hard on the court, too -- was putting his shots into the basket by force of his will?

Hansbrough could end up leading his team to a national title while being chosen college basketball's player of the year, so let the kudos fly. And maybe he does outwork all of his opponents.

The problem is hearing the hosannas for Hansbrough with an ear for what has come before. We're back in familiar territory here. The star white player -- no matter how clearly talented -- has somehow elevated himself through the sweat of his brow. The star black player, meanwhile, is doing amazing things on the court because his talent is carrying him.

Posted by Ray Frager at 6:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
                    

In today's column, I mentioned that the number of stations in the Orioles radio network had grown to 27. A few e-mailers requested the list, so here it is, as helpfully provided to me by CBS Radio:

Maryland
WNAV-AM - 1430 AM - Annapolis, MD
WHFS-FM - 105.7 FM - Baltimore, MD (FLAGSHIP)
*WCEM-AM - 1240 AM - Cambridge, MD
WBEY-FM - 97.9 FM - Crisfield, MD
WTBO-AM - 1450 AM - Cumberland, MD
WFMD-AM - 930 AM - Frederick, MD
WFRB-AM - 560 AM - Frostburg, MD
WARK-AM - 1490 AM - Hagerstown, MD
WKHZ-AM - 1590 AM - Ocean City, MD
WGOP-AM - 540 AM - Pocomoke City, MD
WKHW-FM - 106.5 FM - Pocomoke City, MD
WICO-AM - 1320 AM - Salisbury, MD
WTTR-AM - 1470 AM - Westminster, MD

District of Columbia
WTEM-AM - 980 AM - Washington, DC

Pennsylvania
WIOO-AM - 1000 AM - Carlisle, PA
WHVR-AM - 1280 AM - Hanover, PA
WPDC-AM - 1600 AM - Lancaster, PA
WEEO-AM - 1480 AM - Shippensburg, PA
WOYK-AM - 1350 AM - York, PA

Virginia
WKEX-AM - 1430 AM - Blacksburg, VA
*WKTR-AM - 840 AM - Charlottesville/Earlysville, VA
*WKCY-AM - 1300 AM - Harrisonburg, VA
WAGE-AM - 1200 AM - Leesburg, VA
*WODY-AM - 1160 AM - Martinsville, VA
WGH-AM - 1310 AM - Norfolk, VA

West Virginia
*WAMN-AM - 1050 AM - Bluefield, WV
WEPM-AM - 1340 AM - Martinsburg, WV

*New affiliate in 2008

Posted by Ray Frager at 6:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
                    

In about a week and a half, the NCAA tournament will end with a champion crowned -- and a familiar song played over a montage of tourney clips. I'm not quite sure where I stand on "One Shining Moment." I looked over a bunch of them on YouTube the other night, and I have to acknowledge how the packages do capture the frenzied fun and elevated emotion that accompany the tournament. But did the whole thing long ago lapse into a trying-too-hard-to-manipulate presentation?

If you're a dyed-in-the-red-wool Terps fan, maybe the 2002 version (particularly the shots of Juan Dixon toward the end) can choke you up a bit. Or maybe you just smile remembering the title and laugh off the cheesy music.

Then again, not everything can be Chariots of Fire. 

Posted by Ray Frager at 10:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Tiger Woods took it easy on ESPN's Dana Jacobson today. When she questioned him about his use of crude language during the weekend at Doral when a camera click disturbed his swing, here's what he didn't say:

"Gee, Dana, no matter what I said, at least I didn't insult the nation's most famous Catholic university and affront Christians everywhere."

Of all the ESPN personnel available, Jacobson was a poor choice to be interviewing anyone about his choice of language with the memory of her appearance at the Mike and Mike roast still not faded from our consciousness.

# # #

Justin Timberlake will host this year's ESPYs. Remember when everyone would look forward to that show? No, neither do I. 

Posted by Ray Frager at 7:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

As it turns out, ESPN had planned to have only Mike Tirico from among its contingent on the air during Masters telecasts. My trusted ESPN contact says that was the deal -- and announced as such -- from the time the network first said it would be carrying the first two rounds.

That doesn't necessarily make the points about Chris Berman's absence invalid, however. But they are just points that should have been raised a while ago. 

Posted by Ray Frager at 9:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

Nothing official yet, but according to Phil Mushnick of the New York Post, august Augusta National will not be sullied by the presence of ESPN's biggest name. Not only will Chris Berman not be there, Mushnick reports, but Mike Tirico also will be the only ESPNer to be manning a microphone during the network's coverage of the first two rounds. Otherwise, it's all CBS folks.

As Mushnick posits, it could be that the fussy keepers of the Masters made clear their distaste for Berman's set-chewing broadcast style. Or maybe ESPN figured out as much and thus decided not to assign him.

Berman never seemed a good fit -- just as he doesn't fit golf in general -- so it could be a matter of the right decision for the wrong reasons.

# # #

When I was watching the intro to Saturday's NCAA pre-game show on CBS, I couldn't quite tell whether it was a sports program or a car commercial. It appears The Road to the Final Four will be driven in a vehicle manufactured by one of the network's big tournament sponsors.

# # #

Here are the announcer assignments for the regional semifinal games on CBS:

Thursday

Xavier-West Virginia, UCLA-Western Kentucky: Verne Lundquist/Bill Raftery

North Carolina-Washington State, Tennessee-Louisville: Dick Enberg, Jay Bilas

Friday

Wisconsin-Davidson, Kansas-Villanova: Gus Johnson/Len Elmore

Texas-Stanford, Memphis-Michigan State: Jim Nantz/Billy Packer

Members of the Ian Eagle Fan Club plan around-the-clock picketing of CBS' New York headquarters until he is advanced to the Sweet 16.

Posted by Ray Frager at 9:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
                    

On last night's Colbert Report, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar suddenly popped up in a cameo appearance, playing a stage manager. Abdul-Jabbar displayed the comic timing we first saw in Airplane! nearly 30 years ago, which marked him as the greatest comedic actor ever to wield an unstoppable sky hook.

# # #

You rock on, Johnny Holliday.

During last night's Maryland broadcast, Holliday read a promo for a concert featuring O.A.R. and Good Charlotte. Partner Chris Knoche teased Holliday about the bands being too young for Holliday's demographic. Holliday shot back by indicating a preference for Nine Inch Nails.

Is Holliday cool or what? Bet he'll be listening to some Lupe Fiasco and Linkin Park on his iPod during the flight from Minneapolis to Syracuse.

Posted by Ray Frager at 6:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
                    

ESPN Radio's Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg appeared with David Letterman last night. The headline: Golic discusses steroids use. Golic briefly talked about how he used steroids while with the Eagles but quit quickly because he was experiencing 'roid rage.

At least both Mikes seemed to be wearing regulation talk show shoes, unlike Dan Patrick in his January appearance with Letterman.

Posted by Ray Frager at 7:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Here's where CBS' announcing teams will be stationed for the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament:

Anaheim: Dick Enberg/Carter Blackburn/Jay Bilas

Birmingham: Verne Lundquit/Bill Raftery

Denver: Gus Johnson/Len Elmore

Omaha: Kevin Harlan/Dan Bonner

Raleigh: Jim Nantz/Billy Packer

Washington: Craig Bolerjack/Bob Wenzel

That means Packer, already no favorite of Maryland fans, gets to annoy followers of UMBC and either Coppin State or Mount St. Mary's.

Posted by Ray Frager at 11:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Posted by Ray Frager at 4:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

CBS has set its NCAA tournament announcing lineup: 

Jim Nantz/Billy Packer

Dick Enberg/Carter Blackburn/Jay Bilas

Verne Lundquist/Bill Raftery

Gus Johnson/Len Elmore

Kevin Harlan/Dan Bonner

Ian Eagle/Jim Spanarkel

Craig Bolerjack/Bob Wenzel

Tim Brando/Mike Gminski

I can already hear Gus Johnson yelling.

# # #

With Bob Knight making his ESPN debut tomorrow night, Bodog has set the odds for whether he will curse on the air: Yes -- +600, No -- -1,200. Bodog obviously believes Knight will be a model of decorum. Sun gambling expert Bill Ordine explains it this way: The numbers are based on $100. If you think Knight will need to be bleeped, you bet $100 for the chance to win $600. If you think he'll watch his mouth, you lay down $1,200 for the chance to win $100.

Posted by Ray Frager at 2:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

Suzy Kolber delivered a daughter last week, but -- perhaps following Brenda Frese's lead -- that apparently won't keep her from covering the NFL draft for ESPN next month.

Her father, Gene Kolber, told the Philadelphia Inquirer on Thursday: "She's in the maternity ward reading stuff right now."

The Inquirer reported Kolber, 43, "chose to become a single mother."

# # #

During Saturday night's North Carolina-Duke game, Dan Shulman had to apologize because someone producing the game for ESPN thought it would be a good idea to show a replay of the "Speedo Guy" in the crowd. The replay caught Mr. Bathing Suit making a "crotch chop" gesture. So who believed that crude act deserved air time?

Posted by Ray Frager at 9:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

On March 12, Comcast SportsNet will literally make Alex Ovechkin the focus of its Capitals-Flames telecast. The version of the game on CSN+ will feature "OvechKam." One camera will follow Ovechkin's every move, and the view of the high-scoring wing will be presented split screen with the normal overall look at the action.

If that's too much Ovechkin for you, the regular Comcast SportNet channel will carry the game in a traditional fashion.

Coming soon: "KvetchKam," which will show me sitting on the couch watching TV and complaining that somebody ate all the Cheez-Its.

Posted by Ray Frager at 3:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Posted by Ray Frager at 10:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

No argument here that Brett Favre has been a magnificent quarterback. But upon his retirement today, we saw how a big story becomes a Big Story and then a BIG STORY. 

ESPN kept devoting more and more time, grabbing former teammates to comment -- Antonio Freeman, Desmond Howard, Doug Pederson. We heard from the network's Cris Carter, Skip Bayless, Chris Mortensen, John Clayton, Mark Schlereth. And it wasn't long before everybody seemed to be saying the same thing, speaking in the same superlatives.

But a BIG STORY is like the Blob, indiscriminately devouring any television minutes in its path.

# # #

It was refreshing, however, to recall a time before Favre was deified. ESPN ran a clip of his draft day, when it was announced (was that Paul Tagliabue?) that the Atlanta Falcons had chosen "Brett Favor."

# # #

His retirement obviously sparked talk of listing Favre among the NFL's greatest quarterbacks. And, yes, it can be galling to hear the roll call of a top five that doesn't include John Unitas. But that's just the nature of the beast. For many, it's apparently tough to consider someone among the all-time greats if his highlights were never in regular rotation on ESPN. So you end up hearing Montana, Marino, Brady, Elway. 

I suppose it is a mark of Unitas' greatness that he gets mentioned at all, considering how the 35 years since the end of his career can make him seem positively prehistoric in the current atmosphere. After all, those with a firm grip on NFL history not only should list Unitas at the top, but shouldn't Otto Graham or Sammy Baugh also be in the discussion?

It will be interesting to see how Joe Montana's legacy stands up after 35 years. 

# # #

Somewhere, Frank Caliendo is working on a routine in which John Madden is getting a prescription for antidepressants because of Favre's retirement.

# # #

And, of course, we can't leave without linking to a clip of Favre from There's Something About Mary. 

Posted by Ray Frager at 1:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)