This didn't make today's column, but CBS sent along Randy Cross' thoughts at approximately the halfway point of the NFL season. Here's some of what he had to say:

 On the Ravens: "If this defense can hold up for another 10 games, the Ravens stay in the hunt, but a couple of injuries and 2008 could get real long, real quick." (Either they asked him before the Ravens played their seventh game or he has them going to at least one playoff game.)

On the Steelers: "Mike Tomlin has seamlessly added to the mix a renewed swagger while keeping all the traits of what has always set this team apart.  Short of a medical Armageddon, the Steelers are still clearly the class of the AFC North." (We'll forgive him the misuse of Armageddon. I think he meant Apocalypse.)

On the Patriots: "This will be a playoff team by year's end, but keeping pace with the Bills may prove to be tough. The Patriots need to get in touch with their old 'no stars' approach from earlier this decade."

On the Browns: "Was that Monday against the world champs from New York or Sunday against the Jags the real you or just a bad tease?"

On the Titans: "On defense, the Titans are oppressive, persistent and downright nasty. You owe it to your football viewing pleasure to see the raw power of this defense.  And when you do, concentrate on the defensive line -- a pack of carnivorous predators who race each other every down to the ball."

On the 49ers: "Right now, the Bay Area is where football goes to die.  When it comes to the prospects for the two NFL franchises, the 'Black Hole' isn’t a part of the Oakland Coliseum stands, it is a spot equidistant between the Raiders and 49ers towards which they are both sliding."

# # #

Cross isn't doing Sunday's Ravens game. It will be Kevin Harlan and Rich Gannon. Maybe I've missed it, but I'm not sure Gannon has mentioned his shared University of Delaware background with Joe Flacco in his previous Ravens assignments this season. 

Posted by Ray Frager at 6:52 AM | Permalink
                       

Since they started compiling such things, no World Series ever has averaged less than 10 percent of the nation's television audience. But barring a huge increase in viewers for however many telecasts are left, this year's Phillies-Rays Series might not hit a 9.0 rating. Through the water-slogged, suspended Game 5, the Series is averaging 8.1 (as reported by Associated Press).

And here's another example of why the Rays' home fans don't deserve a team in the World Series: Game 5's rating in the Tampa-St. Petersburg market was 28.1, with a 40 share. (In Philadelphia, the numbers were 45.2/60.) So with its team facing Series elimination, not even half of the home market that was watching TV could be bothered to flip the channel to check out the game.

Posted by Ray Frager at 11:33 AM | Permalink
                       

Was there anywhere Jerry Jones was not interviewed Sunday? Fox, NFL Network and NBC each had their shots with the shrinking violet Cowboys owner, whose team has won fewer playoff games than the Orioles since 1997.

And if you thought it was easy being a sideline reporter, maybe you noticed Fox’s Pam Oliver as the Giants-Steelers game came back from halftime Sunday. She completely lost track of what she was going to say – which got her a playful needling from Troy Aikman about a “senior moment.”

Here are highlights from the Sunday NFL studio shows, again helpfully passed along by the networks:

Fox’s Terry Bradshaw on the Cowboys: “Jerry Jones spent $142 million this year, $30 million more than anyone in the National Football League; he’ll pay $85 million in bonus money alone this year.  However, not one dollar was spent on a leader.”

Fox’s Jimmy Johnson on a salary system that pays too much to highly drafted rookies: “The system is wrong when Alex Smith gets $24 million, Cedric Benson gets $17 million and a proven linebacker like Tedy Bruschi gets $1.7 million a year and Pittsburgh’s MVP James Harrison collects $1.5 million.  I know that sounds like a lot, but compared to rookies, that’s peanuts.  The system needs to be changed; the next collective bargaining agreement should include a rookie pay scale so we can start paying the players that truly deserve it.”

NFL Network’s Marshall Faulk on Drew Brees: “Drew Brees is playing out of his skull. He’s playing about as good as any quarterback in this league. If you ask any defensive coordinator what quarterback they don’t want to face, it’s Brees and he’s doing it with backup players.”

Posted by Ray Frager at 7:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
                       

OK, this entry has absolutely nothing to do with the vice presidential candidate -- I just thought I'd put her name in the headline in an attempt to draw even a fraction of the page views from over at Z on TV.

Here's an item that didn't fit into today's column: 

Well, it’s not exactly "Are you ready for some football?"

Here's the video for Morrissey's original.

Posted by Ray Frager at 10:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
                       

Posted by Ray Frager at 5:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                       

With lots of people predicting low ratings for this World Series, here's a look at the ratings since 1968 (compiled by Baseball Almanac):

Posted by Ray Frager at 11:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
                       

Posted by Ray Frager at 10:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                       

That equation is what applies to Baltimore. Last night's Game 7 of the ALCS, a tautly played, compelling contest, drew 8.6 percent of our market's audience, almost exactly the same (8.5) as the Sunday night NFL game between the Buccaneers and Seahawks, which was far less competititive and just a regular-season game to boot.

Yes, the baseball game was on a cable channel and the NFL game was on a broadcast channel, but the number of homes here without access to TBS is probably only about 10 percent. I don't understand. Are we all so bored by baseball and so enamored of football that these two received equal weight? Were we hopped up about the chance to watch NBC's game when John Madden had the night off? Was it a form of protest against the Red Sox?

Or is it my fault? People want nothing to do with a team containing the name Ray.

Posted by Ray Frager at 2:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
                       

It's not that TBS' Chip Caray is necessarily an annoying play-by-play man -- though I couldn't believe my ears when he referred to Sunday night's ALCS Game 7 with the oh, really? term "pivotal" -- it's just that he's kind of generic. However much as Fox's Joe Buck might grate on some people (and I'm not one of them), no one would say his play-by-play just sort of lies there like a fried egg.

# # #

It's not Cal Ripken Jr.'s fault that he's not Dennis Eckersley or Harold Reynolds, but the commentary from the latter two definitely stood out more in TBS' studio show. In particular, it's good to have Reynolds back on the national stage.

# # #

A sampling of comments from Sunday's NFL studio shows, as provided by the networks:

Fox's Jay Glazer with an apparent "scoop": “Earlier this year, Brett Favre called the Detroit Lions, starting off with [former GM] Matt Millen and then the coaching staff and gave them a 90-minute dissertation on every single thing that the Green Bay Packers do on offense.  It’s his former team and he’s calling a division opponent of a team that he has nothing to do with anymore.  He just let loose all the family secrets.”

NBC's (and Sports Illustrated's) Peter King with a "not so fast": "Favre text messaged me this afternoon before he went out to play the Oakland Raiders and said that was 'total B.S.'  He vehemently denied the story.  I also spoke to the Lions COO and he said, 'Our coaches are perplexed.  There was no coaching of our coaching staff by Brett Favre.' " 

NBC's Jerome Bettis on the Cowboys' DeMarcus Ware not playing the run: "He's sack-happy.  You have to wonder if this individualism starting to creep into the defensive side.  We know it's already on the offensive side.  Or is it the scheme defensively?  If either one of those are the case, this spells big trouble in Big D."

CBS' Bill Cowher on the Broncos: "America, listen to me, even Joe the Plumber can pass against this defense."

CBS' Boomer Esiason on the NFL's cracking down on some violent acts: "The NFL is concerned about negative PR.  They go to great lengths and invest millions of dollars to try to teach coaches to teach young kids how to play the game correctly.  They are consumed with The New York Times and USA Today and also the clips you might see on this network and other networks after the games are over.  They don't want moms and dads saying to their kids go play soccer instead of football.  There's a bigger picture here than just the game."

ESPN's Keyshawn Johnson on the Chargers: “They’re like the stock market. One minute they’re up, the next minute they’re down. Week to week, you don’t know exactly what you’re getting in San Diego.” 

Fox's Howie Long on the tiresome issue of the Cowboys' Adam Jones: “Ask the average American if they would take a job that paid them over $1 million a year and all they had to do was not get arrested."

# # #

What was the deal with the camera work during Saturday's Maryland-Wake Forest game? The main shot kept losing the ball or focusing too tightly on it and not giving us a perspective on the play. Has the Terps' inconsistent play this season seeped into the Raycom production? (But still enjoy that Doc Walker, though.)

Posted by Ray Frager at 6:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
                       

That was a bit of an awkward moment after Thursday night's Red Sox-Rays game on TBS. After fellow studio analysts Dennis Eckersley and Harold Reynolds offered opinions on turning points in the game, host Ernie Johnson turned to Cal Ripken Jr. But Ripken said those two already had covered his points. So Johnson went to a commercial.

# # #

Anita Marks was talking about the sports fans of South Florida, her old home, during her ESPN 1300 radio show today. As an example, she said the Florida Panthers draw about 2,000 fans a game, but I suppose she was just exaggerating. Though the Panthers ranked 25th in the league last season, their official home attendance average was more than 15,000.

# # #

John Madden is getting Sunday off from NBC's NFL telecast, skipping the Seattle-at-Tampa Bay game. With the network's "bye" week on Oct. 26, that gives Madden, 72, a two-week break. This week would have been the third straight cross-country trip for Madden, a San Francisco Bay Area resident who famously travels by bus to avoid flying. The time off had been suggested by NBC Sports head Dick Ebersol in the spring, the Associated Press reported. Cris Collinsworth will fill in for Madden, whose streak of 476 consecutive broadcasts will end.

Posted by Ray Frager at 7:04 PM | Permalink
                       

ESPN will air The Greatest Game Ever Played on Dec. 13 at 9 p.m. However, Baltimore Colts fans should be forewarned about watching this look back at the 1958 NFL championship game. ESPN has assembled several of the Colts and Giants who played in that game to discuss it -- including Raymond Berry, Gino Marchetti, Lenny Moore and Art Donovan. However, ESPN brought those former Baltimore greats and some '58 Giants together with modern counterparts from the past two Super Bowl champs -- and that means members of the Indianapolis Colts.

Clearly, many Baltimore football fans loathe any connection made between the beloved Colts of that era with the current Colts, now residing in Indiana for 24 years. According to the ESPN news release, the only direct Baltimore-Indy interaction in the show is Berry talking with coach Tony Dungy. So maybe that helps. Or maybe not.

Posted by Ray Frager at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
                       

Highlights from yesterday's NFL studio shows, as provided by the networks:

ESPN's Cris Carter on the Colts: “What concerns me is that the running game has been the security blanket for the Colts, even when they won the Super Bowl.  In that Super Bowl run, Peyton Manning threw seven interceptions.  The running game saved that football team.  We take it for granted, Indy runs the ball.  And now they are not able to play with the lead.  So they are not able to force teams out of their running game -- big problem in Indianapolis.”

NBC's Cris Collinsworth on the Bengals: "At least the Bengals move to 3-3 -- three bad losses, three good losses. In Cincinnati, we count that as .500."

NBC's Bob Costas on the Cowboys' Adam Jones: “He fires his agent, apparently because his agent demanded 10 percent of his bail bonds.”

CBS' Shannon Sharpe on the same topic: "Unplug the Pacman.  He should not be playing today because Jerry Jones said, 'Pacman is an adult.  He understands what we laid forth for him.'  Around the clock security -- and you fight the security guy?"

Fox's Jimmy Johnson on the same topic: “Fire the bodyguard! These are grown men making lots of money. I’m all for counseling and mentoring but do you have to have bodyguards? Do you trust this player so little that you have to have four grown men follow him around making sure he stays out of trouble?  You’ve got to be able to trust these players. They’ve got to take some responsibility and some accountability themselves and if they cant do that, get rid of them.”

Sharpe on choosing between Peyton and Eli Manning: "I say Eli. You look at the last five games last year -- the last game of the regular season and four playoff games, culminating with a Super Bowl win, and the first four games this year … Peyton’s body of work is Picasso, Rembrandt, Monet, whatever you want to use, but we’re not talking about the body of work.  We’re talking about right now."

Fox's Terry Bradshaw on helping retired players: “I’ve had it with the NFL and the players association. I’ve had it with their lip service towards hundreds of old-timers. We have so many older players out there, guys my age and older who made this league great but there’s no money for the surgeries that they need to fix broken hips and to pay for artificial knees. Some old-timers simply need extra money just to keep their home and their families together. I know a lot of players from my era; Howie’s too, who are reaching out and raising money. A lot of these former players are doing a better job than the league and the union are doing. There isn’t a better business in America than the NFL.  We all love this game. Millions of you watch and pay for suites and tickets and TV packages and that’s why the NFL will gross over $7 billion dollars this season. This league is so wealthy that I know at least 10 billionaires who own teams, any of which could write a check to fix this. We love pro football so much that its about time, like Warren Beatty preached in that great football move, “Heaven Can Wait,” that the commissioner should yell, ‘Hey, let’s be the good guys, lets take care of everyone.’  Take one percent of that $7 billion this year and next and there’s enough money to take care of every old player who needs it.  Come on everybody, let’s be the good guys and do what’s right.”

Posted by Ray Frager at 11:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
                       

Posted by Ray Frager at 11:43 AM | Permalink
                       

CBS is sending its top announcing team, Jim Nantz and Phil Simms, to Indianapolis to call the Ravens-Colts game Sunday. The network passed along Simms' thoughts on the matchup:

"Can the Indianapolis defense stand in there and stop Baltimore’s running game? If it does not, it is going to be fast and Peyton Manning is going to get fewer chances with the football. It will be rough for the Indianapolis offense because the Baltimore defense is so good and has had success against them the past couple of years.  The two big story lines by far are to see if Indy’s defense strengthens up and stops the run.  And what will they do against Ray Lewis and everyone else on the defensive side? It is early in season with two teams with 2-2 records, so it’s not make-or-break for either. One thing that really comes to mind about this game -- we just expect the Indianapolis Colts to come out every year and win their 12-or-more games and be the favorite in the AFC.  This year, there is doubt around the league.  And it is real doubt.  People are wondering if this is where the team starts to fall apart and whether they will have to start making major changes going forward in the next few years.  It is a legitimate question.   It always helps to see the team with my own eyes and to study them a little deeper to get a better understanding about them.  That way I also have a better understanding of the long-range prospects.  So there are a lot of questions about the Colts, especially with them playing a team like the Ravens.  If they really play well, then Indianapolis will have answered all these questions.  And, they will be in there for the rest of the year."

Posted by Ray Frager at 7:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
                       

Highlights from the NFL studio shows, as provided by the networks:

NFL Network's Marshall Faulk on fired Rams coach Scott Linehan: “Scott  did a bad job. He didn’t relate to the veterans. He didn’t even get the young guys to play for him.”

NFL Network's Warren Sapp on trying to talk to Raiders owner Al Davis about a potential draft pick: “We call it the ‘Jedi mind trick,’ because if you like a player, you have to go the opposite way.”

Fox's Jimmy Johnson on Davis and the Raiders: “I have two problems with Al Davis. First of all, in today’s game with the salary cap and free agency, one person can’t make all of those decisions, even as dominant as he is. Especially at 79 years old. Secondly, he admitted that he made a mistake in hiring Lane Kiffin. He said, ‘I hired the wrong guy.’ Well, if you hired the wrong guy, fire him, pay him and move on. What is all this?”

Fox's Michael Strahan on Terrell Owens: “I understand that players have a need to complain. I did it. But you never let your complaining affect your quest for a championship. It’s never going to be a smooth ride to a championship, and there will be six or seven more times that the boat is going to get rocked this season. But T.O., please don’t tip it over. Help steady the boat. My advice to you is to go into the locker room and find Marion Barber. Just look at the guy. He only touched the ball eight times last week, but you never heard one word. He doesn’t have the stats, money, accolades or fame you have. But he has it exactly right, and that’s the type of attitude that will win you a ring. And I want you to have one.”

CBS' Dan Marino on last week's hit on the Cardinals' Anquan Boldin: "The rules say you can't launch your helmet, and in this case [the Jets' Eric Smith] did, so I have to agree with the fine.  Maybe the suspension is a little too much.  But when I look at this, it drives me crazy.  Kurt Warner, why is he throwing this?  He's got Anquan Boldin coming down the seam with 40 seconds left.  You have to dump it off.  Don't put your receivers in a situation where they can get hit like that at the end of the game." 

ESPN's Cris Carter on the Buffalo Bills: “At this point in the season, do we like what we see in Buffalo?  I’m somewhat skeptical.  They’ve mastered the art of beating bad football teams.”

Posted by Ray Frager at 5:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                       

The Orioles already have made a solid offseason move -- they're bringing back Gary Thorne.

MASN has picked up his option for another year of play-by-play, Thorne said today from his Florida home.

Thorne is a pro's pro. Regardless of the product on the field, with Thorne on TV and Joe Angel on the radio, the club can stack up against just about any other team in the majors.

Thorne was willing to be somewhat optimistic for next season. "Hopefully, they bolster this thing [pitching] and give themselves a chance," he said.

Posted by Ray Frager at 12:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (65)
                       

Posted by Ray Frager at 6:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
                       

They really are the Worldwide Leader. ESPN has announced the renaming of the North American Sports Network, which carries the network’s programming in Europe and the Middle East, as ESPN America, effective Super Bowl Sunday. In addition to baseball, hockey, football and basketball, the channel broadcasts ESPN studio shows.

And now that you know they’re seeing Around the Horn in Europe and the Middle East, maybe it’s easier to understand why other countries don’t like the United States.

Posted by Ray Frager at 7:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                       

Here are the teams in the booths for the League Division Series on TBS:

Brewers-Phillies: Brian Anderson, Joe Simpson, John Smoltz

Dodgers-Cubs: Dick Stockton, Ron Darling, Tony Gwynn

Red Sox-Angels: Chip Caray, Buck Martinez

White Sox-Rays: Don Orsillo, Harold Reynolds

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Posted by Ray Frager at 10:38 AM | Permalink