Former Title Contenders Headline FNF This Week

Posted on May 23, 2013 by philspicks

Courtesy: ESPN

This week’s edition of ESPN’s Friday Night Fights will be headlined by a pair of former title contenders facing off against each other. Former Junior Middleweight and Welterweight title challenger Delvin Rodriguez (27 – 6 – 3, 15 KOs) will face off against former Welterweight title challenger Freddy “El Riel” Hernandez (30 – 4, 1 ND, 20 KOs) in the 10-round Junior Middleweight main event. The main event fight will air live from the Mohegan Sun arena in Uncasville, CT at 10pm ET. It will air on ESPN2 HD, ESPN Deportes, and WatchESPN and the WatchESPN app.

Rodriguez, a CT native, will be the hometown favorite. If his name rings a bell, it should. Rodriguez also serves as a boxing analyst for ESPN Deportes. Friday’s fight will be his sixteenth appearance in the ring on Friday Night Fights. His record speaks for itself. His 2011 fight against Pawel Wolak was named the year’s “Fight of the Year” by the Boxing Writers Association of America.” A later ten-round unanimous decision win over Wolak gave Rodriguez a shot at defending titlist Austin Trout. The ten-round fight was broadcast live on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights. It ended in a draw. He claimed a win in his most recent fight this past February. He defeated George Tahdooahnippah with a sixth-round TKO. He also has wins against Mike Arnaoutis, Shamone Alvarez, and Oscar Diaz.

Rodriguez’s opponent, Freddy “El Riel” Hernandez, comes into tomorrow’s fight with quite the record, too. Hernandez challenged former titlist Andre Berto for his WBC Welterweight title in 2010. He holds wins over former world titlists Luis Callazo (W10) Mike Anchondo (WTKO4), and DeMarcus Corley (KO5). He comes into tomorrow’s fight looking to rebound after losing his most recent match this past January to 2008 Olympian Demetrius Andrade. Hernandez lost the fight in a ten-round unanimous decision.

Hernandez’s advisor Nigel Burns commented on what Hernandez needs in order to add another notch to his “W” column. “He (Hernandez) needs to get a ‘W’ now to get some more opportunities, and he’s fighting a guy who’s going to give him that opportunity,”, he said. “That’s not a knock on Rodriguez, but Rodriguez is more of a fighter than a boxer. I think it should be a good fight. Rodriguez is a good fighter and has fought some good people, and I expect him to actually stand in the pocket and trade with us.”

Friday’s main event will be preceded by a ten-round co-feature pitting the undefeated Junior Welterweight Issouf “Volcano” Kinda (16 – 0, 6 KOs) against Chris “Hurricane” Howard ( 15 – 2 – 1, 7 KOs) Kinda comes into tomorrow’s bout fresh on the heels of a second-round KO win over Javier Loya in his most recent fight. Howard comes into tomorrow’s fight after taking an upset third-round TKO win over Bayan Jargal.

Before all of this, ESPN2 and WatchESPN will air a pair of specials leading up to the night’s fights. They will air The Best KOs of Friday Night Fights at 9pm ET and Mike Tyson’s Greatest Hits at 9:30pm ET.

Joe Tessitore and Teddy Atlas will both be on hand to call all the action from ringside, while Todd Grisham will have all the latest boxing news and more from the ESPN studios. Pablo Viruega and Leopoldo Gonzalez will call all the action for ESPN Deportes with Claudia Trejos live in studio. Bernardo Osuna will have live interviews and reports for ESPN2 HD and ESPN Deportes.

To keep up with the latest FNF news and more, “Like” the FNF Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/espn.fnf. Fans can also follow all the latest from the show on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ESPNFNF and http://twitter.com/ESPNBoxeo. Fans can score the match live at home thanks to the “Live Friday Night Fights Facebook voting app.

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at http://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Indianapolis 500 Returns To ABC This Weekend For 49th Consecutive Year

Posted on May 21, 2013 by philspicks

Courtesy: Izod Indycar Series

Memorial Day and Memorial Day weekend will be a big one for fans of basketball. The WNBA kicks up its 2013-2014 season in a big way across ABC and the ESPN family of networks. Fans of auto racing get to celebrate the weekend with the annual celebration of the Indianapolis 500, live from Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS). ABC will broadcast the annual race this Sunday, May 26^th live for the forty-ninth consecutive year. The race will be preceded by a one-hour pre-race telecast at 11am ET presented by Go Daddy. The green flag is expected to drop at 12:15pm ET.

The broadcast of the race will incorporate eighty-four different cameras including three each on board twelve of the thirty-three cars entered for the Izod Indy Car Series premier race. Those drivers who will be carrying in car cameras will be: Defending race winner Dario Franchitti and defending IndyCar Series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay. Others will be Charlie Kimball, JR Hildebrand, James Hinchcliffe, Townsend Bell, Will Power, Helio Castroneves, Marco Andretti, Graham Rahal and Tristan Vautier. Veteran racer Ed Carpenter will also carry one of the in-car cameras.

Audiences can also get a view of pit road and the front stretch thanks to the enhanced “Batcam” (skycam). The “Batcam” runs on a wire overhead pit road and the front stretch at IMS. The “Batcam” has been used by ESPN for many years. But with its new enhancements, it can now fly over the track at speeds upwards of ninety-five miles per hour. Four Ultra Hi Motion cameras placed around the track will give viewers an amazing view of the race. The cameras, which will be used for the second consecutive year, will be placed in the short chutes at each end of the two and a half mile track. There will also be a camera in the fourth turn exit, and one robotic camera placed at the entrance to turn one. Along with the cameras, which can shoot at a rate of up to 1,200 frames per second, each turn will also have a Super Slo Motion camera.

Thanks to ESPN3, fans watching the race will get the option of streaming live video on a second screen. The live streaming feeds will be available via ESPN’s WatchESPN and WatchESPN app. ESPN3 is available online via http://www.WatchESPN.com. Viewers watching online via ESPN3’s second screen can cwitch between in-car cameras. For the first time this year, fans watching online can also check out the live scoring ticker. ESPN3 will also carry a rebroadcast of the race after it ends on ABC.

Marty Reid will have the lap-by-lap call, while ESPN SportsCenter anchor Lindsay Czarniak will serve as race host. Former driver Scott Goodyear and 1998 Indy 500 winner Eddie Cheever will be on hand for analysis. Rick DeBruhl, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch, and Vince Welch will report from the pits.

For all the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at http://philspicks.wordpress.com.

WNBA Kicks Off 2013-2014 Season This Weekend On ABC

Posted on May 21, 2013 by philspicks

Courtesy: ESPN

The 2013-2014 WNBA season starts next Monday. And it all kicks off with a double header on ABC. The double header will feature the top four teams from this year’s WNBA draft presented by State Farm. It all starts with a match between the Washington Mystics and Tulsa Shock at 3pm ET. The Chicago Sky and Phoenix Mercury follow at 5pm ET. Along with the games, ESPN will offer an in-depth look at course taken by the league’s top picks—The “3 To See–from college to the pros. The “3 To See” are Elena Delle Donne (Delaware to Chicago Sky), Skylar Diggins (Notre Dame to Tulsa Shock), and Brittney Griner (Baylor to Phoenix Mercury).

ABC’s double header matchup is just part of Monday’s season opening celebration of the WNBA. ESPN Classic will air a Memorial Day weekend marathon featuring a series of games featuring the “3 To See.” The full slate of games is listed below.

ESPN Classic Memorial Day “3 to See” Marathon

Date	Time (ET)	Game
Sun, May 26	4 p.m.	2012 NCAA Women’s National Semifinal: Connecticut vs. Notre Dame Diggins 19 points leads ND to an 83-75 win
	6 p.m.	Connecticut at Notre Dame (2013) Diggins scores 29 points in ND’s 96-87 triple-overtime win
	8 p.m.	2013 NCAA Championship Second Round: Delaware vs. North Carolina Delle Donne nets 33 points in loss in final home game
	10 p.m.	2012 NCAA Women’s National Championship: Notre Dame vs. Baylor Griner has 26 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks in win
	Midnight	2012 NCAA Championship Second Round: Kansas vs. Delaware Delle Donne scores 34 points in loss
Mon, May 27	1:30 a.m.	Notre Dame at Tennessee (2013) Diggins has 33 points, five assists and four steals in victory
	3:30 p.m.	2012 CAA Championship: Drexel vs. Delaware Delle Donne dominates with 27 points and 10 boards in win
	7 a.m.	Connecticut at Baylor (2011) Griner leads with 25 points, nine rebounds and nine blocks in victory
	9 a.m.	Delaware at St. John’s (2013) Delle Donne tallies 29 points, 16 boards, two assists and two blocks in overtime win
	11 a.m.	2011 NCAA Women’s National Semifinal: Connecticut vs. Notre Dame Diggins nets 28 points in win over UConn and National Player of the Year Maya Moore
	1 p.m.	Baylor at Connecticut (2013) Griner scores 25 points in win, including 3,000^th of her career

Fans of the WNBA will also get to see the return of the Boost Mobile WNBA All-Star Game on July 27^th. The game will air that day at 3:30pm ET on ABC live from the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT.

The team of Pam Ward, Rebecca Lobo, and Carolyn Peck return once again this season to call the games, with Ward calling the play-by-play action. Holly Rowe and LaChina Robinson will serve as reporters for select games. Sue Bird—seven-time WNBA All-Star and two-time WNBA Champion with the Seattle Storm—will join the broadcast team this season from the ESPN Studio. This includes the opening day double header. Bird is sidelined this season while she recovers from left knee surgery.

The full season schedule is available below:

2013 WNBA Regular-Season Schedule (subject to change)

Date	Time (ET)	Game	Networks
Mon, May 27	3 p.m.	Washington Mystics at Tulsa Shock Pam Ward, Carolyn Peck & LaChina Robinson	ESPN2
	5 p.m.	Chicago Sky at Phoenix Mercury Ryan Ruocco, Rebecca Lobo & Holly Rowe	ESPN2
Sat, June 8	3:30 p.m.	Phoenix Mercury at Indiana Fever Ryan Ruocco, Rebecca Lobo & Holly Rowe	ABC
Wed, June 12	8 p.m.	Connecticut Sun at Indiana Fever Pam Ward & Carolyn Peck	ESPN2
Tue, June 25	8 p.m.	Phoenix Sun at San Antonio Silver Stars Pam Ward & Carolyn Peck	ESPN2
Tue, July 2	8 p.m.	Tulsa Shock at Connecticut Sun	ESPN2
Tue, July 9	9 p.m.	Atlanta Dream at Minnesota Lynx	ESPN2
Thu, July 11	9 p.m.	Los Angeles Sparks at Tulsa Shock	ESPN2
Thu, July 18	10 p.m.	Phoenix Mercury at Los Angeles Sparks	ESPN2
Tue, July 23	7 p.m.	New York Liberty at Indiana Fever	ESPN2
Sat, July 27	3:30 p.m.	Boost Mobile WNBA All-Star Game (Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, Conn.)	ABC
Tue, Aug 6	10 p.m.	Seattle Storm at Phoenix Mercury	ESPN2
Tue, Aug 20	10 p.m.	Los Angeles Sparks at Seattle Storm	ESPN2
Sat, Aug 24	7 p.m.	Indiana Fever at Minnesota Lynx	ESPN2
Wed, Sep 11	8 p.m.	Phoenix Mercury at Chicago Sky	ESPN2

New Deal Brings USTA’s U.S. Open Beginning In 2015

Posted on May 17, 2013 by philspicks

Courtesy: ESPN

Tennis fans have some good news today. ESPN has announced that it has acquired the broadcast rights to the U.S. Open. The new deal means that the Sports Leader will broadcast the U.S. Open beginning in 2015. It will be the exclusive home of the U.S. Open both in North and South America. The deal will keep the tournament on ESPN for eleven years. It also means that ESPN and the ESPN family of networks will now broadcast three of tennis’ four majors beginning in 2015.

ESPN President John Skipper shared his thoughts on the new deal. “Certain sporting events become synonymous with when they are held, and there is no better – or bigger – way to celebrate the end of summer than at the US Open in New York,” he said. We look forward to capturing every match, every star, every championship and all the drama on this grand stage.”

Expectations for the new deal are just as high among those with the United States Tennis Association (USTA). Dave Haggerty, USTA Chairman of the Board and president commented on the announcement, saying “This wide-ranging and broad relationship with ESPN positions tennis at the forefront of American sports. By teaming with the world-wide leader in sports, the USTA will continue to ensure that tennis at every level thrives in the United States.”

When the deal takes effect, all matches of the U.S. Open tournament will be available not just on ESPN and ESPN2, but also via WatchESPN and the WatchESPN app for those with mobile internet. Every match of the tournament’s seventeen total courts will also be available on ESPN3. Anyone that has ESPN’s linear networks as part of their video subscription through Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks, Verizon FiOs, Comcast Xfinity TV, Midcontinent Communications, Cablevision, Cox, Charter or AT&T U-Verse.

Along with broadcasting the U.S. Open in the United States beginning in 2015, ESPN will continue to be the home of the entire U.S. Open in Latin America and the Caribbean, and on TSN in Canada, as it has done since 2002. Fans in these countries will benefit from the new deal as it means expanded hours and broadcast rights, just as in the U.S.—both on multiple linear TV channels and on digital platforms throughout each region.

The new broadcast deal has major implications in the U.S. and Latin and South America, as well as the Caribbean, as noted. It will have a big impact in the Middle East, too. Terms of the deal included making ESPN the home of the Emirates Airline U.S. Open Series. Coverage of the series includes seventy-two hours of action in the five-week tournament leading up to the championship. Terms also have given broadcast rights of the Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day. The Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day is the family friendly music and tennis festival that serves as the unofficial start to the two-week tournament. It takes place a week prior to the tournament’s official start.

Soccer Fans Getting More Coverage From ESPN Beginning This Summer

Posted on May 14, 2013 by philspicks

Courtesy: ESPN/ESPNFC

ESPN is giving soccer fans an early Christmas gift this Summer. What started mainly on the ESPNFC.com website has evolved into the first ever full length studio show dedicated to coverage of all things soccer. ESPN FC on TV will air on ESPN daily on ESPN beginning Sunday, August 11^th. The announcement was made today at the company’s Upfront presentation in New York City. The new show will take the place of ESPN FC Press Pass, which currently airs on ESPNEWS in the United States.

The new program will be more than just a studio based show. It will also incorporate the use of ESPNFC.com into the show via a variety of outlets including social media and ESPN’s industry-leading Stats & Information Group’s data visualization analysis, just to name a couple. Digital versions of the show will be available online at http://www.ESPNFC.com.

Scott Guglielmino spoke on the motivation to expand ESPN’s coverage of professional soccer, noting the increased attention that it is now getting around the world. “Soccer’s popularity is at an all-time high in the United States as fans are now more familiar with the world’s top players, marquee clubs and national teams. ESPN FC on TV continues our leadership role in coverage of the sport across all media,” he said. “ESPN FC will inform, entertain and provide hard-hitting insight on the global sport of soccer,” It will become ESPN’s signature program for soccer, bringing tremendous value to the company, our affiliates and the ad sales community looking to reach core and casual soccer fans in the United States.”

Sunday editions of ESPN FC on TV will offer full wrap-ups of each week’s biggest games and looks forward to the coming week, too. Weekday editions of the show will run for half an hour each day. Fans can expect from ESPN FC on TV all the latest news and rumors from around the world of professional soccer. Reporters, columnist, and bloggers from around the world will have all the latest from the Barclay’s Premiere League, UEFA Champion’s League, Spain’s La Liga, Major League Soccer, the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team, and Mexican National Team. It will also include interviews with the biggest names from around the professional soccer world, and previews of the biggest games from the FIFA World Cup qualifying matches, Manchester Derby, and even more.

To keep up with the latest soccer news from ESPN online, fans can “Like” the ESPN FC Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/ESPNFC and check in daily at the ESPN FC website, http://www.espnfc.com.

Yankees/Red Sox Rivalry Returning To ESPN, Angels & White Sox Face Off Tonight On ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball

Posted on May 12, 2013 by philspicks

Courtesy: ESPN

One of the biggest rivalries in sports re-ignites in its latest round Sunday, June 2^nd. David Ortiz and the Boston Red Sox will take on Robinson Cano and the New York Yankees will face off at 8pm that evening. Dan Shulman will host the evening’s broadcast. He will be joined by analysts Orel Hershiser and John Kruk. Buster Olney will be on hand with commentary.

Tonight’s matchup pits the Los Angeles Angels against the Chicago White Sox in the “Windy City.” Dan Shulman will host the evening’s broadcast along with his colleagues, Orel Hershiser, John Kruk and Buster Olney. The game will be available across all ESPN platforms including: ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Deportes Radio, WatchESPN and the WatchESPN app for mobile media. Pre-game starts at 7pm tonight. The ESPN Sunday Night Baseball Crew offered its thoughts on tonight’s games, which can be viewed right here.

Baseball Tonight analyst Aaron Boone on the C.J. Wilson- Chris Sale matchup:
With Jered Weaver down, C.J. Wilson needs to assume the head of this rotation. They need to be able to hang their hat on his starts and count on him to be close to an ace. Sale needs to get his slider down. While he’s been pretty good, he hasn’t quite been the dominant ace. I’ve seen a little bit of slider elevation from him. If he can get that pitch down, he’s an ace.

Baseball Tonight analyst Alex Cora on Wilson:
I think that the key storyline is C.J. Wilson. We’ve been talking about the Angels being a contender and Weaver being hurt. Here’s a guy that they signed last year to either be their ace or their number two and he hasn’t done it. For them to turn this around, they need him to pitch the way he’s capable of pitching.

MLB Insider Buster Olney on the Angels’ struggles this season:
Early in every season, there are a handful of teams that quickly move into desperation mode, and little more than a month into the 2013 season, that’s where the Angels stand. They cannot afford to lose more ground, and even though it’s May, this team of great stars will be playing with a sense of urgency. The Angels can turn it around, but because of the lack of depth in the pitching staff, the impetus for a comeback has to come from their offensive stars: Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton and Mark Trumbo.

MLB Insider Tim Kurkjian on the Angels facing Sale:
This is a big weekend series, especially for the Angels. They are in danger of falling out of the race in the West unless they start winning immediately. Their come-from-behind win Thursday night might be the spark that finally gets this team going but they are up against Chris Sale on Sunday night. I don’t know how anyone gets a hit off of that guy.

Olney on Sale’s delivery and repertoire:
Chris Sale is a one-of-a-kind pitcher, with an unusual delivery, and a nasty slider. I think Orel made a fascinating comparison: Sale reminds you a lot of the former Yankees Cy Young winner Ron Guidry, because of the quality of his slider and his angular build.

ESPN MLB Insider Pedro Gomez on the Angels’ struggles:
The Angels cannot afford to continue to spin their wheels and expect to remain in the AL West race. They need pitching to really start to shine and they absolutely need more production from their two cogs in the middle of their order, Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton.

Cora on Hamilton’s plate discipline:
He needs to take a step back. We get it, he’s an aggressive hitter. But right now, he’s getting 0-2 pitches in the first pitch of the at-bat. They know he’s swinging. They aren’t even trying to get ahead of him. They are going to the put-out pitch on pitch one because he’s swinging. He needs to be more patient. He has two home runs in last few days but still he needs to take some pitches. The whole league knows that he’s been very aggressive and chasing a lot. He must take a step back and see some good pitches.

ESPN MLB Insider Jim Bowden on keys for the Angels to improve:
The Angels can turn it around but they have to stay healthy. There is not enough depth to withstand injuries, as we’ve seen to date. Hamilton and Pujols must get back to MVP form. The key to the team will be the starting rotation. Blanton and Hanson have to be good enough to win 12 games and pitch 180 innings. A trade for more pitching is a must. Hamilton’s not loading and his timing is not in sync. If he corrects those two flaws he will hit. His bat speed is still there. He also must improve his strike zone awareness and cut down at swinging at balls out of the zone which is at a poor rate of 49%.

Boone on the struggling power hitters in both lineups:
If these teams are going to live up to expectations, their big guys in the middle have to get it going. We need to see production from Konerko and Dunn for the White Sox and Hamilton and Pujols with the Angels.

Cora on White Sox Manager Robin Ventura:
It’s Robin’s second year, so right now it’s his team. Obviously last year he had a great season. They made some changes and lost A.J. So, I think now he’s settled in. It has been a tough month for them, so let’s see what kind of manager he is. Last year, they kind of lost it at the end in September and they seem to be in the same pattern now. We need to see what kind of manager he will be.

Next Sunday on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball, the Tigers head to the Lone Star State to take on the Rangers. The latest Sunday Night Baseball schedule is available below.

Upcoming Sunday Night Baseball schedule:

Date	Game
May 12	Los Angeles Angels at Chicago White Sox
May 19	Detroit Tigers at Texas Rangers
May 26	Atlanta Braves at New York Mets
June 2	Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees
July 14	St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs
July 21	New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox

*Additional games for June and July will be announced three weeks in advance, while games for August and September will be made two weeks in advance.

Junior Welterweight Bout Headlines May 10th Edition Of FNF

Posted on May 9, 2013 by philspicks

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN’s Friday Night Fights returns with another full card Friday, May 10^th. This week’s card is headlined by a matchup of two Junior Welterweights. Vernon “The Iceman” Paris (27 – 1, 16 KOs) faces off against Manny “Manos” Perez (19 – 8 – 1, 4 KOs) in a ten-round main event. Friday’s main event will be broadcast live from the Masonic Temple in Detroit at 10pm ET. The fight will air live on ESPN2 HD and online and mobile internet via WatchESPN and the WatchESPN app. ESPN Deportes will pick up the fight in progress following the conclusion of the NBA Playoff matchup between the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat.

Paris comes into Friday’s fight with quite a bit of momentum, having beaten Guy Pucker with a third-round KO in his most recent fight. Before that bout, Paris also had fought three-time Welterweight and Welterweight titlist Zab Judah. Paris was upbeat in an interview when asked about what to expect from Friday’s bout. He noted that he was definitely prepared for the fight. “I’ve started working with my new coach, Herman Caicedo, and have been preparing for this fight ever since my last fight,” he said. “My new coach is good. He’s teaching me to keep my hands up. The plan – what I’m going to do in the ring – that’s all coming together. I’m feeling real good about it.”

Perez has his own momentum coming into this week’s main event. He won three of his previous four matches including a ten-round split decision over Jose Cotto (Miguel Cotto’s brother) and a ten-round unanimous decision over Edgar Santana. He won his most recent fight, a seven round unanimous decision win over Bernardo Guereca.

Perez sounded focused but realistic when asked about taking on Paris. “I know Paris is very, very tough, and I anticipate a tough fight,” Perez said. “Those are the fights I like. I’ve said it before – you don’t become the best without fighting the best. You have to fight and beat the best. I’m working on my jab a lot now, and just want to show more variety in my shots this fight. I want to show better angles, and a better variety of right hands. I want to apply the right kind of pressure and just break him down. I’m looking forward to putting on a great performance.”

Friday’s fight between Paris and Perez will be preceded by a co-feature pitting a pair of Featherweights against each other. Cornelius “Lightning” Lock (20 – 6 – 1, 13 KOs) and “El Negro Mexicano Lightning” Lonnie Smith (14 – 4 – 3, 10 KOs) will face off in a ten-round fight. Lock won his most recent fight with a second-round TKO win over Damon Antoine. Smith’s last fight ended in a seventh-round technical draw against Michael Perez.

FNF hosts Teddy Atlas and Joe Tessitore will both be on hand to call all of the evening’s action for ESPN2 HD. They will be joined by studio host Todd Grisham with all of the latest boxing news and Highlights. Pablo Viruega and Delvin Rodriguez will call the matches for ESPN Deportes. Claudia Trejos and Leopoldo Gonzales will join them from the ESPN Deportes studios. Bernardo Osuna will have live interviews and reports for ESPN2 HD and ESPN Deportes.

Friday Night’s new edition of FNF is presented by Corona Extra and is promoted by Millennium Promotions.

Fans can keep up with all the latest boxing news when they “Like” the FNF Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/espn.fnf. Once fans “Like” the FNF Facebook page, they can use the LIVE Friday Night Fights Voting app on the ESPN FNF Facebook page to score each match themselves from the comfort of their homes. And for even more on Friday Night Fights, fans can keep up with the show on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/FNF.

ESPN Networks Win Five Sports Emmys

Posted on May 8, 2013 by philspicks

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN proved once again Tuesday night why it is “The Sports Leader.” The ESPN family of networks took home five Sports Emmy Awards Tuesday night at the 34^th annual Sports Emmy Awards. The annual awards program is put on by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Among its awards were top honors for journalism, technical and creative excellence and marketing.

ESPN2’s E:60 took home the award for Journalism for its feature, “Beitar Jerusalem.” The feature focused on the Beitar Jerusalem Soccer team and its infamous fan base. Audiences saw firsthand the behavior of the team’s overly devoted fans and its sometimes overtly racist tendencies. ESPN reporter Jeremy Schaap and a filming crew went to Israel to film the feature. The award for this feature was the fifth Sports Emmy in four years for E:60.

ESPN’s Outside The Lines brought home Sports Emmy for its feature, “Breaking The Silence.” This feature focuses on the story of Monika Korra. Korra, a native of Norway, was a member of SMU’s cross country team. While a member of the team, she was raped by three men. But through her personal strength, she went on to help find the men and convict her assailants. She now speaks publicly about such acts of violence. “Breaking The Silence” won the Sports Emmy for Short Format Camerawork. It Outside The Lines host Bob Ley worked with ESPN reporter Tom Rinaldi for the feature. The award is the fifteenth Sports Emmy for the show.

Full features weren’t the only things for which ESPN received awards. It also brought home a Sports Emmy for its “It’s not crazy, it’s sports” promotional campaign. The campaign brought home the award for Best Promo-Institutional. One of the more memorable spots in the campaign told the story of a man named Michael Jordan who lived in Chicago. The man in question was not the famed basketball legend. Audiences can check out the promo at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxBBN3ZnYeU.

ESPN’s recent upstart network, ESPN 3D brought home its own award yesterday. It defended its 2012 award in the Technical Team Remote category, winning this year for its coverage of the Winter X Games. ESPN 3D is the only all-sports 3D network on television today.

In the category of New Approaches – Short Form, ESPN’s Sports Science won its third Sports Emmy in as many years.

Yesterday’s wins bring the total number of Sports Emmys for the ESPN family of networks to one hundred and fifty three in its twenty-six years of eligibility.

ESPN Expands NCAA D1 Baseball Championship Coverage

Posted on May 1, 2013 by philspicks

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN will cover all sixteen sites of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship this year. Cover of the games runs from Friday, May 31^st to Monday, June 1^st. This year’s coverage marks the first time that every first-round game in the tournament will be available to fans on a national platform. This includes up to seven games from each of the sixteen locations for a total of one hundred twelve matchups over the course of just four days. ESPN offered coverage of six sites in 2012, four in 2011, and two in each of the previous six years.

ESPN will launch a new platform called “Bases Loaded” to help cover the games across the ESPN family of networks over the weekend. It will be similar to the network’s “Goal Line” and “Buzzer Beater Networks” in that it will provide unlimited live cut-ins and highlights from a number of the tournament’s games. It will also include live up-to-the-minute commentary from ESPN analysts and experts from each day of the Regionals. “Bases Loaded” will be available Friday, May 31^st and Saturday, June 1^st from 2pm EST to midnight. It will be available Sunday, June 2^nd from 2pm to 1am and Monday, June 3^rd from 6pm to 12am. ESPN3 will carry “Bases Loaded” in its entirety while ESPNU and ESPN2 will simulcast at select times. This includes between games and during rain delays, time allowing. And as with most ESPN coverage, fans can catch all of the action online via WatchESPN and through mobile internet on the WatchESPN app.

Along with the expanded Regionals coverage, ESPN will also continue to cover every Super Regional site and all possible seventeen games of the College World Series. The expanded coverage includes up to twenty-four games from eight sites.

NNS Heads To The High Banks Of Talladega This Weekend

Posted on May 1, 2013 by philspicks

Courtesy: NASCAR/ESPN/ESPN2

The NASCAR Nationwide Series will face the high banks and high speeds of Talladega Speedway this weekend in the Aarons 312. Points leader Sam Hornish Jr. and second place driver Regan Smith will go wheel to wheel in the next round. Hornish, who drives for Penske Racing, leads Smith by only a single point. The pair is evenly matched on the track. Hornish boasts a current record of six top tens, four top fives and one win. Smith has five top tens and two top fives. He doesn’t have any wins yet this season. ESPN will have qualifying coverage Friday at 12pm EST.

Coverage of the Aarons 312 kicks off Saturday afternoon at 2:30pm EST on ESPN2. Nicole Briscoe will lead pre-race coverage on NASCAR Countdown, and will be joined by analysts Rusty Wallace and Brad Daughtery. The green flag drops at 3:35pm EST. Allen Bestwick will lead the lap-by-lap coverage alongside Andy Petree. They will be joined by NASCAR Sprint Cup veteran Carl Edwards in the booth. Edwards is currently second in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, behind five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson. Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch, and Vince Welch will have all the action live from the pits throughout the race.

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