ESPN’s SNB Opens Its July Broadcast Schedule With Giants-Nats Series Closer

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN will be in the nation’s capital this year for Independence Day weekend.

ESPN announced today that its Sunday, July 5^th edition of Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell will come live from Nationals Park for the closer in a three-game series between the Nats and Giants. Details on starting lineups and who will take the mound for both teams will be announced soon. The game is scheduled for an 8pm ET start time on ESPN. It will also be broadcast in Spanish on ESPN Deportes for ESPN’s Spanish-speaking baseball fans as well as on ESPN Deportes Radio. Those that won’t be near a TV during the game’s broadcast can still hear it live on ESPN and online via WatchESPN. Dan Shulman will have the call for ESPN’s broadcast. He will be joined in the booth by analysts Curt Schilling and John Kruk. Reporter Buster Olney will also be on hand during the game’s broadcast for all of the latest news and insights on the game and other games around the league.

As is the case with each week’s broadcast, Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell will be preceded by ESPN’s weekly broadcast of Baseball Tonight: Sunday Night Countdown presented by Chevrolet at 7pm ET. Karl Ravech will anchor the broadcast. He will be joined at the desk by Aaron Boone and reporters Tim Kurkjian and Nicole Briscoe.

Coming up this weekend on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell, the Giants will face in-state and NL West rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers. Sunday’s game is the closer in a four-game series between the rivals. Details on both teams’ starting lineups and their bullpen rosters will be announced soon. San Francisco currently sits second in the NL West three and a half games back from the Dodgers. The Giants are 34 – 31 so far on the season and 4 – 6 in their last ten games. The team is currently in the midst of a five-game skid. So it will be hungry for a win as it hosts Seattle tonight. Seattle currently sits fourth in the AL West at 27 – 39, five and a half games out of first in the division. The team has gone 5 – 5 in its last ten games. The Dodgers lead the NL West at 37 – 27 and have gone 6-4 in the team’s last ten games. It’s next game is tonight in Texas against the Rangers in the second of a four-game series between the two teams.

Looking into the future, the current schedule of upcoming games on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell is listed below.

Upcoming Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell schedule

Date	Game
June 21	San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers presented by Taco Bell
June 28	Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals presented by Taco Bell
July 5	San Francisco Giants at Washington Nationals presented by Taco Bell
July 12	St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates presented by Taco Bell
July 19	Boston Red Sox at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim presented by Taco Bell

*All Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell telecasts begin at 8 p.m.

All of the latest MLB news and updates on ESPN’s MLB coverage is available online now at:

Website: http://espn.go.com/mlb

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ESPNBaseballTonight

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 https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

ESPN Adds Reds, Cubs Matchup To Its SNB Broadcast Schedule

ESPN announced the latest addition to its weekly Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell broadcast schedule this week. On June 14th, ESPN’s flagship baseball broadcast will come live from Chicago as the Cubs host the Reds in an NL Central showdown.

ESPN’s June 14th broadcast will be the closer for the teams’ four-game series, which kicks off Thursday, June 11th. Details for each team’s starting lineup will be released soon. Cincinnati (21 – 27) just finished a three-game sweep of the NL East-leading Washington Nationals on Sunday going 8 – 2 against the Nats. Cincinnati won Friday’s game 5 – 2 and went 8 -5 on Saturday. Cincinnati’s win today came courtesy of a 6-run deluge from the Reds in the 7th inning after a relatively quiet day on both sides of the bat. Before that, Washington had only allowed 2 total runs from Cincinnati. One came in the 4th and the other in the 5th. The Nats’ bullpen struggled in Sunday’s game, with starter Tanner Rourke allowing 4 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, 2 home runs, and 2 walks in 6 innings pitched. He struck out only 1 batter along the way. Things weren’t much better for the rest of Washington’s bullpen as Matt Grace and Aaron Barrett combined to allow a total of 6 runs, 5 hits, and 6 earned runs. Grace also allowed 2 walks in his time on the mound before being pulled. On the other side of the ball, Cincinnati starter Michael Lorenzen had a slightly better day, allowing only 1 hit and striking out 4 over 6 innings. He had his share of struggles, though. He walked 6 batters, allowed 2 runs, and 2 earned runs over that span of time.

There’s no time to rest for Washington as it prepares for a 7-game home stand beginning Monday night with a three-game series against the Miwaukee Brewers. That series will be followed up by a 4-game series against the Cubs. The Reds only get a day to rest on Monday before hitting the road again on Tuesday, this time to face the Philadelphia Phillies in a three-game series in the city of brotherly love. After that, it’s back home for a three-game home-stand against San Diego and then another three-game run against Philadelphia at Great American Ballpark before that long 4-game stretch against the Cubs, which will lead up to ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell broadcast on the 14th that will see that series’ final game.

Courtesy: ESPN (L – R) Dan Shulman, John Kruk, Curt Schilling

Dan Shulman will have the call for the June 14th broadcast of Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell. He will be joined in the booth by analysts Curt Schilling and John Kruk. Buster Olney will also be on hand during the game for additional coverage. Those not near a TV during the game can catch it on their local ESPN Radio affiliate. Jon Sciambi and Chris Singleton will have the call for ESPN Radio. Baseball Tonight: Sunday Night Countdown presented by Chevrolet will precede Sunday night’s game. It will air at 7pm ET on ESPN with Karl Ravech anchoring the broadcast. He will be joined by analyst Aaron Boone and reporters Tim Kurkjian and Nicole Briscoe. There’s lots of other action on the diamond in the weeks leading up to that June 14th broadcast including the the Cardinals on the road against the Dodgers on June 7th and the Angels hosting the Tigers tonight, May 31st. The current broadcast schedule, for those that would like to know, of ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell is listed below.

Sunday Night Baseball upcoming schedule:

Date Game

May 31 Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim presented by Taco Bell

June 7 St. Louis Cardinals at Los Angeles Dodgers presented by Taco Bell

June 14 Cincinnati Reds at Chicago Cubs presented by Taco Bell

June 21 San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers presented by Taco Bell

June 28 Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals presented by Taco Bell

July 5 TBD

July 12 St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates presented by Taco Bell

July 19 Boston Red Sox at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim presented by Taco Bell

More information on ESPN’s MLB coverage is available online now along with all of the latest MLB news at:

Website: http://espn.go.com/mlb

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ESPNBaseballTonight

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 https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

ESPN Heads To The Big Apple This Week For Sunday Night Baseball Broadcast

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN’s weekly baseball broadcast of Sunday Night Baseball heads back to the Big Apple this weekend as the Yankees take on the Mets in the third of a three-game series between the teams this weekend.

Dan Shulman will anchor Sunday’s broadcast. He will be joined in the booth by analysts Curt Schilling and John Kruk, and reporter Buster Olney. Audiences that won’t be near a TV during the game can also catch it on their local ESPN Radio station and online via WatchESPN. Jon Sciambi will have the call for ESPN Radio. He will be joined by Chris Singleton. It will also be available in Spanish on ESPN Deportes for all of ESPN’s Spanish-speaking audiences. Sunday night’s televised broadcast will be preceded by its weekly early pre-game show Baseball Tonight: Sunday Night Countdown presented by Chevrolet at 7pm ET. Karl Ravech will anchor Sunday night’s broadcast. He will be joined by analyst Aaron Boone and ESPN MLB Insider Tim Kurkjian. Nicole Briscoe, the newest addition to ESPN’s MLB broadcast team, will also be on hand with coverage during Baseball Tonight. Audiences can also catch game two of the teams’ series this weekend on ESPN Radio. Jon Sciambi will have the call for that game, too. He will be joined by Chris Singleton for that game, too.

Before Sunday night’s broadcast, fans will also be treated to a pair of games featuring the Washington Nationals. The ‘Nats currently sit third in the NL East, four games back from the Mets, who currently lead the division at 10 – 3. Washington has gone 5 – 5 in its last ten games and has performed slightly better at home than on the road going 4 – 3 at home and 2 – 4 on the road. Speaking of that record, the first of Washington’s games on ESPN this week will see the Nats at home against the NL Central leading Cardinals Wednesday night. The Nats’ second game on ESPN this week will see the team on the road against Atlanta next Monday, April 27th at 7pm ET. Jon Sciambi will have the call for Wednesday night’s game. He will be joined by analysts Rick Sutcliffe and Doug Glanville for the game. Next Monday night’s game will be the network’s game of the week on Monday Night Baseball presented by USAA. It will be called by Dave O’Brien. He will be joined Aaron Boone and Mark Mulder for the broadcast on ESPN. And for those not near a TV, the game will also be available online via WatchESPN. The complete broadcast schedule for this week and next week’s games is noted below complete with broadcast times and platforms.

Date Time (ET) Show / Commentators Network (s)
Wed, Apr 22 7 p.m.    St. Louis Cardinals at Washington Nationals    Jon Sciambi, Rick Sutcliffe, Doug Glanville ESPN, WatchESPN
Sat, Apr 25 3 p.m.     New York Mets at New York Yankees–Jon Sciambi, Chris Singleton ESPN Radio
Sun, Apr 26 7 p.m.    Baseball Tonight: Sunday Night Countdown Presented by Chevrolet—Karl Ravech, Aaron Boone, Tim Kurkjian ESPN, WatchESPN
8 p.m. New York Mets at New York Yankees Presented by Taco Bell–Dan Shulman, Curt Schilling, John Kruk, Buster Olney ESPN, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Deportes Radio, WatchESPN
Mon, Apr 27 7 p.m. Monday Night Baseball presented by USAA: Washington Nationals at Atlanta Braves–Dave O’Brien, Aaron Boone, Mark Mulder ESPN, WatchESPN

Fans can get all of the latest MLB news and coverage from ESPN online every day at:

Website: http://espn.go.com/mlb

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ESPN

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 https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Daugherty, Others Staying With ESPN After 2014 NASCAR Season Ends

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN and NASCAR are parting ways at the end of the 2014 season. Despite this change, there’s good news for audiences and ESPN’s NASCAR broadcast team. ESPN announced this week that analyst and team owner Brad Daugherty will remain with the worldwide leader in sports.

ESPN announced this week that Daugherty will join ESPN’s basketball broadcast team beginning Monday, December 1^st. Daugherty is a former five-time NBA All-Star and college basketball standout. He will serve as an analyst on ESPN’s NBA Tonight, NBA Coast to Coast, and SportsCenter regularly. He will also make appearances on ESPNU’s ACC Sunday Night package along with other other programming across the ESPN family of networks.

Before joining ESPN’s NASCAR broadcasts, Daugherty served as a reporter for ESPN and ABC’s college basketball from 1999 – 2001. Prior to joining ESPN’s ranks, he also served as a game analyst for the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs local broadcasts. His playing career included eight seasons as a member of the Cavaliers after being selected in the first round of the NBA Draft in 1986. He averaged 19 points and 9.5 rebounds per game during his career. His love for NASCAR showed throughout his career as he wore the number 43 in honor of “The King” Richard Petty. The Cavs retired his number in 1997.

Daugherty is a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill at the age of 16 and graduated from the university in 1986. He was named an All-ACC player twice during his college career and a first-team All-American in his senior year at the university. He averaged 20.2 points and 9 rebounds per game during his senior year at UNC.

Daugherty’s is not the only move that ESPN has announced in regards to the network’s NASCAR broadcast team. Veteran racer and long-time ESPN NASCAR analyst Ricky Craven recently signed a new deal with ESPN that will see him remain with the network as a NASCAR analyst for SportsCenter and other ESPN news platforms. Nicole Briscoe, it was announced last month, will serve as an anchor on SportsCenter and will also take on additional assignments. And reporter Marty Smith will stay on board with ESPN, too. He will remain with ESPN as a Bureau Reporter for ESPN. Allen Bestwick, who has led ESPN’s NASCAR coverage each week, will remain with the network, too. He will stay on to call ESPN’s IndyCar races and to cover tennis and golf coverage. He will also anchor some programming on ESPN’s new SEC Network.

More information on ESPN’s on-air staff and all of the latest sports headlines from ESPN is available online at:

Website: http://espn.go.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ESPN

Twitter: http://twitter.com/espn

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 https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

NNS Heads North For Sta-Green 200 This Weekend

Courtesy: NASCAR/ESPN/ESPN2/ABC

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular and Hendrick Motorsports driver Kasey Khane ruined the party for the Nationwide regulars last weekend at Daytona when he won the Firecracker 250 presented by Coca-Cola. Nationwide Series regular and JR Motorsports driver Regan Smith reclaimed the NNS points lead thanks to a second place finish in the race. Elliot Sadler and Chase Elliot both had a rough weekend in Daytona, dropping each one position in the standings. This week, Sadler and Elliot look to rebound whil Smith looks to keep his lead as the NASCAR Nationwide Series comes to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the Sta-Green 200.

The 200-lap race will be broadcast live on ESPN2 beginning with NASCAR Countdown at 3pm ET. The green flag is expected to fly at 3:46pm ET. Nicole Briscoe will anchor NASCAR Countdown. She will be joined at the desk by Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty. Allen Bestwick will have the call from the booth. He will be joined by ESPN analysts Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree.

More information on this weekend’s race and all of ESPN’s NASCAR coverage is available online at http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar. 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 https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

NNS Celebrates America’s Independendence With Its Own Fireworks Friday Night

Courtesy: NASCAR/ESPN/ESPN2/ABC

Joe Gibbs Racing has been the center of attention in recent weeks. The reason being that Roush Fenway driver Carl Edwards has been rumored to be heading over there next season. But after last weekend’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Kentucky Speedway, JGR is the center of attention for another reason. That reason being that JGR driver Elliot Sadler now leads the NASCAR Nationwide Series points thanks to a 10^th place finish in the John R. Elliot Hero Campaign 300 presented by Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over. Chase Elliot, who came into last weekend’s race as the series’ points leader finished two positions behind Sadler in 12^th, knocking him down to second overall in the points standings. This weekend, Elliot will look to bounce back and retake the points lead as the NASCAR Nationwide Series races under the lights at Daytona.

The Subway Firecracker 250 will be run at Daytona International Speedway Friday night live on ESPN2. It all begins with ESPN2’s weekly pre-race NASCAR Countdown broadcast at 7pm ET. The green flag is expected to fly at 7:49pm ET. Allen Bestwick will anchor Friday night’s broadcast. He will be joined by ESPN analysts Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree in the booth. Nicole Briscoe will anchor NASCAR Countdown. She will be joined by her regular co-hosts Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty.

More information on the ESPN family of networks’ coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series is available online at http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar. 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 https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Championship Battle Still Very Tight As NNS Heads West Again For Week Five

Courtesy: NASCAR/ESPN/ESPN2/ABC

The NASCAR Nationwide Series heads back out west this weekend for week five of the series’ schedule.

JR Motorsports driver Regan Smith will look to make a dent in his current single-point lead over Roush Racing driver Trevor Bayne this Saturday when the NNS takes to the track for the Treatmycot.com 300 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.  Saturday’s telecast begins at 4:30pm ET on ESPN with ESPN’s NASCAR Countdown pre-race show.  The green flag is expected to drop at 5:17pm ET.

Allen Bestwick will call the race.  He will be joined in the booth by former NASCAR crew chief Andy Petree.  Rusty Wallace will sit in for former Winston Cup Champion and fellow ESPN analyst Dale Jarrett this week.  Nicole Briscoe will host NASCAR Countdown.  She will be joined by ESPN analysts Ricky Craven and Brad Daugherty.

More information on ESPN’s coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series is available online at http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar.  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 https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

ESPN Takes Over NASCAR Broadcasts Beginning This Weekend

Courtesy: ESPN

NASCAR shifts gears again this weekend, literally.  Its top series, the Sprint Cup Series, will shift coverage of its races to ESPN beginning with coverage of the annual Brickyard 400 Sunday, July 28^th.  Sunday’s telecast is sponsored by Golden Corral.  It all kicks off with the NASCAR Countdown pre-race show at noon ET.  The pre-race show will broadcast live from the IMS’ legendary Pagoda.  It all leads up to the drop of the green flag, which is expected at 1:19pm ET.

Along with Sunday’s broadcast, ESPN will also handle coverage of Brickyard qualifying Saturday, July 27^th at 2pm ET.  ESPN2 will carry Sprint Cup practice at 9am. 

ESPN also has live coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series race this weekend beginning with pre-race coverage on NASCAR Countdown at 4p.m. ET.  The green flag for the Nationwide Series race is expected to drop at 4:50pm ET.  Sprint Cup Series driver and 5-time Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson will be in the broadcast booth for part of the Nationwide Series race.

ESPN will have a number of cameras covering what is one of the biggest of NASCAR’s biggest races each season.  It will have a camera mounted on a helicopter to get aerial shots.  There will also be eight in-car cameras that will give viewers at home an “inside” look at the race.  In all, ESPN will have a total of seventy-two high definition cameras position around Indianapolis Motor Speedway for this weekend’s coverage of the Brickyard 400.  That number includes four Ultra Hi Motion cameras for replays and other unique shots.  Another will be mounted on pit wall near the “Yard of Bricks” at the track’s Start/Finish line.  And another robotic Ultra Hi Motion camera will be mounted to show a low shot in Turn One.  Turns two and four will also have cameras mounted. 

Recently enshrined NASCAR Hall of Fame driver and 1999 Winston Cup Champion Dale Jarrett will be joined by two-time champion crew chief Andy Petree and lap-by-lap announcer Allen Bestwick in the booth during the race.  Marty Reid will take over calling lap-by-lap action for ESPN’s broadcasts of the NASCAR Nationwide Series.  Nicole Briscoe will be joined by 1989 Winston Cup Series Champion and fellow NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Rusty Wallace, three-time champion crew chief Ray Evernham, and team owner Brad Daughtery for ESPN’s NASCAR Countdown pre-race broadcast.  Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch, and Vince Welch will all be in the pits for all of the action trackside. 

During pre-race coverage, ESPN will take a look at a handful of notable drivers at this year’s Brickyard 400.  Those drivers are Juan Montoya, Danica Patrick, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Tony Stewart.  Each driver will have a special feature that focuses specifically on them during ESPN’s NASCAR Countdown.

NASCAR fans can catch up on all of the latest on this weekend’s race online at http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/. 

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 https://philspicks.wordpress.com.