Add Washington to List of NFL Teams Trying to Ban Phil Simms

Okay, so we aren't huge fans of CBS Sports lead NFL analyst Phil Simms, but he's certainly not the worst guy on TV.

But according to the ignorant masses in Denver and Washington, he's a biased fool who should be off the air. Or at least that's the impression being put out.

Denver Bronco fans started this bizarre story by organizing a change.org petition after Sunday's Broncos/Chiefs game to have Simms removed. It's gotten over 28,000 signatures.

You can look at the petition HERE

The cover says :

To CBS

CBS please ban Phil Simms from Broadcasting anymore Bronco games. We do not know why he is assigned to the Broncos games every year. It is sure and complete torture for us Bronco fans to have to listen to his biased drivel every week. Please hear us out on this, we are tired of Phil Simms in Denver.

---sigh---

It's really sad to see how many moronic NFL football fans there are in the world. This may be a sterling example of it.

Among the gems:

"Phil Simms is one of the most biased broadcasters (Cris Collins worth is the other). He is supposed to broadcast the game not throws his worthless opinions always against the Broncos."

"I don't like his face"

"Just like news, sports commentary should offer fact and unbiased opinions. If one can't keep his jaded opinions out of the game, he shouldn't be paid to do the job"

"He obviously doesn't like the Broncos. It's not the fans fault his son couldn't play"

We're guessing these dumb asses don't understand an analyst is supposed to analyze and offer his thoughts and opinions about what is happening. Of course the face is another issue.

What's worse, it's growing. The mentally inferior fans of Washington's NFL team have started their own petition.

They, or at least the group in the petition, are angry he won't use the name of the team during the broadcast. Something tons of News organizations, businesses and others have began to do because it's...oh, a racial slur....

The comments are quite funny:

"If the man can't pronounce the word "Red-----" then he needs to go"

"I feel that he is disrespectful towards my heritage for not say reds--- and trying to speak for us as native Americans"

"Redsk--- is a term of love & strength"

The petition is approaching 1,000 signatures.

Okay, now we rant....

This is perhaps one of the most idiotic things we've ever heard. Sadly, you could take a poll of fans for just about any team in the pros or even college and they'll say the announcers are biased, the refs are biased etc.

It's the same misguided, blind, foolish logic the predominates almost every political argument too. People hear what they want to hear. You read a sentence about an issue to 100 people and it's likely at least 25 of them will not interpret it the way it's intended.

The stupidest part of all this petition stuff---the reasoning. Denver fans think he hates them because they, along with a couple other teams cut his son?

Really?

Much like politics, you can take someone's statement and spin it anyway that makes it okay for you. And these days, everyone on TV is accused of being biased because they might say something that YOU don't like or agree with. Just because they say it, (a) doesn't mean it's not true and (b) is being said because they hate you.

Yeah, we know, we are perpetuating stupidity by reporting on this, but it really pisses us off. The OSG has over 60-years of combined experience in Sports Media and to this day have NEVER met a play-by-play guy or a game analyst who've had or acted on any vendetta against any team they've covered.

We challenge anyone who can prove (not offer opinion) that someone has it out for their team to come forward. **And no, Phil Simms criticizing one of your players for missing a block doesn't count***

Roger Goodell Speaks For The First Time

((HT: CBS News))

Norah O'Donnell got the chance to sit down with Commissioner Roger Goodell in his first interview since the Ray Rice fiasco has gone full blown-go boom. The HQ suspects that this is part of the "Thursday Night Football" NFL-CBS happy family package.

Make of this what you will...


As we suspected...

College Analyst Charles Barkley May Be More Fun Than NBA Version

((HT: Larry Brown Sports/CBS Sports))

Halftime of the Florida-UCLA game gave Charles the opportunity to reflect on 1984 and what has happened since according to a CBS graphic...


And, then, Round Two came after Shaq (who was not there in studio) Tweeted to Charles about his opening salvo...


Words of warning...

Do not...
Ever...

Give Charles any ammunition to come after you...

Never...
Ever...
Never...

"Thursday Night Football" On CBS

[HT: NFL.com]

The NFL opened up bids for networks to partner with the NFL Network for it's created franchise "Thursday Night Football."

We have a winner.  It's CBS.

"We are very pleased to build on our outstanding partnership with the NFL by expanding our coverage to Thursday nights," Les Moonves, president and CEO of CBS corp. said. "CBS is a premium content company and the NFL represents the best premium content there is. I look forward to all this new deal will do for us not only on Thursday nights, but across our entire schedule."

"NFL Network built Thursday into a night for NFL fans," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. "Our goal is to bring these games to more fans on broadcast television with unprecedented promotion and visibility for 'Thursday Night Football' on CBS."

With CBS in the mix for "Thursday Night Football" you will get more of Jim Nantz and Phil Simms, CBS's #1 team will call the Thursday Night games.

Brad Nessler was solid during the games but Mike Mayock was outstanding.  Mayock needs a regular NFL gig.

CBS will produce the games however the network will only air the first eight games.  The NFL Network will air the last eight games on the season and two Saturday games leading up to the playoffs.

You won't get J.B. (James Brown) Dan Marino, Boomer Esiason or Shannon Sharpe on Thursday night.  NFL Network hosts and analyst will be used for pregame and halftime.

All we can say in the OSG HQ is "Thank God more football."

Ken Venturi Passes At 82

For most of us, Venturi was the analyst for Pat Summerall and Jim Nantz in the booth for CBS and their golf coverage...

He won the 1964 US Open, fighting dehydration, over the final 18 holes. He had some other pro golf wins sprinkled in among his major title, but had to retire from the sport because of carpal tunnel syndrome. Venturi would then become the lead golf analyst for the CBS network for almost the next three decades...

His son, Matt, said his father died in a hospital in Rancho Mirage, California. Venturi had been hospitalized the last two months for a spinal infection, pneumonia, and then an intestinal infection.

Venturi died 12 days after he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

So, the HQ figured the best way to remember Venturi, other than highlights with Summerall is to show this wide-ranging interview that he gave last year to David Feherty...
((HT: Golf Channel))


His candor and on-air ability will be missed... and they hopefully will remain as a lesson for all of us... Here's Jim Nantz's tribute to Venturi.

Next Year's NCAA Hoop Semi's Move to TBS

((ncaa.com))

So basketball fan, did you hear the one about the NCAA Basketball Semi's moving from CBS to TBS?

It's a move that's been in the works since the last NCAA/CBS TV deal that allowed Turner Sports the opportunity to broadcast all the tournament games CBS, the long-time rights holder, didn't.

The deal was to initially move the semi's to TBS, but not for a couple of years.

The timetable was moved up.

Beginning next year, the weekend's Final Four games will be broadcast on TBS. Should that be surprising. No. It's part of Sports move away from Network TV.

Read more on the move from the NCAA their ownselves RIGHT HERE

Beginning in 2016, the Finals will alternate between both networks.

What this means to you: Well, it depends on whether you have cable/satellite programming or not. If you do, it doesn't mean much, it just means you'll find more games on cable, where most NCAA sports have migrated (ESPN has the Football championships).

However, if you don't have cable/satellite, well, you probably weren't watching many Sports anyway.

But, just keep this in mind. The days of Network TV being the go-to are changing. Yes, the NFL is there, and will continue to be, but they are a huge drain on the Network bottom line (not very profitable). And unlike cable, they can't increase the subscriber fee the same way.

The morale of the story is this: TV is getting close to exponential change. The model will eventually eat the cable companies as well. Subscribers are currently footing the bill for Sports (all of them) whether they are watched, or not.

And that model includes major Sports moving away from the places you've always seen them while growing up. And into a place that will cost you a lot of money.

BREAKING: Pat Summerall Passes At 82

The Dallas Morning News is reporting that broadcasting and play-by-play legend Pat Summerall has passed at the age of 82.

Summerall worked a record 16 Super Bowls on TV- the first five as an analyst. He worked for CBS from 1961 to 1993 then became the signature voice for the NFL on Fox when their programming started in 1994.. He moved with the NFL from CBS to Fox in 1994.

He worked with John Madden at CBS and Fox for 21 seasons.

His smooth, non-intrusive but highly informative style became a template for a lot of broadcasters and stil is to this day...

More when we know more...
But, in the interim, here's some of what made Summerall great...

Horrible Kevin Ware Injury Mars Louisville-Duke Game

Oooof.

This unfortunately is not for the squeamish. But thankfully it was not a close up shot.

Sunday's Elite 8 Matchup between Duke and Louisville was delayed for about 15-minutes in the 1st Half after an absolutely horrific looking injury to Louisville Guard Kevin Ware.

Ware gave maximum effort in trying to block a jumper near the Louisville bench and landed awkwardly.

So awkwardly that when he landed, his shin turned in a direction that it shouldn't.

Again, we want to emphasize, this is NOT close up video of the injury (shot off someone's TV), but if you look closely, you can pretty clearly see it. We are NOT trying to exploit this by reporting it, but his injury is by far THE storyline of the 1st half of this game.

The look on the Louisville players faces said tons.

There are going to be people who question showing this video and it is a legitimate question. But as bad as the injury is and as sad as it was, the injury is now a major storyline in a national event. CBS has already been criticized for showing the replay at all, we disagree with the criticism. It's one thing to show it, it's necessary in order to tell the story and explain what happened. It's something entirely different to take it, show it, run it multiple times and zoom in. CBS did not do that. They focused on a telling the story via the players, fans and Cardinals coach Rick Pitino. We commend them for the way it was handled.

Ware was taken off the court on a stretcher and eventually left the arena via ambulance.

As of this posting, Louisville lead by 3 at the half. The winner of the game will square off with Wichita State at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta next weekend. The Shockers--shocked the world, beating Ohio State Saturday night.



PM UPDATE: Gannett Newspapers and the USA Today caught up with Joe Theismann whose injury on Monday Night Football had become the instant comparison:

"My world just came to a complete stop, it was just a horrible, horrible thing to see happen — I hate to see anybody have an injury that is anywhere near anything like I went through,” Theismann told USA TODAY Sports. “All of a sudden, it’s, ‘Oh my God!’

“It’s a terrible, terrible to see. My prayers go out to him, my heart goes out to him. I know what his family is going through.

“I have every belief that he’s going to be back and better than he was."

Here's the postgame with Coach Pitino, Gorgui Dieng, Russ Smith and Peyton Siva...
((HT: Louisville Courier Journal))

It's Official: FOX Sports Takes On ESPN

((ht: bloomberg.com))

We aren't really sure how we feel about this, but eh...it's probably a good thing.

FOX Sports or more specifically, News Corp, made it official Tuesday afternoon and announced they are starting their own National Cable Sports Network.

They join a somewhat crowded field that includes the 4-Letter (ESPN), NBC and CBS Sports.

The new network will debut to over 90-million pay-tv homes and will run multiple FOX Sports properties and undoubtedly will feature it's own signature nightly newscasts and talk shows.

One of those hosts: Former morning Talker Regis Philbin.

Read the entire story from Bloomberg News RIGHT HERE

We've made no secret that we are among the growing chorus of sports fans who despise what ESPN has done to sports on most levels. Though we aren't sure how we feel about FOX, who's TV-News Network isn't exactly known for staying neutral or factually correct...about anything, we are hopeful about having an alternative.

But remember anything that will push ESPN to act like grown-ups instead of the babbling children who don't believe anyone will watch unless they fawn over Tim Tebow or create complaints where there weren't any for the sake of being the bad guy (Skip Bayless), has got to be a good thing.

If FOX accomplishes nothing else other than making everyone up their game, we'll be happy. If they are able to provide a viable option, that's fantastic. It's very painful and at times virtually impossible to watch ESPN these days without getting angry. They (ESPN) have been dictating the conversation too long and they seem to think other than a few players and teams, most of the country doesn't matter or exist.

That would be the best case, they make ESPN adjust to them. But FOX has a big hurdle to overcome. ESPN has many years and billions of dollars of a head start. FOX doesn't have to topple them. All we ask is they help change the game. Don't force feed non-NFL caliber players (Tebow) down our throat. Don't force feed us ex-writers who say stuff just to see if anyone will react to it (Bayless). Just tell us what happened, explain why it happened, tell us why it's interesting and do it in a creative way.

Good luck FOX Sports and NBC and CBS, we wish you luck and hope you can slay the monster.

Sing Second Stays With Navy

((HT: Stripes Channel))

The question for today is: How long is too long...???

From a television perspective...

Army-Navy is a bucket list item for everyone... or, at least, it should be...

You need to show up early for the processionals of both forces and the game itself, really, pays no attention to points spreads established by the professionals in that sort of thing.

Doesn't matter how bad one team is going in, it's competitive the whole time...

Army had their chances to break Navy's winning at ten, but then...

Here's the last drive of the game and the aftermath from ground level...


For those of you who watched from that point, you noticed a lot of this...


And as much as the CBS cameras stayed with Steelman, it's almost too much to bear for the viewer. A lot of the social media conversation afterwards dealt with the cameras staying on the indelible image too long...

It got very uncomfortable for even the HQ...
What say you, dear reader...???

We side with laying off or finding a happy medium and we also side with both teams and having guys like Steelman defending our country...