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Seven players added to Tribe’s 40-man roster
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OSU – Michigan college football rivals meet in Baghdad
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Silverdome Potentially SOLD!
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Nintendo's Mario endures even as games come and go
NBC to show Pats-Bills over Browns-Ravens
Published on Tuesday, Nov 06, 2007
Many didn't see the Ohio State-Wisconsin game Saturday because it was on the Big Ten Network. And many of those who did watch didn't like what they saw.
I received more than a few e-mails from readers with a significant gripe.
''If you didn't watch the Ohio State-Wisconsin game on the Big Ten Network, the network came back late from commercial break at least four times (missing plays) and missed the start of the play on one of the OSU touchdowns. What an awful, amateurish performance by the BTN,'' a reader wrote.
Considering who produces BTN telecasts — Fox Sports — expectations are high. Fox hasn't been in the sports game as long as other networks, but it has proven itself to be savvy and innovative. Its broadcasts on its home network have always looked fantastic. Fox has embraced high definition for sporting events and isn't afraid to push the envelope with new technology.
However, if Saturday's broadcast was indeed flawed, it is a major problem. It's bad enough that many fans of Big Ten sports can't see their team play on many Saturdays, but for a broadcast to not be up to par is inexcusable.
The network is only three months old, but here's hoping it gets its act together before basketball season starts. And for those of you who are basketball fans, be prepared to moan and groan. There are 17 OSU games on the BTN's schedule.
Just a little respect
With the New England Patriots-Indianapolis Colts being played, television's talking heads seemed to have forgotten that there were other games Sunday, including one that could have been the best of the day. The scary part is that it featured the Browns beating the Seahawks 33-30. The game had lots of flavor: a big comeback, a key defensive stop on fourth down in overtime, and a game-winning kick.
Yet Patriots-Colts dominated the conversations. Given that it was being called Super Bowl 411/2, that's not surprising.
Fans, however, can give former coach and current ESPN analyst Bill Parcells some props for dead-on prognostication.
On ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown, Parcells said: ''It's been a long time since I've seen a Mike Holmgren team averaging less than 20 points a game, and it's been a long time since the Browns have been averaging 27. The Seahawks' defense is substantially better than the Browns', but if this game gets into a shootout, the Browns definitely have a chance.''
A shootout it was. The Browns came up with 27 second-half points. Many coaches have gone from the field to the TV
screen, but few that I've heard offer the insight of Parcells.
NBC begins flexing
The Peacock Network announced Monday that it will begin to take advantage of theflexible-scheduling option that the NFL provided it in their broadcast contract by showing the New England Patriots-Buffalo Bills game on NBC Sunday Night Football on Nov. 18. Yeah, the Pats. On national TV. I'm utterly shocked by that maneuver.
Browns fans harboring dreams of one of their games making it to prime time under the same auspices can probably continue sleeping. Looking ahead on the Browns' schedule, only two other games hold that kind of allure — at Pittsburgh on Sunday (Dang it. The flex option isn't in play), and Nov. 18 against the Baltimore Ravens. Ummm, think that date is already filled.
The rest of the Browns' schedule features the Houston Texans, Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals and San Francisco 49ers. That schedule bodes well for making the playoffs should the Browns continue on their current path, but none of those games probably would draw the kind of numbers NBC wants.
Speaking of the Patriots
The Patriots-Colts game grabbed a 22.4 overnight rating in major TV markets, according to an NBC release. Those are American Idol-like numbers.
George M. Thomas can be reached at sportswriterabj@sbcglobal.net. Read his blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/sportsblitz/.
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