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Man found dead in North Akron home is identified
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Indians add 7 players to 40-man roster
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Cat-loving chihuahua suckles seven abandoned kittens
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Friday Night Notebook
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The proposed new LeBron mural doesn't do it for me
Akron Zips:
Two blowouts, one night
Tribe Matters:
Seven players added to Tribe’s 40-man roster
Cleveland Browns:
Hey, somebody's gotta stick up for the Browns
Kent State Sports:
Singletary update
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Gameblog: Cavs at Indiana Pacers – Here’s to LBJ and Free Throws
Buckeye Blogging:
OSU – Michigan college football rivals meet in Baghdad
Varsity Letters:
Bowling season starts today
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Headed For Disaster
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Muslim McCarthyism & Death Prayers
Akron Law Café:
Federal Judge Declares DOMA Unconstitutional
See Jane Style:
Vintage Chic
Car Chase:
TIME TO GET YOUR COLLECTOR CARS WINTERIZED
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Silverdome Potentially SOLD!
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Norma asks if Barkitecture is still at Stan Hywet.
Sound Check:
Steely Dan Plays "The Royal Scam" at E.J. Thomas Hall
HRLite House:
Colloquium at University of Akron
Akron Gamer:
Nintendo's Mario endures even as games come and go
Published on Tuesday, Sep 11, 2007
The Big Ten Network got a break from this corner the past 10 days or so because every new enterprise deserves an opportunity to work out the kinks.
So what's the verdict on the Big Ten Conference's and Fox Sports' foray into provincial sports coverage? Mixed at this point.
As far as ''look'' goes, BTN is a notch above local regional sports channels such as FSN Ohio and SportsTime Ohio and a notch below ESPN. The look is almost overdone to the point of being strained as if the set designer and company knew they had a lot at stake with this venture. They'll eventually figure out what works best for them.
There should be no excuses, however, when it comes to the on-air talent behind this venue. On this past weekend's University of Akron-Ohio State game, Charles Davis and Cincinnati's own Thom Brennaman provided analysis and play-by-play.
Judging from some of their opening comments, you'd think that the OSU team that went undefeated until the BCS National Championship Game still was playing. At one point, Davis said there were stars all over the field while the Buckeyes worked on offense.
Excuse me? There's one in Miami returning kicks for the Dolphins. Another in Indianapolis fielding passes from Peyton Manning and a third is riding the pine as a backup to Steve McNair in Baltimore, but on the field Saturday? Questionable at best.
It's almost as if Davis strained to be complimentary simply because a Big Ten foe battled a Mid-American Conference school and the conference is paying his salary.
Another little nitpick: BTN and conference Commissioner Jim Delany remained steadfast in their position that the network wouldn't accept alcohol-related revenue. Admirable. Costly, but admirable.
Yet, during the game's halftime recap of highlights and analysis with Dave Revsine, Gerry DiNardo and Howard Griffith, there sat the logo of Buffalo Wild Wings as one of the network's title sponsors.
Last I checked, good ol' B-Dubs bills itself as a grill and bar. Heck, the last time I was in one (last week, as a matter of fact), I'd swear that I saw more than a few people tipping back a few cold ones. What's the difference in taking an ad from a beer distributor or a chain of sports bars, which is how B-Dubs markets itself? Seems a bit hypocritical.
U-verse fixes glitch
Imagine the surprise of yours truly, who's currently on a 30-day trial with AT&T U-verse, when I went to record the Ohio State-Youngstown State game 10 days ago only to discover I was getting the mighty Appalachian State-Michigan contest.
Happy! Happy! Joy! Joy! I was ticked.
Apparently AT&T only signed a contract for the primary, or national feed, of the Big Ten Network, leaving a bunch of local customers in a lurch. Don't think there are plenty of U-verse customers in Northeast Ohio? The suits at that company recently sent out a news release touting that they'd reached 100,000 subscribers. Before launching in parts of Cleveland and Akron and several other markets, there were around 50,000. Thankfully, AT&T corrected the problem this past weekend. AT&T has not only the primary feed, but also the overflow games.
Roda stays busy
WKNR's (850-AM) Kenny Roda has plunged headfirst into Ohio State coverage. The 6 to 9 p.m. talk-show host leads OSU coverage on the station. On game days, he's part of a trio that includes Mark ''Munch'' Bishop and Buckeyes beat reporter Jordan Sherwood for a two-hour pregame show that precedes the team's network coverage. After games, they reconvene for a one-hour wrap-up.
For home games, they will broadcast from Eddie George's Grille 27 near the OSU campus. Roda's Inside the Buckeyes, a show he's co-hosted with Duane Risko, airs for an hour at 6 p.m. Thursdays. The show enters its fifth year. And if all of that isn't enough, Roda's a voter for the Harris Interactive College Football Poll, one of the polls used to determine BCS matchups.
FSN wins gold
FSN Ohio claimed some prestigious hardware this past weekend. The regional sports network copped Emmy Awards for best live event coverage for its work on the Cavaliers' playoff run and for regularly scheduled program with Browns Table.
George M. Thomas can be reached at sportswriterabj@sbcglobal.net. Read his blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/sportsblitz/
The Big Ten Network got a break from this corner the past 10 days or so because every new enterprise deserves an opportunity to work out the kinks.
Get the full article here.
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