ESPN relegated UM's opener against Charleston Southern to the Internet on Thursday, and technical problems severely marred espn360's coverage. But the Sept. 6 Canes-Gators game at 8 p.m. will deliver high-profile exposure, especially with ABC not airing a game that night because of a NASCAR race.
FLORIDA SPORTS BUZZ
Chatter on several looming Dolphins decisions: Starting battles: Three or four remain in play, with safety and running back the most intriguing. Of the Ricky Williams/Ronnie Brown battle, coach Tony Sparano said Tuesday, ``I need to see more of Ronnie before I make that decision. If I don't see a whole lot more Ronnie, then Ricky will start.''
FLORIDA SPORTS BUZZ
Pelted with potshots about his arm strength since two shoulder surgeries in 2005, Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington has heard enough. ''The perception is that way because I never defended myself -- I just let people talk,'' he said in a private moment last week. ''But it's perception -- it's not reality. You get tired of hearing about it.'' A few points to consider:
ON SPORTS MEDIA
Olympic reflections after two weeks on the couch: MVA (Most Valuable Announcer): 1. Bob Costas. Delivered another exceptional effort as NBC's prime-time host, offering perspective, consistently relevant information, measured doses of humor and asking all the right questions of his interview subjects (from President Bush to Michael Phelps' mother). 2. Tim Daggett on gymnastics. Outstanding at explaining the reasons for scoring deductions -- usually before scores are even posted.
FLORIDA SPORTS BUZZ
Dolphins camp chatter: The Dolphins continue to shop John Beck and indicated they would like a fourth-round pick in return but are unlikely to get that, an NFC executive said this week.
FLORIDA SPORTS BUZZ
This playoff race has high stakes for key Marlins in line for their first big contracts this winter. ''Every player thinks about it,'' Cody Ross said.
ON SPORTS MEDIA
Sports Buzz: Olympics rake in ratings Olympics play to big audience The Beijing Olympics remain on pace to be the most-watched non-U.S. Olympics ever, validating NBC's high-volume approach.
FLORIDA SPORTS BUZZ
With 16 first-round picks on defense over the past eight years (27 over the past 22), UM is accustomed to having unique talents who torment opponents.
FLORIDA SPORTS BUZZ
The Dolphins' signing of Chad Pennington was widely praised Saturday by longtime NFL executives and prominent quarterbacks-turned-TV analysts.
ON SPORTS MEDIA
To appreciate the enormity of NBC's Olympic television and Internet coverage, consider this: If you recorded every minute of Olympic competition that will be available on NBC, six other TV networks and nbcolympics.com, it would take 150 days to watch everything you taped. And that is without stopping to eat or sleep.
FLORIDA SPORTS BUZZ
D olphins camp chatter: The quarterback battle will not gain true clarity until the preseason games, but several veteran defensive players have expressed surprise with how much Chad Henne has injected himself into the race, outshining John Beck and challenging front-runner Josh McCown, who threw three interceptions Tuesday.
FLORIDA SPORTS BUZZ
With UM practice opening Saturday, one fascinating subplot the next few years will be watching the impact of the seven Miami Northwestern freshmen, who did not lose a game the past two seasons.
ON SPORTS MEDIA
WQAM (560) edged 790 The Ticket in the most recent ratings book released Thursday, largely because of a strong showing by longtime midday host Neil Rogers.
FLORIDA SPORTS BUZZ
With UM practice opening next weekend, an intriguing 12-man battle looms at receiver, and all the skill positions are deeper. Some early chatter:
FLORIDA SPORTS BUZZ
daily grind of coaching, his interaction with Dolphins players -- coaching and guiding them -- appears to be making a meaningful impact.
ON SPORTS MEDIA
Fifteen things I would do if I called the shots . . . At ESPN, I would admit hiring Emmitt Smith was a mistake and insert Cris Carter in his chair on the sets of Sunday Countdown and Monday Countdown. Carter, who has been appearing primarily on NFL Live, offers sharper insights and communicates far more clearly and concisely than Smith, who likely would never land a major TV job -- let alone keep one -- if he weren't the NFL's career leading rusher. (We hear ESPN is considering a higher-profile...
FLORIDA SPORTS BUZZ
With training camp opening Saturday, the Dolphins' top four cornerbacks to end 2007 not only have survived the offseason overhaul -- to the surprise of some -- but also have a good chance to remain the Fins' top four corners this season, unless Nate Jones, Joey Thomas or an August/September addition breaks through.
FLORIDA SPORTS BUZZ
With Dolphins camp opening next weekend, chatter on a six-pack of competitions for starting jobs: Quarterback: Though Josh McCown is considered by many to be the front-runner because of experience, the Dolphins have told NFL people the battle remains competitive with John Beck, and preseason performance will determine the winner. Several players thought McCown was better in May/June drills, but another starter favored Beck. Chad Henne remains an underdog, though nobody would be shocked if he was...
FLORIDA SPORTS BUZZ
ing available veteran relievers and would be open to adding a quality arm before the July 31 nonwaiver trade deadline. But though they would like a solution at catcher, they are not enamored with available options, especially offensively, and aren't optimistic about finding a clear upgrade to Matt Treanor.
ON SPORTS MEDIA
Beyond the switching of hosts between stations, so much about sports-talk radio keeps changing in our market. The Ticket's Dan Le Batard proved you can do a successful sports-talk show by incorporating comedy and talking heavily about nonsports fare, and other hosts have followed. Hosts are skewing much younger -- some hired in the past year weren't even alive when former WQAMers Hank Goldberg and Ed Kaplan broke into the business.
