June 19, 2013

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Watching Golf this Week: The U.S. Open, Philly Style

June 12, 2013 by Leave a Comment

US Open MerionAre you ready for 2013 Major No. 2? The big daddy of them all? I truly can’t wait for this one to start, because I feel like we all sorta got cheated at the Masters. I mean — lost in the hubbub of the Tiger Drop Crisis was the fact that the dude was just about ready to take the lead and start stomping everyone.

And then the ball hit the pole. And went into the drink. And then the wheels came off.

As play starts today outside Philadelphia at the quirky old Merion East course (Anyone else think the logo featuring the pole-baskets looks like a freaking bloody Q-tip?) all eyes rightfully will be on Tiger Woods, and his quest for Major No. 15. Nobody else really matters right now, and nobody this year is truly playing at his level. But one thing is for sure, the “new” Tiger isn’t anything like the old — over the last year or so he has shown a tendancy to choke on the weekends at majors, something he never did before. And the rest of the guys playing? They’ve gotten better.

What does that mean for Tiger? It means his margin of error is much slimmer than it was when he was the only guy on the tour who looked like an athlete. Now there’s lots of them. He used to be by far the farthest hitter, now he’s about top average. There are new foreign foes like Graeme McDowell, who aren’t going to be intimidated by Tiger the way the U.S. Tour guys used to be. With its tight layout and wet conditions Merion is probably going to be a birdie fest, so no more rope-a-dope par fests like last year at Olympic. There’s going to be room to make shots here, so let’s get it on. Having just watched the Blackhawks beat the Bruins in triple overtime in the Stanley Cup opener, I’m ready for more drama and lore. Don’t let us down, Tiger. Or whoever wants to keep Tiger’s majorless streak going.

ESPN has your live TV Thursday and Friday, our suggestion is mute when Berman starts talking, unmute when Van Pelt has the mike. NBC gets the weekend, with lots of online viewing available at USOpen.com or via the U.S. Open app, which beats pants off the PGA Tour app (which still doesn’t really work on all Android phones). WatchESPN and ESPNRadio also available online.

THE U.S. OPEN

(all times Eastern)
TV COVERAGE
Thursday, June 13 — ESPN, 9 a.m. — 3 p.m.; 5 p.m. — 7 p.m.; NBC, 3 p.m. — 5 p.m.
Friday, June 14 — ESPN, 9 a.m. — 3 p.m.; 5 p.m. — 7 p.m.; NBC, 3 p.m. — 5 p.m.
Saturday, June 15 — NBC, 1 p.m. — 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 16 — NBC, 1 p.m. — 7:30 p.m.

RADIO
SIRIUS XM (Satellite)
12 p.m. — 4 p.m., Thursday; 12 p.m. — 5 p.m, Friday. The live broadcasts are also available to subscribers on the SiriusXM Internet Radio App and online at SiriusXM.com.

ESPN RADIO
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 2 p.m. — 8 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.

NEW! PGA TOUR RADIO!
This a better deal for those not living in the U.S., because it’s free internationally. Inside the U.S. you will pay (due to rights fees) $1.99 per event or $9.99 for the whole year. Gives you the CBS feed, audio version. Click here for more info and payment plans for your area.

ONLINE
The U.S. Open site at USOpen.com has live online coverage with featured groups.
Thursday groups:
7:11 a.m. – Marquee Group 1 (Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker, Keegan Bradley)
1:14 p.m. – Marquee Group 2 (Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott)
Friday groups:
7:44 a.m. – Marquee Group 1 (Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott)
12:41 p.m. – Marquee Group 2 (Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker, Keegan Bradley)

Featured groups on the weekend, TBD.

There are also mobile apps for iOS and Android.

FACEBOOK PAGE
Here’s the USGA Facebook page.

TOP TWITTER FEEDS TO FOLLOW

The U.S. Open Twitter feed.
Geoff Shackelford — well known golf writer. If you’re not following Geoff you are missing the online boat.
Golf Channel — official Golf Channel feed
@PGATOUR — official PGA Twitter feed
@StephanieWei — great golf writer who is a Twitter fiend. Now leading the Wei (hah!) with Google+ Hangouts during most tourneys.
Doug Ferguson is the lead golf writer for AP. Good Twitter insights that often aren’t part of your wire-service lead.
Matt Ginella is a former Golf Digest writer now at Golf Channel. Your guide to the best golf course reviews, evar. Plus great columnist-type commentary on a regular basis.

WHAT’S THE COURSE LIKE?
If you haven’t heard about good old Merion and the baskets on the flagpoles you’ve been under a rock the past week. Here’s a great lengthy takeout on Merion’s East Course from the folks at SBNation.

WHO WON THIS THING LAST YEAR?
The Birdman! Excuse me, it was Webb Simpson, with an assist from Jim Furyk.

Filed Under: Apps, ESPN, ESPN Radio, Golf, PGA, Tiger Woods, US Open, WatchESPN, WatchESPN Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Verizon Extends NFL Mobile Deal for $1 Billion

June 4, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Verizon Wireless and the NFL have extended their current deal around mobile viewing of live NFL games, with a $1 billion, 4-year extension announced this week.

The billion-dollar deal does not, however, cover mobile viewing on tablet devices, a distinction noted by this story in Sports Business Daily and one we will bet is going to be kept by the league for its own video streaming plans. There will be more to this story later, but the good news for football fans who have Verizon phones is that for the 2014 season, you will be able to watch all live games — including CBS and Fox broadcasts — and not just the Thursday-Sunday lineup now available.

No word yet on ESPN’s plans to pay for mobile access for sports fans. On the Verizon side, the NFL Mobile viewing access is still apparently priced at $5 per month, but I bet that increases with the increased game schedule in 2014. Got to pay for that $1 billion bill somehow!

Filed Under: CBS Sports, Fox Sports, Live sports via mobile, Live Sports Video Consumption, NFL, Verizon Wireless Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Watching Golf this Week: The Memorial, AKA Playing at Jack’s House

May 30, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Memorial golf Did you miss us golf fans? Yes, MSR’s weekly how to watch golf primer took a couple weeks off. No big deal, we just got busy and hey, we’re just like the top golfers sometimes — can’t be at every stop!

But we digress. On to the golf, at the Memorial which, thanks to its “ownership” by uber golf legend Jack Nicklaus this weekend gets mini-major status — kind of like, say, an NFL Divisional playoff game. Or round 2 of the NHL playoffs. However you categorize it, all the big names are in Ohio this weekend, though after watching Rory McIlroy struggle on Thursday he probably ain’t going to be there for Saturday or Sunday.

Defending champ Tiger Woods? A 1-under on Thursday is just fine, even though it puts him 6 back of early leader Charl Schwartzel. Remember, Tiger does well on courses he likes (Torrey Pines, Bay Hill) and he’s won here five times before. So if he’s within three or four on Sunday, we still like his chances.

Are you feeling the U.S. Open yet? Two weeks away and we are already getting ready for Marion. It was cool to watch the Golf Channel replay of the 1971 playoff between Nicklaus and Lee Trevino — just loving to see all the new cool stuff GC is doing, including putting all its shows online. What a surprise, but not to us! Golf people love their online coverage, and Golf Channel is showing how smart it is by adding live online simulcasts and now studio shows too.

More coming soon about online golf, and about AT&T’s new method of bringing cellular coverage to golf events — but not right now. Still busy with other stuff so enjoy the Memorial this weekend, especially online where there is more coverage than you think Broadcast is on CBS.

THE MEMORIAL

(all times Eastern)
TV COVERAGE
Friday, May 31 — Golf Channel, 2:30 p.m. — 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 1 — Golf Channel, 12:30 p.m. — 2:30 p.m.; CBS, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Sunday, June 2 — Golf Channel, 12 p.m. — 2 p.m.; CBS, 2:30 p.m. — 6 p.m.

RADIO
SIRIUS XM (Satellite)
12 p.m. — 6 p.m., Thursday-Sunday. The live broadcasts are also available to subscribers on the SiriusXM Internet Radio App and online at SiriusXM.com.

NEW! PGA TOUR RADIO!
This a better deal for those not living in the U.S., because it’s free internationally. Inside the U.S. you will pay (due to rights fees) $1.99 per event or $9.99 for the whole year. Gives you the CBS feed, audio version. Click here for more info and payment plans for your area.

ONLINE
The PGA’s Live@ is back! The Memorial gets full “major-like” treatment, with simulcast coverage, featured groups and more. Thankfully the PGA has put all your options on this page so click there and see what’s online, live.

PGA SHOT TRACKER
Get another online fix via Shot Tracker.

FACEBOOK PAGE
Here’s The Memorial Facebook page.

TOP TWITTER FEEDS TO FOLLOW

The Memorial Twitter feed.
Geoff Shackelford — well known golf writer. If you’re not following Geoff you are missing the online boat.
Golf Channel — official Golf Channel feed
@PGATOUR — official PGA Twitter feed
@StephanieWei — great golf writer who is a Twitter fiend. Now leading the Wei (hah!) with Google+ Hangouts during most tourneys.
Doug Ferguson is the lead golf writer for AP. Good Twitter insights that often aren’t part of your wire-service lead.
Matt Ginella is a former Golf Digest writer now at Golf Channel. Your guide to the best golf course reviews, evar. Plus great columnist-type commentary on a regular basis.

WHAT’S THE COURSE LIKE?
Muirfield Village Golf Club — designed by Jack for tournament play. Here’s the tourney site course page, which looks plain but has a lot of interactivity if you click around, video flybys and multiple hole vantage points. The Nicklaus design company page has some stunning photos as well.

LOCAL FLAVOR
The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch has things pretty well nailed down with a special Memorial site. Interactive course map, video, features, it’s all here. Hurray for newspapers.

WHO WON THIS THING LAST YEAR?
Tiger Woods. Or do you not remember this shot?

Filed Under: AT&T, CBS Sports, Golf, Golf Channel, PGA, Tiger Woods Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Twitter and ESPN? We’ve Seen this one Coming

May 13, 2013 by 1 Comment

The inevitable combination of Twitter and ESPN is going to become official, according to a Wall Street Journal story today. As the WSJ story notes, the killer relationship is ESPN content — mainly video highlights — and Twitter’s distribution channel. Under the proposed deal, the story says, “people can watch the video clips on Twitter’s website and mobile apps shortly after the action happens on TV.”

Here at Mobile Sports Report we’ve seen a closer Twitter/ESPN need coming for quite some time. Here are some archived posts about Twitter and its relationship to ESPN, and how Twitter is the main disruptive technology as it relates to sports:

Could Twitter + Mobile Phones Kill ESPN? (Aug. 19, 2011)

Twitter Loves ESPN Loving Twitter (Oct. 28, 2011)

Twitter is Hammering ESPN on Penn State ‘Riots’ Coverage (Nov. 9, 2011)

Twitter and Sports: The Game Has Already Changed (Sept. 19, 2012)

ESPN Adds Twitter, Facebook ‘Share’ Buttons to In-House Commenting (March 22, 2012)

Filed Under: ESPN, Twitter Tagged With: , , , ,

WSJ: ESPN Thinking About Paying for Your Mobile Sports Jones

May 9, 2013 by Leave a Comment

You have to fight your way around the paywalls to read it, but the Wall Street Journal had a story today about ESPN talking to wireless providers about paying part of the fees for people who watch sports via cellular connections. There’s nobody on record, but when the WSJ uses the familiar “according to people familiar with the matter” dodge you know that somebody wanted this story to get out.

For the carriers, this is a kind of a holy grail thing — if ESPN starts subsidizing watching sports via cellular, you can bet that AT&T and Verizon will step up their marketing machines to sell tablets and smartphones. I’m imagining a future where you pay something like $50 a month, which gets you live NFL games and a free iPad to boot. Think you’d sign up tomorrow?

Why would such an arrangement be valuable to ESPN? With more mobile users, the worldwide leader could jack up the fees it charges advertisers since it would have incredible amounts of granular user info, right down to where the user is watching. And I’d bet you wouldn’t be able to watch any other channel on that subsidized device. But then again — would you care?

Net neutrality worries aside, it will be interesting to see if this deal comes to fruition. With Verizon’s exclusive cell phone rights deal with the NFL coming up for renewal next year, it’s the right time for something new to happen. We’ll stay tuned.

Filed Under: 4G LTE, AT&T, ESPN, NFL, Verizon Wireless Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Watching Golf this Week: The Players Championship, with Bonus Online Video

May 9, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Players logoAre you ready for the so-called “fifth major?” Do you buy any of that? I don’t, but there is no denying that the money and exposure of the Tour’s signature non-major event makes this a special weekend, maybe the biggest non-major weekend of the regular season. I tend to look at the Players as a sort of All-Star weekend — comparing it to basketball days of yore, it meant something when Magic, Michael or even Scottie Pippen rose up and dominated the All-Star event to win the MVP. It’s kind of a nice thing to have as part of an overall resume. But the Players has its share of dud winners, and dud competitions, mainly because… at the end of the day, it ain’t a major.

HERE IS THE LINK TO ONLINE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP COVERAGE

That said… sure we’ll be watching, a lot of it online thanks to the expanded major-like extra coverage of the Players event. Not only will there be the online simulcast of the Golf Channel and NBC coverage, but the Tour’s Live@ production returns, with coverage of everyone’s favorite island green hole, No. 17, as well as No. 13. There’s also going to be “featured groups” coverage online, just like majors like the Masters do it. And, we recently got confirmation from PGA Tour reps that in addition to Comcast subscribers, live simulcast coverage online on Thursdays and Fridays will be available also to subscribers of Verizon FiOS, Cablevision (optimum) and suddenlink. If you aren’t one of those systems’ subscribers, go to pgatour.com anytime this weekend and follow the links to live coverage. You can also try the main window at Golfchannel.com, I’ve been using that one and have loved that it remembers my Comcast signin so the live TV just opens up.

I’m even not going to criticize the online commercials, except for just once. Please, PGA, can’t you not hit us with 7 ads every time we log on? Several of which are repeated because that’s all the inventory you have? #endrant.

Want more cool online stuff? Try the online map feature, which I will let the PGA press release explain:

Live Maps, available for download through livemaps.pgatour.com, features a Google map of the course that allows fans to track their favorite player from their mobile device, find the best viewing spots on the course, locate the nearest concessions, restrooms and more based on their GPS location.

We checked out Live Maps a bit last year when it was still kind of in “beta,” and found it compelling. You get a pretty cool picture (literally) of where everyone is and what they are doing. If they ever link it to live video windows… that’s nirvana.

There is also the PGA’s mobile app, but I am not recommending that unless you have Apple devices. The Android platform is hit or miss, and still has lots of forced crashes. I have no confidence that it will be fixed anytime soon, but am ready to be corrected, PGA. Try typing pgatour.com into your mobile device browser and see how you do. Let me know in the comments of any wins or fails.

As far as the golf goes — I am still waiting for the guy who cost me the Masters fantasy pool, Jason Dufner, to step forward this year. C’mon Duf. The laying-down thing was funny. But wouldn’t you rather be known for your golf? Tiger the bad dropper will be there, along with everyone else who is healthy and qualified. Fore, everyone.

THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

(all times Eastern)
TV COVERAGE
Thursday, May 9 — Golf Channel, 1 p.m. — 7 p.m.; 9 p.m. — 12 a.m.
Friday, May 10 — Golf Channel, 1 p.m. — 7 p.m.; 9 p.m. — 12 a.m.
Saturday, May 11 — Golf Channel, 12 p.m. — 2 p.m.; NBC, 2 p.m. — 7 p.m.
Sunday, May 12 — Golf Channel, 12 p.m. — 2 p.m.; NBC, 2 p.m. — 7 p.m.

RADIO
SIRIUS XM (Satellite)
12 p.m. — 7 p.m., Thursday-Sunday. The live broadcasts are also available to subscribers on the SiriusXM Internet Radio App and online at SiriusXM.com.

ONLINE
The PGA’s Live@ is back! Here’s the monster schedule:

LIVE@ SCHEDULE: FOLLOW A GROUP

Thursday, 5/9: 8:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
Starting at 8:39 a.m, watch the group consisting of Adam Scott, Rory McIlroy and Steve Stricker. Starting at 1:39 p.m., watch the group consisting of Sergio Garcia, Luke Donald and K.J. Choi.

Friday, 5/10: 8:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
Starting at 8:39 a.m., watch the group consisting of Tiger Woods, Matt Kuchar and Brandt Snedeker. Starting at 1:39 p.m, watch the group consisting of Ernie Els, Dustin Johnson and Billy Horschel.

Saturday, 5/11: 9:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
Groups to be determined

Sunday, 5/12: 9:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
Groups to be determined

LIVE@ SCHEDULE: FEATURED HOLES

Thursday, 5/9: 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

Friday, 5/10: 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

Saturday, 5/11: 12-7 p.m.

Sunday, 5/12: 12-7 p.m.

PGA SHOT TRACKER
Get another online fix via Shot Tracker for the TPC.

FACEBOOK PAGE
You can follow the Players on the PGA Tour Facebook page this weekend.

TOP TWITTER FEEDS TO FOLLOW

Geoff Shackelford — well known golf writer. If you’re not following Geoff you are missing the online boat.
Golf Channel — official Golf Channel feed
@PGATOUR — official PGA Twitter feed
@StephanieWei — great golf writer who is a Twitter fiend. Now leading the Wei (hah!) with Google+ Hangouts during most tourneys.
Doug Ferguson is the lead golf writer for AP. Good Twitter insights that often aren’t part of your wire-service lead.
Matt Ginella is a former Golf Digest writer now at Golf Channel. Your guide to the best golf course reviews, evar. Plus great columnist-type commentary on a regular basis.

WHAT’S THE COURSE LIKE?
Here is everything you ever wanted to know or see about TPC Sawgrass.

WHO WON THIS THING LAST YEAR?
Kooch! Aka Matt Kuchar.

Filed Under: Golf, Golf Channel, NBC Sports, PGA, Tiger Woods
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