Last week, I wrote about our nominations for the 2014 College Sports Media Awards. These awards include all the major networks – NBC, CBS, ABC, ESPN, FOX, etc., at the national level. There are also collegiate sports broadcast categories. LSN (RCN-TV) was the only college broadcast network to garner two nominations for the award in the “live event production/collegiate athletics” category. Many entrants received “honorable mention” status so there were plenty of submissions that were not nominated. This was the second consecutive year that LSN was nominated for an award. Once the submissions are made, nominations are determined and this past Thursday in Atlanta at the SVG College Sports Summit, the winners were announced.
To recap for you, the nominees for the live event production/collegiate athletics category were as follows:
COLLEGIATE ATHLETICS
Kansas State University/K-State HD | Women’s Basketball – Kansas State vs. Oklahoma
Lafayette College | Football – Lafayette Football Postgame: Nov. 23, 2013
Lafayette College | Football – Lafayette vs. Lehigh
Rochester Institute of Technology | Men’s Ice Hockey – RIT vs. Michigan
University of Alabama | Football – Alabama National Signing Day
University of Kentucky | Football – Kentucky National Signing Day
University of North Carolina | Baseball – NCAA Regional Game 7: Florida Atlantic vs. North Carolina
Obviously, we were up against some big-time college programs. Well, the votes were tabulated and the winner was the University of North Carolina’s broadcast of a regional baseball game.
To view the winning entry:
http://vimeo.com/channels/750659/92877180
I now understand when watching award shows why the “losers” say “it is an honor just to be nominated”. Because it is! TWICE!! Maybe next year… Darned Tarheels!
ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
1. Donald Sterling, the now infamous soon-to-be former owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, invested $12.5 million to buy the team. It appears his wife has agreed to sell the team for $2 billion to former Microsoft CEO Steve Balmer. That’s a $1,988,500,000 profit! Maybe he can buy friends.
2. Okay, I may be accused of being unprofessional here, but I cannot listen to the Phillies TV announcers anymore. Sure, it’s hard enough right now just to watch them play (no timely hitting and poor bullpen), but analysts Matt Stairs and Jamie Moyer along with play-by-play announcer Tom McCarthy are just plain BORING (there, I said it) and rarely insightful. I am not alone in my criticism. At the beginning of May, on AwfulAnnouncing.com, they finished 26th (out of 30 teams) in the fan voting and ended with an average grade of 1.9 = D+. Watch the game on TV but listen to Scott Franzke and Larry Andersen on the radio. It’s much more enjoyable.
3. California Chrome will try to become the first Triple Crown winner since 1978 on Saturday at the Belmont Stakes. He will be able to wear nasal strips. The strips support the tissue over the nasal passages behind the nostril and keep it from collapsing. They cost less than $15. California Chrome has won his last six races with the strips. Sounds like the $15 is a good investment.
4. The SEC wants to provide full-attendance scholarships, simplify recruiting rules, and provide long-term medical coverage for student-athletes. It appears the SEC has the support of the ACC, the Big 12, the Big Ten, and the Pac-12. Maybe this will be the first crack in the autonomous power of the NCAA.
5. Remember the name Mike Nikorak. He is completing his junior year at Stoudsburg High School and has verbally committed to Alabama as a pitcher if he decides not to enter the Major League draft. He is 6’4”, consistently throws the ball 94 miles per hour, and strikes out 1.4 batters every inning. He is a blue-chipper. Even more impressive, this year’s Parkland baseball team beat him 3-0.
