Archive for August, 2011

posted by on August 31, 2011 3:30 PM

College GameDay Quiz: Day 2

 

ESPN’s College GameDay Built by The Home Depot will return for its 25th season Saturday.

The show will air live from the neutral site of the Cowboys Classic at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, beginning at 9 a.m. ET on ESPNU and from 10-noon on ESPN. The College GameDay set will be located outside the state-of-the art facility in Lot 3.

In a much anticipated opening weekend game, Oregon will face LSU in the Classic as part of the weekly Saturday Night Football Presented by Southwest Airlines series at 8 p.m. on ABC.

In commemoration of the show’s 25th year, we’ve produced 25 related trivia questions.

We’ll reveal five questions a day on Front Row in the countdown to Saturday.

Check in Thursday for five new questions and the answers to Day 2′s quiz, which starts below.

The percentages only reflect how people taking the quiz answered that question. continue reading…

Filed in: On The Road

posted by on August 31, 2011 2:30 PM

Documenting the launch of LHN


Editor’s Note: Mark Caswell, Multimedia Specialist, ESPN Communications, shot the video above chronicling the Aug. 26 launch of Longhorn Network. Here’s some of his personal perspective on the project.

As I was preparing to leave Connecticut and head down to Austin, Texas to cover the launch of the Longhorn Network last week, I had just experienced my first earthquake.

Not only that, but Tropical Storm Irene was on her way up the East Coast.

One hundred-degree temperatures awaited me in Texas and I had expected to find even more turbulence and stress surrounding the launch of a new network.

Well, it was certainly hot in Austin, but there was little turbulence to be found.

Everyone seemed be taking the big launch in stride.

The production staff was busy rehearsing to ensure everything would run as smoothly as possible and programming was working with the affiliate team sign service providers to air the network.

Several Bristolites were on hand that day to help get Longhorn Network up and running.

Coordinating directors Alex Tyner and Ty Frison played supportive roles in many areas from establishing workflows for studio shows to managing media content between Austin, Bristol and Los Angeles. continue reading…

Filed in: Behind The Scenes

posted by on August 31, 2011 9:30 AM

Returning Irene’s serve

FLUSHING, N.Y. — This past weekend, when many on the East Coast prepared for Tropical Storm Irene, many at ESPN prepared a variety of contingency plans, especially relating to the  Little League World Series games and NASCAR’s Sprint Cup race scheduled for ABC. 

Under the direction of ESPN Programming’s John Papa, Stephanie Holmes and Greg Bushman, arrangements were made to air them on ESPN in the markets in Irene’s path, knowing the ABC affiliates might switch away for “wall-to-wall” weather reports.

But no where in sports was Irene’s fury felt as at the US Open in New York. 

With play scheduled to begin Monday, late last week television crews were simultaneously setting up and battoning down as Irene headed northward. 

In fact, on Sunday the eye of the storm passed just 15 miles from the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. continue reading…

Filed in: On The Road

posted by on August 30, 2011 3:30 PM

College Gameday Quiz: Day 1

ESPN’s College GameDay Built by The Home Depot will return for its 25th season Saturday.

The show will air live from the neutral site of the Cowboys Classic at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, beginning at 9 a.m. ET on ESPNU and from 10-noon on ESPN. The College GameDay set will be located outside the state-of-the art facility in Lot 3.

In a much anticipated opening weekend game, Oregon will face LSU in the Classic as part of the weekly Saturday Night Football Presented by Southwest Airlines series at 8 p.m. on ABC.

In commemoration of the show’s 25th year, we’ve produced 25 related trivia questions.

We’ll reveal five questions a day on Front Row in the countdown to Saturday.

Check in Wednesday for five new questions and the answers to Day 1′s quiz, which starts below.

The percentages only reflect how people taking the quiz answered that question. continue reading…

Filed in: On The Road

posted by on August 30, 2011 1:29 PM

Photo gallery: U.S. Open

FLUSHING, N.Y. — This marks the second day of first-round play in the U.S. Open 2011 Championships.

ESPN is covering the tourney on a number of platforms.

Front Row will be bringing you behind-the-scenes coverage of the event, which concludes on Sept. 11.

Check out these photos of our production and some of the color from New York. Click here for image slide show.

Filed in: On The Road

posted by on August 30, 2011 9:29 AM

I Follow: Jemele Hill

Jemele Hill (L) with Mike Hill and Skip Bayless on the set of  ESPN’s First and 10

Editor’s Note: “I Follow” is all about ESPN employees on Twitter: what they Tweet, whom they follow and how you can interact socially with anyone and everyone.

Today, we profile ESPN commentator Jemele Hill.

She joined ESPN in November 2006 as a national columnist on ESPN.com. She also makes regular appearances on television, including Spenter, ESPN First Take, Jim Rome is Burning, and Outside the Lines.

In this interview, she discusses one of her favorite First Take debate topics, the funniest athlete on Twitter, and what inspired one of her favorite Twitter and Facebook subjects.

Twitter Handle: @jemelehill
Followers: * 57,893
Following: * 1,043 (As of 08/30/11)

FR: What’s your personal record for most Tweets in a day? (Editor’s Note: Hill averages 36 tweets per day).

Hill: On a NFL Sunday or during the NBA playoffs, I could easily see myself getting to 60. Twitter is a sports fan’s dream. For me, it’s like being in a chat room with 50,000 people and we’re all observing something our own ways.

FR: When are your favorite times to be on Twitter (i.e award shows, sporting events)?

Hill: Very tough question, because Twitter during any major BET [Black Entertainment Television] event is absolutely phenomenal. But I’d still go with any NFL Sunday.

FR: You post some of the most obscure news stories on Facebook and Twitter under the heading “When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong?” What has been some of the reaction you’ve received from it? continue reading…

Filed in: I Follow: Inside Twitter

posted by on August 29, 2011 3:30 PM

Coaches go home

The “SportsCenter: Back to School” features began airing on Sunday with the debut of Lou Holtz’s return to East Liverpool, Ohio. The series continues through Wednesday on the 6 p.m. SportsCenter with Monday’s segment on Lee Corso, followed by Herm Edwards on Tuesday and finishing with Mike Ditka on Wednesday.

As a special bonus for our Front Row fans, we are providing exclusive photo galleries of both Edwards’ and Ditka’s visits and we hope you enjoy it.

Filed in: Behind The Scenes, On The Road

posted by on August 29, 2011 1:17 PM

Elite 24: Stars attract stars

 

VENICE BEACH, Calif. — In the land of Hollywood, anything can happen and it did this weekend during the Boost Mobile Elite 24 hoops event hosted by ESPNHS.

During the telecast on ESPNU, Academy Award-winning actor Jamie Foxx took control of the on-court microphone to provide some fun play-by-play and talked with ESPNU’s Dave Telep.

Foxx was also a surprise guest on Friday, Aug. 26, during the Under Armour Slam Dunk competition.

To see photos and video from Elite 24 Hoops go to espnhighschool.com.

Filed in: Behind The Scenes, On The Road

posted by on August 29, 2011 9:00 AM

Palmer & Pollack open for business

 

The dust is finally settling in Charlotte, N.C. after several months of construction.

Monday at 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET, ESPNU’s newest college football show, Palmer & Pollack, will debut.

The dynamic duo of ESPN analysts Jesse Palmer and David Pollack will be ushering in a new approach to covering the game on a brand-new set.

“So much work goes into creating each and every show, but a huge piece of the heavy lifting takes place in the weeks leading up to the debut,” said ESPNU producer Baron Miller.

“Set construction, video screens, lighting, cameras, audio enhancements, graphics, more lighting and any piece of the latest technology we can get our hands, the team’s worked hard to get into the set.” continue reading…

Filed in: Behind The Scenes

posted by on August 28, 2011 9:00 AM

Our LL star who met the President

In the early 1980s, John Brenkus was a speedy outfielder for the Vienna (Va.) Yankees in Little League.

Brenkus was so accomplished that he joined a collection of D.C.-area youth baseball all-stars for a visit to the White House during the first Reagan Administration.

As these pictures attest, the future host of ESPN’s Sport Science segments got a chance to present a cap to President Ronald Reagan.

As the 2011 Little League World Series concludes Sunday on ABC — Hurricane Irene permitting — Brenkus recalled the thrill of such an honor for Front Row.

“I remember he actually took the cap and put it on, and he shook my hand. He certainly was pretty amazing. A big thrill for sure,” said Brenkus of meeting Reagan, who met the procession of Little League stars with his wife Nancy.

Brenkus, famous for the trials he puts himself through in the name of science, reveals more about the White House visit and details the “Brenkus Double.”

FR: What were the circumstances that allowed you and your Little League All-Star teammates to visit the White House?

Brenkus: Our Little League All-Star team was selected as one of the local teams to go visit the White House during the Reagan Administration. One of the perks to growing up in the D.C. area! continue reading…

Filed in: Sidelines