Tagged: ‘NUmbers Never …’

posted by on January 29, 2013 12:15 PM

Front & Center: Michael Smith and Jemele Hill

“His & Hers” with Michael Smith and Jemele Hill debuts this coming Monday. (Joe Faraoni / ESPN Images)

“His & Hers” with Michael Smith and Jemele Hill debuts this coming Monday.
(Joe Faraoni / ESPN Images)

Click HERE to listen or visit iTunes to download the podcast and be sure to SUBSCRIBE to the Front & Center podcast. Also, make sure to check out the ESPN Radio app, available for the iPad.

They will argue. They will bicker. They will poke fun at each other.

And that will just be the first 30 seconds of ESPN Audio’s newest podcast, His & Hers with Michael Smith & Jemele Hill, which debuts next Monday, Feb. 4 on the front page ESPNRadio.com, ESPN PodCenter and on iTunes.

Smith, the host of Numbers Never* Lie, and Hill, an ESPN.com columnist and frequent contributor on various ESPN shows, are excited to have a project they can call their own.

In the Front & Center podcast above, Smith and Hill discuss, among other things: their decade-long friendship; their desire to both make news and include newsmakers as guests; and what sets their pairing apart from other sports podcasts.

Filed in: Behind The Scenes, Front & Center, Podcast

posted by on January 21, 2013 8:00 AM

ESPN producer Galen Gordon on contributing to Content Of Character

ESPN’s coordinating producer Galen Gordon during an ESPN “Numbers Never Lie” meeting. (Joe Faraoni/ESPN Images)

BE190795-DF68-4DAE-8409-F3CBED0AFC00
This past week, ESPN2 televised the network’s annual Content of Character program which included an intro by actor/rapper COMMON and a panel discussion surrounding Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy as it pertains to sports.

ESPN’s Galen Gordon.
(Joe Faraoni/ESPN Images)

Galen Gordon, coordinating producer for ESPN2’s Number Never Lie (weekdays, 2 p.m. ET on ESPN2), helped behind the scenes of this year’s special. Front Row spoke to Gordon about his first experience working on the 60-minute show.

What do you look for in filling a panel?
We wanted a diverse group of voices to tackle the issues addressed in the show.

Was there anyone you wanted for the panel who wasn’t available?
We tried to get Chuck D from Public Enemy. He wanted to participate but unfortunately there were too many scheduling conflicts. COMMON also wanted to contribute, so he took time out to record the open. This was a compelling piece produced by Sharon Matthews.

Is there anything you want our readers to know/understand about this experience?
Overall, I’m proud to contribute to Content of Character. It speaks to ESPN’s commitment to preserving the legacy of Dr. King. This year’s show featured great storytelling combined with intriguing discussions on the racial landscape in sports.

Filed in: Behind The Scenes

posted by on January 12, 2013 12:00 PM

ICYMI: The Week on Front Row

The New England Patriots and the Houston Texans will meet for an AFC divisional playoff game Sunday, 4:30 P.M. ET at Gillette Stadium. Quarterback Tom Brady and the Patriots are favored to win the game; the last time the teams met they defeated the Texans 42-14. But don’t despair, Texans fans.

In the video above, Numbers Never Lie hosts Michael Smith, Hugh Douglas and Jalen Rose explain why the Texans may have a chance to win.

ESPN’s divisional playoff coverage will feature two editions of Sunday NFL Countdown — a two-hour special Saturday, Jan. 12, at 10 a.m. ET, and the regular three-hour edition Sunday, Jan. 13, at 10 a.m.

ICYMI: Highlights from the past week on Front Row
• The latest “This Is SportsCenter” segment stars anchors Chris McKendry, Stuart Scott, the Boston College Eagle and the Temple Owl mascots. Watch the ad and see how it came about.

• Between wrapping up his College GameDay season and preparing for the Australian Open, Chris Fowler describes what’s it’s like to make such a quick transition “from sport to sport, role to role, winter to summer and North America to Down Under.”

• ESPN’s Talent Department recruits, manages, coaches and retains more than 1,000 commentators. A sampling of the hundreds of ESPN contract renewals and/or new signings of 2012 can be found here.

• You’ve seen him on Pardon the Interruption and Around the Horn, but ESPN.com columnist J.A. Adande also works as an educator in USC’s journalism department. He shares more about his role as an educator in this Front & Center podcast.

Row of Four
Our favorites from across ESPN over the past week continue reading…

Filed in: ICYMI Highlights

posted by on December 18, 2012 4:01 PM

Panelists Michael Smith, Jalen Rose, and Hugh Douglas take you inside Numbers Never Lie

ESPN2′s Numbers Never Lie got a new look in September, with commentators Jalen Rose and Hugh Douglas joining host Michael Smith in fulltime roles.

Another new addition to the show was the “Answer Chamber,” a pneumatic tube that delivers the final answers to the debate through a rotating carousel built in to the desk.

The chamber was built by UK-based Dick George Creatives, which also built the automation for the Oscar-winning movie Hugo. continue reading…

Filed in: Behind The Scenes

posted by on December 1, 2012 12:00 PM

ICYMI: The week on Front Row

ESPN’s Colin Cowherd has been training since August for The Disney Half Marathon which will be held on Jan. 12, 2013. In the video above, Cowherd gets a workout in at the ESPN Employees Wellness Center with his “inspiration,” John Anderson.

ICYMI: Highlights from the past week on Front Row

• In May, ESPN announced it would be expanding the X Games franchise to Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil, Barcelona, Spain and Munich, Germany — joining X Games Aspen, Colo., Los Angeles, Calif. and Tignes, France — taking the premier action sports event global. Front Row has photo renderings of what the venues in each new X Games locale will look like.

• The revamped KIA NBA Countdown — ESPN and ABC’s NBA pre-game show — is off to a hot start with new personalities, various new segments and more. Coordinating producer Amina Hussein gives more details about the new-look Countdown.

•The week’s Fan Central Mailbag answered questions about ESPN’s coverage plans for the FCS playoffs, the overall depth of ESPN’s offerings and steps fans can take to see their tweets and photos on air during programs like Sunday NFL Countdown.

• U.S. Marine veteran Zach Stinson was honored as a special MNF guest during the Carolina Panthers-Philadelphia Eagles game on Monday. Stinson, who was severely injured while on patrol in Afghanistan two years ago, had met the crew two weeks earlier and left a lasting impression on the MNF team.

•Part of ESPN2’s Numbers Never Lie team, former NFL star Hugh Douglas shares his thoughts and opinions alongside host Michael Smith and fellow commentator Jalen Rose on weekday afternoons. Front Row caught up with Hugh to get his thoughts on the Twitterverse and how he uses it as a tool to interact with fans.

Row of Four
Our favorites from across ESPN over the past week continue reading…

Filed in: ICYMI Highlights

posted by on November 26, 2012 3:30 PM

I Follow: Hugh Douglas

Numbers Never* Lie co-host Hugh Douglas. (Joe Faraoni/ESPN Images)

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.

Part of ESPN2’s Numbers Never Lie team, former NFL star Hugh Douglas shares his thoughts and opinions alongside host Michael Smith and fellow commentator Jalen Rose on weekday afternoons.

Tonight, Douglas will be watching one of his former teams, the Philadelphia Eagles, take on the Carolina Panthers on Monday Night Football (ESPN, 8:30 p.m. ET).

Front Row caught up with Hugh to get his thoughts on the Twitterverse and how he uses it as a tool to interact with fans.

Twitter handle:@BigHugh53
Followers: 22,235
Following: 923 (as of 11/26/2012)

When did you join twitter?
I joined just about a year ago.

Who are your favorite accounts to follow?
I actually like to follow @UberFacts to see the random and weird facts. Other than that, [ESPN commentator] Trey Wingo (@wingoz) always has some interesting stats about sports and football in general. [ESPN NFL analyst] @AdamSchefter, too.

You have more than 16,000 tweets. What do you enjoy about using Twitter as a platform? continue reading…

Filed in: I Follow: Inside Twitter

posted by on October 13, 2012 11:18 AM

ICYMI: The week on Front Row

Longtime ESPN college football analyst Beano Cook passed away earlier this week in Pittsburgh. Beano was 81.

Carroll H. “Beano” Cook was one of the sport’s most memorable commentators. In addition to college football programming, SportsCenter and ESPNEWS on television, Cook was a fixture as a guest on ESPN Radio and had a popular podcast on ESPN.com.

In the video above which aired this morning on College GameDay, commentators Chris Fowler and Lee Corso salute their great friend and colleague Cook.

ICYMI: Highlights from the past week on Front Row

• With the popularity of John Clayton’s now famous This is SportsCenter spot, we thought we’d shed some light on NFL Insider Adam Schefter and his home office. Schefter shares some details about the memorabilia that covers his bookshelf.

•Comedian and impressionist Frank Caliendo is joining ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown as a contributor. His first appearance is Sunday at 10 a.m. ET with Chris Berman and company at the ESPN studios in Bristol, Conn.

• Front Row remembered the late Beano Cook with memorable quotes and photos.

• A Q&A with college basketball analyst Jimmy Dykes who recently signed a multi-year contract extension with ESPN.

Row of Four
Our favorites from across ESPN over the past week continue reading…

Filed in: ICYMI Highlights

posted by on January 12, 2012 8:00 AM

I Follow: Michael Smith

Host Michael Smith (l) with tight end Antonio Gates of the San Diego Chargers on the NFL Live set

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.

Twitter Handle: @MrMichael_Smith
Followers: *125,938
Following: *446
*(As of 1/11/12)

ESPN2’s Numbers Never* Lie co-host Michael Smith is an argument waiting to happen on Twitter.

Bring on the debates. Whether it’s about sports, music, pop culture, religion or relationship advice, he’s got it covered.

One thing is for sure, he’s not afraid of the reaction to his opinions.

Michael Smith

One night, Smith made a very “safe” comment about a game, or so he thought.

“My all-time favorite Twitter debate was after Game 2 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals last year when the Celtics played the Knicks in Boston,” Smith explained.

“It was literally Carmelo Anthony and a bunch of scrubs, but the Knicks almost won! I remember going on Twitter and tweeting: ‘You gotta give it up for the Knicks.’ Seconds after complimenting their effort, New York Knicks fans started cursing me out! It really gave me a glimpse at how New Yorkers really feel about sports. They don’t care about moral victories or how you played. They just want to know if you won or lost.”

Overwhelmed by the response, Smith said, “Sheesh, I was actually trying to be nice for once.”

FR: It sounds like you’ve had some pretty memorable times on Twitter. When did you join?
MS: January 2009. I was actually hesitant to join at first, but my friends convinced me to try it out. I love it now.

FR: Who are your favorite people to follow on Twitter?
MS: I don’t follow people haphazardly. I discover new people every day and follow them for specific reasons. In the sports space, I love to follow Jemele Hill (@jemelehill), Mike Hill (@MikeHillESPN), Bomani Jones (@BomaniJones), Trey Wingo (@wingoz) and Shannon Cross (@mscrossy).
One of my favorite non-ESPN people to follow is @DragonflyJonez. He’s one of the smartest dudes on Twitter. He’s clever and funny, but don’t let his sense of humor gloss over the fact he’s really smart. His range when it comes to his references is outstanding.

I also enjoy following @CuffsTheLegend. He definitely knows his stuff. He’s opinionated, and I find myself very intrigued by what he has to say. If I had a show on Twitter I’d host it with @DragonflyJones and @CuffsTheLegend. Their expertise on a range of topics is incredible.

FR: What have you learned on social media?
MS: Self-control. I’m a very emotional and reactive person. I have a short fuse and I’m very high-strung so it has taught me to control that. Twitter is a good exercise of self-control because a lot of people try to test you. Typically a stranger shouldn’t bother you when they say something negative, but it can really impact you. My temperance has carried over into life, too. Now I can let stuff go more easily.

FR: Funniest moment/event on Twitter? continue reading…

Filed in: I Follow: Inside Twitter

posted by on December 30, 2011 4:55 PM

Editor’s year-end picks: ‘Towels’ promo, debut of Numbers Never* Lie

Editor’s note: As 2012 approaches, Front Row will revisit a few of our most popular posts from our first nine months of existence — just in case you missed them the first time.

Never question the strength of Steelers Nation.

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ devoted fan base fueled the popularity of at least two Front Row posts.

In the fall, we reported on the thinking behind the “Terrible Towels” leg of the “It’s Not Crazy, It’s Sports” ESPN ad campaign.

The ad centers on the Steelers’ fan tradition of taking their Terrible Towels everywhere. ESPN launched a website that solicited fan submissions of their pictures and videos.

The resulting video and the stories behind it were among our most popular posts.

Our story about the Sept. 12 debut of ESPN2′s Numbers Never* Lie program also ranked among our most read.

Numbers Never* Lie co-hosts Charissa Thompson and Michael Smith.

The weekday show (3:30 p.m. ET), co-hosted by Michael Smith and Charissa Thompson, makes sports analytics fodder for great debate.

Filed in: Behind The Scenes

posted by on November 29, 2011 2:30 PM

Numbers Never Lie: Tim Tebow

Tim Tebow is completing just 45.5 percent of his passes this season, but he’s tallied 11 touchdowns (passing and rushing) and has thrown just one interception.

The Broncos are 5-1 since he became the starter.

Sounds like the perfect case study for ESPN2’s Numbers Never Lie (weekdays at 3:30 p.m. ET).

NNL co-hosts Michael Smith and Charissa Thompson recently combed through the data:

4 – Career game-winning drives by Tebow
28 – Tebow’s rank in win probability added this season (via AdvancedNFLStats.com)
5 – Denver’s NFL standing in time of possession since Tebow became the starter this season
30 – Denver’s rank in time of possession before Tebow became the starter

“That’s the most fascinating element of Tim Tebow,” said Jamie Horowitz, ESPN coordinating producer.

“One set of numbers suggests he stinks and validates everything the skeptics say. But another set of numbers support all the Tebow believers and suggest he is the singular reason the Broncos win.

“The decidedly ambiguous numbers are exactly why we created Numbers Never Lie. There is nothing more interesting — and perplexing — to debate.

To read more about Tebow, see this ESPN.com AFC West blog post and latest edition of Page 2′s Tuesday Morning Quarterback.

Filed in: Behind The Scenes