ESPN’s World Cup Announcing Schedule (June 22nd-25th)

June 22
Group A: Mexico vs. Uruguay 10:00 AM (Rustenburg)
ESPN – Martin Tyler and John Harkes

Group A: France vs. South Africa 10:00 AM (Bloemfontein)
ESPN2 – Ian Darke and Efan Ekoku

Group B: Nigeria vs. South Korea 2:30 (Durban)
ESPN2 – Derek Rae and Robbie Mustoe

Group B: Greece vs. Argentina 2:30 (Polokwane)
ESPN – Adrian Healey and Ally McCoist

June 23
Group C: England vs. Slovenia 10:00 AM (Port Elizabeth)
ESPN2: Martin Tyler and Efan Ekoku

Group C: United States vs. Algeria 10:00 AM (Pretoria)
ESPN: Ian Darke and John Harkes

Group D: Ghana vs. Germany 2:30 (Johannesburg SC)
ESPN: Derek Rae and Robbie Mustoe

Group D: Australia vs. Serbia 2:30 (Nelspruit)
ESPN2: Adrian Healey and Ally McCoist

June 24
Group F: Slovakia vs. Italy 10:00 AM (Johannesburg EPS)
ESPN: Ian Darke and John Harkes

Group F: Paraguay vs. New Zealand 10:00 AM (Polokwane)
ESPN2: Jim Proudfoot and Roberto Martinez

Group E: Denmark vs. Japan 2:30 (Rustenburg)
ESPN: Adrian Healey and Ally McCoist

Group E: Cameroon vs. Netherlands 2:30 (Cape Town)
ESPN2: Derek Rae and Robbie Mustoe

June 25
Group G: North Korea vs. Ivory Coast 10:00 AM (Nelspruit)
ESPN2: Adrian Healey and Ally McCoist

Group G: Portugal vs. Brazil 10:00 AM (Durban)
ESPN: Martin Tyler and John Harkes

Group H: Switzerland vs. Honduras 2:30 (Bloemfontein)
ESPN2: Derek Rae and Robbie Mustoe

Group H: Chile vs. Spain 2:30 (Pretoria)
ESPN: Ian Darke and Efan Ekoku

This will be put in table format a little bit later but just thought I’d pass this info along since ESPN has released it on their media website. Jim Proudfoot was the chief foreign league (Ligue 1, Dutch League, etc.) commentator for Setanta Sports before it died. He is currently the lead commentator for the Serie A on ESPN UK and occasionally works on the international feed for the Carling Cup.

I’m going to go against the grain and say Martin Tyler sounds bored out of his freaking mind in this tournament. Ever since the England vs. USA game he’s kind of been muted. Maybe the workload is too much for the 65-year-old? In his defense, he’s gotten some lopsided matches and some dreadful, boring affairs. Still, Ian Darke has blown him out of the water and I’m glad to hear “Darkie” on the US game.

Apparently Cornell is a #5 Seed

It’s on ESPN’s bottomline, so it must be true!

Really? These mistakes aren’t becoming one-offs anymore.

Great season for the Washington Huskies. Just two months ago I was berating Lorenzo Romar and the players for playing their way into the NIT. On March 25th they played terrible basketball but still led at halftime against the #4 ranked team in the nation in the Sweet 16. Good luck to Quincy Pondexter (or “Quinton” according to Dick Enberg) in the NBA and everyone else report for camp next season! This team is on the verge of serious contention and needs one or two star shooters.

After all, no one expected a #6 seed like Washington to advance this far…….

In case you’re wondering, the Sounders are up 2-0 at halftime against the Union.

ESPN Ridiculously Gives Tony Kornheiser Two Week Suspension

Of all the statements to get you suspended for multiple weeks, this has got to be one of the tamest. ESPN’s Tony Kornheiser was suspended for two weeks after making his opinions known on how SportsCenter morning anchor Hannah Storm dresses. Brace yourselves for this extremely offensive remark:

“Hannah Storm in a horrifying, horrifying outfit today. She’s got on red go-go boots and a catholic school plaid skirt … way too short for somebody in her 40s or maybe early 50s by now. She’s got on her typically very, very tight shirt. She looks like she has sausage casing wrapping around her upper body … I know she’s very good, and I’m not supposed to be critical of ESPN people, so I won’t … but Hannah Storm … come on now! Stop! What are you doing? … She’s what I would call a Holden Caulfield fantasy at this point.”

To me this is not even worth a suspension. Maybe a private apology to Mrs. Storm is she did indeed take offense. But really, ESPN? This is worth two weeks? It’s not sexual harassment, it’s not a sexist or misogynistic remark, it is just Kornheiser giving an honest opinion on her choice of attire in a professional workplace on live television.

I’m just glad Colin Cowherd can purposely shut down the website I happened to link to in this post (The Big Lead), and also plagiarize from the now-defunct blog The M Zone, yet come away virtually unscathed. But when Kornheiser says something about Hannah Storm’s clothing then the banhammer is coming!

To use a non-ESPN example, Glenn Beck called President Obama a racist*. No suspension. Yet Kornheiser is suspended for this. Sure these are two totally different networks serving different purposes but is there not something wrong with this?

ESPN has had their history of sexual harassment involving Harold Reynolds and Steve Phillips, but how does this even rank? This is a massive overreaction from the network execs to make this decision.

But what’s done is done and Kornheiser will have to riff on other things from now on. Enjoy your PTI vacation as I ignore Dan LeBatard for an astonishing 8 consecutive days.

* – I know I used a political reference to expand on my point about the crazy statements that do and do not get you suspended in media, and it was the first thing that popped into my head. Don’t read too much into it and watch what you say because I will remove any idiotic comments pertaining specifically to said reference.

2010 FIFA World Cup Group Stage Set

We are just 6 months away from the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Thirty-two teams will compete in one of the world’s biggest sporting events. Today the group stage draw took place with the world watching to see which teams would be in which groups. The 8 groups look like this:

Group A

South Africa (hosts)

France

Uruguay

Mexico

South Africa plays Mexico to open the World Cup on June 11th. Can’t say the hosts got a good draw at all. Those are three tough teams to play….maybe South Africa can beat France on a controversial call? Justice served hopefully.

Group B

Argentina

Nigeria

South Korea

Greece

Why do I get the feeling Argentina won’t make it out of group stage? I absolutely hate watching Greece play. Extremely boring style. With attacking-sides like Nigeria and Argentina in the group maybe it will force Greece to open up their game.

Group C

England

United States

Slovenia

Algeria

England vs. USA – Saturday, June 12th, 2:30 PM ET/11:30 AM PT. Mark it down. Either the US repeats 1950 with a shock win, or potentially the biggest soccer-watching audience in American history witnesses points shared or a US loss.

Group D

Germany

Australia

Serbia

Ghana

Australia breezed through Asian WC qualifying so let’s see how improved they are since their round of 16 run in Germany last time around. Ghana also had a successful debut in 2006, also advancing to the round of 16 before bowing out against Brazil. Their midfield is quite impressive, led by Chelsea’s Michael Essien.

Group E

Netherlands

Denmark

Cameroon

Japan

This looks like the most compelling group of the World Cup. Cameroon have played World Cup spoiler before and even went as far as the quarterfinals once. Japan always gives you a good scrap and it seems like The Netherlands are one of the hottest teams in the world, not losing a single game in the World Cup qualifiers.

Group F

Italy

Paraguay

Slovakia

New Zealand

Pretty easy group for the world champions.

Group G

Brazil

Portugal

North Korea

Ivory Coast

Poor North Korea. First World Cup since 1966 and you get thrown to the wolves. That’s right folks this is the group of death. Ivory Coast really can’t catch a break either. Netherlands and Argentina last time around and now Brazil and Portugal.

Group H

Spain

Honduras

Switzerland

Chile

Spain once again gets an easy draw in the World Cup. They are favorites to win it all this time around, maybe this loaded squad featuring Fernando Torres and Xabi Alonso can break their underachieving WC run after their Euro 2008 triumph.

The official World Cup schedule is set but I will hold off any postings on that until full TV rights and commentary crews are known.

Expect plenty of previews and live-blog coverage of the first ever World Cup of Soccer held in Africa.

Oh, and someone tell Alexi Lalas there is NO ONE on Portugal’s squad named “Christopher Ronaldo”.

And so it Begins….

I may not survive the season hearing this stupid drama over and over again. When Seattle travels to Minnesota I want to see 15 sacks on Fa***….and that’s just by Brian Russell. Overall he should be on the turf every time he drops back. You can’t ignore this story because it is everywhere you turn.

At least level-headed and quality journalism will prevail amidst all of the stupid crap we have endured from a certain #4.

Oops, scratch that.

Derek Rae to Call SPL Games For ESPN UK

Photo from ESPN.

With ESPN now completely out of the loop for the UEFA Champions League, it seems as if the loss of Derek Rae’s bread-and-butter has given him another job. The 42 year old Scotsman may be commentating on Scottish Premier League games for ESPN UK:

DEREK Rae is poised to become the voice of Scottish football once again as ESPN negotiate a homecoming for the Stateside commentator as part of their 30-game Clydesdale Bank Premier League coverage.

The Herald understands that the 42-year-old, based in Bristol, Connecticut, has been offered the chance to commentate on the station’s SPL coverage on an ad-hoc basis without hindering his commitments across the Atlantic.

Rae joined ESPN Inter­national after the World Cup in the USA in 1994 and has become one of the most distinctive and respected voices on the channel’s football cover­age in the States.

As well as Major League ­Soccer, Rae also lent his expertise to ESPN’s Cham­pions League coverage – they have since lost the rights to Fox Sports – and hosts a weekly magazine show, PressPass.

Great opportunity for Rae to work on SPL games while staying here. ESPN has plenty of unemployed Setanta talent to hire but they stayed in-house.  I wish him the best of luck and exposure in the United Kingdom. I’m certain the folks across the pond will not be disappointed.