ThisWeek — January 23, 2012
AUSTRALIAN OPEN
WINTER X GAMES, COLLEGE SPORTS, SOCCER & MORE
- Winter X Games Aspen 2012: 16 Hours Live on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC
- Winter X Games Aspen 2012 Sponsors
- Men’s College Basketball: Several Top 25 Teams in Action across ESPN Networks
- ESPN3: Exclusive Women’s College Hoops
- ACC Baseball and Softball Coverage Expanded for 2012
- Soccer: Panama vs. USA and Barcelona vs. Real Madrid Wednesday
- Men’s College Lacrosse Schedule Expansive Across ESPN Networks
- ESPN.com to Unveil “NFL Any Era Team”
- Sandy Rosenbush Honored by Association for Women in Sports Media (AWSM)
_______________________________________________________
Australian Open: Few Upsets = Great Matchups; Clijsters-Wozniacki Tonight; McEnroe & Shriver’s Thoughts
contact: dave.nagle@espn.com
Tennis’ first Major of 2012 – the Australian Open presented by Franklin Templeton Investments– continues for a second week to its climax with the women’s and men’s finals this weekend on ESPN2 and ESPN3. Live late-night and overnight action is reviewed with weekday reairs at noon ET.
Almost all the top seeds have advanced to the quarterfinals, making for great matchups:
- The top five men’s seeds are in the quarterfinals, plus No. 7 Tomas Berdych and No. 11 Juan Martin Del Potro.
- The top four women’s seeds are still alive, plus No. 11 Kim Clijsters, the defending champion.
Tonight, Monday, Jan. 23, at 9 p.m., ESPN2 and ESPN3’s live matches will include:
- Clijsters vs. the top seed, Caroline Wozniacki, seeks her first major championship.
- The action carrying through to early Tuesday also has No. 3 Roger Federer and No. 11 Juan Martin Del Potro, the man who defeated Federer in the 2009 US Open final.
The telecast Tuesday, Jan. 24, at 9 p.m. includes:
- No. 4 Maria Sharapova vs. unranked Ekaterina Makarova who eliminated Serena Williams 6-2, 6-3; and No. 2 Petra Kvitova, the 2011 Wimbledon champion, vs. Sara Errani of Italy.
- No. 1 Novak Djokovic, the defending winner, vs. No. 5 David Ferrer; and No. 4 Andy Murray vs. No. 24 Kei Nishikori.
Analysts Patrick McEnroe and Pam Shriver share their thoughts entering the quarterfinals:
- McEnroe: “The ‘Big Three’ are playing tremendously, and we have great matchups from here on. As for No. 4 Andy Murray, now we will learn if his new coach Ivan Lendl has had a quick impact, but Novak Djokovic is still the favorite.”
- Shriver: “Kim Clijsters showed great fight to defeat Li Na after that terrible rolling of her ankle and being down 2-6 – facing four match points! -- in the second-set tiebreak. However, it’s hard to see her defending her title considering the other remaining women are healthy and include the best players in the world. I picked Petra Kvitova before the tournament so I will stay with her, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Maria Sharapova adds to her 2008 title here, or if Victoria Azarenka or Caroline Wozniaki win their first major.”
The remaining schedule:
| Date | Time (ET) | Event | |
| Mon, Jan 25 | 9 p.m. – 2 a.m. | QuarterfinalsNo. 3 Azarenka vs No. 8 RadwanskaNo. 11 Clijsters vs No. 1 WozniackiNo. 3 Federer vs. No. 11 Del Potro | LIVE |
| 3:30 – 6 a.m. | QuarterfinalsNo. 2 Nadal vs. No. 7 Berdych | LIVE | |
| Tue, Jan 24 | Noon – 3 p.m. | Quarterfinals | Same-day |
| 9 p.m. – 2 a.m. | “ | LIVE | |
| 3:30 – 6 a.m. | “ | LIVE | |
| Wed, Jan 25 | Noon – 3 p.m. | “ | Same-day |
| 9:30 p.m. – 2 a.m. | Women’s Semifinals | LIVE | |
| 3:30 – 6 a.m. | Men’s Semifinal #1 | LIVE | |
| Thurs, Jan 26 | Noon – 3 p.m. | Men’s Semifinal #1 | reair |
| 3:30 – 6 a.m. | Men’s Semifinal #2 | LIVE | |
| Fri, Jan 27 | Noon – 3 p.m. | Men’s Semifinal #2 | reair |
| 3 – 5:30 a.m. | Women’s Final | LIVE | |
| Sat, Jan. 28 | 9 – 11 a.m. | Women’s Final | reair |
| 10 p.m. – MID | Women’s Final | reair | |
| 3 – 6:30 a.m. | Men’s Final | LIVE | |
| Sun, Jan 29 | 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. | Men’s Final | reair |
| 9 p.m.–MID | Men’s Final | reair |
Note: For these charts, all times are Eastern, and each day “begins” at 6 a.m. ET. Therefore, the listing for Mon., Jan. 25 at 3:30 a.m. ET is very late on Monday night.
_______________________________________________________
Winter X Games Aspen 2012: 16 Hours Live on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC
contacts: danny.c.chi@espn.com; katie.moses-swope@espn.com; alex.a.rozis@espn.com; grace.s.coryell@espn.com
A wide offering of Winter X Games Aspen 2012 content will be distributed simultaneously across multiple media devices January 26-29. Winter X Games content will be available via television, smartphones, tablets and online through digital and social network platforms.
The Winter X Games air live from Aspen, Colo., beginning Thursday, Jan. 26, and ESPN will televise 16 hours of live HD programming on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC. In addition to live competition, Jeep X Center will air nightly on ESPN2. ESPN 3D will deliver 25 hours of live Winter X Games action. ESPN3 will stream 16 hours of live competition and more than nine hours of original content. The event will also be televised in more than 192 countries and territories to more than 232 million homes.
On Thursday, January 26, from 9 - 11 p.m., ESPN debuts X Cast, a companion screen offering with 16 hours of highlights and expert analysis, behind-the-scenes access, two-way interaction with other online viewers and interviews with premiere Winter X Games athletes. X Cast will be available on X Games.com and multiple X Games social media platforms, including the Facebook “Live” tab, YouTube Live on the official X Games YouTube channel.
ESPN’s commentators include some of the biggest names in action sports including Sal Masekela hosts Winter X Games Aspen for all 16 hours of live HD coverage on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC. A who’s who of action sports icons and experts join Masekela for the telecast. Chris Burandt, Zach Crist, Keir Dillon, Mike Douglas, Chris Ernst, Todd Harris and Tes Sewell serve as analysts for the Skiing, Snowboarding and Snowmobile competitions. Jenn Brown, Tina Dixon and Jamie Little round out the team as reporters for the various competitions. X Center, ESPN2’s nightly highlight show for the Winter X Games, is again hosted by Dana Jacobson.
_______________________________________________________
Winter X Games Aspen 2012 Sponsors
contact: kristen.m.hudak@espn.com
The 2012 Winter X Games sponsors are led by returnees US Navy and Jeep. In addition, Red Bull and Verizon/Casio join the Winter X Games roster having previously sponsored the Summer X Games. Event sponsors include EA Sports, North Face, the Bandito Brothers’ film Act of Valor and Real Snow presented by Vitamin Water. The highly customized sponsorships include brand integration on the competition courses and on-site activation opportunities. Additional sponsors include GoPro, GNC and Loctite. The Games will be held in Aspen, Colo., from January 26-29 and aired live on ESPNHD, ABC HD, ESPN3 and ESPN3D. X CENTER, the daily highlight show for the X Games, will air on ESPN2 HD.
Winter X Games airs live from Aspen beginning January 26 on ESPNHD, ABC HD, ESPN3 and ESPN3D. X CENTER, the daily highlight show for the X Games, airs on ESPN2 HD.
_______________________________________________________
Men’s College Basketball: Several Top 25 Teams in Action across ESPN Networks
contact: rachel.l.margolis@espn.com
ESPN’s men’s college basketball schedule this week showcases several of the top ranked teams in nation, including No. 2 Missouri at Oklahoma State on Wednesday, Jan. 25, at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2 and ESPN3. An additional six teams in the top 10 are in action, along with No. 24 Kansas State and No. 25 Wisconsin, which entered this week’s poll. Highlights:
- No. 2 Missouri battles at Oklahoma State on ESPN 2 and ESPN3 on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
- A Big Ten battle between No. 17 Indiana and No. 25 Wisconsin on ESPN 2 and ESPN3 on Thursday at 9 p.m.
- After suffering its first loss of the season, Syracuse, now ranked No. 4, hosts West Virginia on ESPNU Saturday at 1 p.m. Also that day, ESPNU shows No. 20 Saint Mary’s at BYU at 9 p.m.
- On ESPN and ESPN3, No. 5 Kansas travels to Iowa State on Saturday at 2 p.m., followed by No. 10 Georgetown at Pittsburgh at 4 p.m.
- Both No. 6 Duke and No. 8 North Carolina are featured twice in this week’s schedule: Duke at Maryland on Wednesday at 9 p.m. and vs. St. John’s on Saturday at noon, both on ESPN and ESPN3; North Carolina vs. NC State on Thursday at 7 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN3 and vs. Georgia Tech on ACC Sunday Night Basketball at 6 p.m.
| Date | Time (ET) | Game/Commentators | Network(s) |
| Wed, Jan 25 | 7 p.m. | Villanova at No. 25 Louisville Bob Wischusen & Len Elmore |
ESPN / ESPN3 |
| 7 p.m. | West Virginia at St. John’s Adam Amin & LaPhonso Ellis |
ESPNU | |
| 7 p.m. | BYU at Virginia Tech Walter Storholt & Steven Binder |
ESPN3 | |
| 7:30 p.m. | No. 2 Missouri at Oklahoma State Jon Sciambi & Fran Fraschilla |
ESPN2 / ESPN3 | |
| 9 p.m. | No. 6 Duke at Maryland Dan Shulman & Bob Knight |
ESPN / ESPN3 | |
| 9 p.m. | No. 24 Kansas State at Texas Tech Mitch Holthus & Reid Gettys |
ESPNU | |
| Thu, Jan 26 | 7 p.m. | NC State at No. 8 North Carolina Mike Patrick, Dick Vitale & Jeannine Edwards |
ESPN / ESPN3 |
| 7 p.m. | No. 13 Florida at Mississippi Rece Davis & Kara Lawson |
ESPN2 / ESPN3 | |
| 7 p.m. | Nebraska at IowaJim Barbar & Tim McCormick | ESPNU | |
| 7 p.m. | St. Peter’s at Rider | ESPN3 | |
| 8 p.m. | Troy at Middle Tennessee State | ESPN3 | |
| 8 p.m. | Georgia Southern at Samford | ESPN3 | |
| 8 p.m. | Butler at Milwaukee | ESPN3 | |
| 9 p.m. | No. 17 Indiana at No. 25 Wisconsin Dave O’Brien & Stephen Bardo |
ESPN2 / ESPN3 | |
| 9 p.m. | Boston College at No. 21 Virginia Anish Shroff & Adrian Branch |
ESPNU | |
| 11 p.m. | Gonzaga at Portland Dave Flemming & Miles Simon |
ESPN2 / ESPN3 | |
| Fri, Jan 27 | 7 p.m. | Iona at Fairfield Doug Sherman & Andy Katz |
ESPNU |
| 9 p.m. | Boston University at Stony Brook Dan Gutowsky & Rob Kennedy |
ESPNU | |
| Sat, Jan 28 | 11 a.m. | Ball State at Ohio Mike Crispino & Bob Valvano |
ESPNU |
| Noon | St. John’s at No. 6 Duke Brent Musburger & Dick Vitale |
ESPN / ESPN3 | |
| Noon | No. 18 Marquette at Villanova Dave Pasch & Doris Burke |
ESPN2 / ESPN3 | |
| 1 p.m. | West Virginia at No. 4 Syracuse Beth Mowins & Tim Welsh |
ESPNU | |
| 2 p.m. | No. 5 Kansas at Iowa State Mark Jones & LaPhonso Ellis |
ESPN / ESPN3 | |
| 3 p.m. | Tennessee Tech at Morehead State Adam Amin & Ronny Thompson |
ESPNU | |
| 4 p.m. | No. 10 Georgetown at Pittsburgh Bob Wischusen & Fran Fraschilla |
ESPN / ESPN3 | |
| 4 p.m. | Purdue at Northwestern Dave O’Brien & Dan Dakich |
ESPN2 / ESPN3 | |
| 5 p.m. | Northern Iowa at Missouri State Mitch Holthus & David Kaplan |
ESPNU | |
| 6 p.m. | Auburn at Tennessee Brad Nessler & Jimmy Dykes |
ESPN2 / ESPN3 | |
| 7 p.m. | Washington at Arizona Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas & Bob Knight |
ESPN / ESPN3 | |
| 7 p.m. | Butler at Green Bay Justin Kutcher & Dickey Simpkins |
ESPNU | |
| 8 p.m. | No. 21 Virginia at NC State Mike Patrick & Len Elmore |
ESPN2 / ESPN3 | |
| 8 p.m. | Eastern Illinois at Murray State | ESPN3 | |
| 9 p.m. | No. 20 Saint Mary’s at BYU Dave Flemming & Sean Farnham |
ESPNU | |
| 11 p.m. | Cal State Fullerton at Long Beach State Mark Neely & Mark Adams |
ESPNU | |
| Sun, Jan 29 | 2 p.m. | Providence at South Florida Rich Hollenberg & Mark Wise |
ESPN3 |
| 4 p.m. | Manhattan at Niagara | ESPN3 | |
| 6 p.m. | Georgia Tech at No. 8 North Carolina Jon Sciambi, Hubert Davis & Allison Williams |
ESPNU | |
| 8 p.m. | Indiana State at Evansville Mitch Holthus & David Kaplan |
ESPNU |
_______________________________________________________
ESPN3: Exclusive Women’s College Hoops
contact: rachel.l.margolis@espn.com
Three women’s college basketball games can be seen exclusively on ESPN3 this week, beginning with a MAAC matchup between Boston University and UMBC on Wednesday, Jan. 25, at noon. Also UC Riverside plays UC Irvine on Thursday, Jan. 26, at 10 p.m. and another MAAC tilt featuring Manhattan at Fairfield on Friday, Jan. 27, at 4 p.m.
| Date | Time (ET) | Game/Commentators | Network(s) |
| Wed, Jan 25 | Noon | Boston University at UMBC | ESPN3 |
| Thu, Jan 26 | 10 p.m. | UC Riverside at UC Irvine | ESPN3 |
| Fri, Jan 27 | 4 p.m. | Manhattan at Fairfield | ESPN3 |
_______________________________________________________
ACC Baseball and Softball Coverage Expanded for 2012
contact: gracie.blackburn@espn.com
Beginning Sunday, March 4, ESPN networks air the first of 55 Atlantic Coast Conference Olympic sports events in the 2012 season, including 24 baseball and eight softball games.
Additional highlights for the 2012 season include nine consecutive weeks of ACC Monday on ESPNU -- an ACC Olympic sporting event in prime time each Monday from March 19 to May 14 -- and select games from the league’s regional sports network available nationwide on ESPN3.
ACC Baseball 2012 Schedule:
| Date | Time | Game | Network |
| Sun, Mar 4 | 2 p.m. | South Carolina at Clemson | ESPN3 |
| Sat, Mar 17 | 8 p.m. | Virginia at Florida State | ESPNU |
| Sun, Mar 18 | 2 p.m. | Virginia at Florida State | ESPN3 |
| Mon, Mar 19 | 7 p.m. | ACC Monday: Virginia at Florida State | ESPNU |
| Sun, Mar 25 | 1 p.m. | NC State at North Carolina | ESPN3 |
| Mon, Mar 26 | 7 p.m. | ACC Monday: NC State at North Carolina | ESPNU |
| Fri, Mar 30 | 6:30 p.m. | Miami at Clemson | ESPN3 |
| Sat, Mar 31 | 4 p.m. | Miami at Clemson | ESPNU |
| Sun, Apr 1 | Noon | Miami at Clemson | ESPN3 |
| Sat, Apr 7 | 6 p.m. | Florida State at Georgia Tech | ESPN3 |
| Mon, Apr 9 | 7 p.m. | ACC Monday: Wake Forest at Virginia | ESPNU |
| Tue, Apr 10 | 6 p.m. | Florida at Florida State | ESPN3 |
| Fri, Apr 20 | 6 p.m. | Miami at Florida State | ESPN3 |
| 6 p.m. | Georgia Tech at North Carolina | ESPN3 | |
| Sat, Apr 21 | 2 p.m. | Georgia Tech at North Carolina | ESPN3 |
| 6 p.m. | Miami at Florida State | ESPN3 | |
| Sun, Apr 22 | Noon | Georgia Tech at North Carolina | ESPNU |
| Mon, Apr 30 | 7 p.m. | ACC Monday: Virginia at Miami | ESPNU |
| Mon, May 7 | 7 p.m. | ACC Monday: Maryland at Florida State | ESPNU |
| Fri, May 11 | 8 p.m. | Wake Forest at Miami | ESPNU |
| Sat, May 12 | 6:30 p.m. | Florida State at Clemson | ESPN3 |
| Sun, May 13 | 6:30 p.m. | Florida State at Clemson | ESPN3 |
| Mon, May 14 | 6 p.m. | ACC Monday: Florida State at Clemson | ESPNU |
| Sun, May 27 | Noon | ACC Championship | ESPN2 |
ACC Softball 2012 Schedule:
| Date | Time | Game | Network |
| Sun, Apr 1 | Noon | North Carolina at Florida State (DH) | ESPN3 |
| Mon, Apr 2 | 7 p.m. | ACC Monday: North Carolina at Florida State | ESPNU |
| Sun, Apr 8 | 2 p.m. | Maryland at Georgia Tech | ESPNU |
| Sun, Apr 15 | Noon | Georgia Tech at Florida State | ESPN3 |
| Mon, Apr 16 | 7 p.m. | Georgia Tech at Florida State | ESPNU |
| Thu, May 10 | 5 p.m. | ACC Quarterfinal | ESPN3 |
| 7:30 p.m. | ACC Quarterfinal | ESPN3 | |
| Sat, May 12 | 4 p.m. | ACC Championship | ESPN |
_______________________________________________________
Men’s College Lacrosse Schedule Expansive Across ESPN Networks
contact: rachel.l.margolis@espn.com
ESPN’s extensive college lacrosse coverage across ESPN, ESPNU and ESPN3 includes nationally-ranked programs, top-caliber games and the addition of the ACC Men’s and Women’s and BIG EAST Men’s Lacrosse Championships. The schedule -- 49 total games with 39 regular-season matchups (37 men’s and two women’s) plus the crowning of six conference champions -- begins with No. 4 Johns Hopkins hosting Towson State on Friday, Feb. 17, at noon on ESPNU. Full Schedule
_______________________________________________________
Soccer: Panama vs. USA and Barcelona vs. Real Madrid Wednesday
contact: kristie.chong@espn.com
On Wednesday, Jan. 25, ESPN3 a soccer doubleheader begins at 3:55 p.m. with the second leg of Spain’s Copa del Rey quarterfinal – Barcelona vs. Real Madrid – live from Barcelona (also on ESPN Deportes), and the US Men’s National Team in action from Panama City at 8:30 p.m.
| Date | Time (ET) | Match | Networks |
| Tue, Jan 24 | 3:25 p.m. | Mirandes vs. Espanyol (Copa del Rey – Quarterfinals) | ESPN Deportes / ESPN3 |
| Wed, Jan 25 | 3:55 p.m. | Barcelona vs. Real Madrid (Copa del Rey – Quarterfinals) | ESPN Deportes / ESPN3 |
| 8:30 p.m. | Panama vs. USA (International Friendly) | ESPN3 |
_______________________________________________________
ESPN.com to Unveil “NFL Any Era Team”
contact: bill.hofheimer@espn.com
How would today’s best NFL players today fare in past decades? Would their size, speed and skill make them successful in any era? Who would be the best of the best? ESPN.com tries to answer the question this week with its “NFL Any Era Team,” a multimedia package listing the top 20 current NFL players who could play in any era of the NFL, as voted on by a panel of 20 Pro Football Hall of Famers and ESPN.com senior writer John Clayton. Players 20-17 are revealed today:
| Ranking | Player | Team |
| No. 20 | Peyton Manning | Indianapolis Colts |
| No. 19 | Tim Tebow | Denver Broncos |
| No. 18 | Ndamukong Suh | Detroit Lions |
| No. 17 | Dwight Freeney | Indianapolis Colts |
The project concludes Friday with the unveiling of the top four players. Each player page will include testimony from a Hall of Fame panelist, a quote or comment from the current player about his toughest NFL moment, Clayton’s perspective on the player’s Hall of Fame chances and a Tweet of the Day. Other elements that will be part of the NFL Any Era Team project include: daily video roundtables with Hall of Famers Mike Ditka, James Lofton and John Randle hosted by Bram Weinstein; online chats with Hall of Famers; posts by ESPN.com NFL bloggers; and a SportsNation poll where fans can cast their votes. Monday’s ESPN.com NFL Any Era Team content features a Greg Garber piece with a video overview narrated by Chris Berman, and an outline of the panel of Hall of Fame voters and their credentials.
_______________________________________________________
Sandy Rosenbush Honored by Association for Women in Sports Media (AWSM)
contact: dan.quinn@espn.com
Sandy Rosenbush, news editor in ESPN’s event production department, was named the 2012 Mary Garber Pioneer Award winner by the Association for Women in Sports Media (AWSM). The organization’s highest honor has been given annually since 1999 to those who have paved the way and serve as role models for women in sports media. Since joining ESPN in 2008, Rosenbush has focused on the editorial aspects of college football event productions, expanding her role to include College Gameday this season. Rosenbush, who was part of ESPN’s 2010 World Cup team in South Africa and also works on tennis and college basketball, will be honored at AWSM’s June convention.
Previously, Rosenbush has served as deputy sports editor at the Washington Post and at the New York Times. She also worked at Sports Illustrated, where she started as a senior editor and rose to assistant managing editor. The two years before joining ESPN, she taught in the New York City public school system.
- 30 -
Entries(RSS)