Sports

There is a definite buzz in the air. For the first time in nearly 35 years, thoroughbred racing may have its elusive Triple Crown champion.

I’ll Have Another is poised to capture horse racing’s dream trio of races, after the dramatic win at Saturday’s Preakness Stakes.

Now, all eyes will converge on the Belmont Stakes, June 9.

MSG Network is grabbing some of that colt’s momentum. The regional sports network has announced two specials ahead of the Belmont.

MSG will carry the Belmont Stakes Draw, revealing the post positions for the potentially historic race, June 6 at 11 a.m. As the race inches closer, Belmont Stakes Preview gears fans for race day. The show airs Friday, June 8 at 7:30 p.m. Both broadcasts are hosted by Jason Blewitt with contributions from analysts Eric Donovan, Richard Migliore, Andy Serling, and Maggie Wolfendale.

But MSG remains in the race. Beginning on Memorial Day, MSG takes part in six thoroughbred specials as part of the New York Racing Series.

From May through November, The New York Racing Series on MSG Plus will feature a total of 15 live races over six telecasts, including seven Grade 1 races from Aqueduct, Belmont Park and Saratoga. The lineup of races includes the Met Mile, Acorn, Mother Goose, Jim Dandy, Diana, Whitney, Prioress and Cigar Mile, and the New York Showcase Day featuring seven stakes races for New York-bred horses.

Launch a social media campaign that will build your brand and deliver results in our online Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting June 7. Speakers include Abigail Cusick (Bravo Digital), Gregory Galant (Sawhorse Media), Alex Leo (Thomson Reuters Digital), Jim Tobin (Ignite Social Media), and many more. Read the reviews.

It’s beginning to feel like 1994 again.

Now that the New York Rangers have advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, a familiar foe awaits.

Starting tonight, buzz gets ratcheted up for the Rangers and Devils, who meet for the right to play for Lord Stanley’s Cup.

MSG Network gives fans complete coverage beginning with a one-hour post-game show following each game. The broadcast will be simulcast on MSG, the home of the Rangers, and MSG+, which airs Devils games.

Al Trautwig hosts the show from the MSG studios. He’ll be joined by former Ranger great Brian Leetch and Devils legend Ken Daneyko.

Trautwig will also take viewers into the arena for insight from Rangers play-by-play team of Sam Rosen and Dave Maloney, and the Devils broadcast duo, Steve Cangialosi and Chico Resch.

All games are televised nationally by NBC Sports Network, with the exception of Game 3, which will air Saturday afternoon on NBC.

Eighteen years ago, the Rangers defeated the Devils in seven, intense games, propelling them into the Stanley Cup Finals. The Blueshirts would go on to win their first title since 1940.

Andy Adler, seeking a return to sports broadcasting, is making a splash with the new Los Angeles-based Time Warner Cable SportsNet. She’ll be studio host for its Lakers coverage.

Adler, who in February left her news reporting and anchoring at KNBC, sought a return to sports broadcasting.

Before that, she made her name in New York during a three-year stint as the popular sports reporter at WNYW/Channel 5.

Part of the deal takes Adler back to her roots. She’ll also host for sister station Time Warner Cable Deportes. Adler’s first language growing up in SoCal was Spanish.

“I was actually their first hire,” Adler tells FishbowlNY. “…They’re building this from the ground up, and to me there’s nothing cooler than that.”

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Veteran New York Post columnist Phil Mushnick is getting an online earful, following his Equal Time entry Friday.

In the piece, Mushnick rips the Brooklyn Nets, or more specifically team part-owner and hip hop mogul Jay Z. Mushnick writes:

“Why the Brooklyn Nets when they can be the New York “N—–s?”

Mushnick went on to say, “The cheerleaders could be the Brooklyn B—hes or Hoes.  Team logo? A 9 mm with hollow-tip shell casings strewn beneath. Wanna be Jay-Z hip? Then go all the way!”

Now, the blogosphere is urging punishment, ranging from an apology to Mushnick’s termination.

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Howie Rose has a complete 12-month schedule as lead radio play-by-play broadcaster for the New York Mets on WFAN and the New York Islanders on MSG.

But he recently took some time to step away for an honor. Rose joined elite company as a member of the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. Among the announcers enshrined with Rose are Marv Albert, Marty Glickman, and Len Berman.

Rose became a full-time radio voice in the Mets broadcast booth in 2004 after the legendary Bob Murphy died. By 2006, Rose was named the team’s number one play-by-play man.

He has been calling Isles games since 1995. But the year before, Rose was at the mic for the New York Rangers. Arguably, his most well-known moment occured in the Eastern Conference Finals. Rose told listeners that the Rangers were in the Stanley Cup Finals after a riveting Game 7 double overtime win against the Devils and an all-time great call: ”Matteau! Matteau! Matteau! Stephane Matteau! And the Rangers have one more hill to climb, baby, but it’s Mount Vancouver!” (Hear it below)

A native New Yorker, Rose went to Cardoza High School in Bayside, and graduated from Queens College.

Rose has racked up several accolades during his career, including Emmy Awards for his work with the Mets and Islanders.

The National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame is located at the Suffolk Y Jewish Community Center in Commack.

While the Knicks are on the verge of being swept in the first round of the playoffs, they can celebrate one victory. MSG Network scored with the Knicks in the regular season. The household rating averaged a 3.30, the best rating ever. To put it another way, the Knicks on MSG shot-up 81 percent from the previous season.

The high ratings spilled over to key demographics as well. Adults 25 to 54 were up 65 percent, while MSG saw a leap among Men 25 to 54, up 54 percent–both figures were records.

As for the Household mark, it was the best since those ratings were first used by MSG at the start of the 1988-89 season.

The Knicks lost to the Heat last night, putting them in a 0-3 hole. Game 4 is Sunday afternoon at the Garden and on ABC.

Game 7–the two words are the most anticipated in sports, with the exception perhaps of the “Super Bowl.”

It’s just excitement for the fans, as executives at MSG Network must be thrilled. First off, their Rangers and Devils advanced. Secondly, the decisive opening round seventh games in the NHL playoffs were huge ratings winners.

The Blueshirts outlasted the Senators, and the Nielsen Household rating of 5.74 made it the highest-rated Rangers game since another Game 7 during the memorable 1994 Stanley Cup Finals.

As for the Devils/Panthers on MSG Plus, they scored the best since the 2001 Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Time to move on to this year’s conference semis, as MSG produces post-game shows for all Rangers games, and all Devils home games.

Here’s a look at what FishbowlNY stories made the most buzz this week.

1. Essence Reassigns Managing Editor after Racist Facebook Page Leaks, April 24
2. Brian Carter, WBLS Weekend Jock, Dies of Apparent Heart Attack, April 23
3. Sean Fennessey Leaves GQ for Grantland, April 23
4. ESPN Radio Switching to 98.7 FM Sunday, April 26
5. Rolling out the Red Carpet for Time 100, April 25
6. USA Today Journalists Targets of Online Intimidation, April 20

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The Knicks flip the switch on their playoff push with their first round encounter starting tomorrow against the Heat in Miami. MSG offers fans post-game coverage following each game.

MSG will broadcast Games 2, 3, and Games 5 and 6 (if necessary) of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series. Game 2 on MSG is Monday night at 7 p.m.

Games on MSG will be preceded by a 60-minute pre-game show, Knicks Game Night.

MSG’s telecasts will feature Mike Breen and Walt Frazier courtside as play-by-play man and analyst, respectively. Tina Cervasio will report from the sideline for all MSG games and Jill Martin will contribute for all games at the Garden. MSG’s studio crew for the first round of the playoffs will include hosts Al Trautwig and Bill Pidto, and analysts Bernard King, Kelly Tripucka and Alan Hahn.

In a complicated radio maneuver, ESPN Radio announced today that it will be moving to the FM frequency at 98.7 in New York, the longtime home of KISS FM. The switch to the FM dial begins at 12:01 a.m. Sunday. ESPN’s lackluster 1050 AM signal, which had equally lackluster ratings since competing against all-sports station WFAN in 2003, will simulcast ESPN Radio programming until September. Then, to coincide with Hispanic Heritage Month, ESPN will debut a 24-hour Spanish sports talk station.

“The bottom line is we’re extremely delighted that the company is providing this resource,” David Roberts, ESPN New York general manager, says. ”…We have to make sure that we produce the kind of content and programming that will not only get sampling, but to get people to come back more often.”

Part of the programming will have new times for Stephen A. Smith and Ryan Ruocco, together from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., as the lead-in to The Michael Kay Show.  The station also announced Patrick McEnroe will do a Saturday show from 10 a.m. to noon, beginning May 5.

As the rumors about ESPN’s move became more widespread this week, so did the speculation about bringing the Yankees on board in 2013. Traug Keller, senior vice president, production, business divisions, tells FishbowlNY in today’s conference call that no deal is in place.

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