ESPN continues to build up their international portfolio following the acquisition of ExtraCorp Pty. Ltd, owners of Australia’s largest sports tipping and fantasy games platform in footytips.com.au.

Launched in 1997, the website offers social tipping competitions for 20 of the biggest sports in Australia, including the Australian Football League and the National Rugby League.

ExtraCorp employs 15 people, who will join the ESPN family in Australia. Financial terms were not disclosed. Read more

When he’s not fielding offers from teams in Turkey and China, Kobe Bryant has spent part of his extended offseason improving his soccer skills.

Washington Post columnist Mike Wise fell victim to Bryant’s skills during Mia Hamm‘s celebrity soccer game Sunday.

Ouch, Mike.

[H/T D.C. Sports Bog]

Steve Williams, Tiger Woods‘ longtime caddy who stood by him during his tawdry and calamitous public scandal and divorce, was none too pleased about being fired recently by Woods, and said he plans to write a book when he retires — a tome that might be heavy on salacious details about Woods, not least because Williams never signed a confidentiality agreement with the 14-time majors winner.

“It will just be one of those interesting chapters in the book,” Williams said of his time with Woods.

(H/T to GameOn)

Video of Mark Grace‘s interview with Justin Timberlake during last night’s All-Star Game has been quarantined by Major League Baseball for the time being and clips have been removed from YouTube. But the forward-thinking folks at Amazin Avenue, a Mets blog, took the trouble to transcribe the interview, in which Timberlake openly mocks Joe Buck for calling a great game, and in general for being a great announcer whom everyone loves. It was quite sublime, and perhaps the highlight of the entire broadcast, not least because Timberlake says his favorite ballpark food is beer.

“It goes with the hot dog, it goes with nachos, it goes with peanuts. Beer’s perfect. Beer never got mad at me because I didn’t call beer back.”

Here’s the transcript:

Joe Buck: We go down for a visit with a special guest, here’s Mark Grace.

Mark Grace: I’m down here in the pool area, with the star of the upcoming comedy, Friends With Benefits. Welcome Justin Timberlake, how ya doin’ brother?

Justin Timberlake: Joe Buck, you’re calling a great game, Joe!

Joe Buck: Thanks, Justin.

Justin Timberlake: Just a classy guy-

Joe Buck: Thanks.

Justin Timberlake: -with a classy voice.

Read more

Four dozen Rawlings baseballs have been rubbed with dirt and numbered sequentially, ready to enter the game when Derek Jeter comes to the plate resting on 2999 hits. The balls, one of which will be hit for the milestone 3000th of the Yankee captain’s career, also carry a hidden marking to establish authenticity. Inexplicably the balls have not been sprayed with Driven, Jeter’s perfume.

Once Derek Jeter reaches 2,999 career hits, the marked ball will be deployed during his at-bats, one at a time, and each ball’s outcome is tracked by an Authentication staffer. The home-plate umpire and a bat boy will have the process down pat for each game. Start with four or six balls — usually four, but depending on the ump — and then go through them meticulously until Jeter strokes his 3,000th hit.

How do you decide on four dozen balls?

“It’s as needed,” said Howie Shelton, program manager for MLB Authentication, and the person who actually marked the balls. “If he takes a while, he gets maybe 12 balls into it, we’d have to mark up some more. Derek’s a contact hitter. He could foul off five, six or seven pitches, and we have to be ready.”

After 2,999, any balls are removed from play under normal circumstances — tossed out after a pitch in the dirt, or perhaps Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira comes off the field after a 4-3 putout and flips the ball into the crowd behind the Yankees’ dugout. In that case, let’s say it’s ball No. 20 after hit 2,999. The MLB Authenticator simply marks: “20 — Teixeira throws into crowd.”

Amani Toomer, Antonio Freeman and Drew Henson are among 16 former NFL players scheduled to participate in NFL Broadcast Boot Camp later this month in Mount Laurel, N.J., where broadcast veterans on both sides of the camera will provide instruction to ex-players who want to make the transition to the broadcast booth.

The program runs from June 20-23 and includes hands-on work in areas such as tape study, editing, show preparation, radio production, control room operation, studio preparation, production meetings, field reporting and game preparation. Each player will tape segments as a studio and game analyst and take part in a networking session with television executives. Each player also will serve as a live radio host on SiriusXM NFL Radio.

“We continue to look for ways to help players develop skills to enhance their post-NFL careers. Many of last year’s participants used this program as a career springboard, with some participants returning as instructors in subsequent years,” said NFL Senior Vice President of Labor Policy and Player Engagement Adolpho Birch.

Of the 90 players who took part in the Broadcast Boot Camp from 2007-2010, 36 have already earned broadcasting jobs as a result of their participation in the program.

“Broadcast Boot Camp is an excellent opportunity for former NFL players who are ready to take an important step towards the next chapter of their lives and prepare for a successful career off the field,” said Troy Vincent, NFL Vice President of Player Engagement. “The program provides participants with a comprehensive look at all aspects of the sports broadcasting industry and allows them to develop invaluable professional skills and relationships that can carry them through their post-NFL experience.”

The Rockies broadcasting team noticed one vociferous Flyers fan cheering during the team’s game against the Phillies, so they decided to interview him. Shockingly (or not) this fan turns out to be drunk and not particularly concerned about swearing on live television. From what we can gather, this fan is discussing how his buddy is a New York Rangers whom he knows on Xbox, and this buddy plans to come down to Philly for the Winter Classic between the Flyers and Rangers on New Year’s Day 2012. That matchup hasn’t been set in stone.

Viewership of Major League Baseball games on ESPN is up seven percent through the first 22 games of the season, and up more 23 percent in the male 18-34 demographic. Meanwhile ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball is averaging 2,886,000 viewers through seven telecasts, an increase of 15 percent compared to the same span last season, according to Nielsen. Sunday Night Baseball has also experienced significant increases across all core male demos, up 32 percent among men 18-34, 24 percent among men 18-49 and 17 percent among men 25-54.

(Source: ESPN Mediazone)

CBS will not be picking “Home Game,” a comedy based on the life of ESPN football commentator Mark Schlereth, Schlereth reports on Twitter. The news comes one day after ESPN personality Colin Cowherd announced that CBS would be passing on the comedy based on his life.

(H/T to Awful Announcing)

Hello internet, Mediabistro is launching a brand-new, weekly web series called “5 Things You Need to Know This Week.”

As you may have guessed, the new show will give a quick rundown of the top 5 things that everyone’s going to be talking about, while also providing some semi-relevant information about each one. And we may even throw in a few laughs for good measure.

Check out this week’s “pilot episode” (below) and make sure to keep an eye out every Tuesday at 1 p.m. ET for new episodes. Thanks for watching!