It turns out ABC wasn’t the only Disney network to secure an interview with President Obama yesterday. Bill Simmons from ABC’s sister channel ESPN also sat down with the President, where the topics of conversation focused more on Jeremy Lin and championships than war and tornadoes.

Obama says that he had a mild case of “Linsanity” well before any New York Knicks fan had heard of the concept:

Obama also shared that he watches ESPN’s “SportsCenter” almost nightly, but that he is not exactly an avid viewer of some other cable channels most associated with politics:

Read more

Tuesday nights in January and February will feature great SEC hoops matchups on ESPN. The Worldwide Leader has released its 2012 schedule, and every game includes at least one team ranked in its preseason Top 25, with three games featuring two ranked teams. No. 12 Florida will be featured four times, No. 2 Kentucky three times, and No. 7 Vanderbilt, unranked Georgia and unranked Arkansas twice apiece.

Ernie Johnson Sr., 87, the long-time voice of TBS’ Atlanta Braves coverage and a member of the Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame, passed away last night following a long illness. He is the father of Ernie Johnson Jr., who will be replaced by Verne Lundquist on TNT’s coverage of the remainder of the 2011 PGA Championship.

Johnson Sr., a former Braves player, was broadcaster for the team from 1966 to 1999.

“The Turner Sports family is saddened by the loss of Ernie Johnson Sr. He was an iconic voice who helped create a national fan base for TBS’ baseball coverage of the Atlanta Braves. Our deepest sympathies to his wife Lois, his children Ernie Jr, Chris and Dawn, and his grandchildren,” said David Levy, president of sales, distribution and sports for Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.

Johnson’s passing coincided with celebrated happenings for the Braves on Friday Night. Former manager Bobby Cox was inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame and his No. 6 jersey was retired before the Braves beat the Cubs, 10-4. During that game, Dan Uggla set an Atlanta record by extending his hitting streak to 32 games.

“It’s a sad day, and it was probably one of the most celebrated days,” Braves third baseman Chipper Jones told MLB.com. “When you think about listening to the Braves on radio and TV, E.J. was the guy. He always had a kind word to say and always had a smile on his face. He was always a very uplifting kind of personality.”

New York Knicks star Amar’e Stoudemire has signed a book deal with Scholastic to publish a book series for middle-grade readers. STAT: Standing Tall and Talented will launch in August 2012 and be based on the life of Stoudemire, the six-time All-Star whose nickname is Stat.

“Amar’e Stoudemire is a NBA megastar and a New York hero. He is passionate about reading and education and we are proud to partner with him to publish a new chapter book series that will inspire more kids to embrace reading through Amar’e's story,” said Debra Dorfman, a vice president at Scholastic.

According to Scholastic, the first book in the series, STAT #1: Home Court, will introduce an eleven-year-old Amar’e Stoudemire. He plays sports with his friends, takes his school work seriously, and helps out with his dad’s landscaping company. He also loves skateboarding in the park. But when some older boys start bullying his friends, Amar’e has to step in and use his athletic ability and intelligence to save the day.

“I am excited to create my book series with Scholastic,” Stoudemire said. “They are the best in the business so I trust them with my stories. I decided to write for children because although I am an avid reader now, I wish I had read more as a child. I hope that together with Scholastic, we can creatively inspire a new generation to read.”

ESPN 3D will carry 20 regular-season games during the 2011 college football season, double the amount from 2010.

The network’s 3D coverage kicks off Labor Day weekend when ESPN 3D will broadcast UNLV vs. Wisconsin (Sept. 1 at 8 p.m. ET) and Miami vs. Maryland (Sept. 5, 8 p.m. ET).

The Dr Pepper ACC Championship game will cap off ESPN 3D’s regular-season coverage. For the second straight year, ESPN 3D will broadcast the Allstate BCS National Championship Game, along with five additional bowl games as well.

The complete 2011-2012 ESPN 3D schedule is below: Read more

There’s nothing like competitive eating controversy.

On Monday, Kobayashi demolished 69 hot dogs at a remote location, while Joey Chestnut won his fifth straight Nathan’s International Hot Dog Eating Contest with 62.

Or so we thought.

A new video has surfaced that shows Kobayashi actually ate 65 hot dogs – not 69. Still three more than Chestnut demolished on the 4th of July, but three less than the world record set by the American in 2009.

NBC apologized Sunday for removing the words “Under God” from a reading of the Pledge of Allegiance during an intro video prior to the U.S. Open Golf Championship Sunday.

The network skipped over the phase twice and issued the following apology on air:

“We began our coverage of this final round just about three hours ago. When we did, it was our intent to begin our coverage of this US Open championship with a feature that captured the patriotism of our national championship, held in our nation’s capital for the third time. Regrettably, a portion of the Pledge of Allegiance that was in that feature was edited out. It was not done to upset anyone, and we’d like to apologize to those of you who were offended by it.”

A Cleveland radio host is naming her son after NBA Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki.

Q104 host Cherise Navidad is still upset (shocking) about LeBron James and “The Decision,” and tweeted she would name her soon-to-be-born second child after Nowitzki if the Dallas Mavericks won the NBA Finals.

“[I'll tell him] exactly that this is how silly your mom is,” Navidad told the New York Daily News. “This is what we did, and Twitter is a binding contract.”

Luckily, Navidad’s husband gets to name the second baby (she named the first one) – - so Dirk could end up as the son’s middle name.

But even still, this is another sign that the city of Cleveland needs to get over the fact that their “King” has departed for good.

Former University of Maryland standout Jordan Williams might have inadvertently thrown Maryland alum and ESPN personality Scott Van Pelt under the Terrapin school bus on Tuesday, telling The Washington Post following a pre-draft workout for the Wizards that Van Pelt was “a big factor in helping me make my decision” to go pro.

Maryland fans would undoubtedly love to hear more.

“Just giving me feedback, what he thought about it. Just trying to make me make the right decision. He did a great job, and I give him a lot of credit for going out of his way. He’s a really busy guy, so for him to go out of his way to do that is unbelievable.”

Williams, who left the Maryland program after two years, told the paper he met Van Pelt during his freshman year when the SportsCenter anchor and ESPN Radio host spoke to the team at a practice prior to a game versus Duke.

“A great guy; a wonderful person,” Williams said. “Always trying to reach his hand out and help, even when he doesn’t have to. He’s always using his knowledge and using who he knows to help me out.”

It may indeed have been nice for Van Pelt to share some worldly wisdom and perhaps give Williams some feedback, but included in that sagacity should probably have been the words, “Now if anyone asks if we spoke, please don’t throw me under the wheels of a large, speeding vehicle.”

ESPN told the WaPo that they or Van Pelt would have a response later in the day.

Barry Zito and other members of the San Francisco Giants recorded a video in support of Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender (LGBT) youth, expressing sympathy for those who feel like outcasts for their sexual orientation and exhorting them to hang in there because “it does get better.”

The Giants are the first major pro franchise to record such a video for the It Gets Better Project, which aims to curb suicides among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth.