ESPN will add at least 200 jobs in the state of Connecticut over the next five years in exchange for tax breaks, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced Tuesday.

It’s all part of the “First Five” program, that is encouraging five businesses to create 1,000 new jobs in the state. ESPN is the third company that has signed up for the program. Read more

If you’re like me, you need to be given a damn good reason to take an interest in NASCAR. Well, how about one million reasons? For the second year in a row, DirecTV is running its NASCAR Head2Head Knockout fantasy racing game on ESPN.com, which pits 32 drivers against each other in a four-week contest to determine which one is still standing when the checkered flag drops. And if your bracket is perfect, it could be worth $1 million. If it’s not perfect — but simply better than everyone else’s — you’ll win a $45,000 truck.

Starting at Pocono and continuing through the three races at Watkins Glen, Michigan and Bristol, you’ll have a chance to pick a winner in 29 driver matchups. In week one, each correct answer in the 16 matchups will be worth 20 points with the eight potential wins in week 2 worth 40 points apiece. Then, the wins in week three will add 80 points per to your total. In the final week, you’ll rank your final four drivers according to order of finish, and if your top one comes out ahead, you’ll get 160 points. That means over the four weeks, the maximum number of points you could receive is 1,120.

If you collected that many points there’s a very good chance you’d be the champion with the first prize a full size truck valued at $45,000 from on the manufacturer of the winning driver of race four.

You could also be in line for the Perfect Bracket Prize, which would be worth up to $1 million. To be “perfect” you would not only need to nail a perfect score, but also predict the correct finishing position order for each of those final four drivers in the race at Bristol.

Good news for all you steroid users who were outted in the Mitchell report and elsewhere: Instead of waiting five years for the sanctimonious members of the Baseball Writers Association of America to deny you entry into Cooperstown, you may only have to wait three years for the bad news. Meanwhile, players who didn’t use performance-enhancing drugs will receive their good news earlier.

Kevin Kernan of The New York Post says the Hall is considering the change, though nothing is imminent.

One reason Hall officials would want to shorten the waiting period is to make it a more “immediate” event. There is a lot to be said for that because, why should sure-fire, first-ballot Hall of Famers have to wait five years?

We’re much more of a quick-response world, and a three-year waiting period would fit the bill. This five-year waiting period was first enacted in the 1950s. Times have changed.

If only this rule were already in effect. The 2013 class — Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa — would already know for certain that the BBWAA has no intention of ever electing them.

(H/T to Hardball Talk)

The Walt Disney Resort in Orlando will no longer serve as the home for “ESPN The Weekeend.”

Walt Disney World sports media director Darrell Fry made the announcement on the Disney Parks blog:

“In order to focus our efforts on ESPN’s growing year-round presence at Walt Disney World Resort, we have decided to no longer host ESPN The Weekend.

As you may know, the event was first created in 2004 in support of ESPN’s 25th anniversary and, along with ESPN Club, served as ESPN’s first significant presence here. While the event has continued for seven more successful years, our relationship with ESPN has evolved significantly and positively. This has resulted in new branding for the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, new opportunities for millions of athletes, coaches and fans, and hundreds of hours of ESPN programming, making our guests part of the show. In addition, the sports complex has become home to the ESPN Innovation Lab, which is the official development hub for ESPN’s 3D network.

Moving forward, our focus will be on creating events like the new ESPN RISE Girls Showcase and the ESPN RISE Games, which provide a stage for tens of thousands of athletes from around the country, and providing opportunities for guests to be part of events they’ve only before watched on television, such as the Home Depot College Football Awards and the Old Spice Classic.”

 

Legendary sportscaster Keith Jackson, who retired following the 2006 Rose Bowl between USC and Texas, is less than enthusiastic about his association with “Whoa, Nellie!,” the catchphrase many college football fans associate with Jackson — but which Jackson says he rarely used.

Speaking to Jim Weber of LostLettermen, Jackson, 82, said he’s mystified that the phrase has become synonymous with him.

“I never did use it that much, just a couple times when Grease (Bob Griese) and I were (broadcasting) together,” Jackson said this week from his home in Sherman Oaks, Calif. “Bob Griese used it more than I did. I don’t know how that thing got hung on me. The media likes to hang things on you and that was my bad luck, I guess.”

Does he even like the phrase?

“Eh,” Jackson replied. “I haven’t used it – I never did use it much – and I haven’t used it in a long time. It’s amazing how it’s hung on.”

Frankly when I think of Jackson, the phrase that comes to mind is “Touchdown, Alabama, roll tide.” I might have only heard it once, but it has stuck with me, thanks largely to Jackson’s unmistakable inflection.

Paul Solotaroff, who wrote the James Harrison profile for Men’s Journal, told the Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker he should make up with teammate Ben Roethlisberger, according to ProFootballTalk.

“We talked about 11 o’clock yesterday morning,” Solotaroff told ESPN radio. “Look, James is the guy who’s got to live with Ben for the next three years…. So as I told James, ‘Listen, whatever you’ve got to say to mend fences is perfectly fine with me.’”

Several hours later, Harrison backtracked on some of his comments from the article that hits newsstands Friday.

Harrison told ESPN NFL analyst Merril Hoge that he spoke to Big Ben and explained that Solotaroff twisted his words.

Nothing like giving your OK to get tossed under the bus by James Harrison.