The Today show team returned to Rockefeller Plaza this morning by red double-decker bus, a nod to the last three weeks spent in London covering the Summer games.

“You notice they did a little remodeling while we were gone,” said Matt Lauer. “Take a look at this. A brand-new look to Studio 1A in Rockefeller Plaza with this monstrous LED screen we’ll have fun with over the next days and weeks.”

By the time they got to the stage, a momentary, but loud, audio glitch stopped them in their tracks, just as Guthrie was going to talk about last night’s Closing Ceremony.

“Today” is trying to keep the momentum — and the winning — earned in London by bringing on several medal-winning Americans as contributors, including gymnasts Jordyn Wieber, Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman and Kyla Ross; gold medal diver David Boudia; soccer star Hope Solo; track and field sprinter Allyson Felix; and swimmers Cullen Jones and Katie Ledecky.

The show is concerts each day this week and debuts a new series, “TODAY in History” where Lauer, Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker and Natalie Morales each recreate an iconic photograph. The series kicked off today with the anchors reenacting the the Beatles crossing Abbey Road.

We’ll get final ratings for last week, which “Today” will win, on Thursday. The question is, will they be able to maintain the #1 spot, which “Good Morning America” held for five straight weeks before “Today” went to London? Expect both shows to pull out all the stops in the coming weeks leading up to the political conventions and the general election.

The Olympics are almost here, and the U.S. Women’s National Team is considered a strong medal contender in this year’s games in London. Goalie Hope Solo, who recently tested positive for a banned substance, but will still be participating in the Olympics, tells ESPN The Magazine about the craziness that goes on at the Games as an athlete.

Among the revelations (as noted by Yahoo! Sports), the entire team was trashed during the post-victory interview they did with Meredith Vieira on NBC’s “Today.”

“When we were done partying, we got out of our nice dresses, got back into our stadium coats and, at 7 a.m. with no sleep, went on the Today show drunk,” Solos said. “Needless to say, we looked like hell.”

Judge for yourself:

(h/t @KillaKam)

Detroit Lions reporter Tom Kowalski died suddenly Monday morning, according to his fiancee, Diane Wolan.

The 51-year-old Kowalski covered the Lions for Booth Newspapers and MLive.com. He was found unresponsive at his home and was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Kowalski started for Booth Newspapers in 1997 after covering the Lions for the Oakland Press. His last story for MLive.com was posted online Monday morning.

“My heart broke this morning when I heard the news. I love Tom Kowalski,” said Bill Emkow, executive editor at MLive.com. “He was my friend. I trusted him, and I know he trusted me. He is the first reporter that bought into what we were doing with MLive.com. I needed someone to buy into what we were doing online, and he was the huge star for Booth. I don’t know why he listened to me, but he helped make MLive what you know it as today.”

NBC Sports Group has signed a three-year deal with Major League Soccer (MLS) that will see 45 MLS games and four U.S. men’s games broadcast per season on NBC and the newly branded NBC Sports Network, which will officially change its name from Versus in January 2012. The new partnership begins in 2012.

“Everyone at the NBC Sports Group is thrilled to begin this partnership with Major League Soccer,” said Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBC Sports Group. “MLS is a perfect fit for our new group, and we are uniquely positioned to help grow soccer in the United States with extensive coverage on NBC Sports Network, significant programming on the broadcast network and our growing digital platforms. Additionally, this agreement complements the partnerships that five of our regional sports networks have with their local MLS teams.”

Each season NBC will broadcast two regular-season MLS games, two playoff games and two appearances by the U.S. men’s team. The NBC Sports Network will televise 38 regular-season games, three playoff games and two U.S. men’s team matches.

“Our new partnership with the NBC Sports Group is a significant step forward for Major League Soccer and U.S. Soccer,” said MLS Commissioner and Soccer United Marketing CEO Don Garber. “The NBC Sports Group is world-renowned for its award-winning coverage, superb broadcast quality and promotional expertise. We are excited to be part of NBC’s ambitious plans for soccer, and look forward to reaching a considerable audience on multiple platforms.”

Classy move by the Seattle Seahawks organization to take out a full-page ad in the Seattle Times to say goodbye to quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who signed with the Tennessee Titans last week.

[H/T The Big Lead]

You know college football is right around the corner when ESPN announces their broadcast teams for the 2011 season.

Below are the pairings for the upcoming college football season:

ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN 3D and ESPN Regional Television Game Pairings Read more

The women’s World Cup final on ESPN between the United States and Japan garnered an 8.6 overnight rating, surpassing the men’s first-round World Cup matchup between the United States and England, which drew a 7.3 on ABC. The top five markets for ESPN’s Sunday afternoon broadcast of the final in Germany were Baltimore (12.3), San Diego (11.8), West Palm Beach (11.7), Washington D.C., and Norfolk, Virginia.

The 1999 women’s World Cup final, won by the United States, drew a 13.3 overnight rating, but that game was played in the United States, no doubt contributing to higher numbers.