Ah, the electronic magic of sports television.
I wouldn’t even hazard a guess how long it would take to drive or fly eight times between Boise, Idaho, and Dayton, Ohio.
I do know that on Friday night, CBS spent about five seconds per trip as it moved back and forth between the two cities while capturing the drama of Wisconsin’s final-seconds overtime win over Florida State (Boise) and Siena’s double-overtime victory over Ohio State (Dayton).
CBS, which perfected this electronic hopscotching sports formula several years ago, used it to great advantage throughout the first four days of the NCAA Tournament.
While some local fans might object to the choice of lead games presented on KCNC-Channel 4, the network tries to cater to regions. Thus, we got numerous contests featuring Big 12 teams.
Keep in mind that while the NCAA picks the teams and sets up the brackets, CBS is in charge of the broadcast schedule.
But when close games were featured, as happened late Sunday afternoon, CBS quickly moved around the country.
And its instant-replay system helped officials out of several controversial situations.
Actually, there were few negative nits to pick about the four-day coverage.
The major announcing spotlight was on the No. 1 team of Jim Nantz and new partner Clark Kellogg, who replaced Billy Packer.
Kellogg, moving from studio work, is more “fan friendly” than was Packer, whose analysis often seemed brittle — a quality both admired and disliked by college hoop fans.
Ratings roulette.
CBS’s overall coverage Thursday and Friday was up about 10 percent in audience figures over 2008.
And Friday night’s programming, highlighted by the electronic hopscotch routine, allowed the network to lead all competitors in prime-time ratings.
Louisville currently has “double dribble” honors.
The team, moving on to the Sweet 16, has defended its No. 1 seed, while Louisville- area couch potatoes have produced the nation’s highest percentage of NCAA Tournament viewers during the last five years, according to A.C. Nielsen research.
Rounding out the top-five TV markets: Raleigh-Durham, N.C. (the North Carolina-Duke factor); Memphis, Tenn.; Cincinnati; and Columbus, Ohio.
An English lesson.
Reader Steve Costello takes issue with last week’s column, when I referred to Madison Square Garden as “the Gahden.”
Raised in New York and later a college student in Boston, Costello claims “the Gahden” was how many referred to the old Boston Garden.
He ended his English lesson by noting that MSG may be “the Gawdin” in Brooklynese.
Who said sports fans weren’t students of the language?
Short shots.
The MLB Network, programmed on DirecTV and Comcast’s digital sports lineup, could have its largest audience in its 10-week history on April 16 while covering opening day at the new Yankee Stadium. New York plays Cleveland with Bob Costas in a baseball booth for the first time since he called Game 6 of the American League Championship Series in 2006. . . . Games in the women’s NCAA Tournament, annually overshadowed by men’s play, can be found this week on ESPN and ESPN2. . . . Channel 4’s Vic Lombardi provided an excellent feature Saturday night on the National Wheelchair Basketball Association tournament in Lakewood. . . . Is there a national TV or radio sports personality who hasn’t commented at length on the Jay Cutler vs. the Broncos story?
Longtime Denver journalist Dusty Saunders writes about sports media each Monday in The Denver Post. Reach him at tvtime@comcast.net.
Something different
Can Seahawks cornerback Marcus Trufant, considered one of the fastest defensive backs in the NFL, run faster backward than a Corvette can drive in reverse?
A silly question?
Not really. It’s one of the sports head-scratchers to be probed this season during the 13-week season of “Sports Science” that premiered its second season Sunday night on Fox Sports Net.
The Emmy-winning series (9 p.m.) features the world’s best athletes involved in a series of scientific tests designed to question everything fans think they know about sports.
Originating from a huge airplane hangar outside Los Angeles, the “laboratory” is a technological marvel, consisting of a basketball court, a 50-yard football field, a baseball testing area and a huge cardio gym.
