TV Guide Sports Report

The Olympics are a month away and a new media darling has emerged. Dara Torres, a 41-year-old mom from Parkland, Florida, won two events at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for swimming in Omaha and immediately vaulted into the spotlight. NBC’s Trials ratings climbed over the weekend, thanks in large part to Torres (and, of course, Michael Phelps), with 3.60 million tuning in on July 4; 4.02 million on July 5; and 5.19 million on the 6th. She was ubiquitous on Monday, featured in segments on Today, Good Morning America, ABC World News and NBC Nightly News. Tuesday night she'll sit down with Jay Leno on The Tonight Show (July 8, 11:35 pm/ET). Expect NBC to quickly add her into their promo rotation for the Beijing Games.

Torres, who came out of retirement two years ago, qualified for her fifth Olympic team and will be the oldest swimmer ever to represent the United States at the Games. She won the 50- and 100-meter freestyle events at the Trials, setting an American record at the shorter distance (24.25 seconds). She has opted not to contest the 100 in Beijing, but will likely swim on relays. Between 1984 and 2000 she won four golds, a silver and four bronzes. NBC swimming analyst Rowdy Gaines said that if she can improve her start, “she’s gonna be in the hunt for the gold” in Beijing.

Here's her interview on the Today show:

Two major NFL-related TV announcements came down Monday. Ex-ESPN anchor Dan Patrick is joining NBC's Football Night in America pregame studio show as co-host. He will reteam with his former SportsCenter deskmate Keith Olbermann. "I'm delighted to be reunited with my tag team partner," Olbermann said, and in an homage to a favorite SportsCenter catchphrase, "I can't stop Dan Patrick from working with me again, I can only hope to contain him."

Patrick left ESPN last summer after 18 years with the company. He continues to host his eponymous radio show and write a column for Sports Illustrated.

Meanwhile, over at Inside the NFL, which is moving to Showtime from HBO, James Brown, Phil Simms and Cris Collinsworth were named cohosts. Brown and Simms will continue their work for CBS (which owns Showtime), as host of The NFL Today and lead game analyst, respectively. Collinsworth is a holdover from the HBO incarnation, and will remain on the Football Night in America panel and as analyst for the NFL Network's Thursday Night Football. (On FNA, Collinsworth, Olbermann and Patrick all share the title "co-host," while Bob Costas is the "host.")

Related:
• Showtime Scoops Up Inside the NFL
• HBO Drops Inside the NFL

Rafael Nadal's epic five-set victory over Roger Federer in Sunday's Wimbledon men's singles final was a big winner for NBC. The four-hour, 48-minute match scored a 4.6 overnight rating, the highest since 2000. Rain delays dragged the match on into darkness, with Nadal finally pulling out the win, 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7 at 9:15 pm local time in London (4:15 pm/ET). Said NBC's John McEnroe, "This has got to be the greatest match we've ever seen. Ever."

Federer, who called this, "probably my hardest loss, by far," was aiming to win a fifth sixth straight Wimbledon title. Nadal, the first Spaniard to win the London event since 1966, picked up his fifth Grand Slam title and continued his recent dominance over his Swiss rival. Their career record is now 12-6, in favor of Nadal.

UPDATE: In the U.K. the match averaged 7.4 million viewers during BBC1's eight-hour telecast, with a peak of 12.7 million as the match drew to a close.

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Edited by Rich Sands at 07/08/2008 6:43 PM

Venus and Serena Williams facing off in a Grand Slam final is usually a ratings ace and Saturday's Wimbledon title match was no exception. Venus' 7-5, 6-4 win over her younger sister pulled a 3.4 overnight rating for NBC's broadcast, which began at 9 am/ET. That's a 21 percent rise from last year and the best overnight number since 2005.

With the win Venus earned her fifth Wimbledon title and evened her professional record against Serena at 8-8. (Serena still holds the advantage in Grand Slam finals, 5-2.)

U.S. Olympic Team Trials in swimming and track and field wind up this weekend. Swimmers Michael Phelps and Katie Hoff have qualified for Beijing in three and four individual events, respectively, so far, and will attempt to continue their respective unbeaten streaks in Omaha. In Eugene, Oregon, at the track trials, Tyson Gay is aiming to make the team in the 200-meter dash following his dominating win in the 100 last weekend. After setting an American record (9.77) in Saturday's quarterfinals he exploded with a wind-aided 9.68 in Sunday's final, the fastest time ever. (The excessive trailing wind makes the mark unacceptable for official world record purposes.) Qualifying heats in the 200 are Friday, with quarterfinals and semifinals Saturday and the final on Sunday. The TV schedule for both swimming and track can be found here.

Venus Williams will play either her sister Serena or China's wild-card sensation, Zheng Jie in Saturday's women's singles final at Wimbledon (July 5, 9 am/ET, NBC). Venus defeated Russian Elena Dementieva in Thursday's first semifinal and is aiming for her fifth Wimbledon title. Saturday's coverage will also include the men's and women's doubles finals. The men's singles final is Sunday (July 6, 9 am/ET, NBC)…

The Tour de France begins Saturday with Stage 1, a 197.5-kilometer route from Brest to Plumelec (July 5, 8:30 am/ET, Versus). In light of the myriad doping issues that have tarnished the race in recent years, Versus has launched a "Take Back the Tour" campaign to try to restore faith. The network has its usual exhaustive (and excellent) race coverage, which runs through July 27. For the full TV schedule, click here…

Major League Baseball's All-Stars will be revealed Sunday on TBS (July 6, 2 pm/ET), followed by a Cubs at Cardinals game at 3 pm/ET. The All-Star Game is July 15 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx (8 pm/ET, Fox)…

Following the disappointing (some might say embarrassing) bronze-medal performance at the Athens Olympics, the U.S. men's basketball team knew it had to make some changes. The biggest was hiring Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski to reinvent the program.

A new docu-series beginning Wednesday night, Road To Redemption, chronicles the squad's journey back to Dream Team status (July 2, 7 pm/ET, ESPN). Expect plenty of product placement for a certain shoe company, but there's also great behind the scenes footage, including Coach K's initial 2006 address to the team. "We’re the guys who are gonna show people how to play, on any surface, in any court, in any location, it is our game," he said to a group that included NBA stars LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Jason Kidd, the sole holdover from the last gold-medal-winning team (2000).

The initial outing, the 2006 world championships, produced another bronze medal. But by the time the team swept through the FIBA Americas Championship last summer, an Olympic gold medal seemed likely. The U.S. has won gold 12 times (in 15 tries), falling short only in Munich (1972), Seoul (1988) and Athens (2004).

Future episodes of Road to Redemption air July 21 and 31 and Aug. 5. The team opens up play at the Beijing Games on Aug. 10 against China.

The women’s 3000-meter steeplechase will have its Olympic debut in Beijing this August. Tonight in Eugene, Oregon, the best Americans will begin their quest to earn a spot on the team at the U.S. Olympic Trials for track and field (June 30, 11:05 pm/ET, USA). The race, which is just under two miles, features 28 barrier-like hurdles (2-feet, 6 inches high), plus seven additional barriers over a precarious water jump.

The leading contenders include the University of Colorado’s Jenny Barringer, who recently won the NCAA championship in the event and is the defending U.S. champion; Anna Willard, runner-up at the ’07 nationals; and Lisa Galaviz, who set the current American record in the event last year, 9 minutes, 28.75 seconds.

Another athlete to watch is Delilah DiCrescenzo, best known as the inspiration for the Plain White T’s hit song, “Hey There Delilah.” The band’s guitar player, Tom Higgenson, met DiCrescenzo in 2002 and was so enchanted he wrote the song in her honor. No relationship ever developed, but DiCrescenzo has been a good sport about the attention. "I'm just happy that it's had so much success and I don't mind playing along with it," she said on the Today show earlier this year. She even accompanied Higgenson to February's Grammy Awards, where “Delilah” was nominated for song of the year. (It lost to Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab.”)

The Columbia University grad has made big improvements on the track this year, lowering her personal best to 9:41.68, which ranks her sixth among the entrants at the trials. Qualifiers from tonight’s semifinals advance to the Thursday’s final (July 3, 11 pm/ET, USA), where the top three will make the team for Beijing.

UPDATE: DiCrescenzo finished fifth in her semifinal (9:56.44) and advanced to the finals.

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Edited by Rich Sands at 07/01/2008 12:57 AM

Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts will receive the 2008 WNBA Inspiration Award next month, the league announced Monday. Roberts, 47, who is currently undergoing treatment from breast cancer, will be honored July 30 in San Francisco. Since 2006 the award has been given to "an individual who inspires others through her commitment and dedication to work, family and community."

“Through her extraordinary leadership in the news industry as GMA’s co-anchor, to her humanitarian efforts in helping Hurricane Katrina victims to her courageous public battle with breast cancer, her integrity and passion continues to inspire millions of young girls," WNBA commissioner Donna Orender said in a statement.

Prior to landing the full-time gig at GMA in 2005, Roberts was a longtime ESPN contributor, anchoring SportsCenter and covering, among other things, the NFL, NCAA basketball and, of course, the WNBA. Her connection to the game goes back to her playing days, including at her alma mater, Southeastern Louisiana University.

Due to the WNBA's monthlong season break for the Olympics, the league is skipping its All-Star game this year. Instead, they will host a series of send-off events for the Olympic team (which is made up of WNBA players) in the Bay Area the week of July 28.

Previous winners of the Inspiration Award are Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (2007) and the WNBA All-Decade Team (2006).

Selection for teams in two of America’s best Olympic sports gets underway this weekend. The U.S. Olympic Team Trials in track and field begin Friday in Eugene, Oregon, with the top three finishers in each event qualifying for the squad. Swimming starts Sunday in Omaha, Nebraska. The top two in each event are bound for Beijing.

Track gets underway Friday. The only final is the women’s 10,000-meter run, which should be a match race between Shalane Flanagan, who set an American record in May, and Kara Goucher, the bronze medalist at the 2007 world championships. The first two rounds of the women’s 100-meter dash are Friday, with the semifinals and finals on Saturday. The field is extremely competitive, including Torri Edwards and Lauryn Williams, the 2003 and 2005 world champions, respectively; Allyson Felix, two-time world champion in the 200; Angela Williams, the world indoor champion at 60 meters; and up-and-comers Marshevet Hooker and Muna Lee, who have showed great form this season.

In swimming, Michael Phelps will be the star of the show. He’s entered in nine events, which should set him up for a run at matching or surpassing Mark Spitz’ record of seven Olympic gold medals, set back in 1972. (Phelps won six golds and two bronzes four years ago at the Athens Games.) His first two events, the 400-meter individual medley and 400 freestyle, are Sunday.

UPDATE: Phelps has decided not to swim the 400 free, bringing his schedule down to eight events. He could scratch from others, but with relay events should have ample chance to go after Spitz' record in Beijing.

The TV schedule for track is:
Friday, June 27, midnight/ET, USA
Saturday, June 28, 8 pm/ET, NBC
Sunday, June 29, 7 pm/ET, NBC
Monday, June 30, 11 pm/ET, USA
Thursday, July 3, 11 pm/ET, USA
Friday, July 4, 11 pm/ET, USA
Saturday, July 5, 5 pm/ET, NBC
Sunday, July 6, 7 pm/ET, NBC (combined with swimming trials)

And the TV schedule for swimming is:
Sunday, June 29, 8 pm/ET, NBC
Monday, June 30, 8 pm/ET, USA
Tuesday, July 1, 8 pm/ET, USA
Wednesday, July 2, 8 pm/ET, USA
Thursday, July 3, 8 pm/ET, USA
Friday, July 4, 8 pm/ET, NBC
Saturday, July 5, 8 pm/ET, NBC
Sunday, July 6, 7 pm/ET, NBC (combined with track & field trials)

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Edited by Rich Sands at 06/29/2008 1:40 AM

The Arena Football League wild-card playoffs begin Friday with a match-up that sends the New York Dragons to the Dallas Desperados (June 27, 7:30 pm/ET, ESPN). On Saturday the Colorado Crush visit the Utah Blaze (June 28, 4 pm/ET, ESPN)…

In another kind of football (that would be soccer), Germany and Spain play Sunday for the Euro 2008 title in Vienna (June 29, 2:30 pm/ET, ABC)…

The LPGA's 63rd U.S. Women's Open began Thursday in Edina, Minn., at Interlachen Country Club, a course NBC analyst Dottie Pepper says, "is so long, so difficult, that it's going to take a smart player, one who plods their way along, to win this thing." The second round is Friday on ESPN (June 27, 3 pm/ET), then NBC takes over for the third and fourth rounds (June 28-29, 3 pm/ET)…

Baseball has a big interleague, intra-city slate, with the Yankees visiting Shea Stadium to play the Mets, and the White Sox at Wrigley Field for a series with the Cubs. Fox will split the Saturday games across markets (June 28, 3:30 pm/ET — click here to see if your market has the New York game, or here for Chicago). Sunday's Yankees/Mets game will be on TBS (June 29, 1 pm/ET).

Former New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan has signed on to join Fox Sports' Sunday NFL pre-game show. The outspoken Strahan, 36, retired earlier this month following a 15-year career with the Giants, culminating with a Super Bowl title in February. He received offers from several networks but ultimately chose Fox because of his past relationship with the network (Fox covers the NFC, which features the Giants) and because the show, based in Los Angeles, is located near his beach house in nearby Hermosa Beach, Calif.

"Likeability is an important factor and Michael is more than liked by a lot of people around the country," says Fox Sports president Ed Goren. "He's loved by a lot of football fans. He's the perfect fit for our show."

Strahan says getting ready for TV will be an easy transition. "It's a lot like preparing for a football game,” he says. “I'll still have to put in film study, read a lot and know the players and teams and what's going on around the league."

On the prospect of having to criticize former teammates and coaches and other players, Strahan cast aside any worries. "Half the people [in the NFL] don't like me anyway, so it really doesn't matter," he says. "Besides, all the things you say about a team [on TV] aren't always bad."

Strahan joins Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, Jimmy Johnson and host Curt Menefee on Fox NFL Sunday, which makes its season premiere on Sept 7. —J.R. Whalen

• SportsCenter anchor John Anderson expands his resume as the host of the latest entry into the summer reality sweepstakes, Wipeout (Tuesdays, 8 pm/ET, ABC). The obstacle-course competition puts everyday folks up against bruise-inducing events like Big Balls, Dizzy Dummy and Sucker Punch. Ex-Talk Soup and TV Guide Network host Chris Henson is Anderson's on-air partner.

• HBO's Real Sports returns with a (mostly) Olympic-themed episode (June 24, 10 pm/ET). Host Bryant Gumbel takes a typically smug (and borderline xenophobic) look at the demanding Chinese sports schools that are producing scores of potential medalists for the Beijing Games — and some tears among the students (because we Americans never push our kids too hard at sports). Additionally Andrea Kremer cheerleads for the return of softball into the Olympics. The American-dominated sport has its swan song in Beijing, booted by the IOC due to “lack of global appeal” — and three straight gold medals by the United States. The best piece of the night is a look at the Slipstream cycling team, which competes in next month's Tour de France with its own enhanced anti-doping procedures. British rider David Miller, a former drug cheat, has cleaned up his act and leads the squad.

• In Game 2 of the College World Series (June 24, 7 pm/ET, ESPN), Fresno State looks to stay alive following Monday's 7-6 loss to Georgia. If Fresno State wins, Game 3 is Wednesday (June 25, 7 pm/ET, ESPN).

Following four days of crazy quarterfinal games, the European football (aka soccer) championships are down to the final four. Germany will play upstart Turkey Wednesday in the first semifinal (June 25, 2:30 pm/ET, ESPN). Then on Thursday Russia plays Spain (June 26, 2:30 pm/ET, ESPN2). The winners face off in the Euro 2008 title game on Sunday (June 29, 2:30 pm/ET, ABC).

ABC is going soccer-crazy on Sunday, with an MLS game between the L.A. Galaxy (David Beckham alert!) and DC United prior to the European final, at noon/ET.

Bolstered by a team-record 71-day stay in first place in the National League West, the Arizona Diamondbacks slither into Fenway Park this week for three games against the world-champion Red Sox, two of which are on national TV (Monday, June 23, 7 pm/ET, ESPN; Wednesday, June 25, 7 pm/ET, ESPN2).

While second-year D’backs hurler Micah Owings is not scheduled to pitch, and the designated hitter is used for interleague play in AL parks, don’t be surprised to see Owings grab a bat at some point in the series. When the 6-foot-5 Tulane University product stands in the batter’s box, it’s easy to mistake him for a slugging everyday position player.

“We’re in a good cycle right now of pitchers with big-time swings and a good approach at the plate,” says ESPN analyst Orestes Destrade. “There are a handful of guys you can single out, but Micah’s the leader of the pack.” A .320 hitter in his first 100 big-league at-bats, Owings won a Silver Slugger award last year, becoming the first pitcher since 1963 to have two four-hit games in a season. This season, Owings helped fuel Arizona’s hot start with a 5-0 record against division foes and 10 hits in his first 24 at-bats. Unfortunately, recent struggles on the mound have coincided with a stretch of 2 hits in 22 at-bats (with 14 strikeouts) at the plate. “No doubt the guy can rake,” Destrade says, “but [the D’backs] need him to pitch first and foremost.” —Roger Leister

Wimbledon — aka the classiest two weeks in tennis — begins Monday morning with opening round play in London. ESPN2 will have weekday coverage at 7 am/ET throughout the tournament. NBC adds coverage next weekend (June 28 and 29, noon/ET) and then adds weekday broadcasts at 10 am/ET starting Monday, June 30.

Roger Federer, regrouping after being slaughtered by Rafael Nadal at the French Open two weeks ago, will be looking for his sixth straight title at the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, which would be a modern-era record. The Swiss star is, of course, the No. 1 seed. He begins play on Centre Court, against Dominik Hrbaty of Slovakia, Monday at 1 pm London time (8 am/ET).

Venus Williams is the defending women's champion, after completing an improbable run at the 2007 title as the No. 23 seed. This year she's seeded seventh, with Serbian Ana Ivanovic earning the top rank following her big win at the French Open. She begins her quest for her first Wimbledon title on Centre Court after Federer's match, taking on Rossana De los rios of Paraguay.