Watchdog

Everyone knows that Notre Dame being in the BCS Championship Game is good for the business of college sports, but few know that better than ESPN analyst Lou Holtz, the last man to lead the Fighting Irish to a national title.

“When Notre Dame is on top, college football is better,’’ he said. “I have been going to ESPN for eight years, and there are about six restaurants I go and eat in. I've...

Mike Francesa-ologists went into red alert with the news another of his producers, Ray Martel, has moved on, in this case after two-plus years at the helm.

By all accounts Martel departed on good terms, moving on to the new national CBS morning show.

Martel sought more favorable work hours for a family man, but the switch also provides stability as we begin what figures to be a popular...

SNY is the local cable home of the Big East, such as it is, but that deal is set to expire when ESPN’s does after the current academic year. Beyond that lies . . . uncertainty.

But assuming the Catholic, non-big-time-football schools successfully reassemble a basketball-focused league, SNY – New York's only regional sports network without a pro winter team – would appear to be a logical fit.

Right,...

Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick will call one of Fox's NFC divisional round playoff games next weekend, not the network's usual No. 2 team of Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa. Hmm. Why?

"We thought both broadcast teams had very strong years and decided to give Thom and Brian the opportunity to call a playoff game this season," Fox spokesman Dan Bell said....

I wrote a column Friday about clutter in the sports media marketplace in which I quoted Jamie Horowitz, the ESPN executive behind the controversial "First Take" and a guy whose job it is to create more shows for the network.

Horowitz is a smart, interesting fellow, so it is worth quoting more of his thoughts than I could fit previously. (These are comments from a lunch we shared...

Ray Lewis announced Wednesday that he plans to retire after this season, so it came as no surprise Thursday when SI.com reported the future Hall of Fame linebacker is bound for ESPN’s cast of a thousand former jocks.

All good. Lewis is almost as compelling as a talker as he has been as a player, complete with smoldering intensity and deep thoughts. Therein lies what should make his studio...

It’s going to be a long month for readers and editors whose eyes glaze over when I write about NFL ratings. (Brady vs. Peyton for the AFC title?! CBS can’t wait!)

But first let us wrap up the regular season, in which the NFL did show signs of finally hitting a plateau, albeit at an extremely high altitude.

Since Labor Day, 31 of the 32 most-viewed programs have been NFL games, topped...

I am a week behind on this, but I got sidetracked late in 2012 following the Knicks’ wild West road trip, then eating more chicken wings in Buffalo than anyone my age should.

Better late than never: Our sixth annual New York Sports Media Person of the Year Award goes to . . . R.A. Dickey. He was an easy choice, given his accessibility and his dogged insistence on being smart and interesting...

The connection between sports media and the trailer for "Pain and Gain" may be tangential at best, but hey, movies are a form of media and personal trainers are a form of sports fitness.

Plus, this movie includes "The Rock," oops, we mean Dwayne Johnson, formerly and somewhat currently of WWE fame.

It also features the most pumped-up version of Mark Wahlberg we've...

The professional football schedule for Week 17 includes nine games with direct playoff implications for the NFL and two that present a visual anomaly for New York-area television viewers.

The Jets and Giants both play at 1 p.m. this Sunday -- and not against each other -- thereby splitting the nation's No. 1 media market in two. The 6-9 Jets play at the 5-10 Bills on CBS, and the 8-7 Giants...