Marv to call Jets game
Marv on Jets? Yes!
Marv Albert said there was "a little bit of a readjustment'' when he returned to calling the NFL on television this season for the first time since 1997.
But 11 weeks into it he has his pacing down, is enjoying the gig and Sunday will hit a milestone when he calls his first Jets game for CBS -- during his first ever visit to MetLife Stadium.
"I've loved it,'' said Albert, adding he appreciates the favorable booth locations compared to his years calling games for Westwood One Radio.
Albert was a regular on Jets games at NBC, which lost the old AFC package after the 1997 season, and he studied some of his games from that era to brush up.
In the years since, his national work mostly has focused on NBA games for TNT.
As much as Albert said he has missed the NBA this month, its absence has allowed him to visit NFL cities in time to attend Friday practices, aiding his preparation.
Sunday, CBS will add another Albert wrinkle, having him deliver his first "NFL Albert Achievement Awards'' during the pregame show. He will appear from the booth at MetLife.
"It will be wild and wacky,'' he promised.
Spotlight on Broadway Joe
HBO will turn its documentary lens on former Jets quarterback and current Jets critic Joe Namath for a film that premieres Jan. 28.
Unearthing new things to say about the well-chronicled life and times of Broadway Joe figures to be a challenge, but HBO hopes to bring new insights to the story, primarily its early stages in Beaver Falls, Pa.
Among the expected highlights: Rarely seen footage of him in action at Alabama.
Gotta love this over-the-top quote from NFL Films president Steve Sabol that HBO sent: "In the mythology of pro football, Joe Namath is Arthur. He pulled the proverbial sword from the stone and the NFL became the Camelot of American sports. His story is timeless, authentic and also very human.''
Kaat calls for quiet
One of the most entertaining rants I have heard on the media beat was Jim Kaat sounding off on the loud noise at Yankee Stadium back in 2006.
It was during a taped segment on YES' "Batting Practice'' show, when the stadium mostly was empty but Kaat was colorfully annoyed.
I thought of that when I read this excerpt from his sitdown with (Commack) Bob Costas for the "Studio 42'' premiering on MLB Network Monday night.
Asked to name his one wish in baseball today, Kaat said:
"I wish that at some point, they would have, once a homestand, a real turn-back-the-clock day. We go to the park, there would be no rock-and-roll music, it would be nice and quiet and you can hear the ball hit the bat. The teams would come out and take two rounds of infield practice.
"[We] watch the infield [practice], you can hear the vendor two sections down say, 'Hot dogs!' We could just sit and watch the game on a nice, lazy afternoon. That would be [my] big wish.''
Philly stakes its claim
Sports Business Daily recently asked its readers to identify the "toughest sports facilities for fans of the visiting team.'' The poll was unscientific, but the results sound about right.
NFL: Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field.
MLB: Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park.
NHL: Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center.
NBA: Boston's TD Garden (MSG finished second).
Most fans understandably do not know or care who John Skipper is, but as of Jan. 1 he will be among the handful of most powerful people in sports, if not No. 1.
Such is the status of ESPN president, the job Skipper will assume when George Bodenheimer gives up day-to-day control after 13 years.
Skipper is expected mostly to stay Bodenheimer's course, but he brings an unusual resume for a sports media executive, including stints at Rolling Stone and Spin magazines.
He also is an outlier in a business dominated by Northeasterners. He is from North Carolina, and sounds it. And he is a soccer fan, particularly of Tottenham in the English Premier League.
More sports media
