LAWRENCE, Kan. – When I said three weeks ago that, for CBS, this year’s NCAA Tournament “may very well be the network’s own shining moment,” I never could have anticipated the whirlwind ride that followed. Not only were we treated to two overtime games in the first session of the first round, but we were also treated to close game after close game, upset after upset.

In a year with so much uncertainty about the future of the tournament, teams delivered the most exhilarating set of games in history. They showed off everything that is right with the current format, making a seemingly imminent expansion to 96 teams look that much more ridiculous.

Filed under:
Opinion/Editorial, Sports TV, Television by Scott A. Winer

LAWRENCE, Kan. – After putting forth my arbitrary list of the best in live television for the past year, I have seen that the Sports Emmy Awards were given out last night. I’ve decided that, since I have yet to look at the winners, I might as well give my picks to a slightly less arbitrary selection.

Here’s a quick digression: I’m sitting in the Kansas Union on the KU campus in Lawrence with ESPN’s newsmagazine attempt, E:60, on a television to my left. I can’t really hear what’s being said. What I can tell is that the film noir pitch meeting footage is horribly over the top, and the camerawork for the interviews in this Stephon Marbury piece is basically what I’d expect from ESPN trying to do break into this genre. Could someone please watch Real Sports or 60 Minutes?! They do it right.

Filed under:
Opinion/Editorial, Sports TV by Scott A. Winer

ROSWELL, Ga. – As the 2006 NCAA Tournament enters its second week of competition, I will be in Atlanta, somewhere neither of “my teams” – the Kansas Jayhawks and Syracuse Orange – will be: the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight. In the Atlanta bracket, a superior #12 Texas A&M team defeated Syracuse, an overrated 5 seed that only made the tournament because of its unlikely run in the Big East Tournament. Meanwhile, #4 Kansas was in early-season form, looking like a shadow of the Jayhawks that won the Big 12 Tournament the week before, losing to Missouri Valley runners up Bradley, an at-large 13 seed triumphant in the opening weekend. Bradley will play top-seeded Memphis in the Oakland regional semifinal tomorrow night. The early departure for the Jayhawks and Orange marks the second straight year that both 2003 finalists have failed to win their first round games.

Filed under:
Opinion/Editorial, Sports TV, Television by Scott A. Winer