TV MONITOR: Last night's 11:00pm ET edition of CNN/SI's
"Sports Tonight" led with Rangers C Ivan Rodriguez winning
the AL MVP award, followed by the tragic accident at Texas
A&M. The first NHL story, at 18:32 into the broadcast, was
Stars-Flyers. FSN's 11:00pm ET "Primetime" led with the
Texas A&M accident, followed by Kings-Rockets, Spurs-Bucks
and Rodriguez winning AL MVP. The first NHL story, at
18:35, was Panthers-Blues. ESPN's 11:00pm ET "SportsCenter"
led with Spurs-Bucks, followed by Kings-Rockets and Ivan
Rodriguez. "SportsCenter" reported on the Texas A&M
accident at 10:08 into the broadcast. The first NHL story,
at 17:44, was Sharks-Senators (THE DAILY).
OLBERMANN VS. ESPN, AGAIN: FSN's Keith Olbermann
promoted his own 50 Greatest Athletes of the Century list
(See THE DAILY, 11/17) on FSN last night. He said the
"widespread promulgation, and in my opinion the wildly
indefensible nature, of one '50 Greatest Athletes' list, has
of late caused me to shout in protest: 'I'm a sports
historian! I could do a better job putting a hundred names
in a hat and picking them out one at a time.' Well, I've
cheated. I actually thought about it" (FSN, 11/18).
I KNOW WE'RE CONFUSED: In Riverside, Evan Tuchinsky
writes that Fox Sports Net has changed the names of its RSNs
"again." After inserting the name "Net" -- Fox Sports Net
West, for example -- into its RSN regional names around
seven months ago, the RSNs will now be called "Fox Sports
Net," with regional references dropped. Tuchinsky writes
that changing the name "twice in a year is irksome, and
there is no guarantee this change is the last." FSN
Publicity Manager Dennis Johnson: "It's the natural
evolution of the network as it grows." FSN COO Tracy Dolgin
said the "reason we why we dropped the regional moniker is
to eliminate confusion for the viewers." Tuchinsky:
"Settling on this name would ensure such clarity" (PRESS-
ENTERPRISE, 11/19). In L.A., Larry Stewart feels the single
name will "be more confusing to DirecTV subscribers who get
all" 22 FSN RSNs. Stewart: "The feeling here is, the name
Prime Ticket should have been retained" (L.A. TIMES, 11/19).
NOTES: A three-judge appellate panel lifted a court
order and will allow Walt Disney to "continue using its Go
Network traffic light," pending a hearing of the lawsuit
filed by GoTo.com. Disney plans to begin restoring the logo
(WALL STREET JOURNAL, 11/19)....In Boston, Jim Baker writes
that NBC and Turner execs "doubt they'll announce a new pro
football league after Thanksgiving" (BOSTON HERALD, 11/19).
