CBS Sports Chair Sean McManus called Charley Casserly "terrific" in his role as the NFL Insider on the net's "The NFL Today" pregame show, but McManus said he was "amazed at the information" new hire Jason La Cafora uncovered. McManus: "I was looking to be more aggressive seven days a week." USA TODAY's Michael Hiestand notes La Canfora "also will work on the CBS Sports Network cable channel and cbssports.com." McManus said CBSSN "will relatively shortly be doing greatly expanded NFL programming." He added a Sunday pregame show is "a possibility" (USA TODAY, 5/11). In Albany, Pete Dougherty writes Casserly "had good information, but he doesn't have the TV presence of competitors such as ESPN's Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen and Fox's Jay Glazer" (Albany TIMES UNION, 5/11).
TALK DERBY TO ME: In Las Vegas, Richard Eng writes TV ratings are "the least understood number" in the horse racing industry. As opposed to watching races from home, "most racing fans are out at racetracks, off-track betting locations and race books," and these participants "aren't counted in Nielsen ratings." The Kentucky Derby earned a 9.0 final rating, up 6% over '11, but Eng writes the numbers "underestimate the growing interest in the Derby, and to a degree, the sport of horse racing" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 5/11).
TEE TO GREEN: In N.Y., Phil Mushnick writes, "Give NBC, and now its Comcast partner Golf Channel, credit for persistence," as the nets "keep pushing" The Players as the PGA Tour's "fifth major." Mushnick: "If rights belonged to a competing network? Not a chance. Wouldn’t even make NBC’s weekend sports news updates" (N.Y. POST, 5/11).
