In St. Louis, Dan Caesar reports the "top five viewed stories on STLToday.com" on Thursday until 4:00pm CT involved Cardinals 1B Albert Pujols following he and the team not reaching a new contract before a self-imposed deadline. Wednesday was the deadline for a new deal, and there were "approximately 2.2 million 'hits' on the site, about half a million more than on a normal weekday." The "massive volume of coverage this week not only locally but nationally" of the Cardinals and Pujols "provides a tidy capsulized view of ... where the tent known as the media circus now is pitched." Caesar: "Some topic -- any topic -- always is necessary to fuel the fire" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 2/18).
THE REVOLUTION WILL BE TELEVISED: Pac-10 Commissioner Larry Scott said that the league office is "committed to broadcasting every men's basketball game when it completes its new broadcasting deal." Scott said, "Going forward all media rights will go to the conference. So all basketball games which I think are about 182 games, we're going to package everything ourselves. When it comes to football and men's basketball we are going to commit to every game being broadcast. And No. 2 we are going to put a premium on more national exposure, especially for our high-profile games" (SEATTLETIMES.com, 2/17).
STRANGE BEDFELLOWS: FANHOUSE.com's Milton Kent noted troubled actor Charlie Sheen has appeared on Dan Patrick's syndicated radio show "twice this week." The first appearance was arranged by Patrick "to discuss Sheen's impromptu pep talk last week to the UCLA baseball team," and Sheen "came across as cavalierly endorsing casual drug and alcohol use." He made his second appearance Wednesday, calling in "presumably to reduce some of the heat he's been taking." Kent: "The whole situation has left Patrick ... in a bit of a quandary. ... It's a gold mine of virtually free publicity for Patrick and his show, but, in accepting the buzz, does he run the risk of acting as an enabler to Sheen?" (FANHOUSE.com, 2/16).
