In N.Y., Mike Battaglino reported HBO Sports President Ross Greenburg Friday said that the Jets "would not return to 'Hard Knocks' in 2011, but the network would welcome an encore at some point." Greenburg: "We will give Rex and the Jets the year off from 'Hard Knocks.' But you never know what the future holds. ... Hopefully someday Rex and the New York Jets will be back on HBO." Battaglino noted training camps "could be cut short this season if the expected NFL lockout drags into the summer." HBO "has not announced plans for next season" (N.Y. POST, 2/26).
BATTLE WAGES ON: The GLOBE & MAIL's Bruce Dowbbiggin writes Rogers Sportsnet NHL analyst Nick Kypreos "gave vivid evidence of the friction between Team Sportsnet and TSN" on Saturday when he tweeted about the Panthers trading D Bryan McCabe to the Rangers. The tweet "drew some derision in Twitterdom," which "led Kypreos to send an angry message to a friend." That Twitter post read, "I'm confident it will get done. Those (expletive) at tsn try to discredit me all the time. I'm really (expletive)!" Kypreos "sent the message as a tweet, not a text, making it public," and Twitter users "went wild at Kypreos' profane diss." Dowbiggin writes of today's NHL trade deadline, "It's clear there's no love lost between the network TV types who'll battle for scoops in the 10-hour deadline day marathon" (GLOBE & MAIL, 2/28).
NUMBERS GAME: In St. Petersburg, Tom Jones writes if NASCAR is "interested in attracting viewers, the announcers need to get out of the habit of referring to drivers by their car numbers." Viewers "not used to watching NASCAR get lost when the announcers say things such as, 'Watch out for the No. 88 car.' Or, 'Oh, the 48 car got loose coming out of Turn 3.'" The sport "needs to do whatever it can to accommodate newer viewers" (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 2/28).
FINDING A NEW VOICE: In Tacoma, John McGrath noted the role of Mariners TV announcer will be filled by "a collection of temporary stand-ins" this season, as the idea is that late announcer Dave Niehaus "can't be replaced." But McGrath wrote it "hardly" would be a "dishonor to Niehaus' memory to hire a broadcaster unfazed by the possibility fans will rush to a harsh judgment largely predicated on the fact he's not Dave Niehaus." There are "better ways to celebrate Niehaus' contributions to the franchise associated with his voice than depriving deserving broadcasters a chance to describe Seattle games in their own voice." A Niehaus statue "is one way," and that "already is in the planning stages" (Tacoma NEWS TRIBUNE, 2/27).
LIVE IN COLOR: ESPN is making its weekly magazine available to Barnes & Noble's tablet, Nook Color, starting with the current issue. Subscriptions are available for $2.99 per month or $3.99 for single issues. With the deal, ESPN the Magazine is the first general sports magazine that will be available on Nook Color (John Ourand, THE DAILY).
