TNT's Rex Chapman is returning to broadcast the Final Four after being cleared of charges following a September "arrest on suspicion of shoplifting" in Arizona, according to Jonathan Lintner of the Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL. The Univ. of Kentucky alum "will commentate the UK-specific 'TeamStream' broadcast" of Saturday's Final Four matchup against Wisconsin along with Dave Baker and Michael Eaves. Maricopa County Attorney's Office spokesperson Jerry Cobb said that since Chapman was arrested last September, he was "never formally charged after allegedly shoplifting $14,000 in products from an Apple Store" (Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL, 4/1). On Long Island, Neil Best notes like last year's "Team Stream" telecast, the "idea is to give passionate fans the chance to watch a separate telecast geared toward their team, produced with locally known announcers and without concern for a down-the-middle account." TNT "will carry the Duke and Kentucky 'Team Streams' and truTV has Michigan State and Wisconsin." The "trick will be to avoid the confusion many viewers experienced last year, when they tuned to TNT and wondered why the telecast seemed so tilted to one team, not knowing that was the whole idea." Turner Sports Senior VP/Production & Exec Creative Dir Craig Barry said that there "will be far more reminders this time of what viewers are watching and where they can turn for the version they are looking for." Best notes that includes "notices at the beginning of each half and a graphic in the upper right corner of the screen" (NEWSDAY, 4/1).
JIM DANDY TO THE RESCUE: In Salt Lake City, Scott Pierce profiles CBS' Jim Nantz, who "prides himself on reading 'hundreds and hundreds of articles' on every team he covers." Nantz: "Speed-reading is the nature of the beast for me right now. I don't do a game without reading what I always say is everything. And only a tiny fraction of it ever hits air." Nantz added, "I realize the game is paramount, but there are windows in the game where you have a chance to make it more interesting for the viewer. You have a chance to personalize the coaches and the players. You never know when the right time is going to arrive for you to know a background story." Pierce: "There's nobody better at it than Nantz. He doesn't let the stories get in the way of the game, but he's giving viewers something extra" (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 4/1).
