In Portland, Mike Tokito notes TNT this week "unveiled a new promo" for its upcoming NBA postseason coverage titled "Hero ball begins April 19." The promo says, "True hero ball is the game played at its best, sharing passion, vision and the ball." Turner Sports also is "promoting using '#heroball' as a Twitter hashtag," which is a phrase used in basketball but with a "decidedly negative connotation." Tokito: "Maybe Turner's PR folks were simply trying to create a hip-sounding phrase. But the backlash is already underway, with the hashtag drawing quite a reaction on Twitter" (OREGONLIVE.com, 4/9).
A FOR EFFORT: In St. Louis, Dan Caesar notes FS Midwest on Tuesday night "had been scheduled to show" Cardinals-Cubs on its main outlet, with Blues-Jets on FSM Plus, but the baseball game was postponed, so FSM "put the hockey game on its primary channel." The net "also showed the Blues on the spillover channel as originally scheduled." But while "nicely serving the hockey audience, it dropped the ball on informing those tuning in to see the ballgame as to why it wasn’t appearing." There was "no special graphic to explain the situation during the early stages of the hockey game." This led to confusion among some viewers, "especially older ones who are not internet-savvy and don’t access" the net's website, where news of the programming change "was prominently displayed" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 4/10).
IF IT AIN'T BROKE...: In N.Y., Phil Mushnick notes ESPN has "removed its MLB score box from an unobtrusive, upper-corner, useful spot, and placed it over the infield, between the mound and third base." Mushnick: "Why do we have to explain to an all-sports TV giant why that’s a rotten idea? And get that 'K-Box' off the catcher during live play! Let us watch the game!" (N.Y. POST, 4/10).
