VARIETY's Debra Birnbaum reported DirecTV has ordered "Undeniable with Joe Buck," a one-on-one interview show featuring in-depth Q&As with sports figures. The show "hails from Vince Vaughn's Wild West Productions" and has a "planned fall premiere" (VARIETY.com, 8/25). Buck had a short-lived show on HBO in '09 (THE DAILY). Meanwhile, USA TODAY's Nick Schwartz noted Buck, who grew up in St. Louis, yesterday tweeted that he "believes taking the Rams out of St. Louis would have a grave impact on the city and called the idea a joke." Buck wrote, "My opinion: take the NFL out of Stl and our downtown has no impetus for change. Indy and Cincy have passed us by." He later tweeted Rams Owner Stan Kroenke "not only has the chance to cash in on LA, but punch a great city that at one point he seemed to enjoy. Esp when Rams were relevant." When asked via a tweet how much better the city would be if Shahid Khan had been able to buy the Rams instead of the Jaguars, Buck responded, "100 percent better" (USATODAY.com, 8/25).
LET THE LIGHT SCHEIN ON: In Albany, Pete Dougherty reported CBS Sports Network's Adam Schein "will be the new host of 'Inside the NFL,' which returns to Showtime" on Sept. 8. Schein, who replaces Greg Gumbel, "will be joined by returning analysts" Phil Simms, Boomer Esiason and Jets WR Brandon Marshall. NFL Network analyst Michael Irvin "will occasionally join the cast" (TIMESUNION.com, 8/25).
GETTING THE HOOK: In N.Y., Richard Sandomir notes ESPN's Curt Schilling last night was "pulled from calling a Little League World Series game ... because of a post he shared on his Twitter account that suggested extremist Muslims were comparable to Nazis." ESPN in a statement said it has removed Schilling from his entire LLWS assignment "pending further consideration." The net added, "Curt’s tweet was completely unacceptable, and in no way represents our company’s perspective." Schilling "quickly deleted the post and apologized on Twitter." Schilling is "active on Twitter and Facebook, where his accounts are filled with baseball talk, biblical references, pro-military and anti-abortion messages, and conservative political statements that are frequently punctuated by sharing memes" (N.Y. TIMES, 8/26).
NOTES: In Chicago, Mike North writes he will "be back on the local airwaves in Chicago hosting a Bears postgame show" on WDRV-FM (Chicago DAILY HERALD, 8/26)....In DC, Dan Steinberg reported freelance reporter Carol Maloney this week "signed a multi-year deal to become a full-time sports anchor and reporter" for WRC-NBC. She will "fill the opening left when Dianna Russini departed the station in the spring and joined ESPN" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 8/25).
