The "BBTN Live" effort begins with Cal Ripken Jr. discussing his historic 2,131st consecutive gameGETTY IMAGES
USA TODAY's Bob Nightengale reported ESPN tonight is launching "BBTN Live" (Baseball Tonight Live), a "weekly digital pregame show that will air classic baseball games called MLB Encore Tuesdays." The effort begins with Baseball HOFer Cal Ripken Jr. and ESPN's Chris Berman remembering Ripken's historic 2,131st consecutive game on Sept. 6, 1995, when he eclipsed Lou Gehrig. The two will "discuss their memories before the game, and Ripken again in the fifth inning on ESPN's social media platforms" (USA TODAY, 4/6).
MAKINGS OF A BOOTH: In Nashville, Drake Hills notes MLS expansion club Nashville SC "now has a TV broadcast crew" for when the season potentially resumes -- former BBC announcer Tony Husband, former MLSer Jamie Watson and former USWNT player Lori Lindsey. Husband worked at the BBC for 20 years as a play-by-play voice for a variety of sports, while Watson had been a sideline reporter for Minnesota United the past three years. Lindsey previously worked on NWSL and ESPN broadcasts. The club still "does not have a TV network deal" (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 4/7).
THE DOG DAYS OF SPRING: CBS Sports Network will air four dog-sled races this week as part of the QRILL Pet Arctic World Series. The four-part series runs Thursday and Friday at 9:00pm ET and includes races that took place in Minnesota, Russia and Norway the first two months of the year. It also will include the Iditarod, which took place in Alaska last month. Each episode is one-hour long. Lagardere Sports handled the deal for QRILL PAWS (John Ourand, THE DAILY).
