Watchdog

Before we move on to Sunday’s conference finales – which will be the second- and third-most-watched American television shows of 2013 – let us pause to honor the massive audiences for last weekend’s divisional doozies.

At 8 p.m. Saturday, an estimated 40.8 million people and 24.0 percent of all U.S. households were tuned into the Ravens-Broncos game. At 4 p.m. Sunday, 43.2 million and 25.6...

Soon-to-be-former Jet Bart Scott raised an interesting point on Showtime's "Inside the NFL" Wednesday, asserting that the New York-area news media treats the Jets and Giants differently.

"I didn't like the personal attacks," he said on the show. "A quick example now is the media following Rex [Ryan] down to The Bahamas. I mean, who does that?.

"I can’t imagine...

TNT’s Charles Barkley has gotten me through many a column and blog post with his colorfully skeptical views of the Knicks, so it’s only fair to note when he says something nice about one of New York’s own. Even better, two!

Here is Barkley on the Knicks’ center not getting a starting nod for the East All-Stars: “Tyson Chandler should’ve been there [as a starter]. I love Kevin Garnett but Tyson...

Nice job by Oprah Winfrey in her sitdown with Lance Armstrong. She should consider a career in TV interviewing! Best of all for Ms. Winfrey: I and millions of other people now know what channel OWN is on.

Anyway, I have not spoken to Oprah or Lance in ages, but I did have access the other day to MSG's Al Trautwig, who has hosted the Tour de France and has known Armstrong for two decades. Your...

Greetings, people of Earth! It's a Friday, and I'm not in Atlanta or suburban Boston, so it must be time for me to visit the old blog.

Today we begin with the story of Manti Te'o, an episode that has been a profound embarrassment for sports journalists everywhere, as I wrote here.

I know this is way too easy to say now, but it's true: There always was something weird about the dead girlfriend...

Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick will call Sunday's Seahawks-Falcons game, a development that caused quite a stir when Newsday first reported it, what with Fox having leaped them over the presumed No. 2 team of Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa.

But Fox Sports co-president Eric Shanks insisted Wednesday that the news was not quite as newsy as the rest of us thought it was.

"It...

St. John’s sports TV future is up in the air – along with that of every other current and future Big East school – but in the meantime the school is creatively trying to shape some of that future for itself.

The school announced a deal with Web-based ESPN3 to carry about 60 events this academic year produced by St. John’s itself, including baseball, women’s basketball, softball and lacrosse.

The...

Strange but true: There were far more journalists and people in suits (and even some journalists in suits) at CBS’ event Tuesday previewing its Super Bowl coverage in New Orleans than there were at the Rex Ryan/Woody Johnson presser at the same time.

Such is the power of the Super Bowl, an event that draws from the worlds of sports, news, business and show biz. (Plus, CBS’ event was catered.)

Speaking...

The big sports-related news out of the Oscar nominations Thursday was that for the first time, not one but two best picture nominees are about Eagles fans: “Silver Linings Playbook’’ and “Les Miserables.’’

Sorry. Couldn’t resist. Anyway, more about “Silver Linings Playbook’’ closer to the actual awards show. For now let us focus on more immediate sports movie news:

Monday MLB Network...

In this week's installment of "Whither Mike Francesa?" we check in with Dan Mason, president of CBS Radio. So, sir, are you hopeful of re-signing the big guy?

"We’re always hopeful for that," Mason said. "Mike’s a big part of the radio station, so we are hopeful of that."

Francesa has not said much about his future since telling Newsday last January he is...