UCLA on ESPN for once

For the first time that I can remember, ESPN is televising a Pac-10 game, and not only that, they’re sending the College Gameday crew to Pauley Pavilion for tonight’s UCLA-Arizona game.

It’s good to see ESPN show a Pac-10 game, the only major conference it doesn’t have a regular television contract with. For better or worse, ESPN is the dominant sports media outlet and holds a lot of influence in sports.

The Pac-10 not having a regular contract with ESPN is horrible for the recognition the conference gets nationally. And it’s the Pac-10’s fault, not ESPN’s fault — the conference took more money from Fox Sports Net. From Jeff Eisenberg in the Riverside Press-Enterprise:

FSN and the Pac-10 have a broadcast partnership in place through 2012, but ESPN purchased the rights to air two high-profile conference games this year: Saturday’s contest and next month’s USC-Arizona matchup in Tucson. Though ESPN is expected to buy two more Pac-10 games again next year, this doesn’t appear to be the precursor to a long-term venture.

“I don’t want to throw anyone under the bus, but ESPN doesn’t want more than one to two Pac-10 games a year,” Fox Sports Net scheduling manager Jeremy Langer said. “It’s a tonnage issue for them. They’re happy with the games they have.”

58 days ’til Opening Day

There are 58 days left until that best day of the year, MLB Opening Day.

58 is also the number of runs David Eckstein scored last season.

They were gritty, scrappy runs. Because that’s what he is. A gamer. A dirt bag.

I never understood baseball writers’ fascination with David Eckstein. He’s a good player, but closer to mediocre than he is to great. He gets on base at a decent rate but has no power. I’ll defer to the greatness of Fire Joe Morgan to find sources of sportswriters gushing over Eckstein. From the Toronto Star:

Partner new Blue Jay shortstop David Eckstein and the word “scrappy” and a Google search will advise you of some 5,300 possibilities. In just 0.38 seconds, too.

From ESPN.com’s Eric Neel:

In a country that loves gritty and gutty, he is the grittiest, guttiest cat of them all.

OK, this isn’t from a sportswriter, but from an ESPN.com poll:

Which player would you rather have?
69.6% Alex Rodriguez
30.4% David Eckstein

Wow. Baseball fans are crazy. So Eckstein is short. I’ll take a big guy with some power over Eckstein any day. And I like Eckstein. He helped my Angels win a World Series. But I would never, ever take him over A-Rod. Nor should anyone sane.