Presenting still more sports media notes after spending part of yesterday asking your forgiveness for the past year's transgressions in print and on the Web:
* On Tuesday, Versus - motto: "We're so much more than hockey; we run movies you don't care to watch, either" - debuts a show that has been a good idea just waiting to happen. Here's hoping the execution matches the anticipation.
Sports Soup will run Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 p.m. It's a version of E!'s The Soup, which, in the versions called Talk Soup with Greg Kinnear and John Henson, and now again with Joel McHale, has replayed clips of outrageous television shows - mainly of the talk and reality variety - and offered hilariously snarky commentary. Sports Soup plans to apply that formula to sports programming.
It won't exactly be highbrow, but this is sports, after all. How un-highbrow? In a sample clip provided by Versus, host Matt Iseman (Style Network's Clean House) comments on the vicious hit by Maryland's Kevin Barnes that made California's Jahvid Best vomit: "Finally, there is something on the field that stinks worse than the Raiders."
OK, that isn't exactly the Algonquin Round Table, but let's give this show a chance.
* Of note about Sports Soup's host: Iseman gave up medicine nine years ago to become a stand-up comic. He graduated from Princeton and Columbia medical school. His parents must be so proud.
He said of Sports Soup's content: "I like to think of it as the clips you'd forward to your buddies the next day. ... It's basically going to be all of the cool stuff."
And though the footage will include embarrassing moments for athletes and broadcasters, "we're not looking to tear anybody down."
Gee, what fun is that?
* You'll probably be seeing much the same MASN crew doing Orioles games next year, and thus far Gary Thorne and reporter Amber Theoharis said their options have been picked up for next season. Others expect to return, as well.
"I'd certainly like to come back and broadcast," said analyst Jim Palmer, who added that he should be hearing from the club soon.
* I certainly enjoy the enthusiasm of Rick "Doc" Walker's commentary on Atlantic Coast Conference football. But just what does he mean by "walking the dog"? When I first heard him say a team was walking the dog, I thought it was some reference to its running game. Then, the last time I heard him say the phrase, it sounded as if he was referring simply to a team's taking over a game. Just add it to the long list of sports-related things I don't understand.
