Monday Night Football: Baltimore Ravens at Green Bay Packers

contact: bill.hofheimer@espn.com 

This week’s MNF game will be a matchup of playoff hopefuls when Ray Lewis and the Baltimore Ravens (6-5)  travel to historic Lambeau Field to face Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers (7-4) at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN HD. Mike Tirico (play-by-play) and analysts Jon Gruden and Ron Jaworski will call the game with reporters Suzy Kolber and Michele Tafoya. Álvaro Martin (play-by-play) and Raúl Allegre (analyst) will call the Spanish-language telecast on ESPN Deportes with reporter John Sutcliffe.

The Green Bay game will be a homecoming of sorts for Gruden, who served as the Packers’ wide receivers coach early in his career, from 1992-94, for Mike Holmgren.

ESPN’s “game around the game” coverage will include NFL Live at 3:30 p.m. and continue throughout the day with SportsCenter Monday Kickoff at 6 p.m. and Monday Night Countdown at 7 p.m., hosted by Chris Berman with analysts Cris Carter, Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson, Keyshawn Johnson, senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen, and NFL Insider Adam Schefter. Stuart Scott, Matt Millen and Steve Young will be on site at Lambeau Field.

Patriots-Saints MNF Game Delivers Cable’s Second All-Time Audience

contact: bill.hofheimer@espn.com 

ESPN’s Monday Night Football telecast of the undefeated New Orleans Saints’ 38-17 home victory over the New England Patriots delivered the second biggest audience in the history of cable television in both households and viewers – a 15.0 rating and 14,872,000 households (21,402,000 viewers). To view the entire release click here.

Men’s College Basketball: Top Five Teams and Two Matchups between Ranked Teams

contact: michael.c.humes@espn.com

ESPN’s upcoming men’s college basketball coverage will be highlighted by telecasts involving the top five teams in the ESPN/USA Today poll and two matchups between ranked teams beginning Saturday, Dec. 5, when No. 15 Ohio State hosts Eastern Michigan at noon on ESPNU followed by No. 5 Duke against St. John’s at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN2 and ESPN360.com. Additional highlights:

• The third annual DIRECTV SEC/BIG EAST Invitational will be highlighted by a showdown between No. 4 Kentucky and No. 13 Connecticut at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Wednesday, Dec. 9, at 9:30 p.m. on ESPN. Wednesday’s schedule will also include No. 1 Kansas against Radford at 8 p.m. on ESPNU and No. 3 Villanova at St. Joseph’s at 9 p.m. on ESPN2. 
• The 15th annual Jimmy V Men’s Basketball Classic Tuesday, Dec. 8, from Madison Square Garden will tip off with No. 20 Butler vs. No. 14 Georgetown at 7 p.m. followed by Indiana vs. Pittsburgh at 9 p.m., both on ESPN. A portion of the proceeds from the event will benefit The V Foundation for Cancer Research.
• No. 2 Texas will host Long Beach State on Monday, Dec. 7, at 9 p.m. on ESPNU.

Jimmy V Week Begins Tonight
contact: michael.c.humes@espn.com

The third annual Jimmy V Week – a week-long initiative featuring special content across ESPN platforms and programs to drive awareness of and donations to The V Foundation for Cancer Research -- will begin tonight with a simulcast of Valvano’s 1993 ESPYs Awards speech across ESPN’s U.S. media platforms.

On ESPN2, prior to the speech, a show entitled Jimmy V’s Team: Don’t Give Up… Don’t Ever Give Up!®, will be aired at 6:30 p.m. and will feature highlights of Valvano’s story; his daughter Jamie and her fight against cancer; comments from celebrities at V Foundation fundraising events and remarks by researchers.

To highlight the initiative to drive donations and awareness for cancer research, Jimmy V Week content will be incorporated into studio programs and event telecasts, including SportsCenter, college basketball (men’s and women’s), football, soccer and hockey, NBA and more. The week will also include content on ESPN.com, ESPN360.com, ESPNEWS, ESPNU, ESPN Classic and ESPN Mobile; special vignettes; and specific Jimmy V Week on-air graphics.

A release with complete details is available at www.espnmediazone.com.

Women’s College Basketball: No. 17 Texas at No. 5 Tennessee; Jimmy V Women’s Basketball Classic on ESPN2

contact: tilea.coleman@espn.com

Women’s college hoops coverage continues on ESPN2 with two prime-time matchups, starting with No. 5 Tennessee hosting No. 17 Texas on Sunday, Dec. 6, at 7 p.m. On Monday, Dec. 7, the 2009 Jimmy V Women’s Basketball Classic will be held at Rutgers University for the fourth consecutive year, with Florida vs. Rutgers at 7 p.m. Jon Sciambi and former Lady Vols standout Kara Lawson will call Sunday’s contest, while Dave O’Brien, Carolyn Peck and Rebecca Lobo will be courtside for the Jimmy V Women’s Basketball Classic.  Both matchups will also be available on ESPN360.com.

College Football on ESPN Radio: Texas and USC in College Football Doubleheader

contact: dan.quinn@espn.com

ESPN Radio will present a pair of college football battles Saturday, Dec. 5, starting at 3 p.m. when Arizona meets No. 20 USC. Bob Wischusen and Brock Huard will describe the action and Shelley Smith will report from the sidelines. At 7 p.m., No. 3 Texas and No. 21 Nebraska vie for the Big 12 championship, with Bill Rosinski and Dennis Franchione in the booth and Joe Schad working the sidelines.

And the ESPN The Magazine's NEXT Athlete 2010 Goes to … NBA Star Kevin Durant

contact: ellie.seifert@espn.com

Six weeks and 15 phenoms later, ESPN The Magazine has reached the summit of NEXT – the athlete destined to make the biggest impact on sports in the coming year, and for years to come. This year’s pick is forward Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder. At 6-foot-9, the 21-year-old with a delicate touch, lightning speed and rare work ethic is looking to blaze his own trail to the top and become a rare kind of player: the superstar nobody has the heart to hate.

Quotes from the article:

• Shane Battier of the Houston Rockets, on Durant: “No matter how talented a young player is, his first year is sink or swim. Can he survive in a man’s league? Obviously Kevin did, and he did it pretty well.”
• Houston Rockets coach Rick Adelman, on Durant: “He’s got all the ability in the world. And he keeps getting better.”
• Durant: “I want to win more than anybody. I want to be one of the greatest players of all time. I want to be remembered. But I don’t think you have to be a bad person to be a great player. I think I can be one guy on the court and another guy off.” 

2010 NEXT runners-up:

2.     Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans tailback

3.     John Wall, University of Kentucky basketball

4.     Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals pitcher 

5.     Melanie Oudin, Tennis

The double-cover NEXT/ESPN 100 issue will hit newsstands Friday, Dec. 4. Teammate Russell Westbrook puts Durant on the hot seat. Video available at ESPN.com Search: NEXT.

Golf on ESPN360.com: Australian Open and Australian PGA Championship

contact: kristie.chong@espn.com

ESPN360.com will provide full coverage of two major golf events live from Australia -- the Australian Open and Australian PGA Championship. Some of the world’s best golfers are scheduled to compete, including Adam Scott and Stuart Appleby.

Starting Thursday, Dec. 3, at 8 p.m., the field will tee off for the Australian Open from the New South Wales Golf Club in La Perouse. Hometown favorite Mathew Goggin looks to take the title from last year’s winner, South Africa’s Tim Clark, who edged out Goggin in 2008 after the first playoff hole. Each round will be aired at 8 p.m. through Sunday, Dec. 6.

Following the Open is the Australian PGA Championship from the Hyatt Regency Coolum, Dec. 10-13 at 8 p.m.   Geoff Ogilvy returns to defend his 2008 title and will tee off against a field that includes Vijay Singh and John Daly.

ESPN Film Selected for Sundance Film Festival

contact: rob.tobias@espn.com

A new documentary by Peabody Award-winning director Dan Klores, “Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks,” part of ESPN's critically acclaimed “30 for 30” series, has been chosen to screen in competition at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, one of the most acclaimed international film festivals in the world. The selection of “Winning Time” is the first ESPN Film to play at the prestigious festival.

“Winning Time,” a dark operatic comedy, revolves around the famous Knicks/Pacers rivalry of the mid 1990s, including the robust sideline battles between the superstar marksman Miller and filmmaker and super Knicks fan Spike Lee. ESPN will air the documentary Sunday, March 14. The 26th Sundance Film Festival will take place from Jan. 21-31.

PBA and Women’s Series Shark Championships presented by Bowl.com Sunday

contact: kimberly.jessup@espn.com

The PBA Men’s and Women’s Scorpion Championships from Allen Park, Mich., will air Sunday, Dec. 6, at 1 p.m. on ESPN. Rob Stone will call play-by-play, joined by analyst Randy Pederson. Advancing to the PBA Women’s championship round are Kelly Kulick of Union, N.J., and Carolyn Dorin-Ballard of Keller, Texas. The women are competing for a first-place prize of $10,000. Advancing in the PBA men’s semifinal rounds are Jack Jurek of Lackawanna, N.Y., vs. Wes Malott of Pflugerville, Texas, and Jason Couch of Clermont, Fla., vs. Mike Fagan of Patchogue, N.Y. The winners of each semifinal round will advance to the championship. At stake is a top prize of $25,000.

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