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The Wrong DVD Launched Ashley Adamson’s Career

“I just kept thinking so many people have worked so hard for so long for this moment, I can’t let them down.”

Jack Ferris

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It’s 3:00 pm.  At least that’s what the digital clock on her aunt’s 2000 Buick LeSabre tells her. 

It’s February of 2008 and 25-year-old Ashley Adamson spends about as much time staring at her gas gauge as she does the road.  Such is life when you’re barely living paycheck to paycheck.

“The gas station attendant around the corner from my place knew my name from all the trips I’d have to make with my little portable tank,” Adamson recalls.  Her expression stuck somewhere between humor and horror.

Image result for ashley adamson pac 12 network

Relief is the emotion that would best describe Ashley on this winter day nearly 12 years ago.  The Denver native had just spent the last 13 months working as an overnight Associate Producer for a television station in Albany, but her days of re-writing stories off the AP wire appeared to be numbered.  She had just spent the afternoon interviewing for a reporter position in Syracuse and she was sure she’d get the job, her first on-air role.

The lifelong athlete and Notre Dame football fan had aspirations to work in sports, but a full-time on air gig doing news would be just fine.  She was tired, almost defeated.  She was ready to settle for just about anything.  Sports was always a bit of a pipe dream.  Besides, why would any sports director hire her?

A second ring from her phone in a matter of 30 seconds brings Ashley back to 2019 and downtown San Francisco.

“I’m sorry, I have to grab this,” the 37-year-old answers the phone while shooting me an apologetic glance.  Her half-eaten peach berry scone laying neglected on our table.  

“Hi, this is Ashley.”

In a matter of hours Adamson will be on a plane to Denver.  She won’t be visiting home, in fact the Mile High City hasn’t been her home for a while.  Rather, she’ll head straight to Boulder to prepare for her pre-game show Saturday at Folsom Field.  For the next 9 months, Ashley will always be a few days removed from a flight.  Such is life for the face of the PAC-12 Networks.  

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“Yeah, he did.  That’s right.  Ok, yeah I think there was some spinach in there as well.”

Ashley didn’t interrupt our conversation for a production call or an inquiry from an Athletic Director.  It was much more important than that.

“Sorry, that was Collins’ school,” she takes a deep breath as she places her phone back face down on the table.

“I guess he vomited and they saw some peanut butter in there.  They wanted to know what else he had for breakfast because the whole school is peanut-free.” explained the mother of two, not hesitating to give herself a quick bite of scone.

“This is my life now,” she smiles, shrugging as if to admit defeat.

Ashley Adamson is a lot of things.  Defeated, she is not.

The long road that lead her through Upstate New York and ultimately to her current position in the Bay Area started at Denver’s Mullen High School.  Even today, it doesn’t take more than a handshake and an introduction to believe she was a multi-sport athlete in her high school days.  She loved basketball, but it was track and field that she could continue at the next level.  As for that next level, that was pretty much pre-determined.

“It was always Notre Dame.  My dad is an alum, I’ve been a fan from birth, my older brother went there.  I always knew I would end up in South Bend.”

That is, until it actually became time to make the decision.  With hours to go before she had to accept her admittance to Notre Dame – Ashley had second thoughts.

“I guess I just wanted to carve my own path,” Ashley explained.  “I wanted to do my own thing.  I loved Notre Dame but that wasn’t mine, it was the path my dad and brother took.”  

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Ashley communicated her dilemma to her father, who didn’t try to sway her in either direction, but made sure she was confident in her choice.

“He told me wherever I go, it was going to be the decision that had the greatest impact on my life.  I didn’t fully understand in the moment, but he was so right.”

In the 11th hour, Ashley decided on Boston College, much to the disappointment of her brother Alex, who was entering his Junior year in South Bend.

“I was really bummed,” admits Alex today.  “I tried to remind myself that on the bright side of things she’d be further away from my sketchy college friends and I figured I’d probably have a better and more interesting job than her.  The first part really worked out.”

Ashley was still a long way from landing any job, let alone one you could classify as cool.  For the first time in her life, she moved to a strange city intent on forging a place for herself.  It wouldn’t be the last.

“I knew within a couple weeks I made the right choice.  I loved the campus, the city, it felt like home almost immediately.”

As for the track and field career?  Adamson successfully walked on her Freshman year, but things got a bit complicated.

“My dad was also right when he told me that between academics, athletics and a social life, I could only pick two to be successful with in college,” Ashley smirked.  “So, obviously my grades suffered.”

And with that, the track and field career was over with the start of her Sophomore year.  Proving dad prophetic, Ashley went on to thrive in the classroom and on the social scene.  Among her new network of friends was Kate Coakley, a fellow Colorado native with whom Ashley grew especially close.

“I spent so much time with Kate that I actually fell in love with her parents.  We would joke that I would marry her little brother Chris just so I could join the family and be their daughter-in-law.”

Smelling an opportunity, Chris worked up the nerve to “propose” to Ashley towards the end of her senior year at BC.  In lieu of a ring, the quick thinking Freshman ripped the plastic top off a Busch Light can and offered it as a symbol of his commitment.  It would be roughly a decade before that seemingly empty gesture developed into one of Ashley’s favorite stories.  
With a well established life in Boston, complete with her 2nd family, Ashley opted to spend two more years in her adopted city.  She enrolled in grad school at Boston University and finished up in January of 2007 with her degree in journalism.  

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Ask Ashley to tell you her story, and this is where you feel a seismic shift in tone and expression.  Like any new aspiring journalist, she was ready and willing to take any job that came her way.  This is what lead her to Cable News 9 in Albany.  As an overnight AP, Ashley wouldn’t spend much time out during daylight hours – and when she was it was to shoot stand ups for her reel.  The days were melting into weeks.  The ever optimistic Ashley was reaching her breaking point.

“One day I was driving home, it must’ve been noon, and my dad asked me how my day was,” Ashley remembered with a stoic face.  “I just lost it.  I broke down and cried.  Those were some dark days”

“There I was,” she continued “a college grad with a graduate degree making $20,000 a year writing copy all night.  It didn’t feel like there was a way out.”

Ashley wasn’t getting the best professional feedback at the time either.  When she showed an Albany producer a stand up, she was told her chin was too pointy for TV.  All this negativity nearly drove Ashley to abandon hopes of an on air career entirely.

“I was close.  I had connections at NESN, I could’ve gone back to Boston and figured something out there.  A job producing, a marketing job, something.  Anything was better than what I was doing.  It just felt like there were no opportunities to be on air.”  

She had chosen a path with no paved road to success.  There was no playbook to guide her one direction or the other and there certainly weren’t any guarantees she’d even make it out of Albany if she kept pushing forward.  But she did.

“What’s known is always known.  I knew Boston.  I also could probably map my life out if I went that route.  That was the safe choice.  To do what I really wanted to do, I knew I had to keep pushing into that unknown.”

Ashley narrowed her focus.  She started building her news reel.  She knew for every one sports position there were five news opportunities.  Soon, she got a bite from the CBS affiliate in Syracuse – and she couldn’t pop into her LeSabre fast enough to interview.  

Ashley walked out of WTVH-5 after a couple hours on that February 2008 afternoon confident she’d receive an offer within a day.  Her on air career would begin in a matter of weeks.  It was a good day.  She had no idea it was about to be an incredible day.

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“My friend called me when I was still in Syracuse to tell me there was an opening at WSYR-9, the market’s number 1 station.  So then she’s trying to feed me directions through the phone as I’m driving through town, and I just had to end the conversation.  I appreciated the call, but I knew I was gonna get the other job,” Ashley reasoned.  “Plus it’s the number one station in the market, they’re not gonna hire someone who has never been on TV.  All that and I wanted to beat traffic,” she offered with a smile.

“Then, out of nowhere from the freeway I see the station’s call letters.  I remember that moment so vividly. I realized in that moment, I had to pull off.  I’d at least walk in.  If nothing comes from this, fine, but this would be a great story if it worked out.”

Ashley couldn’t have scripted the next 45 minutes better.

“I parked, grabbed a hard copy of my resume and a DVD of my reel from the trunk and just handed both to the receptionist.  I told her I heard about an opening, feel free to have someone call if they want to chat.”

The whole errand took less than five minutes, and within the hour she was well on her way back to Albany when she received a call from a Syracuse number.  The man on the other end introduced himself as Steve Infanti, Sports Director at News Channel 9.  

Ashley was immediately confused as to why she was speaking with the sports director – and in an instant she realized she made the greatest mistake of her life.  In her trunk was an unlabeled sports reel she made specifically for her dad back in Denver.  She had no intention of handing it over professionally, she cut it just for him.

“Like a great daughter, I still hadn’t mailed it.  It was back there for weeks,” claimed Ashley, still having a tough time recalling the beautifully strange day.

Ashley handed over the wrong DVD, but she wasn’t about to explain herself in the moment.

“Steve told me they were looking for a number 3 in the sports department and asked how far out of town I was.  It was crazy.”

Within a month Ashley was a full time member of the top sports department in market 81.  Her luck didn’t stop there.  A few weeks into her role with WSYR, the weekend sports anchor decided to leave the business, giving Ashley an outside shot at his position.

Image result for syracuse

“I probably didn’t deserve it, and the news director went out of his way to tell me he wasn’t going to hire me for it,” she laughed.

“Eventually, after a couple interviews they realized they could save money by continuing to pay me what I was making and just move me over to weekends without training someone else.  So then the job was mine”

Ashley shutters to recall her early anchor days.  

“I was terrible for a while, obviously, but Steve Infanti never gave up on me,” remembered Ashley with more than a touch of reverence in her voice.  She earned her position in Syracuse by doing the work few in her position would do, but she’s quick to assign the credit to the people who helped her along the way – none more than Steve Infanti.

“He taught me how to do sports after I had pretty much given up on sports.  No shot I’d be here today without Steve Infanti.”

Image result for steve infanti

With a full time gig and her confidence growing, Ashley could begin to see her hard work paying off.  Opportunities were beginning to present themselves.  In February of 2010 she was packing up the car again, this time the destination was Indianapolis.

“I’ve never had more fun covering sports than I did when I was working in Indianapolis,” professed Ashley.

Coming from a PAC-12 Networks Anchor who just started her 8th year as one of the conference’s most recognizable faces, this is hard to imagine.  Her time in Indiana, though, was a pretty exciting stretch.

Just over a year in her new city, Ashley had followed Butler to two national championships, witnessed Peyton Manning’s last season with the Colts, and covered the Giants-Patriots Super Bowl at Lucas-Oil Stadium.  She couldn’t have been happier with her career, but just like her dad told her back in Denver, sometimes the social life has to take a backseat in order to succeed in other parts of life.  

In the Spring of 2012, Ashley was all set to attend her friend Brittany Diehl’s bachelorette party in Las Vegas.  She had the time off requested – no small task for a local sports reporter – and was simply waiting on a little help from Uncle Sam in the form of a tax refund.  Much to her disappointment, it turned out her taxes went the other way, and Ashley’s savings dried up in a second.

“I called Brittany and apologized.  She worked for the Fox affiliate in Indy and kind of understood my situation.  I had the time off and the flight booked but I just couldn’t go.  Vegas sucks when you’re broke.”

With a long weekend off and no where to go, it was Ashley’s brother Alex, now in San Francisco, who came to the rescue.

“He told me to come out, we’d head up to wine country, and I didn’t hesitate.”

At this point in her career, Ashley was beginning to long for family.  She had been out of Denver for over a decade and it had been years since she left Boston and her Busch Light in-laws.  By 2012, her best friend Kate and husband Geoff had also moved to San Francisco, making the City by the Bay an attractive destination for her next adopted city.  An added incentive was the PAC-12 Networks, which would launch that summer.

Ashley’s representation had already reached out to the conference, as did countless other candidates.  Fortunately for the Indianapolis anchor, Ashley’s impromptu trip to the Bay Area afforded her the opportunity to get in front of the decision makers – and they happened to be expecting her.

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“I watched thousands of broadcast reel submissions,” recalled Kristin Bredes LaFemina, the PAC-12 Networks’ first Director of Talent.  

“When I watched Ashley’s, I remember rewinding and re-watching quite a few times.  She was likable, relatable, witty, intelligent and drew me in.  I remember thinking; ‘Ha, I bet we’d be friends.  I think I want to know her.'”

Needless to say Kristin – who now works as a talent agent for ICM Partners – had no problem opening the doors of the Walnut Creek headquarters for their first meeting, a meeting Ashley remembers quite well.

“We just talked about everything.  It started off with the vision of the Networks but from there we just talked about life, where we both came from.  When it was time to wrap up, I remember we hugged at the elevator,” Ashley paused, submitting to the smile that was fighting to take over. 

“Who hugs at the end of an interview?  I’m a big hugger and I had never done that.  I walked out thinking it went pretty well.”

Ashley’s intuition was correct.  In fact, Bredes LaFemina was so impressed, she had just about made up her mind.

“I told Lydia Murphy-Stephans, my boss, that I wanted to hire Ashley without an audition.  I felt it in my gut that she’d be the perfect fit.  Lydia agreed with my assessment, supported my decision and we took a leap of faith.”

It was late May when Ashley received the news back in Indianapolis that she would be the female face of the PAC-12 opposite ESPN’s Mike Yam.  When asked about the day she got the news, Ashley’s humility takes over.

“If I had to audition, I’m not sure I would’ve gotten the job.  This is a subjective business and it takes finding your Steve Infanti or Kristin Bredes to see something and take a chance on you.”

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While Ashley handled the news about as well as possible, her older brother Alex had a tougher time containing himself.

“I’ll never forget when I found out.  I was at a casino in Georgia for a ‘work event.’  I went bonkers and was telling everyone in the place and at one point a very nice dealer told me ‘we know you’re excited about your sister but you need to tone it down.’”

August 15, 2012 was launch night for the PAC-12 Networks, and the scariest evening of Ashley’s life.  A reasonable person would be nervous for any number of reasons, but Ashley’s nerves were inspired by something else entirely.

“I just kept thinking so many people have worked so hard for so long for this moment, I can’t let them down.”

Since that August night 7 years ago, Ashley’s sense of responsibility has only grown – both professionally and personally.

“I can’t say enough about who I work with here, on air and off.  I honestly think of Mike Yam as a brother.  What I’ve experienced with people like JB Long, Yogi Roth, Kate Scott and Guy Haberman?  Those people are much more than my coworkers.”

As for the family life, Ashley and then LA-based Chris began dating shortly after she accepted the PAC-12 position, finally making Pam and Peter Coakley her in-laws in 2015.  Their first born, Collins, turns 3 this November and enjoys starting his day with a peanut butter smoothie. Their daughter Cora was born earlier this year with JB Long and Boston College Kate chosen as her god parents.

As for older brother Alex, he lives down the street from Ashley and Chris with his family.  Nearly 20 years after the fact, he’s come to terms with his younger sister choosing Boston College over his beloved Notre Dame.

“If she went to Notre Dame she’d probably be a catholic school teacher with a weird YouTube channel or something so I think it worked out for the best.”

Ashley finds the question “would you do it all over again,” difficult to answer.  She’s torn.  She can’t imagine her life any different than it is, but she refuses to discount how hard her journey was at times.

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“I can just say I’m so grateful to my younger self who rose up through local television, who grinded through the unknown.  I uprooted my life three times and started over three times.  When you do that you feel like you can do anything.”

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How to Help Your Clients with Low Website Conversions

Don’t assume there isn’t enough traffic; focus on optimizing user engagement once visitors arrive on the site.

Jeff Caves

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Graphic for how to increase website conversions
Credit: WPDesigner.Biz

Are your clients dealing with low website conversions? Whenever a marketing campaign is run, and the goal is to convert website visitors into leads, the temptation is to blame low traffic, amongst other issues, for low form fills or appointments being generated.  Just spend more money, you may think! Sometimes, you must look at at least four other potential issues to tackle poor conversion rates. Here are some actionable steps using the IT services industry to increase website conversions.

IT Solutions specializes in providing products, services, or solutions related to technology, particularly in areas such as software development, hardware sales, IT consulting, cybersecurity, cloud computing, networking, and digital transformations. They faced challenges with their website conversions. Despite driving substantial traffic through Google Ads and other SEO tactics, they struggled to convert website visitors into form fills for appointment requests. A 2% to 5% conversion rate could be considered reasonable. Of course, conversion rates can vary based on various factors, such as the competitiveness of the local market, the quality of the website (and radio stations help most to fix that) and its user experience, the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, and the reputation and offerings of the IT solutions business. Focusing on improving the quality of leads and providing exceptional customer service can be just as crucial as achieving high conversion rates. Don’t blame EVERYTHING on the marketing tactics! 

The Diagnosis

Upon thorough analysis, several critical issues were identified with IT Solutions’ website:

1. High Bounce Rate: Nobody was checking out the business. If 70% or more of website visitors only visit the landing page, that is an issue.  It could be slow loading times, irrelevant content, poor user experience, or unclear calls-to-action that prevent them from wanting to know more about IT Solutions. You can check the bounce rate on the Google Analytics page for the website in the left-hand sidebar, click on “Behavior” to expand the menu, then click on “Site Content,” and finally, click on “Landing Pages.” You’ll see a list of landing pages and their respective bounce rates.

2. Complex Navigation: It was hard to move around the website to find relevant information about IT services, and it was unclear who they were initiating contact with and for what purpose.

3. Unclear Calls-to-Action (CTAs): The website lacked clear and compelling CTAs guiding visitors toward requesting an appointment. Simply stating “click here for an appointment” is like asking for a meeting whenever or without establishing value. Here are 28 CTAs for free.

4. Lengthy Forms: The appointment forms were long, without qualifying information, and requested excessive information upfront, deterring potential leads from completing them.

Action Plan

1. Optimize Landing Pages:

   – Redo high-traffic landing pages with clear messaging and compelling CTAs.

   – Showcase IT Solutions’ services as benefits, making it easier for users to request appointments, thereby increasing user engagement and conversions.

2. Simplify Navigation:

   – Reorganize the menu and add more action-oriented links.

   – Provide additional options for users to access relevant information, such as “Get a free IT Solutions 15-point checkup NOW” and “Take this 5-question survey to diagnose your IT issues,” motivating them to book appointments.

3. Enhance CTAs:

   – Utilize concise and persuasive messaging throughout the website.

   – Encourage visitors to take action, whether requesting a free download about “5 things you can do to solve your IT issues on your own” or “get a free pizza for booking an appointment.”

4. Improve the Form Fill:

   – Add a further line about the number of employees who qualify for incoming leads.

   – Highlight the value of leads based on company size, prioritizing forms with higher potential impact.

Review landing pages, navigation, CTAs, and form experience to address website conversion issues. Don’t assume there isn’t enough traffic; focus on optimizing user engagement once visitors arrive on the site.

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‘NHL on TNT’ Gives Hockey Fans the ‘NBA on TNT’ Treatment

Watching Albert and Olczyk call a hockey game is like watching Picasso paint and da Vinci sculpt. They are masters of their respective crafts.

John Molori

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NHL on TNT studio

Let’s play a little word association, sports media style. If I say TNT, what is your response? Chances are it will be a three-letter abbreviation of your own, namely, NBA. Over the years, TNT has built a reputation as arguably the premiere network to telecast the National Basketball Association.

The NBA on TNT pregame and halftime shows have become the gold standard with stars like Ernie Johnson, Jr., Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O’Neal. Still, it’s not just this quartet of roundball royalty that has fortified TNT’s hoops coverage.

The rep was also built on tremendous play-by-play announcers like Bob Neal and Kevin Harlan, color analysts like Doug Collins and Reggie Miller, and courtside reporters like the late Craig Sager and current sideline star Allie LaForce.

Indeed, TNT and the NBA have become synonymous, but I have some news for you. This network is not just about professional basketball. This past week I went off the grid with TNT looking at their in-game and studio coverage of the NHL.

On March 24, the NHL on TNT provided coverage of the Pittsburgh Penguins at Colorado Avalanche matchup. Kenny Albert did play-by-play with Eddie Olczyk on color. Albert is not as noted as his legendary broadcasting father Marv Albert, but he has certainly staked his claim as one of the best in the business – able to cross over to multiple sports with equal aplomb.

Hockey is a strong suit for Albert. His rat-tat-tat, drama-building style draws viewers in and keeps us on the edge of our seats. Similarly, Olczyk is one of the top four or five NHL game analysts in the business. His style is understated, providing calm and clear analysis of key plays. They work really well together.

Albert eschews any kind of hackneyed and trite catch phrases for his goal calls. An emphatic, “He shoots and scores!” is plenty enough.

Hockey is a different beast when it comes to play-by-play. Unlike basketball, baseball, football, or even soccer and tennis, there is a minimum of breaks in the action. With hockey, a play-by-play announcer has to know the names of the players like he or she knows her kids’ names.

To me, it is the hardest sport for play-by-play and equally difficult for a color analyst. In basketball, after a team scores, the play-by-play announcer will keep silent and give the color analyst time to talk until the play crosses center court. In baseball and football, there is ample room for commentary.

Hockey does not offer such space, but Olczyk gets the most out of the minimal amount of time. Watching Albert and Olczyk call a hockey game is like watching Picasso paint and da Vinci sculpt. They are masters of their respective crafts.

Coming back from a break in the game, Albert and Olczyk provided on air commentary and then tossed to ice level reporter Brian Boucher who has grown into a tremendous asset to the TNT broadcasts. Boucher provided real talk about Colorado’s objectives of staying on top of their division and vying for the top seed in the Western Conference.

The Penguins, squarely in a rebuilding year having dumped talent at the NHL trade deadline, surprisingly jumped out to a 2–0 lead in this game, and the TNT between periods studio crew was all over it. The excellent Liam McHugh hosted alongside Colby Armstrong, Anson Carter, and Keith Yandle.

Armstrong was especially entertaining. With Pittsburgh outshooting the Avs 16-4, Armstrong noted that it’s the best he’s seen Pittsburgh play in a long time. His reasoning was that teams get geared up for playing Colorado even if it’s out of fear. Great stuff.

Both teams tallied two goals in the second period giving Pittsburgh a 4-2 lead heading into the final frame. When Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon set up Jonathan Drouin for a goal to make it 4-3, Albert and Olczyk showed their strengths.

Albert called the pass from MacKinnon and one-timer goal from Drouin, and immediately noted that MacKinnon now had a point in all 34 of Colorado’s home games this season. On the goal replay, Olczyk showed how the play developed pointing out how McKinnon allowed Pittsburgh’s Evgenii Malkin to come in close before making the past to Drouin.

The TNT production team then showed a graphic displaying that McKinnon is now second all-time in longest home points streaks trailing only Wayne Gretzky. This was a sublime sequence of symmetry between talent and technicians like a songwriter, musician, and singer creating beautiful music.

What was supposed to be a blowout win for Colorado had now become a hockey barn burner, and the TNT crew was up to the task. Every goal and key play was followed up with replays from multiple angles showing the genesis of the action.

TNT has certainly taken to the velocity of the hockey broadcast with movement that challenges directors, graphics professionals, and videographers.

When there were breaks in this non-stop action, Olczyk was at his best. No hockey analyst draws on his experience as a player and explains that experience better to viewers. The TNT broadcast also lets Boucher freewheel and join in the flow of discussion without having to be introduced.

TNT does not merely rely on the traditional wide shot of the entire rink. We see close-up shots of each goaltender after a great save and the sweat of players on the bench or in the penalty box.

When McKinnon tied the game at 4-4 with 4:38 left in the third period, we got a series of tremendous crowd shots showing the Colorado fans going absolutely berserk. The sage Albert and Olczyk wisely remained quiet for several seconds, letting the cheers do the talking.

When Drouin scored the game winner at 4:06 of overtime, Albert exercised controlled enthusiasm, raising his voice on the call of the goal, but not becoming the show and overshadowing the play itself. He is definitely in the mold of Dan Kelly, Gary Thorne, and Sean McDonough, announcers who enhance but do not supersede the game.

Putting a cherry on top of this hockey Sunday, TNT showed a graphic that the Avalanche now led the NHL in comeback wins this season with 25 and that they were riding a 9-game winning streak. In analyzing the goal, Olczyk opined that the altitude of playing in Colorado was prevalent as the Penguins seemed to tire as the game progressed – really interesting insight.

In the postgame show, Anson Carter made a great point that the chemistry between Drouin and MacKinnon stems from the fact that they have been playing together going back to junior hockey. McKinnon joined in from the arena for a postgame interview. The analysts asked solid questions and even did a funny MVP chant together as the interview ended.

The NHL on TNT takes no back seat to its elder NBA sister. The broadcast provides viewers with flash, dash, and serious hockey talk from every angle – in studio, from the broadcast booth, and on the ice.

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Kim Mulkey Now Has Everyone Anticipating Washington Post Story

I can’t imagine what headline, under normal circumstances, the Washington Post would have to put on a Kim Mulkey story to make me want to read it.

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photo of LSU women's college basketball coach Kim Mulkey
Credit: Dailymail.co.uk

The Washington Post, you might’ve heard, has a story coming out about controversial LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey. The reason you might’ve heard is because Kim Mulkey told you. The Tigers coach read a fiery prepared statement just before her team started the Women’s NCAA Tournament. In the statement, Mulkey threatened to sue The Post for defamation before the first word was even published.

Now, I’ve never run a public relations firm but that did not seem like a good idea. The Washington Post story on Mulkey is one of the bigger stories in sports right now and nobody even knows what’s in it. The reason the story, apparently unflattering to Mulkey, is even on anyone’s radar screen is Mulkey herself.

It all started with an innocuous social media post by Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde right in the middle of the most anticipated two days in sports, the NCAA Tournament Round of 64. On his X account, Forde posted: “Hearing some buzz about a big Washington Post story in the works on LSU women’s hoops coach Kim Mulkey, potentially next week. Wagons being circled, etc.”

You know what generally will go unnoticed at 4:00 on the first Friday of the NCAA Tournament? A post on X about a women’s basketball coach. But don’t tell Mulkey, she saw Forde’s post and decided to fight fire with nuclear weaponry. The result: the average person like me now is really interested in what has Mulkey so incensed. By “average person like me” I mean that I can’t imagine what headline, under normal circumstances, the Washington Post would have to put on a Kim Mulkey story to make me want to read it. Maybe:

“LSU Women’s Coach Discovers Ark of the Covenant”

Or:

“Mulkey Reveals True JFK Assassin(s)”

Perhaps:

“Famed Women’s Basketball Coach Reveals the Mystery Behind Slow Drivers in the Left Lane”

Literally any of those catch my attention more than whatever will likely be the Washington Post headline about Mulkey. But now Mulkey is “Mad as Hell and is not going to take this anymore” so I now have an interest I would never before have had in this story. It has been fascinating to watch the online speculation about the subject of the article and all we really know, as of now, is that it will be written by Kent Babb. This is a dream come true for Babb; he writes an article that is, presumably, not flattering about Kim Mulkey and, before it is even published, she gives the article the greatest commercial anyone could give it. Babb couldn’t have entered into a business agreement with Mulkey and had this turn out better for him.

For those who don’t follow Babb, he is a former NFL reporter who now is an award-winning writer for the Washington Post. In his 14 years with The Post, he has written sports features and authored a couple of books. One of those sports features stories was a deep dive into what he viewed as a large inequity in the level of pay for LSU head football coach Brian Kelly and his LSU players. It is this piece Mulkey described as a “hit piece” and, based on that piece, referred to Babb as a “sleazy reporter.” Babb, and many others, resented the fact his story was labeled as a hit piece. In fact, Babb essentially confirmed he was the author Mulkey was referencing when he shared the original article on X with the comment: “Hit piece?”

Whether a printed piece or a recorded interview, I can’t imagine a better promotion for it than the subject of the interview threatening a libel/slander lawsuit, especially before it is even released. That simply screams “This piece is salacious!!” Also, libel and slander suits get settled all the time, right? Of course they don’t, they seem to never even get filed. That little thing called discovery is a scary thing for most public figures.

The NCAA Tournament has been very entertaining, and I think the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight will be terrific. For only the fifth time ever, the top two seeds have advanced to the third round which sets up for a remarkable weekend. For me, I guess it will now include a Washington Post article, not a sentence I’d normally say.

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