Sports TV News

FOX Sports Films, Religion of Sports Announce New Yankees-Red Sox Documentary

“For over eight decades, the Yankees always edged out the Red Sox. But this famous night in October changed that.”

Published

2 months ago

October 9, 2023

BSM Staff

Courtesy: FOX Sports Films, Religion of Sports

FOX Sports Films and Religion of Sports have announced a new original documentary about the 2004 American League Championship Series (ALCS) matchup between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, the penultimate series before the latter broke an 86-year championship drought. The film will premiere on Wednesday, Oct. 18 on FS1, which follows live coverage of Game 3 of the ALCS, and features interviews with many key figures who were a part of the proceedings.

FOX Sports studio analysts Álex Rodríguez, Derek Jeter, and David Ortiz were interviewed for the feature, in addition to Kevin Millar, Orlando Cabrera, Johnny Damon, Dave Roberts and Mariano Rivera. Titled The Game That Changed Everything, it is the second documentary that is premiering this year under the network’s multi-year film deal that was announced earlier in the year.

“FOX Sports is thrilled to commemorate one of the most iconic stories in baseball as retold through varying perspectives of some of the best players and sports personalities in Major League Baseball,” Barry Nugent, vice president of development and original programming at FOX Sports, said in a statement. “As FOX is the exclusive home of the ALCS this postseason, we’re excited to present a never-before-seen interpretation of arguably one of the greatest games in ALCS history to reignite fan enthusiasm behind this iconic series.”

With the Yankees ahead three games to zero in the series, the documentary largely focuses on the fourth game of the series that started the unprecedented four-game comeback that garnered Boston a trip to the World Series. The Red Sox ultimately found a way to defeat the Yankees and, in turn, make history as the only team to ever overcome such a deficit in a playoff series.

The film is executive produced by Eric Shanks, Mark Silverman, Charlie Dixon and Barry Nugent from FOX Sports; and Gotham Chopra, Ameeth Sankaran and Victor Buhler at Religion of Sports. It is directed by Liam Hughes, and David Check, Carl Hansen, Ariana Rotstein and Michael Vayder all worked as producers. Additionally, Rita O’Dea is an associate producer on the project.

“Religion of Sports is excited to turn a magnifying glass on one of the most remarkable games in baseball history,” Victor Buhler, senior vice president of production and head of development at Religion of Sports, said in a statement. “The margins between victory and defeat in baseball are so slim: a runner beats a throw by half a second; a hit flies off the barrel of a bat; a ball slips underneath a glove.

“Director Liam Hughes takes us back into the drama of Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS and, even though we know the outcome, he has found a new way for us to relive the game. For over eight decades, the Yankees always edged out the Red Sox. But this famous night in October changed that. It was truly a game that changed everything.”

The film will provide viewers with firsthand perspectives on what happened during the fateful fourth game that ended in an unexpected defeat. There will also be various baseball experts featured throughout the presentation, in addition to representatives from the Yankees and Red Sox organizations to break down what impact it has had on their teams in the ensuing years.

BSM Staff

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John Dickinson Exits 95.7 The Game

“The longtime Bay Area sports radio reporter and host announced his departure on social media.”

Published

10 hours ago

November 28, 2023

Jordan Bondurant

23538F4F-2BF5-40B4-9FA4-07801B5214EE | Barrett Media

A voice familiar to Bay Area sports fans will no longer be heard on 95.7 The Game. Reporter John Dickinson announced on Monday that it was his last day at the station.

Dickinson posted a note on X on Monday expressing his gratitude for getting to be at 95.7 The Game for well over a decade covering sports.

“Who would have thought I’d have been fortunate enough to cover two World Series or three Super Bowls or SIX NBA Finals?” Dickinson wrote. “They even let me pretend to be a hockey reporter during the 2016 Stanley Cup Final. Through the countless hours of radio shows and update shifts, and the long days and nights of traveling to cover Warriors and 49ers games all across the country, it’s been a pleasure to interact with some of the most passionate and knowledgeable (and sometime neurotic) fans in sports.”

Today was my last day at 95.7 The Game after 12 years 7 months & 7 days. (But who's counting) pic.twitter.com/VIDLRLkACI
— John Dickinson (@JDJohnDickinson) November 28, 2023

He continued that he’s thankful for the chance to develop such great relationships with other reporters on the various Bay Area pro sports beats. Dickinson announced that he’s excited for what’s next.

According to sources, that next opportunity will be with KNBR.

“Grateful for the friendships that have blossomed with co-workers and other reporters along all the great beats in the Bay Area,” he wrote. “From my early days almost exclusively on the Raiders/Warriors/Giants to now primarily the 49ers/Warriors. Beyond excited for what’s next, but that’s tomorrow’s news.”

Jordan Bondurant

Jordan Bondurant is a features reporter for Barrett Sports Media. He’s a multimedia journalist and communicator who works at the Virginia State Corporation Commission in Richmond. Jordan also contributes occasional coverage of the Washington Capitals for the blog NoVa Caps. His prior media experiences include working for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the Danville Register & Bee, Virginia Lawyers Weekly, WRIC-TV 8News and Audacy Richmond. He can be reached by email at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @J__Bondurant.

Sports TV News

Rob Stone: Big Noon Kickoff ‘A Toddler But Not in Our Crib Anymore’

The college football pregame show is about to finish its 5th season competing with ESPN’s College GameDay.

Published

10 hours ago

November 28, 2023

Jordan Bondurant

(Photo: FOX Sports)

FOX is about to put a bow on its fifth season of Big Noon Kickoff, and even though ESPN’s College GameDay continues to lead in viewership, FOX isn’t taking its foot off the pedal.

Big Noon Kickoff averaged 1.02 million viewers through the first 10 weeks of the 2023 season according to reporting from Sports Business Journal. That figure was up from the 997,000 viewer average last year, the first year FOX sent its college football pregame show on the road for the entire regular season.

The show has seen its biggest growth in the final hour leading into FOX’s Big Noon Saturday game of the week broadcast. The 11 a.m. hour is averaging over 1.4 million viewers during that window through nine weeks.

FOX has seemed to master creating its own party atmosphere for the on-campus, on-location live show hosted by Rob Stone. Brady Quinn, Matt Leinart, Mark Ingram, and Urban Meyer fill out the desk, with Bruce Feldman and Chris “The Bear” Fallica contributing throughout the course of the morning.

Stone said the show continues to improve and gain momentum. It’s clear the program is on an upward trajectory.

“We’re a toddler, but we’re not in our crib anymore,” Stone said. “We’re demanding a king-sized bed.”

“It’s just a testament to everyone at Fox believing in what we can make this,” Leinart added. “And then also the guys up here and everybody part of this crew — in front of the camera and behind the camera — everybody makes the show go.”

The show obviously wants to eventually overtake GameDay as the most popular college football pregame show in the country, but many elements pull from the formula ESPN has used to make GameDay what it is. Imitation is the most honest form of flattery in Quinn’s eyes, who said that the big difference between what viewers get on FOX is the focus funneling into the noon game of the week.

“Obviously, if you’re gonna start out with the idea to do a college football pregame show, you take a lot of things [GameDay has] done because they’ve been successful,” Quinn said. “What we’re trying to do is taking the tailgate — that party and that atmosphere inside the stadium right before the game — right to kick.”

“The vast majority of our games are that,” the Big Noon Kickoff host added. “So hopefully when you’re watching you get more of the intensity wrapping up to like, here it is, here are the two teams. Boom. Gus and Joel, take it away.”

Jordan Bondurant

Sports TV News

NBC Sports Trialing Paul McGinley as Lead Golf Analyst This Weekend

McGinley will get the opportunity to helm the role held by Paul Azinger before his exit earlier this month.

Published

10 hours ago

November 28, 2023

Jordan Bondurant

When the Hero World Challenge tees off later this week in The Bahamas, NBC Sports will reportedly be auditioning its next PGA Tour lead analyst in Paul McGinley.

The Irish Independent on Monday reported that McGinley, a Ryder Cup champion for Europe who contributes analysis to both Sky Sports and Golf Channel, will get to test out doing play-by-play analysis alongside Dan Hicks.

NBC is going to be hiring a new lead analyst after the departure of Paul Azinger following October’s Ryder Cup. The network’s PGA Tour broadcast schedule for 2024 doesn’t begin in earnest until February.

It’s believed that if McGinley gets the lead analyst nod, he will continue to honor his obligations to Sky and Golf Channel under the Comcast banner.

Jordan Bondurant