In The Press

By Kelly Dwyer

Very few things flummox NBA fans as much as the unsavory turnaround that involved the Seattle SuperSonics turning into the Oklahoma City Thunder. On one hand, if Seattle wanted to keep its team, it should have voted to spend a bit more on a new arena (after paying through the nose to keep the Mariners and Seahawks happy) that would replace the ancient Key Arena.

On the other hand? The ownership group behind the Thunder is eminently slappable, Seattle loves hoops, and it never should have ended this way. Seattle deserved so, so much better.

On the third hand, because it’s 2011 and everyone has three arms now? Oklahoma City loves hoops to an eye-watering degree, and the Thunder are just about everyone’s second-favorite team at this point. This is why J.E. Skeets and Tas Melas decided to mess with the OKC faithful last week, dangling the proposition that the Thunder were about to become the "Seattle ThunderSonics."

(Which, you’ll agree, is a fantastic name.)

OK, jokes aside, can’t we just send parts of three NBA teams to Seattle in three years, once they put together an arena that doesn’t lose gobs of money every night out?

Related: Oklahoma City Thunder, Video

TBJ Tour Video: Seattle gets back the Thunder from The Basketball Jones on Vimeo.

By Matthew Miller

Summary: Mobile phones are always with us and are great for following sports action when we are out and about. ScoreMobile was updated for the iPhone and iPod touch and is an excellent application for sports fans.

I grew up playing sports and am a fan of competitions around the world. I have a few sports apps on my iPhone, including ESPN ScoreCenter, CBS Sports, NFL Mobile, RWC 2011, and MLS MatchDay. Thus, I was pleased to hear of the release of the new ScoreMobile app for the iPhone that was released this week as it gives you access to lots of detailed stats with social networking integration.

I have used ScoreMobile on various other devices, I particularly like it on Windows Phone, and immediately installed this new version on my iPhone 4S. I quickly added my favorite NFL, MLS, MLB, and NCAA basketball teams (all local here to Washington State) and started checking out the application. As a youth soccer coach and father to three daughters I am a bit disappointed that there are not more women’s sports in the app and am primarily looking for NCAA basketball and soccer so hopefully some of these sports get added in the future.

I like that you can simply tap the S button in the upper left to jump right to your My Score part of the application. I will be testing out the live stats functionality during tonight’s Seattle Seahawks game. According to the press release, here are the features of this new iOS ScoreMobile App:

• Enriched content: Over 15,000 players, 800 teams and 20 leagues and associations represented
• My Score: A rich personalized view to help you track your favorite teams and players in real-time
• Create a customized scoreboard to track any team or player from any league
• Organize and follow fantasy teams and players in real-time
• Deep dive into player card profiles, which offer season stats, recent performances and photos
• View favorite teams on one page for quick access to upcoming games, injuries, rosters and team news
• Notification Center integration: Access to all of your alerts using this new feature in iOS 5
• One-tap social sharing: Tweet or share on Facebook the latest team news or theScore.com blog posts
• Blogs and video content: The best of theScore.com, including The Basketball Jones, Backhand Shelf, Getting Blanked, and The Footy Blog



DDB copywriter Ethan Cole and Circle Production head of sales Laurence Payne are sitting in a van outside a 7-Eleven in New Jersey with disgraced Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson. The trio is patiently waiting to confront Johnson’s American rival Carl Lewis on his way to get his morning coffee. Payne asks Johnson about a television campaign he did for the Cheetah brand of sports drinks. “I don’t want to talk about that. That’s off the record,” says Johnson. “Are we friends yet?” Cole asks Johnson. “No… No chance,” says Johnson.

Awkwarrrrrrd. But funny.

These unlikely exchanges are part of The Project, a docu-style sports show on The Score that follows Cole and Payne as they track down their sports heroes and ask them to participate in often off-the-wall activities.

Cole and Payne first approached The Score, known for its unconventional sports programming like Cabbie on the Street (Cabbie, aka Cabral Richards, was lured away to CTV late last year and now appears on TSN), with a documentary they made about heavyweight boxing champion Buster Douglas, best known for knocking out Mike Tyson.

When pitching the idea to The Score execs, Cole and Laurence shared some of the antics and “crazy stuff” that went on behind the scenes, similar to the aforementioned stakeout with Johnson. From there it was decided that this is what the show would be: two hard-core sports fans doing what they can to meet legendary athletes.

In one episode Cole and Laurence ask former major league baseball player Otis Nixon to re-enact the worst moment of his career—his failed bunt during the 1992 World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Ben Johnson episode was scheduled to air Nov. 29.

With a small crew and a shoe-string budget of only about $15,000 per episode, Cole and Payne are left to their own devices with little direction from The Score (though the episodes are edited by the sports network).

Right now, the list is void of female athletes and ice sports. But Cole says it will continue to grow over time. He and Payne are encouraging sports fans to share their ideas at ThisIsTheProject.com. “Everyone’s got a list,” says Payne. “We want to start getting those ideas rolling in. You never know—it could be the next episode.”

Score Media has unwrapped a fully redesigned ScoreMobile App for iPhone and iPod touch, adding real-time customizable feeds and one-tap social sharing to its popular mobile sports platform.

Barely a day after its release, the new app is climbing the iTunes charts both in Canada and the U.S., becoming the Number One free sports app download in Canada, and hitting # 5 in the States.

New features in the mobile application include added content highlighting more than 15,000 players, 800 teams and 20 leagues and associations.

Interactive and geo-locating functions in the portable device and new operating system, iOS5, allows the development team to add real-time customized feeds, alerts and notifications about sports news, information, results and fantasy activities.

“ScoreMobile is an essential app for sports fans around the world,” Dale Fallon, Vice President, Digital Products, Score Media Inc., described. “Now fans can take their sports experience to the next level with a uniquely tailored and enhanced user experience for iPhone and iPod touch.”

The app was designed and developed in conjunction with Web and mobile development firm and Score Media partner, NuLayer Inc.

My Score lets users track their favourite teams and players in real-time, and to create a customized scoreboard to track any team or player from any league.

Season stats, recent performances and photos, as well as upcoming games, injuries, rosters and team news are accessible through customized alerts and the new Notification Centre.

Social network connectivity is enhanced through one tap social sharing feature, connecting the user to Twitter or Facebook, and with news from theScore.com blog posts.

The best blogs and video content from theScore.com, including The Basketball Jones, Backhand Shelf, Getting Blanked, and The Footy Blog, are available on the app, now available for free from the App Store on iPhone or iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore/.

The company’s digital media assets include theScore.com and the mobile sports apps, including the new ScoreMobile, ScoreMobile FC and SportsTap, reaching some three million unique users per month.

Score Media is a media company committed to delivering interactive and authentic sports entertainment. Score Media’s primary asset, theScore Television Network (“theScore”), is a national specialty television service providing sports news, information, highlights and live event programming in more than 6.8 million homes across Canada.

Jackie Redmond of London has been crowned the winner of theScore’s Gillette Drafted 3, a contest designed to find “Canada’s Next Sportscaster.”

Redmond, an on-air personality for local radio station 102.3 Bob FM, battled nine other final contestants in weekly challenges on the show. After each challenge, industry experts acted as judges, offering critiques to the finalists.

As the victor, Redmond has been offered an on-air talent gig at theScore Television Network as well as a contract to be a spokesperson for Gillette.

Photo cap: Jackie Redmond studied broadcast journalism at Guelph Humber. The winner of the Drafted series is hired as a contributor to theScore Television Network, ScoreMobile, theScore.com and theScore Satellite Radio.

By JIM REYNO

Published: November 29, 2011 12:53 p.m.

Last modified: November 30, 2011 2:47 a.m.

London’s Jackie Redmond has won a national TV competition to be a sports broadcaster.
Redmond defeated nine other finalists — selected from thousands of applicants — to win Drafted 3: The Search for Canada’s Next Sportscaster on theScore.
“I was confident that I had the potential to win, but I knew that the competition was stiff and other contestants all had really big personalities in different ways,” said Redmond, a former on-air radio personality in London.
“When I first got to Toronto for the contest, I was intimidated by that a little bit. Once I got over that, it was just working hard and getting through the grind.”
The 10-week sportscaster bootcamp featured competitions in everything from highlight challenges to mock job interviews.
Redmond, 24, gets a one-year contract with theScore, as well as a one-year deal to be a Gillette spokesperson.
Redmond starts at theScore next week, although she doesn’t know yet when she’ll be on air.

“I would love to do anything in hockey or basketball — those are my favourite sports,” she said about her broadcasting goals. “But I like the big four (sports); I like the analysis side of the game. I like watching the games and talking about what’s going on and what can be done better.”

by Dave Rowaan

I know that Yellow and Red really do clash but could Jonathan De Guzman seriously be considering Canada after all these years of breaking our hearts?

It is not often as Canadian fans that we are afforded the chance to really get excited about something going our way. It seems to we are far too often left to bemoan another star player being unwilling to pull on the Red and White of Canada and opting to play for a country that gives them a better chance of success on a bigger stage. Today though Canada got a real glimmer of hope thanks to Toronto FC’s own Julian De Guzman.

The fact that Julian’s brother, Jonathan, was unwilling to play for Canada and chose to instead carry a Dutch passport is something that has long bothered Julian and has probably been the subject of endless conversations between the two brothers. So today, when The Score’s James Sharman asked Julian once more if he had any update on the potential of his younger brother suiting up for Canada he was almost certainly not expecting the answer that he got. (Video of the interview after the jump!)

If Canada could add Jonathan De Guzman to its current roster it would lead to an instant and vast improvement in the country’s midfield as the Villarreal mid is highly rated as well as a gifted attacker. The only person in the country who might not be happy about this news would be Dwayne De Rosario who would almost certainly lose his starting spot if JDG2 does end up playing for Canada.

This is only one part of the story in what was a very exciting day for CMNT fans. The rest is after the break.

In the video clip below it is clear that not even Sharms thinks that he is going to get the news from JDG that all Canadian fans have been longing to hear but when Julian does say that his brother is talking to the CSA about getting his passport back there is suddenly even more reason to be hopeful about Canada’s chances about making it to Brazil 2014. Then the real cherry on top of all of that is that Julian remarks that his brother has already asked for David (Junior) Hoillet’s phone number to talk to him about his international options. So by the end of a 1:31 long clip Canadian fans not only have reason to be hopeful about Jonathan suiting up for Canada, but we are also given just one more reason to dream that Junior might join him in what would be the biggest announcement in this countries soccer history.

The Jonathan news is not completely out of the blue as he did make some comments that he might be open to playing for Canada if he could get his passport back when he was on the Beyond the Pitch podcast just a couple of days ago. The following is a rough quote of what he had to say at around the 8 minute mark of that link:
“I was actually talking to some close friends about this situation, then again Im 24 years old and I made my decision in 2008 about playing for Holland and I haven’t got the senior callup and then again I have a passport and don’t have a Canadian passport but then again if there is a chance of getting that passport again then I’ll rethink that thought again of course”.

So even from his own mouth there is an indication that Jonathan is more open than ever to the idea of playing for Canada. He also suggests that his conversations with fellow Yellow Submarine, Giuseppe Rossi might have something to do with his reconsidering Canada. Well, that and the fact that the Netherlands senior team just shows no signs of calling him up.

But before we get ahead of ourselves there is one other piece of Canadian news worth sharing and that is the fact that Soccer by Ives is reporting that Dejan Jakovic of DC United will be heading over to England to train with West Bromich Albion this winter.

From Monday’s Globe and Mail

Published Monday, Nov. 28, 2011 12:00AM EST

Last updated Monday, Nov. 28, 2011 11:29AM EST

Ever wonder why there are so few stylish people traipsing the streets these days? I do.

There’s a dismaying uniformity. Often it seems to me everybody is trying to look like some celebrity. And, all too often, the result is a fashion disaster. Ill-fitting and unsuitable clothes are worn by people who really don’t look the slightest bit like some movie or TV star.

The issue doesn’t keep me up at night. But I do ponder it. Recently, while watching the excellent documentary Bill Cunningham New York (it’s airing regularly on SuperChannel this month) I was struck by the reason for Cunningham’s fame as a photographer for The New York Times. He does impromptu photos of people walking the streets – people who look strikingly dressed. Cunningham doesn’t photograph celebrities. As he points out, celebrities are dressed by stylists. What they wear is not an expression of their own personality.

This is all too true and yet vast attention is paid to some actress who was told what to wear by somebody who has a deal with a designer. It’s getting worse, too. Let me tell you a story.

Actress Sheila Kelley is on Monday’s episode of Gossip Girl (The CW, 8 p.m.). She plays “Serena van der Woodsen’s mischievous Aunt Carol Rhodes.” Certain shenanigans have required Kelley’s character to visit the Upper East Side for damage control.

Now, I’d normally be oblivious to the antics of Serena van der Woodsen and her aunt. But I received an alert from a PR company about Kelley’s return to Gossip Girl. The point was not to get some press coverage for the appearance. It was to promote Sheila Kelley’s S Factor, a fitness technique that “incorporates fluid feminine movement and pole dancing.” For a limited time, Gossip Girl fans can win Kelley’s Soulfully Sexy DVDs. I now know that S Factor, which has studios in several U.S. cities, and sells DVDs and stuff, is recognized as “the first and only pole dancing and striptease workout in the world.” If your kids are watching Gossip Girl (the core demographic is teenage girls), there’s something right there you can put under the Christmas tree.

I draw this matter to your attention because, at regular intervals I also get bulletins from the CW, with the subject heading, “Fashion to Talk About.” These press releases inform me and other people who cover TV, about the fashionable items worn on the show. What they are and where to buy them. Gossip Girl and the new Hart of Dixie are the two shows that relentlessly flog the schmatte worn by the characters in a major manner.

The most recent bulletin about Hart of Dixie, which stars Rachel Bilson as a doctor in the Deep South, doing her doctoring and meeting cute guys, gave info on her outfits. Bilson isn’t wearing very much in the photo of a key scene, which is not unusual, I gather. A teensy dress and some shoes. The dress is by Herve Leger and the shoes are by Christian Louboutin. What they cost was unknown to me until I Googled “Herve Leger dress Hart of Dixie” and discovered, instantly, it costs $2,200 (U.S.). It looks very nice on the tiny Bilson.

In the matter of what they wear on Gossip Girl, I can tell you that an outfit worn by the social climber Jenny (Taylor Momsen) comprised earrings by Diana Warner, necklace by Courtney Udelson, coat by Zero + Mario Cornejo and sweater by Alexander Wang. At that point I stopped. I know the coat costs $1000.

Granted, some of the clothes are pretty, though few would be considered truly stylish – they’re expensive but ordinary and obviously chosen by stylists working for the show. Also, call me crazy but some clothes are chosen so that the result is a surge in sales for the designer or manufacturer.

This is one way that television generates revenue these days. Not only are there ads during the commercial breaks, but the stuff you are seeing worn by actors is being peddled too. The result, I put it to you, is an unreasonable amount of peddling expensive clothes, and streets teeming with fashion victims.

ALSO AIRING TONIGHT

Drafted (The Score, 11:15 p.m.) is a fascinating reality show which sets out to find Canada’s next sportscaster. In the finale of season three tonight, you can learn who wins – Ryan Long or Jackie Redmond. The winner gets a one-year contract with The Score and is a spokesthingy for Gillette, the sponsor. The show should be of interest to anyone who watches sports on TV because it actually illuminates what is expected of a TV sports reporter these days and gives some insight into an often unforgiving job.

Score Media today announced a complete redesign of the ScoreMobile App for iPhone and iPod.

“ScoreMobile is an essential app for sports fans around the world,” says Dale Fallon, Vice President, Digital Products, Score Media Inc. “Now fans can take their sports experience to the next level with a uniquely tailored and enhanced user experience for iPhone and iPod touch.”

Features of the new ScoreMobile app include content on over 15,000 players, 800 teams, and 20 leagues and associations; a personalized view to track favourite teams and players in real-time; the ability to organize and follow fantasy teams and players in real-time; push notifications; one-tap social sharing; and more.

The app is available for free from Apple’s App Store. The app was designed and developed in conjunction with NuLayer.