MNF Season Finale: NFC North Rivalry -- Chicago Bears Host Green Bay Packers

Samuel L. Jackson to Appear in Comic Book-Type Opening Tease Capturing the Storied NFC North Matchup

contacts: bill.hofheimer@espn.com or mac.nwulu@espn.com

The 2008 season finale of ESPN’s Monday Night Football will include a matchup of longtime NFC North rivals when standout rookie running back Matt Forte and the Chicago Bears – still in the hunt for the division title – host Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers December 22 at 8:30 p.m. ET.  It will be the first MNF game in the Windy City since 2003.

Samuel L. Jackson, star of the upcoming film The Spirit, will appear in a special stylized opening tease to kick off the season finale of Monday Night Countdown at 7 p.m.  Still photographs of heroic Bears and Packers faces are given a comic book feel in their framing and color treatment as Jackson tells the story of heroes and villains, of good and evil, and a classic rivalry, capturing the longtime spirit of this NFC North matchup.

Mike Tirico (play-by-play) and analysts Ron Jaworski and Tony Kornheiser will call the game on ESPN and ESPN HD, while Álvaro Martin (play-by-play), Raúl Allegre (analyst) and John Sutcliffe (reporter) will handle the Spanish-language telecast on ESPN Deportes.  ESPN's studio coverage will begin with NFL Live at 3:30 p.m. and continue until kickoff with Monday Night Countdown at 7 p.m.

For the NFL season to date, ESPN’s Monday Night Football is averaging a 8.8 rating and 8,620,000 households (11,840,000 P2+), up 1 percent, 2 percent and 4 percent, respectively, from last season through 16 games (8.7; 8,425,000; 11,374,000).  For 2008, the 16 MNF telecasts represent eight of cable’s 10 biggest audiences of the year. ESPN.com is averaging 70 million page views each week.

Sunday NFL Countdown: “Feeling the Pain,” “Twas’ the Night Before the Steelers’ Christmas” and “The Worst Game Ever Played”

contacts: bill.hofheimer@espn.com or kimberly.jessup@espn.com

This week’s Sunday NFL Countdown (11 a.m. - 1 p.m.) will present three primary features:

• Players of the past (Jack Youngblood and Kellen Winslow) and present (Donovan McNabb and Clinton Portis) share their stories about the kind of physical pain that is both felt and inflicted in the NFL, and how it affects the lives of players both on and off the field, in this piece by Tom Jackson.
• Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Dick Lebeau has an unusual NFL holiday tradition. For the past two decades he's gathered his players together to read Twas’ the Night Before Christmas.  Countdown shows how this tradition has helped create a unique bond between Lebeau and his players.
• In a parody of ESPN’s Greatest Game Ever Played documentary, Kenny Mayne reviews footage of “The Worst Game Ever Played” -- last year’s rain-soaked slopfest between the Steelers and Dolphins, which resulted in 3-0 Steelers’ victory on Monday Night Football. The Mayne Event includes interviews with the MNF crew and actor Samuel L. Jackson. 

A special 30-minute edition of Countdown is also planned for Saturday, Dec. 20, at 10:30 a.m. to preview the Baltimore Ravens-Dallas Cowboys game. The program will feature the entire Countdown crew, reports from Ed Werder in Dallas, Stephen A. Smith’s interview with Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens from this week and a look back at the top five moments in Texas Stadium history as the Cowboys prepare for the final regular-season game in this legendary sports venue.

NFL Films Presents: Sal Paolantonio Tuesday on ESPN2

contact: bill.hofheimer@espn.com

NFL Films Presents: Sal Paolantonio (Tuesday, Dec. 23, at 1 a.m. on ESPN2) features an extended interview of Paolantonio by NFL Films president and show host Steve Sabol.  They discuss the ESPN correspondent's background and career as a reporter, as well as the genesis and subject matter of his bestselling book "How Football Explains America" -- currently the No. 1 football book in America, according to Amazon.com.  Among other topics, Paolantonio explains the rules that laid the groundwork for football's transformation into “America's Game,” the birth of the quarterback and the first down, the connection between the game and an 1872 painting "American Progress,” and the importance of the 2007 season to the history of the game. The program will re-air Wednesday, Dec. 24, at 2 p.m. on ESPN2.

NBA Christmas Day Tripleheader Including Finals Rematch on ABC

contact: nate.smeltz@espn.com; mark.d.mandel@espn.com

ESPN and ABC will combine to present an NBA Christmas Day tripleheader, Thursday, Dec. 25, highlighted by a rematch of the 2008 Finals when the Los Angeles Lakers host the defending champion Boston Celtics at 5 p.m. on ABC.  The Celtics/Lakers showdown – also available on ESPN Radio – will cap off a doubleheader on ABC, with San Antonio and Tim Duncan visiting the Phoenix Suns and Amare Stoudemire at 2:30 p.m.  Christmas Day coverage tips off with the Orlando Magic hosting the New Orleans Hornets at 12 p.m. on ESPN.  See tomorrow’s press release for additional information.

Most-Viewed Heisman Trophy Presentation

contact: michael.c.humes@espn.com

ESPN’s telecast of the Heisman Trophy Presentation Presented by Nissan Saturday, Dec. 13, was the network’s most-viewed ever with an average of 3,058,000 households, surpassing last year’s previous of 2,972,000 households.  Coverage of the annual show, dedicated to the announcement of college football’s most prestigious award, averaged a 3.1 rating, the same as last year.

Men’s College Basketball: No. 2 Connecticut Twice Including Against BIG EAST Rival No. 13 Georgetown; Illinois at No. 18 Purdue in a Big Ten Showdown

contact: michael.c.humes@espn.com

The upcoming men’s college basketball schedule will be highlighted by two home court appearances by No. 2 Connecticut -- versus Fairfield Friday, Dec. 26, at 7 p.m. on ESPNU and against BIG EAST rival No. 13 Georgetown Monday, Dec. 29, at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.  Other highlights:

• Southern: No. 20 Davidson at College of Charleston Monday, Dec. 29, at 9 p.m. on ESPNU.
• Big Ten: Illinois at No. 18 Purdue Tuesday, Dec. 30, at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.

Date                Time (ET) Network                      Matchup / Commentators

Syracuse Student to Call Men’s Basketball Game on Saturday

contact: tilea.coleman@esepn.com

On Saturday, Dec. 20, ESPNU’s commentator team will be one of the youngest ever in the history of the ESPN networks.  Syracuse University student and ESPNU Campus Connection commentator Steve Andress, 22, will serve as the play-by-play announcer alongside college basketball analyst Jay Williams, 27, for the Miami (Ohio) at West Virginia game on ESPNU at noon.  The game will be followed by No. 1 North Carolina at Valparaiso at 2 p.m. 

Andress, a senior broadcast journalism major from Philadelphia, is making his second appearance as an ESPNU Campus Connection commentator.  His debut was this season during a Syracuse-Connecticut football telecast on ESPNU November 15.  Williams, a former standout player at Duke who played in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls, called his first game as an ESPN college basketball analyst in 2004.

To view Andress’ first national telecast as a play-by-play announcer, please visit http://espnmediazone.com/mediacenter/20081216_SteveAndress.html.  A photo of Andress and Williams is available here.

Women’s College Basketball: National Championship Re-Match Sunday -- No. 4 Stanford at No. 13 Tennessee on ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD

contact: tilea.coleman@espn.com

On Sunday, Dec. 21, at 7 p.m., ESPN2 will televise a re-match of the 2008 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship when No. 4 Stanford travels to Knoxville to take on No. 13 Tennessee, whose legendary head coach Pat Summit, with 990 wins, is on pace to achieve 1,000 career victories.  Bob Picozzi and Carolyn Peck will call the game, which will also be available in high definition on ESPN2 HD.

The 2008 national title game telecast on ESPN showcased Tennessee capturing its eighth national title over Stanford, 64-48.  The game was seen by an average of 2,871,000 homes, up 34 percent from last year (2,137,000).  The game garnered a 3.0 rating, a 30 percent increase over the previous year, a 2.3 for Tennessee’s defeat of Rutgers. 

DVD of ESPN Films’ The Greatest Game Ever Played Available Exclusively on Amazon.com

contact: crystal.howard@espn.com

The Greatest Game Ever Played , an ESPN Films presentation, in association with NFL Films,  which was televised Saturday, Dec. 13, on ESPN, is now available on DVD exclusively on Amazon.com for $13.99. 

Hosted by Chris Berman, The Greatest Game Ever Played explores the most important game in NFL history – the 1958 NFL championship where the New York Giants defeated the Baltimore Colts in overtime -- to commemorate its 50th anniversary.  ESPN Films has created an unprecedented look at this landmark event, which featured 17 Hall of Famers and the only NFL championship to be decided in overtime.  The presentation includes new colorization/restoration technology and previously unseen footage of the game.  Additionally, to give fans perspective about the impact of the game on players then and now, ESPN Films brought together 11 surviving members of the legendary game and their modern day NFL counterparts from the past two Super Bowl champion teams - the Indianapolis Colts and the New York Giants. Featured pairings include Baltimore Colts star receiver Raymond Berry with current Colts head coach Tony Dungy; former Giants kicker Pat Summerall with current Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri; Giants running back Frank Gifford and Colts defensive end Gino Marchetti with current Giants head coach Tom Coughlin; Colts great Lenny Moore with current Giants running back Brandon Jacobs; former Giants linemen Al Barry and Rosey Grier with current Giants lineman Chris Snee; and former Colts star Art Donovan with newly retired Giants star Michael Strahan, among others.

The Greatest Game Ever Played: ESPN’s Highest-Rated Documentary

contact: alison.lazar@espn.com

ESPN's telecast on Saturday, Dec. 13, of critically acclaimed The Greatest Game Ever Played, garnered the highest rating for any documentary in ESPN history, a 1.4.  That represents an average of 1,369,015 homes (1,811,000 viewers -- P2+).  The Greatest Game Ever Played broke the record set March 16, 2008, by Black Magic (1.3 rating, representing 1,211,000 homes and 1,546,000 viewers).  The documentary will re-air on the following days:

DVD Release -- Don’t Look Down -- with X Games Star Athlete Shaun White
contact: ellie.seifert@espn.com

ESPN Home Entertainment, in conjunction with Genius Products, LLC, takes fans on a journey around the globe with Shaun White from his 2006 Olympic victory in Torino, Italy, to the superpipe of Alts Bandai, Japan, and the black tops of Rwanda with the documentary Don’t Look Down, coming to DVD January 6, 2009, for $24.95 SRP. The DVD offers never before seen footage of White, showing fans how the multi-sport phenom prepares for competition, copes with pressure and the struggle it takes to stay at the top of his game.

The DVD includes White’s run at Winter X Games 11, the World Superpipe Championships, the Nippon Open, the US Open, his gold medal run at the 2006 Winter Olympics and his gold medal run in Skateboard Vert at X Games 13 – making White the first athlete to win gold at both the Winter and Summer X Games in two different events.  Don't Look Down also includes exclusive bonus features of over 80 minutes of X Games action footage including all of White’s gold medal-winning runs, deleted scenes, three music video highlight reels, an ESPN The Magazine Shaun White cover gallery and more.

Don’t Look Down, directed by Willie Ebersol, will premiere on ESPN2 Friday, Jan. 2, at midnight (9 p.m. PT). ESPN will release a series of new Don’t Look Down webisodes exclusively on ESPN.com/DLD weekly beginning Monday, Jan. 12. The film will also be made available on iTunes, Xbox and ESPN Video-on-Demand platforms.  In addition, the film has been submitted to the 2009 X-Dance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. 

Monica Webb Clinches First WPBA Championship Title Sunday

contact: kimberly.jessup@espn.com

In the final WPBA event of 2008, Monica Webb of Douglasville, Ga., clinched her first WPBA championship title beating Tour leader Kelly Fisher.  The event took place Nov. 12-16 at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, Fla., and will air Sunday, Dec. 21 from 2-5 p.m. on ESPN.  Vivian Villareal and Webb are featured in the first semifinal at 2 p.m. while Fisher dominates Sarah Rousey in the second semifinal at 3 p.m.  Fisher and Webb competed in the championship round (4 p.m.), in which Webb wins her first tour title in a 7-4 victory.

- MW121708 -