Behind the Broadcast: CBS EliteXC bout sounded staged

Some thoughts, news and notes as I get back into my element, college hockey.

u As readers of this column know, I have not considered Mixed Martial Arts a sport. Maybe it’s because I don’t get it. Maybe it’s because, in a conference call to promote the first broadcast of “CBS EliteXC Saturday Night Fights” earlier this year, analyst Ken Shamrock called it “sports entertainment.” And I have received nasty e-mails and comments on www.dailygazette.com about my views.

Maybe we should add “fixed” to that.

Unknown Seth Petruzelli stunned everyone last Saturday when he knocked out Kimbo Slice on the CBS broadcast. But was it real, or set up?

A couple of days later, in an interview on “The Monsters in Orlando” radio show, Petruzelli made it sound like the bout was rigged.

“The promoters kind of hinted to me, and they gave me the money to stand and trade with him,” Petruzelli said. “They didn’t want me to take him down, let’s just put it that way. It was worth my while to try to stand up and punch with him.”

Sounds like it was scripted to me, much like a World Wrestling Entertainment bout.

Petruzelli tried to backtrack in an interview Tuesday with Yahoo! Sports, saying, “What that meant was they offer a knockout bonus, submission bonuses, fight of the night bonuses. I think it just got misconstrued. I wanted to have an exciting fight, and I wanted the knockout bonus, so I wanted to keep it standing.”

Nice try, but I’m not buying it. And if I was a CBS executive, I would look to end my association with EliteXC. Let Vince McMahon promote it.

u Rich Becker, the sports director for WXXA (Ch. 23), won’t do the play-by-play for the “Huck Finn’s Capital Region Bowling Show” this season.

“I’ve got so much going on right now that I had to back away from something,” said Becker, who had been with the show since 2006. “Unfortunately, this had to be chosen.”

No new host has been named.

u Some area hockey broadcast news. First, tonight’s Albany River Rats’ season opener against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers will be an Internet-only broadcast. It can be accessed at www.albanyriverrats.com. Owen Newkirk is back for his second season calling the play-by-play.

Matt DuBrey and Brian Unger are back for another season as the Union College radio broadcasters on WRUC-FM (89.7). Their first broadcast will be Oct. 24, when the Dutchmen play RPI in the Governor’s Cup.

Former Albany River Rat and area native Craig Darby is the new analyst on RPI’s Time Warner Cable channel 3 broadcasts. Darby replaces Kevin Broad, who is serving as a volunteer assistant coach for the Engineers.

u Television ratings for baseball’s division series declined from last year.

The 15 games on TBS averaged a 2.8 rating, the network said Tuesday. That’s down 26 percent from a 3.8 for 13 games in 2007.

The absence of the New York Yankees, with their large market and national appeal, hurt. Their four-game division series with the Cleveland Indians last year averaged a 5.2 rating.

u Mike Greenberg, co-host of “Mike and Mike in the Morning” on ESPN Radio (WTMM-FM 104.5) and ESPN2, will speak at the RPI Armory at 7 p.m. on Oct. 30.

football schedules

Here are the college football and NFL games that will be televised over the next week. Announcers, in order of play-by-play, analyst and sideline reporter, are in

parentheses.

NFL

Sunday

Fox (WXXA Ch. 23 and WXXA HD) — Chicago at Atlanta, 1 p.m. (Thom Brennaman/Brian Billick/Buck Lanford); Dallas at Arizona, 4:15 p.m. (Dick Stockton/Troy Aikman/Pam Oliver).

CBS (WRGB Ch. 6 and WRGB HD) — Cincinnati at N.Y. Jets, 1 p.m. (Dick Enberg/Randy Cross and Dan Fouts).

NBC (WNYT Ch. 13 and WNYT HD) — New England at San Diego, 8:15 p.m. (Al

Michaels/John Madden/Andrea Kremer).

Monday

ESPN and ESPN HD — N.Y. Giants at Cleveland, 8:30 p.m. (Mike Tirico/Ron

Jaworski and Tony Kornheiser).

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Today

Time Warner Cable (Ch. 1) — Rutgers at Cincinnati, noon (Mike Gleason/John Congemi/Quint Kessenich).

ABC (WTEN Ch. 10 and WTEN HD) — Oklahoma vs. Texas, noon (Brent Musburger/Kirk Herbstreit/Lisa Salters); Notre Dame at North Carolina, 3:30 p.m. (Brad Nessler/Bob Griese and Paul Maguire/

Stacey Dales).

ESPN and ESPN HD — Minnesota at Illinois, noon (Dave Pasch/Andre Ware); Purdue at Ohio State (Ron Franklin/Ed Cunningham/Jack Arute); .Penn State at Wisconsin, 8 p.m. (Mike Patrick/Todd Blackledge/Holly Rowe).

ESPNU — Syracuse at West Virginia, noon (Dave Armstrong/Larry Coker); Central Florida at Miami, 3:45 p.m. (Doug Bell/Charles Arbuckle/Melissa Knowles); Utah State at San Jose State, 7:30 p.m. (Clay Matvick/David Diaz-Infante); Tuskegee at Morehouse (same-day tape), 10:30 p.m. (Dwayne Ballen/Eddie Robinson Jr.).

MY4 (WNYA) — Florida at Arkansas, 12:30 p.m. (Dave Neal/Dave Archer/Dave Baker).

ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD — Colorado at Kansas State, 12:30 p.m. (Joe Tessitore/Rod Gilmore); Michigan State at Northwestern, 3:30 p.m. (Pam Ward/Ray Bentley); Oklahoma State at Missouri, 8 p.m. (Mark Jones/Bob Davie/Erin Andrews).

Versus — Cornell at Harvard, noon (Rich Ackerman/Dale Hellestae).

Time Warner Cable (Ch. 3) — Central Connecticut State at UAlbany, 1 p.m. (Rodger Wyland/Jon Phelps).

ESPN Classic — Eastern Michigan at Army, 1 p.m. (Eric Collins/Shaun King).

MSG Plus — Nebraska at Texas Tech,

3 p.m. (Joel Meyers/Gary Reasons/Jim Knox); UCLA at Oregon (joined in progress), 10:15 p.m. (Barry Tompkins/Petros Papadakis/Jim Watson).

CBS — Tennessee at Georgia, 3:30 p.m. (Craig Bolerjack/Steve Beuerlein); LSU at Florida, 8 p.m. (Verne Lundquist/Gary Danielson/Tracy Wolfson).

CBS College Sports — Texas Christian at Colorado State, 3:30 p.m. (Tom Hart/Trev Alberts); Boise State at Southern Mississippi, 8 p.m. (Carter Blackburn/Aaron Taylor).

Thursday

ESPN and ESPN HD — Florida State at North Carolina State, 7:30 p.m. (Chris Fowler/Craig James and Jesse Palmer).

Versus — Brigham Young at Texas Christian, 8 p.m.

CBS College Sports — Western State at Mesa State, 8 p.m. (Tom Hart/Roland Williams).

Friday

ESPN and ESPN HD — Hawaii at Boise State, 8 p.m. (Sean McDonough/Chris Spielman/Rob Stone).