Scrabble coming to ESPN

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Nov 7 2003, 06:05 AM\'] As a much bigger fan of the board game than I ever was of the game show, I'm eagerly waiting to see exactly how they're going to present this. [/quote]
 Having seen ESPN do both chess and Magic, I have a feeling it will be your straight overhead shot of the board, and you might get windows or graphics showing a player's rack when considering their move. If they're feeing particularly jaunty they might throw a scorebox in the corner.

I meant to ask, did you find this yourself or did your Tivo hook it up as a Suggestion?

[Jay Temple]

So, basically, the same way they cover poker.

[GS Warehouse]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Nov 7 2003, 11:58 AM\'] No longer...she's an ABC property now, as I found to my dismay when I tuned in Monday Night Football for pretty much the first time this season a week or so ago. (This is what happens when yer a Seahawks fan. [/quote]
 Didn't believe me when I first told you, Lemon?  But try being a Lions fan.  No Monday night or even Sunday nights games this year.  No Lisa Guerrero, no Suzy Kolber...not even Pam Oliver (sideline report on Fox's A-team).  It's usually either Chris (as in Christopher) Myers or no reporter at all (given that choice, I'd take none).

BTW, shouldn't Fox Sports Net give equal time for nets?

[dickoon]

With just one hour to cover an entire tournament, I would expect the majority of the coverage to be personality-driven and interview-based. I'd expect them to give pretty detailed play-by-play coverage of one of the games of the final, but it would be unlikely that they would spend more than about ten minutes on one game.

I fear this may be veering a little too far from the topic for there has not yet been a game show called Chess, but if you like this news, then you may be interested to know that ESPN are scheduled to be showing 17½ hours of chess between Tuesday 11th November and Tuesday 18th November - the "man-versus-machine world championship match" (the purists will note the recent spate of draws and suggest that the championship has been held by a computer since 1997, though perhaps Deep Blue's - ahem - retirement has vacated the title again) between Garry Kasparov and a version of the Fritz computer chess software designed to produce pretty 3-D board graphics.

The schedule is supposedly 1-6 on Tuesday and Thursday, 1-3:30 on Sunday and 1-6 on Tuesday 18th; it may not actually appear in the official ESPN schedules yet but apparently "ESPN just hasn't officially put it in the slot yet. Don't panic."

Again, I am convinced that made-for-TV Scrabble (and poker, and chess, and Spelling Bees, and...) are closer to game shows than e.g. programs about video games, but I ranted about this last week.

Slightly grouchily due to kicking off the tail end of a cold,
Chris

[Matt Ottinger]

I meant to ask, did you find this yourself or did your Tivo hook it up as a Suggestion?

It was a Suggestion, one of my first indications of just how creepy-good THAT feature can be.  On the other hand, it was one of about a hundred options, so the odds were pretty good SOMETHING on that list would be a pleasant surprise.  Do those filters eventually start narrowing the choices to some degree?

Again, I am convinced that made-for-TV Scrabble (and poker, and chess, and Spelling Bees, and...) are closer to game shows than e.g. programs about video games, but I ranted about this last week.

Hey, why do you think I started the thread?

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Nov 7 2003, 01:31 PM\'] Do those filters eventually start narrowing the choices to some degree?
 [/quote]
 The best and fastest way to fine-tune that would be to go through the Suggestions lists once every few weeks and thumb-up and thumb-down the shows appropriately. (I tend never to give anything more than a single thumb down, unless I want to make a point about that entire genre of programming, like Paid Programming and religious fodder. Then it gets three. Same thing for thumb-ups, unless it's West Wing, The Practice, or TPiR.) That way it gets the picture of what you don't like, given what it thinks you DO like, and it will quickly figure out that you like game shows, but not Newleywed Game, and stuff like that.

[dmota104]

I can just see some other parlor games with tournaments being aired for TV...

"Live, from the beautiful Mandalay Bay, it's........Connect Four!"

Just as long as ESPN doesn't send a crew to cover the 3rd annual Rock, Paper Scissors championship, there's hope for all civilization.

Don't laugh, it really exists.  I read a story about the results from the 2nd annual competition on the air during my radio show.  The overall winner's paper covered his opponents rock and won $3750.

[Fedya]

[quote name=\'dmota104\' date=\'Nov 7 2003, 07:13 PM\']

I can just see some other parlor games with tournaments being aired for TV...

"Live, from the beautiful Mandalay Bay, it's........Connect Four!"

Just as long as ESPN doesn't send a crew to cover the 3rd annual Rock, Paper Scissors championship, there's hope for all civilization.

Don't laugh, it really exists.  I read a story about the results from the 2nd annual competition on the air during my radio show.  The overall winner's paper covered his opponents rock and won $3750. [/quote]
 They made a big deal about the "Rock, Paper Scissors" championship on ESPNews.  Bleah.

And Chris, much of the daytime coverage next week is taken up with the Tennis Masters from Houston.  Heaven forbid ESPN miss a chance to show A-Dick.

[reason1024]

Anyone semi-interested in Scrabble might want to pick up the book =Word Freak=.  Apparently, a Wall Street Journal reporter decided to take a year off of work and try to become a professional Scrabble player.  The book is his story.

Reading it got me hooked on Scrabble Blitz (an excellent online game), and almost got me searching for a local Scrabble club.  I don't really like the memorization of stupid words though, so Go and Bridge are currently higher on my social games list.

ObGameShows: Anyone remember what the clues on CrossWits were like?  I'm wondering if they all came back, which show I would like best: Scrabble, CrossWits, or Monopoly.

Mike / reason

[TimK2003]

[quote name=\'Adam Nedeff\' date=\'Nov 6 2003, 11:16 PM\']

No Chuck Woolery, no John O'Hurley, but the pink and blue squares will still be worth more when the 2003 Scrabble All-Star Championship airs on ESPN Sunday, November 9th at 3:30pm.

Filling TV time with games of Scrabble...and yet, somehow, they feel that a SECOND ESPN is necessary. Astonishing. [/quote]
 Not to sound funny, but there was an article in our local paper this past week which did a story on "The Deuce" and their new morning show, "Cold Pizza".

The story also touched on ESPN2's other programming throughout the day, and what plans it has for the future...

A game show in development IS part of that future!!!

Any additional info on this?

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'reason1024\' date=\'Nov 8 2003, 02:50 AM\'] ObGameShows: Anyone remember what the clues on CrossWits were like?  I'm wondering if they all came back, which show I would like best: Scrabble, CrossWits, or Monopoly.
 [/quote]
 IIRC, they were Scrabble-like, but fairly short and not _quite_ as punny.

[PeterMarshallFan]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Nov 8 2003, 05:24 PM\'] [quote name=\'reason1024\' date=\'Nov 8 2003, 02:50 AM\'] ObGameShows: Anyone remember what the clues on CrossWits were like?  I'm wondering if they all came back, which show I would like best: Scrabble, CrossWits, or Monopoly.
 [/quote]
IIRC, they were Scrabble-like, but fairly short and not _quite_ as punny. [/quote]
 The Jack Clark version was really addictive....if you thought you could get hooked on Lingo, you ain't seen nothing until you've seen the original Cross-Wits.

The 1986 version was terrible.


ObESPNGameShow: New Sports Challenge, anyone?

[Starkman]

With ESPN IMHO producing not one, not two, but three better Sports themed game shows (Boardwalk and Baseball, Dream League and 2 Minute Drill) I couldnt really see them doing a new sports challenge when they already tried 3 shows with them all leaving early, especally since most good sports properties making too much to care about winning a bunch of voit athletic equipment, i dunno would probs just be a lot of C and D list athletes/former athletes which of course is what doomed Dream League (Tom Neidenfuer, anyone?)...although they did get peyton manning for 2 minuite drill and admittely he was the only athlete panelist there who could read a Question straight (anyone remember the Stammering disaster better known as rebecca lobo, makes me shudder just remembering it)

Fact is if there was a new sports challenge wed probs see more Rebecca Lobos, Tiffany Robertses, Relief Pitchers, Old obscure players (Bring back john naber!!! ) and other D list people (wonder if they even could get the olympians from pyramid lol)...Part of the charm of the Enberg sports challenge was they were able to get good B list athletes (and some A list ones) to play...also knowing the IQ of some athletes these days (Points to athlete's edition of millionare) some of the Qs probs would make TJW look like J!

If they did do a new game show id bet on some sort of celeb play along game (anyone remember the Taboo knock off they did on SC?) or a 2 Min Drill revival.

[Clay Zambo]

I was reminded about this by Chris Dickson, but had forgotten to set the VCR before I left for my church job this morning.  I remembered, in a bit of a panic, at 3:25 this afternoon, and called home.  "Honey, I know you'll think aliens have abducted your husband, but really: start taping ESPN!"

Haven't watched yet, but am looking forward to it.

[johnnya2k3]

I saw the Scrabble thing, and I have one comment...

Could Boggle be next??? There was a "King of the Hill" episode in which Peggy competed in the state Boggle championships and won.

Jonathan Allen, hoping a Simon or Jenga tournament won't be in the horizon.