FanHouse Dick Ebersol

John Madden's retirement became a little less tear-filled today when NBC announced that Cris Collinsworth will be his official replacement on Sunday Night Football, joining Al Michaels in the booth.

This is according to a statement from NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol.

Dick Ebersol, who has run NBC Sports for the last two decades and has perhaps more influence over the Olympics than any other American, wants to make perfectly clear where he stands on the human rights atrocities committed by China: He won't let them get in the way of enjoying a good sporting event.

Ebersol said NBC won't cover protests during the Beijing Olympics, and he had this to say on the subject:

"I believed in July of 2001 and believe today that the I.O.C. gave the Games to Beijing because it was really important for them to take place for the first time in the largest nation in the world. As it relates to the mysteries of China, including human rights, I believe giving the Games to China shines a light on a part of the world that wouldn't otherwise exist."

Except that there's no "mystery" surrounding China's human rights record; the appalling record of the larges country in the world has been very thoroughly documented.

It's bad enough that the NBC executive who runs the sports division has such an outlook toward human rights in China. Let's hope the executives who run the news division see things more clearly.

The hype machine for the Beverage Sponsorship Money of Which I Do Not Receive a Cut AMP Energy NHL Winter Classic continues to hum. I took part in an informative conference call yesterday in the wake of NBC's announcement that Bob Costas would finally have the opportunity to match the prestige of appearing in "BASEketball" by hosting the NHL's outdoor hockey game in Buffalo on New Year's Day 2008.

NHL on NBC vets Doc Emrick, Eddie Olczyk and producer Sam Flood were joined by newbies "Mad" Mike Milbury and Costas, whose focus is clearly on making a game between what are currently two non-playoff teams into something transcendent, saying that "you don't have to be somebody who follows the NHL day in and day out to enjoy it as an event."

Being that this is a large-scale sporting event with an opportunity for some NBC cross-promotion, someone asked Flood if there would be an NBC celebrity component at the Winter Classic, and specifically about arguably the network's biggest prime-time star and most prominent Canadian, Howie "Deal or No Deal" Mandel. "In terms of Howie Mandel, no plans at this time to have him at the game site. Remember, Jan. 1 is a different kind of day to have these celebs in different locations," said Flood.

Having Mandel at the game, or on any hockey telecast, would obviously be a coup based on his current popularity and general appeal; but it would also be the safe, obvious play. If NBC and the NHL really wanted to create some buzz, they should draft some of the network's stars whose hockey credentials are a little less established. Who isn't tuning in to the Winter Classic pregame show to hear Tracy Morgan of "30 Rock" do five minutes on hockey? Of course, the probability of getting Tracy Morgan to Buffalo, NY on New Year's Day afternoon for a hockey game is about the same as the probability that Jamie-Lynn Spears was going to save it 'til marriage. Some other points of interest from the conference call...