By David Scott
Boston Sports Media Watch

Leave it to Theo Epstein to succinctly sum up the state of Boston sports in this, a wild, wild week – even by New York City or Los Angeles standards. We might not have the paparazzi, but this week at least, we’ve had the pop.

When asked on the largely wasteful Wednesday “Big Show” at WEEI 850 AM what advice he would give to Danny Ainge on dealing with second-guessing, Kid Theo hit it out of the park with this reply:

“I’d tell him to listen to NPR, not ‘EEI,” said Epstein, in his most revealing response in many a moon. He then backpedaled a bit – remembering how closely tied his team is to Ordway’s, but the line had been uttered and the truth echoed from Springfield to Providence and back to its city of origin.

If only we’d all be so smart to listen to NPR. Especially the Saturday line-up at WBUR 90.9 FM.

• Would we be reading into things too much if we guessed that Shira Springer was/is in the doghouse this week after her major, unsubstantiated and most likely DEAD WRONG misplay of the 60 minute report that Al Jefferson was not part of the Garnett deal?

Springer – the team’s beat writer, mind you – was not given the front-of-sports lead news story for Wednesday’s editions and instead was relegated to the jump page. Utility writer Julian Benbow shared middle space on D1 between a Gordon Edes’ Gagne piece and a Peter May summation of the Garnett Grab.

Thing is, this is a vacation week for sports editor Joe Sullivan, from what we’re told, so one of the Sully minions was the one making the call to sub-in Benbow for the regular starter, Springer. Is this an Alexander Haig move or are we seeing a shift in the Celts’ coverage by the 17 Percenters?

. . . Have we all noticed that the Globe’s sports desk has recently begun dropping next day columns in the post-dinner hours the prior night of publication, something it did on Monday night with Jackie MacMullan’s Tuesday print editions column and also with a Tuesday night Shaughnessy submission (for Wednesday’s paper). This is a new practice for the Globies and one that has been going on for some time at other places. The inherent danger is that people will feel cheated in the morning when sipping the morning coffee and perusing the hard copy of the paper if they’ve already read the story in front of them. Teases and/or bonus material can help to alleviate the issue, should the experiment ever get that far in our fair city.

There’s also the ploy of WEB ONLY content, which the Globe is also trying to utilize, to varying levels.

• Stealing a page from the dismal Daniel Snyder-led Washington Redskins playbook would not be something you’d expect the Super Bowl favorite Patriots to be doing.

But that’s exactly what is happening at Gillette Stadium as the Krafty Ones have unearthed another revenue stream in what is believed to be Snyder’s own creation, the Digital VideoDrop press conference backdrop.

Instead of the stagnant, printed backdrops that have become standard for all pro teams and many colleges as well, the Patriots are now able to sell multiple sponsorships for press conference signage through a ‘rotating’ digital array of the Pats logo teamed with a familiar commercial logo.

With Snyder’s innovation - debuting locally now with the start of Pats camp – teams can now sell shared, rotating sponsorship of the backdrop that is visible at every Bill Belichick or player press conference. Depending on the game and the words being spoken, that can be valuable space not just regionally, but nationally.

Already Covidien and Dunkin’ Donuts are appearing behind the podium where Bill Belichick is giving his daily briefings. There is the possibility that other sponsors will be added, according to one Patriots official. (Shots was unable to confirm whether the hardware and set-up being used at Gillette is in fact the same as Snyder’s Redskins contraption, but from the look of it during our Foxboro duck-in earlier this week, it’s quite likely the Snyder system. No other NFL teams are believed to be using the technology yet.)

UPDATE. 8/3/07 6:00 p.m. - The Patriots have explained to Shots that they are not, in fact, using the Snyder system and instead going with their own version which includes a “lap top, a CD and a projector - similar to the Barco Projection System employed at many TV stations” according to team spokesman, Stacey James.

. . . Said Paul Farhi of the Washington Post in the above-linked story:

“The Redskins’ VideoDrop may be the biggest advance in backdrop advertising since team owners began hanging cloth banners behind the media rostrum.”

You can pretty much guarantee the Pats’ current set-up – which took up a bit of floor space in the RL level press box – will be fine-tuned to a more adaptable configuration, but the concept is a solid one.

In its simplest incarnation, the rotating signage allows more sponsors to share in the exposure generated from pre and post-game video shots. Naturally, the value is diminished by sharing time, but being in good company and spending a little less will very likely drive more than a few media buyers to look at the Kraft-o-matic, new wave of sponsor-plastering.

So, in answer to your next question, NO, brands will never stop looking for more and sneakier ways to get in front of your eyes. And sports teams will never stop delivering the space.

• It’s been a long while since we had something good to say about the Dim Dog and his Dirt Dog site over at Boston.com, but he did seem to excel with his thorough takedown of “Sox Appeal,” complete with the Larry Lucchino on-radio explanation.

• Bob Ryan’s nascent blog finally has a name: And Another Thing. . . debuted in earnest with the follow up to his very sane and rational Thursday print column that rightfully poured some cold water on the moronic Championship talk that followed Garnett’s arrival.

• Also making his most earnest of debuts is the Globe’s new Metro columnist (and Umie of Merit) Kevin Cullen. Cullen – the long-time Globie who used to grace the Amherst-based Howard Ziff classes with his presence – had the equivalent of a soft-opening with his first few columns. But Thursday’s Bobby Doerr masterpiece was the Grand Opening – and announcement – that Cullen is gonna be bringing it. That’s simply great news for all of us. Trust me. His sports stuff will be well-chosen and his important, life stuff will be unparalleled.

• Following up on our tardy report that the Comcast purchase of the remainder of Fox Sports New England wrapped up at the end of June, we can now confirm that FSNNE will be re-branded as Comcast SportsNet, according to CSN Vice President of Communications, Tim Fitzpatrick. The start date of that transition is not yet known.

By way of introduction, Fitzpatrick also sends along the following background on what CSN is all about:

Comcast SportsNet operates 11 sports networks that cover more than 2,400 live sporting events annually and deliver comprehensive sports news and analysis to 38 million cable and satellite homes.

Comcast SportsNet’s networks are: Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, Comcast SportsNet West, Comcast SportsNet Northwest (launching Oct. 2007), SportsNet New York, FSN Bay Area, FSN New England, The Mtn. – MountainWest Sports Network, CSS, and Comcast Local Detroit. These networks provide live game coverage of 17 professional teams: the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, Philadelphia Flyers, San Jose Sharks and Washington Capitals; the NBA’s Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings and Washington Wizards; and MLB’s Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, New York Mets, Oakland A’s, Philadelphia Phillies and San Francisco Giants; as well as college, minor league and other sports.

. . . The CSN unit is a separate division from the CN8 group that trots out the twice-nightly “Out of Bounds” show that Shot sometimes is fortunate enough to be included in. But the fact remains that Comcast’s sports footprint is getting a lot bigger in Beantown. (Don’t forget that NECN is also a Comcast Network.) The Comcast sports content providers are playas now, no matter how you look at it.

• Dr. Charles Steinberg does the heartstring tug better than most, doesn’t he? The Doerr tribute on Thursday was an all-timer, even by Doc Chuck’s lofty standards. “Sentimental Journey” was the kicker for me and I didn’t even know the tune.

. . . Dick Flavin is this team’s Forrest Gump, isn’t he? Dude’s everywhere – including, from what I hear, the new Red Sox Nation Annual that RSN members are scheduled to start receiving in the coming days.

. . . Sweet Lou Gorman made a nice return to the mainstream this week, didn’t he?

• From the shameless plug department, this week’s Boston Sports Review radio show (Saturday, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., 890 ESPN) will include a guest line chat with Basketball Bob Ryan and Mike Salk’s fill-in for the week, John Carchedi, of CN8 serving as my wingman. It will also be the emotional final show for the best damn radio producer I’ve ever had, Drew Brooks, who is either going back to Amsterdam or Arizona – or a combination of both.

David Scott writes from a seaside shanty on the shores of Hull, Mass. and can be reached at shotsATbostonsportsmedDOTcom

You can listen to Scott every Saturday morning from 9 to 11 a.m. as he co-hosts the Boston Sports Review Show on ESPN Radio 890 AM with ESPN’s All-Sports Reporter, Mike Salk. This week, with Salk in a cabana at the MGM in Vegas, CN8’s John Carchedi fills in.