By David Scott
Boston Sports Media Watch

Despite the embarrassment of having his name butchered by USA Today’s Michael Hiestand in today’s print edition of USA Today, NESN’s Don Orsillo (not Hiestand’s “Orsilla“) will be on the National League Wild Card tie-breaker game tonight for TBS. After that, Orsillo and partner Joe Simpson will pair for the Phillies’ NLDS series. (It’s one thing to get spellings wrong when you’re a woeful blogger like Shots; it’s quite another when you’re the damn national sports media writer for USAT with a stable of the industry’s finest editors on your copy. Pathetic.)

Orsillo makes his “pre-Post-season” debut for the Turner network with Pads/Rocks and was probably kept off the Sox series - despite his familiarity with the club - to avoid any perception of homerism. It looks like the Sox will get Ted Robinson and Steve Stone for the ALCS. Orsillo will, in all likelihood, sit out the championship series as TBS has a Top five of Ron Darling, Dick Stockton, Chip Caray, Tony Gwynn and third-man-in Bob Brenly.

. . . Orsilla would definitely be a better wrestling name for Don-O. “Orsilla the Thrilla” or “Orsilla the Gorilla” would be choices one and two.

• The locals’ fawnfest for the Sox continued ad nauseum Sunday night with, of course, Babbling Bob Lobel and others taking more delight in the Jonathan Papelbon Riverdance from Friday night, with NESN even going as far as to put the Idiot’s dance to the music from the international smash hit for it’s Sunday night show sign-off.

. . . Lobel did some mysterious walk-away in his own sign-off to Sports Final on Sunday night. He came at the camera, then dodged back and finally staggered off to the back of the set. So bizarre for most, but for Lobel just another reason why he’s nearing the end.

• While Entercom cheaped out and decided not send a radio team to Europe with the Celtics, the Herald showed some aggressiveness by sending not only Steve Bulpett, but also photog Nancy Lane. The Globe sent newbie Marc Spears across the Great Pond and used shabby pick-up art from the Associated Press. Meanwhile, Comcast SportsNet is touting its “exclusive” coverage, “(a)s the only New England network following the [Celtics], (with) exclusive reports and coverage of the team’s on the court and off the court experience in Rome. Tonight, Mike Gorman and Donny Marshall have info on why Doc Rivers cancelled the Green’s second practice session; who has impressed after two days of practice; and how Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen are sharing the roll of vocal leader.”

• Inexcusable lapse in blogging over at the Globe’s Red Sox blog, where Amalie Benjamin anticipated a 3 p.m. announcement of ALDS game times and never updated the users with further information until the 4:50 p.m. post of David Lefort.

At least come back in the 3 o’clock hour and let people know that no announcement has been made or get a firm time when the announcement was scheduled to be made. Remember, the game time info affects the ticket market, thus many interested parties were looking for the times. One of mainstream bloggers’ most egregious errors is promising things for certain times and then not delivering. It builds disloyalty rather than loyalty.

• Boy, Shots took some hits on the Friday night celebration reaction (see below). Great to be attacked and maimed by anonymous voices. Really quite enjoyable.

But think about it all this way:

If you were a New York fan who happened to have NESN that night and you watched the aftermath of the clinch and saw the cavorting Idiots on the field, what would you have been thinking? Better yet, what if you, the Boston fan, had seen a similar display from the Yankees?

There’s something to be said for the fact that the Yankees weren’t embracing today’s fabricated-by-MLB “Rally Day” across the playoff cities.

They know they haven’t won a damn thing yet.

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