NESN wraps up Sox' hit season

Looking for the perfect gift this holiday season for the baseball fan in your life? Look no further than NESN's DVD that chronicles the championship journey of the Red Sox. The DVD is entitled, "Champions Again: The Story of the 2007 Boston Red Sox." It will be in stores one week from today for $19.99.

The DVD begins with the team signing pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka in December and transitions to the excitement surrounding spring training in Fort Myers, Fla. In addition to highlighting key matchups against the Yankees and others, the DVD features a behind-the-scenes video of the team's sweep of the Los Angeles Angels during the American League Division Series, its rally against the Cleveland Indians in the AL Championship Series, and its impressive sweep of the Colorado Rockies in the World Series.

In addition to the 80 minutes of baseball content, there are bonus features such as the best of broadcasters Jerry Remy and Don Orsillo, the entire ninth inning of Clay Buchholz's no-hitter against the Baltimore Orioles Sept. 1, and NESN's trip with closer Jonathan Papelbon during a moose hunt.

Star search

NESN's Tom Caron was out in Worcester yesterday for the official announcement that the Worcester Sharks will host the 2009 American Hockey League All-Star Game at the DCU Center in January. The date has yet to be determined but NESN is on board to produce and air the game and the Skills Competition . . . NESN has five college basketball games on tap this weekend beginning with the Hartford-St. John's women tonight at 7 and closing with the Boston College-Maryland men's tilt at College Park Sunday night at 7:30 . . . CBS Sports (Channel 4) opens college basketball coverage tomorrow with a national doubleheader - No. 6 Duke against Michigan at 2 p.m. followed by No. 15 Indiana taking on Kentucky at 4. CBS also will air "At the Half," the network's halftime studio show, hosted by Tim Brando along with Sports Illustrated's Seth Davis. Lead analyst Billy Packer, in his 27th season, will work the Indiana-Kentucky game. Packer said he expects Indiana and Michigan State to vie for the Big Ten championship. Kentucky, on the other hand, is having a tough time because of injuries. "Kentucky is still struggling," said Packer. "But Billy Gillispie's teams always play very physical, tough defense. They are just having a hard time scoring because they have two major injuries right now. The SEC appears to be down somewhat from where it was the last couple of years. So Kentucky is not out of the mix but it could take a while for them to get back to where they were."

Game beats 'Musical'

"High School Musical" or Patriots-Ravens? The votes are in and the winners are the NFL and ESPN because Monday night's Patriots-Ravens game became the highest-rated cable TV program of all time. ESPN drew 17.5 million viewers, surpassing "High School Musical 2" in August, which drew 17.2 million viewers to the Disney Channel. Locally, the game delivered a 28.6 rating on ESPN and an 8.3 rating on ABC affiliate Channel 5 for a combined 36.9 rating. It was even more popular in Baltimore, where the game was played, earning a 12.9 rating on ESPN and 24.6 rating on the local affiliate for a combined 37.5 . . . CN8 announced its Atlantic 10 basketball schedule this week. Included are three UMass games - Jan. 27 against Xavier at home at noon; at Saint Louis Feb. 2 at 2 p.m.; and Feb. 7 at home against Rhode Island at 8 p.m. . . . CN8 will air "Out of Bounds" at 7 tonight, which features a ceremony to honor BC quarterback Matt Ryan with the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Education Foundation award. The report will be live from the Tremont Grand Conference Center in Baltimore . . . Yeoman job by the broadcast team of play-by-play man Mike Lynch, color analyst Scott Zolak, and sideline reporter and studio host Gary Tanguay, who had a long day during last week's Eastern Mass. high school Super Bowls. The trio, assembled by Kraft Sports Productions, began on-air on Comcast SportsNet at 9:30 a.m. and wrapped up on Ch. 38 some 14 hours later. "I am not sure if that has ever been done," said executive producer Matt Smith. "At least locally, I have never heard of anything like a 14-hour sports broadcast called by the same on-air talent. It was amazing."