Inside Blitz: How Rupert Murdoch is Going to Give Bill Simmons Leverage in 2015

The idea for a sports/media/gambling column was hatched this summer and you can look for it every Wednesday. If you want to yell at me about something that appeared here – because let’s face it, on the Internet, it’s outrage or nothing: Jmcintyre at thebiglead dot com.

The media story of the summer was Rupert Murdoch’s July attempt to take over Time Warner, a brazen move that could have had far-reaching ramifications in the sports world if it had happened.

Excitement over the prospect of the deal – Murdoch’s bid was $80 billion – sent Time Warner’s stock price soaring in mid-July from $71 to $87 in just a week. Three months later, it’s plunged back into the $70s.

Last week, there was a significant bloodletting at CNN: Every stand-alone weekday show was cut – CNN Money, Crossfire, Entertainment Spotlight and shows hosted by Rachel Nichols and Sanjay Gupta.

And you may have missed this news as well: Time Warner’s CEO announced Warner Brothers was cutting $200 million from the TV and film studio budget, “twice as much as had been speculated” according to the Hollywood Reporter.

These are blatant attempts – some might even call them the final bullets in the chamber – to cut costs and pump up the Time Warner stock price. And Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes is desperate to do so, because the clock is ticking and Rupert Murdoch plans to circle back like a shark, industry insiders say, as early as the end of Q1 in 2015.

The overriding belief is that it’ll take a miracle for Bewkes to get the stock price high enough – the 90s? – to fend off Murdoch again.

As the move pertains to sports, Fox absorbing Time Warner would have a massive impact on the TV arms race: Instantly, Fox would rise out of the logjam with NBC and CBS and finally be something of a legitimate contender to ESPN. Time Warner has rights to the NBA and NCAA Tournament, MLB, and the PGA Championship. The biggest one here is the NBA, since ESPN recently blocked FS1 from getting NBA TV rights.

For those reasons, ESPN is closely monitoring the Murdoch/Time Warner situation. (One sidenote to watch: Fox would have no use for CNN, obviously, and it would sell it immediately. How’s this one: would Disney then make a run at CNN?)

But if Fox adds Time Warner, there’s the NBA component you need to dangle in front of Simmons. As bad of a first year as FS1 had, it would all be forgotten if the Time Warner merger happens and then the network hires Bill Simmons.

LOCK OF THE WEEK

We pushed past .500 again with a 2-1 week thanks to Oregon and Notre Dame. Oklahoma State? Yeah, that didn’t quite work out, as TCU rolled up 676 yards of offense and won 42-9. At 9-8 on the season, there’s little chance of catching torrid Ty Duffy (28-16-1). This week’s slate isn’t very attractive. And there are no Trap Games, either; those are 7-1, and could be 8-0 if Indiana wasn’t down to its third string QB, something nobody could predict in July.

Alabama -17 at Tennessee: Hate needing that many points for a team on a road, especially one that just undressed Texas A&M 59-0. Lane Kiffin returns home, surely looking to hang as many points as he can on his old team. Everyone is on Alabama, and for a quarter, I think everyone will be nervous. Feels like 27-7.

Mississippi -3.5 at LSU: Night game in Baton Rouge and I’m taking the visitor? The pick is all about the Ole Miss defense, which is the best I’ve seen this season. Among the leaders in turnovers forced, they’ve got a future NFL safety, above average cornerbacks, and a fearsome, fast front seven. I don’t know how LSU is going to move the football, regardless of who its QB is. I’ll be stunned if the Tigers get to double digits. I’ll go with the Rebels, 23-9.

ODDS and ENDS:

Did you see this MLS coach, on his way out the door, kiss a sideline reporter? … Come December, both Philadelphia Daily News & Philadelphia Inquirer will be folded into one website: Philly.com. What does that mean for the staffs? TBD … there’s less than zero chance anyone sits through this, but ESPN apparently ran 13 straight minutes of commercials over the weekend … my only issue with the idea of Rex Ryan going to TV if the Jets fire him (and if they lose to Buffalo this weekend, dropping to 1-7, it’s 100% he’ll be fired, whereas now it’s only 99.8%) is that he’ll be in high demand from teams to coach defense next year. Would he want to leave coaching for TV, take a year off, and then come back as a head coach, or go somewhere as a defensive coordinator for a year, then return as a head coach? Or could he be in the mix as a head coach in a spot like Atlanta (already have an offense) or St. Louis next season? … Phil Mushnick hates everyone all the time, and this week’s target: Katie Nolan of Fox Sports! … not quite sports, but from the industry: Simon Dumenco has been named the Ad Age Editorial Director … and lastly, if you’re seeking an internship, look no further.

In Defense of Mike Carey

Life can be difficult on a TV rookie, and Mike Carey, the former referee who never seems to age, has gotten beaten up a lot this year by NFL fans. Yes, he’s wooden, but a TV presence isn’t cultivated overnight. An easy way to win the masses over? Fire back at the blowhards, like this: