Fan Central Mailbag: Bubble Watch returns; ‘A Reason To Win’; tickets to SportsNation shows
Welcome to another edition of the Fan Central Mailbag. Remember, if you have an ESPN-related question, follow us @ESPN_FanCentral and use #FanCentralMB to tweet your questions. You can also e-mail them to [email protected].
Before we dive into your latest batch of questions, here’s a quick schedule update. Baseball Tonight (@ESPN_BBTN) debuts this Monday at 2:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2. This season’s Baseball Tonight Goodyear Express Tour starts Monday at the World Champion San Francisco Giants’ spring training site in Scottsdale, Ariz. Baseball Tonight will begin at 3 p.m. the rest of next week. Here’s the full spring training tour schedule.
Now, onto your questions . . .
There was a story on SportsCenter about an email [Baltimore] Ravens coach John Harbaugh received from someone named Mike, who is physically challenged. The story talked about how the team was inspired by the email. Is that story available for me to watch again? — Merle
This is a great story that everyone should watch at least once. A quick summary: 21-year-old Ravens fan Matthew Jeffers, who has Skeletal Dysplasia, sent Harbaugh an inspirational email titled A Reason to Win following the eventual Super Bowl Champion Ravens’ third consecutive loss heading into Week 16 of the season.
Good news, Justin. The Bubble Watch column made its season debut this week. While national powerhouses like Duke, Kansas, Michigan and Indiana are locks for March Madness, Bubble Watch columnist Eamonn Brennan says other historic programs, such as Kentucky and North Carolina, still have some work to do before they punch their tickets to the big dance.
The Tar Heels have a big road game tomorrow against eighth-ranked Miami (2 p.m. ET, ESPN/WatchESPN), while Kentucky hosts Auburn at 4 p.m.on ESPN3. The game also is available on Full Court. Here’s tomorrow’s complete NCAA men’s schedule.
[box color=black size=small align=right]• March 22: U.S. vs. Costa Rica
(10 p.m. ET on ESPN/WatchESPN)
• March 26: U.S. vs. Mexico
(9 p.m. ET on ESPN/WatchESPN) [/box]
Will ESPN be showing the U.S. Men’s World Cup qualifying matches? — Zach
ESPN will be airing all home 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches for both the U.S. and Mexican National teams. You can watch the U.S. men take on Costa Rica on Friday, March 22. The U.S. and Mexico then meet on Tuesday, March 26.
I am interested in seeing SportsNation in Los Angeles. Are tickets available? — Michele
SportsNation (@SportsNation) has been calling Los Angeles home since January. Co-hosts Charissa Thompson and Marcellus Wiley can be seen Monday-Friday at 4 p.m. on ESPN2 — and they love company. In fact, 25 complimentary tickets are available to attend each SportsNation telecast. You can sign up here.
