Marcus DiNitto, the managing editor for sportingnews.com, is at the SportsBusiness Journal/SportsBusiness Daily's Sports Media & Technology Conference in New York.

Dick Vitale was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield in September, but Billy Packer "should have been their first," Packer's former broadcast partner, Jim Nantz told several hundred sports media executives at SportsBusiness Journal/SportsBusiness Daily's Sports Media & Technology Conference in New York on Wednesday. No disrespect to Dickie V, of course, Nantz was careful to mention, but he reiterated: "My man Billy Packer needs to be there."

Nantz took some of the blame for his partner not being enshrined yet. Why? He didn't realize someone must first be nominated before being inducted. Oops. Well, breathe easy Packer fans, the wheels are now in motion, as the CBS team has since taken the necessary steps to make sure Packer gets his due accolades.

When it was put forth to Nantz that the opinion of his former partner among sports fans, blogs and radio types was, um, less-than-favorable, it clearly struck a nerve.

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Tonight could be labeled as a “very special episode” thanks to the man above -- “Six” otherwise known as Jason Street, played by Scott Porter.

Details and spoilers after the jump.

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I guess you kind of have to feel for writer Bob Smiley, author of the new Tiger Woods book, Follow the Roar. He gets an idea to follow Tiger on the golf course for an entire season, every tournament, every single hole. He pitches the idea, nails down the contracts, makes all the right phone calls, and gets himself inside the ropes with notebook in hand. No easy task just getting himself there, he then proceeds to devote his entire waking life to this project all the way up to the U.S. Open, where Tiger wins his miraculous playoff victory over Rocco Mediate on a ruined left leg.

And then ... well, you know what happens then. Tiger undergoes reconstructive surgery on his left knee and doesn’t play another hole of golf the rest of the year.

So what does Bob do? Surely it’s time for a rethink of this project, maybe even, painful as it would be, shelving the whole shebang for a while, or at least retooling the thesis somehow to make it more relevant, given that Tiger’s 2008 season now will forever bear the “injured” asterisk. Maybe just make it a book about the 2008 U.S. Open alone? That’s an idea, right?

Or, hey, he could just pretend that Tiger didn’t get injured and hope that no one noticed. Which seems to be the approach that he went with based on his book’s complete title -- Follow the Roar: Tailing Tiger for All 604 Holes of His Most Spectacular Season.

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EXTRA LARGE

Ball State vs. Central Michigan, ESPN2, 7 p.m.

Ball State, David Letterman’s alma mater, goes for a school record tonight as they try for their 11th straight win in their thus-far undefeated season. At 8-2 and vying with the Cardinals for the MAC title, Central Michigan should prove a worthy opponent. Nevertheless, Vegas likes Ball State on the road by a touchdown, with the over/under hovering at 55.

Mavericks vs. Rockets, ESPN, 8 p.m.
Bulls vs. Blazers, ESPN, 10:30 p.m.

Why the hell are the Blazers on national TV every other night? It’s the craziest thing I’ve ever seen. Is it Greg Oden? ESPN and TNT scheduled the Blazers for about a bazillion national games in November this year because of Greg Oden? That doesn’t make sense to me. Either way, this year’s No. 1 pick, Derrick Rose, meets last year’s No. 1 (I can’t remember his name right now) as the Bulls visit Portland in the nightcap. In the first game, the woeful Mavs try to give Mark “Ivan Boesky” Cuban something to smile about in Houston. (T-Mac is expected, to play, but Yao might sit.)

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There is something timeless about '90s basketball sneaker design. Maybe it was the competition from a wealth of brands, maybe it was the abundance of "the next Michael Jordans," or maybe it's just nostalgia.

Whatever it is, Fila has dipped into their mid '90s basketball catalog to bring out the Fila Ninety6, aka Grant Hill 2. The Fila Grant Hill 2 initially dropped in 1996 during Grant Hill's second season in the league. That year, Grant Hill lead the All-Star ballot by edging out Michael Jordan. Yes, you read that correctly. Later that summer, he took home a gold medal in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. From the mid-to-late '90s, Grant Hill hysteria was in full swing.

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We're looking for the best/worst of sports-related shirts from around the world to feature in this space. If you have a submission, send it to FirstCuts@sportingnews.com.

Dustin Pedroia pulled down the AL MVP yesterday, one year after winning the AL Rookie of the Year. The logical next progression is commissioner, right?

Barstool Sports has had this shirt up for awhile, but it's appropriate this week, when the Baseball Writers got an award right, anointing Pedroia -- a player who combines actual baseball abilities with pluckiness and short stature in a way that leaves us longing for an FJM un-retirement -- the MVP. He put up a .317/.380/.442 line in 2008, and although he certainly wasn't a clear-cut winner, he's a logical and deserving choice. Mainly, I'm just happy they didn't pick K-Rod.

We're guessing his celebration for the award might have been a little more subdued than this. If you love the team spawned from Satan, you should celebrate by buying his shirt.