ESPN is getting a do-over.Eleven years after the network telecast an NFL game from Mexico City , it will do so again when the Raiders host the Texans on Monday night.Jay Rothman, ESPNs vice president of production and the Monday Night Football producer, wants this broadcast to be a lot different.We were there in 2005 and I wish we could do `05 over again, and we will not make the same omissions, Rothman says. We went in and did the game and got out.Mexico City is such an awesome city and we will make it a weekend-long spectacle.ESPN has lucked out that the game has plenty of significance, with the Raiders tied for the AFC West lead and best record in the conference heading in, and the Texans leading the AFC South. But this is about more than football.It is about the first international series match there since the Cardinals beat the 49ers at Azteca Stadium in 2005. Its about the stadium itself, one of the most famous sports venues in the world. Its about the fans, who might not follow football as closely as they do futbol, but who generally embrace the American game.And it is about Mexico.The Xs and Os we do every week, Rothman says. I think we are silly not to take advantage and sprinkle in the history of Azteca Stadium. Culturally, look at the fans of Mexico, who share the passion they have for the NFL. The food, the flavor, and points of interest. We will do that all within the body of a three-hour show.Actually, ESPN isnt so limited. It will also stage its pregame shows and other studio programming from Mexico City this weekend. Joining the broadcast team of Sean McDonough, Jon Gruden and Lisa Salters will be ESPN Deportes John Sutcliffe, who lives in the city.John is a rock star in Mexico now, he is our breakthrough guy, Rothman says. He will have kind of like a Jim McKay host-type role, though that is challenging within a football game.He will be integrated to share the great moments of Azteca, educate people on the fandom of Mexican fans and as a great people. He is our point person to share those perspectives and stories.Gruden has become something of a rock star in the NFL broadcasting world, and while his main job is to dissect play on the field, it will be intriguing to hear his take on not only the game, but the entire scene Monday night.He coached the Raiders in a preseason game against the Cowboys in Mexico City in 2001.The stadium is what I remember the most, he says. The tradition, the monstrosity of it, the excitement of playing in a place you have only seen and heard about. I am anxious to get back there and rekindle the feeling.Azteca has undergone massive renovations, not only to attract the NFLs return, but as home of Club America and of the Mexican national soccer team, and to keep it on the radar for major events in the worlds most popular sport. Yet it has kept much of its uniqueness, Rothman notes.Theres still the moat and the barbed wire, which was there in `05, he says. They built these beautiful locker rooms, but they are outside the stadium (bowl).Players will walk to and from the field through the stands to the stadiums outside, which is where the locker rooms are. It is 7,200 feet (in altitude), and you think especially of the heavy players wearing pads making that walk. Cant imagine doing it with helmets and pads on. They will be sucking air bigtime.It will allow for unique shots and vantage points, not only from the air but the nooks and crannies of the stadium and its features, the march to the field and back up, the pageantry.Rothman promises his network wont avoid covering any non-football news that becomes relevant with the NFL in town. Concern has been voiced in some circles about potential protests in Mexico City over the outcome of the U.S. presidential election.We wear our news hats, too, and we will get together and discuss that, Rothman says. If there are things outside and inside the stadium to cover, we would be criticized for ignoring them and we need to do the right thing.I dont think wed intentionally shoot specific signs (of protest), but if we see what we have seen outside the Trump Tower, we will be obligated to cover it.Gruden says he has no concerns about safety or security.I am excited to go, he says. Ive got my passport and ready to roll. Last time I was there I got to see some really cool places and met some people -- I have no concerns whatsoever.In the end, what usually is most memorable about NFL games on international stages is how entertaining the game is. In that way, the reactions are no different from games held in Miami or the Meadowlands, Seattle or San Diego.I got a feeling there will be a lot of Raiders fans, Gruden says. There were the last time I was there ... and there will be a lot of Texans fans there. It will be loud, like a Raiders home game, I wouldnt be surprised.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Taylor Rogers Jersey . Andreas Johnson had a goal and two assists while Jacob de la Rose also scored for Sweden (2-0-0). Esa Lindell and Rasmus Ristolainen replied for Finland (1-1-0) Lindell opened the scoring for Finland just 41 seconds into the game, but the hosts quickly regained their composure and tied the score less than four minutes later on Wennbergs first of the game. Jonathan Schoop Twins Jersey . Houston won 3-0 to advance to face New York in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Last in the game, Di Vaio and Romero got into a shoving match with several Houston players. Romero appeared to elbow and kick Houston defender Kofi Sarkodie. https://www.cheaptwins.com/ . "I dont know that were close," said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. "I just think, right now, the acquisition cost just doesnt work for us right now. I dont know if I can quantify how far off or things like that that they might be but I would say we continue to have dialogue. Bert Blyleven Twins Jersey . In taking its goal tally to 99 in all competitions already this season, City delivered another demonstration of its lethal firepower at Etihad Stadium to set up a fourth-round match at home to another second-tier team -- Watford. Nick Gordon Jersey . The International Olympic Committee released the official list of bid cities on Friday after the deadline for applications had passed. The candidates -- all previously announced in their own countries -- are: Almaty, Kazakhstan; Beijing; Krakow, Poland; Lviv, Ukraine; Oslo, Norway; and Stockholm. TORONTO -- Ads on jerseys will be among the features at the upcoming World Cup of Hockey.The NHL and NHLPA announced the ventures -- including puck and player tracking technology and interactive boards -- on Wednesday and revealed plans for fan initiatives in Toronto throughout the two-week event that starts next month.This tournament gives us an opportunity to experiment with things, to see if they work, to see if it can be done in a fashion which is tasteful, NHLPA executive director Don Fehr said.Puck and player tracking technology will include elements like puck speed, player speed and distance travelled, all aimed at boosting the viewing experience on game broadcasts.NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman described the use of such technology at the World Cup as a testing ground for potential use during the regular season. The league used the technology at last seasons All-Star game.If youre a fan, you can have more and more insights to the game, Bettman said. And if youre a casual fan -- or not a fan at all -- this may give you another reason to connect even more with the game.SAP was announced as the sponsor advertising on game sweaters, though Bettman said it was not a sign of things to come for the NHL. The NBA recently announced that it would begin advertisinng on its jerseys starting in the 2017-18 season.dddddddddddd.Nobody should say that that means the next step is to put them on NHL jerseys, Bettman said. I am a believer in the history, tradition and exactly how special NHL sweaters are. And while these World Cup jerseys have been designed from scratch and are spectacular, its not necessarily the same as the NHL sweaters.Wednesdays announcement was a testimony to the enormous dollars the NHL and NHLPA will pull in as a result of the World Cup.In addition to a roster of corporate sponsors, digitally enhanced dasher boards will offer expanded opportunity for ads during game action. The league also will host to a 10-day fan village in Torontos historic Distillery District.Bettman said 90 percent of the tickets had been sold for the World Cup, with a limited number of individual game tickets up for sale beginning on Thursday. He added that there has been nothing yet decided on future World Cup events. But the hope was to stage the tournament on a regular basis, perhaps every four years.The World Cup of Hockey will take place from Sept. 17 to Oct. 1 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. ' ' '
