ESPN's Ian Darke

I was away all weekend for a quick getaway to Orlando, so I didn’t get a chance to post some news regarding interesting developments over the long weekend. First, I’d like to wish you and your loved ones a Happy New Year. Let’s hope 2011 is your best one yet (and for your favorite club team). Second, here are the news items I think you’ll be interested in reading:

Ian Darke named Best Newcomer of the Year in 2010 Media Awards (SI.com). No, he’s not a newcomer by any means except for many viewers in the United States who are being introduced to the jovial ESPN2 commentator on Saturday mornings. In the same awards, The Two Escobars picked up joint place for the best documentary.

Maps of teams competing in 3rd Round of 2010-11 FA Cup this weekend (Billsportsmaps). Each year Bill Turanski, creator of Billsportsmaps.com, takes painstaking care to create a map featuring all of the teams involved in the third round of the FA Cup. It’s not only a great geography lesson but Turanski also packs each listing with plenty of stats, photos and a complete schedule.

ESPN Soccernet Press Pass is now available online five days a week (ESPN). I didn’t realize this until recently, but ESPN’s Press Pass show is now available online five days a week for viewers in the United States. Analysts typically include Shaka Hislop and Gabriel Marcotti. Plus the page also includes an archive link to past shows so you can catch up on anything you missed.

The 2010 World Cup Final was the 40th most viewed sports broadcast of 2010 (Sports Media Watch). The lone baseball game ranked 97th.