National Sports Journalism Center

Despite rain delays, ESPN’s coverage of the U.S. Open earned solid ratings last week according to Sports Media Watch. First round coverage on Thursday garnered a 1.6 rating with 2.2 million viewers, representing an 11-year high for a Thursday telecast of the tournament. Friday’s second round figures, while larger, still made for a decline from last year, with coverage on that day earning a 1.7 rating with 2.5 million viewers (down 32% from the second round in 2012).

Steve Gleason, a former NFL player with the New Orleans Saints who is now suffering from ALS, wrote today’s “Monday Morning Quarterback” column for Sports Illustrated. According to SI.com, Gleason was then mocked on Atlanta area radio station 790 The Zone, with the hosts of “Mayhem in the AM” making jokes about his battle with the deadly disease. “The members of the show involved with this incident have been suspended indefinitely pending further management review of their actions,” wrote Rick Mack, Vice President and General Manager of the station.

Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs earned an 11.4 overnight rating for ABC, which is 10 percent lower than last year’s Game 5 (12.6) in which the Heat won the championship over the Oklahoma City Thunder, reports the Albany Times Union. It is, however, the second-highest rated Finals game of this year’s series, behind Game 4 (12.0).

There’s growing demand for NFL executives in broadcasting, and Scott Pioli is the latest to make the move to TV. Richard Deitsch reports NBC Sports has hired the former Chiefs GM to appear weekly on either “Football Night in America” or at the game site of “Sunday Night Football.” He’ll also appear every other Monday on the NBC Sports Network’s “Pro Football Talk” alongside Rodney Harrison.

In a special Father’s Day feature, Caroline Reinsch and Christian Williams share how they survived the Boston Marathon bombings to celebrate a miracle and new life. Reinsch and Williams, 39 and 41 respectively, were cheering on friends at the race and planning to train for the 2014 marathon when they were both seriously injured.

While in the hospital being treated for her injuries, Williams in a separate hospital recovering, she found out that after months of trying to conceive, she was pregnant. Eric Moskowitz writes for the Globe, “They’ve told only a few people about the pregnancy, waiting for this weekend — Father’s Day and Williams’s 42d birthday — to reveal it more widely.”