Rookie pitcher Daniel Schlereth, son of ESPN NFL analyst Mark Schlereth, was called up to the big leagues by the Arizona Diamondbacks for this weekend’s series against the Atlanta Braves. Once the younger Schlereth debuts for the Diamondbacks, the Schlereths will become just the 6th known father-son tandem to have one play in the NFL and one play Major League Baseball, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Here are the other known father-son tandems:

Father - Son
Yogi Berra (MLB) - Tim Berra (NFL)
Lou Brock (MLB) - Lou Brock (NFL)
Jack Snow (NFL) - J.T. Snow (MLB)
Lee Gross (NFL) - Gabe Gross (MLB)
Don Patterson (NFL) - Corey Patterson (MLB)
Mark Schlereth (NFL) - Daniel Schlereth (MLB) *

* called up by Diamondbacks on Thursday
credit: Elias Sports Bureau

UPDATE: Schlereth made his major league debut Friday in a 10-6 D-backs’ loss to the Braves, pitching a 1-2-3 sixth inning.

In Washington, D.C. this week for Thursday’s National Spelling Bee Finals on ESPN and ABC, Erin Andrews sat down with The Washington Post’s Steve Yanda and Dan Steinberg for stories and video interviews posted on The Washington Post and Sporting News sites.  Andrews addressed a wide range of topics beyond the Spelling Bee, including why she loves Britney Spears, why she thinks she would excel on Dancing With the Stars, her sister landing a movie role (Step Up 3) and the blogosphere. Click links below to read and watch:

Washingtonpost.com 
SportingNews.com

NFL analyst Marcellus Wiley has been named 2009 recipient of the Advocate Award by the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence for his invaluable activism and dedication to raising awareness about reducing gun violence.  The Compton, Calif., native and former 10-year NFL defensive end (1997-2006) was exposed to the danger of gun violence as a youngster, and he remains committed today to doing his part to help bring an end to gun violence:

“At a young age I lost an uncle to suicide by gun.  I had a couple of teammates who were gunned down in Pop Warner football and in high school.  Guys that I played Pop Warner with from 7–14 years old at that age, killed, and guys I knew in high school.  I knew a couple guys that had been murdered and a couple who had been on the other side of the gun.  Knowing guys who became villains in that scenario and seeing it … it’s madness. I wanted to escape the negatives of my community and create some positives and awareness. This is part of the journey to do that.  I am heavily concerned with social issues.  As an athlete, and now an ESPN analyst, it gives me a platform and a voice.

“It’s a tremendous honor to receive this award because it brings awareness to an issue that affects us all. Some have lost teammates and friends to gun violence. Anything that I can do to elevate the social issues that plague our community, I’m fully in support of.”

Wiley appeared on ESPN’s Outside the Lines in 2008 where he talked about owning and carrying a gun while playing in the NFL. He spoke of the responsibility and pressure. To view the video clip, click here.  

Wiley will receive the award at the Target for a Safe America benefit at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif., on November 8.

For the first time, every regular and postseason WNBA game will be televised in high definition on ESPN2 HD or ABC HD.  The networks will combine to televise 13 regular-season WNBA games, the WNBA All-Star game, and up to 15 postseason telecasts, starting with the defending champion Detroit Shock at the Los Angeles Sparks on Saturday, June 6, at 2:30 p.m. ET on ABC. 

The good news for Mike Golic was that few people outside his immediate family and friends saw what he admitted was an “awful” attempt at throwing out the first pitch Wednesday night at the Cleveland Indians game.

Golic and his Mike & Mike in the Morning co-host Mike Greenberg took the field to the P.A. announcer’s call welcoming “ Cleveland’s own Mike Golic and ESPN’s Mike Greenberg.”
 
After donning their official Indians jerseys – Golic wore No. 90, the number he wore in his NFL career, the Mikes got advice from Indians manager Eric Wedge: “Don’t bounce it.” 

Golic & Greenberg also visited Slider, the Indians self-described “fuzzy, fuschia-colored mascot” on the field.  Then on Thursday’s show, they were visited by Golic’s brothers Greg and Bob, and his “pop,” Lou. They proved that blood is thicker than (rain) water, as the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported on the first-pitch weather: “Rain delayed the start of the game by 1 hour and 55 minutes. When play began, the announced crowd of 19,335 had mostly sought drier quarters. The few that remained were outnumbered by circling seagulls.”
 
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Also, look for the Mikes next Monday, June 1, when they co-host the 6 p.m. ET edition of SportsCenter.

Beginning at tonight, late Wed., May 27, at midnight through 10 a.m. on Thursday, May 28, ESPNU will air a marathon of  Scripps National Spelling Bees from 2004-2008.   Bee fans can also watch ESPN360.com for exclusive live coverage of this year’s  preliminary rounds today from 1:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. The broadband sports network will also simulcast ESPN2’s telecast of the semifinals (Thursday, May 28, at 10 a.m.) and the finals (8 p.m. on ABC).

Go ahead, make your day.  On Sunday, May 31, ESPN Classic features a Tough Guy Marathon, in honor of Clint Eastwood’s birthday. The marathon, from 1-8 p.m. ET, features classic moments from AWA Wrestling, American Gladiators and the World’s Strongest Man programs.

Think you’re a master speller?  Do you ever think how you’d react if asked to spell Euonym?  Bee fans with iPhones and iPod Touch devices can be part of the spelling action by downloading the ESPN Spelling Bee game application from the iTunes App Store.  The app, with voiceover by ESPN’s Trey Wingo, includes 400 challenging words and simulates an actual spelling bee with options to hear the word again, get the definition, use it in a sentence, or get the part of speech or word origin.  A leaderboard will showcase the highest scores.  Test your knowledge and see if you are smarter than a fifth grader!