So with so much going on, I thought I'd ask questions of people in the know.

Around the Horn

The early-line network winner in the Broncos trade of Jay Cutler to the Bears is NBC, which opens its Sunday night season with Chicago-Green Bay. ... The Rangers announced this week that 120 of their games will air in high definition. That's up from 86 last year. Here's an interesting point from an e-mailer: Every game in July and August is scheduled to be televised on Fox Sports Southwest, which means no local broadcast on over-the-air TV from June 28 to Sept. 5. ... NHL Network's series that profiles local broadcasters, NHL Voices, features Ralph Strangis on Wednesday at 6 p.m. ... Condolences to Babe Laufenberg, whose father passed away in California this week at age 82.

Final word

This week goes to WFAA sports anchor Dale Hansen in reaction to the resignation of KHOU sports anchor Gifford Nielsen. KHOU's news director, Keith Connors, was quoted as saying: "There may be a better sportscaster out there, but you won't find a better person than Gifford Nielsen." Said Hansen: "I told the people at Channel 8 that when I go, I'd rather them say, 'There may be a better person out there, but you won't find a better sportscaster than Dale Hansen.'"

Jim Nantz

Nantz is calling his 19th Final Four today and Monday for CBS. It may seem like yesterday that Brent Musburger was in that play-by-play seat, but Nantz has been in that NCAA men's tournament job since 1990. One thing will be different this year. Nantz will be working without Billy Packer as the analyst.

So what does Nantz miss most about Packer?

"I miss a lot of things about him. We sat next to each other for 18 years. There were almost 300 games, 54 Final Four games and 18 national championships. I miss sparring with him. Billy loves to debate for the fun of it. We'd debate court cases, world issues, basketball, anything you can think of. It was on and off the air. Billy is an eccentric character, a very highly opinionated person about everything. People that know him like him, others don't."

Tom Grieve

Grieve is in his fifth decade with the organization now known as the Texas Rangers , his 15th season as TV analyst. He's seen just about everything that has happened in the organization.

So what is one thing Grieve and Rangers fans will see this season, which opens Monday, that they have never seen before?

"In the middle of June or early in July, they have a chance to bring up a pitcher that can have a dramatic effect on the rest of the season. I don't know if that will be Derek Holland or Neftali Feliz or someone else. But there are one or two kids who can join the rotation and make a difference. It might mean the team has a chance to finish 15 games over .500 or it might stoke optimism for next season."

Darrell Waltrip

Waltrip has been Fox's lead NASCAR analyst since the network got into the business in 2001.

So what's he thinking will happen when the drivers go round and round the Texas Motor Speedway track on Sunday? (Confession: This one comes via the Fox Sports public relations department.)

"TMS is about the fastest track on the circuit these days. It's big-boy racing. You're going into Turn 1 and Turn 3 at well over 200 miles per hour. I think with the way Kurt Busch ran at Atlanta, he could be a guy who has a real good run on Sunday. You also have to look at Jimmie Johnson. It's time for Carl Edwards and the Roush boys to get back on their game."

Daryl Reaugh

The Stars analyst will watch the home team play its American Airlines Center finale tonight.

So what should Stars fans do to fill their April?

"I think they should locate Versus on their cable and find a surrogate team to ROOT for. I would pick Columbus because of the Ken Hitchcock connection. That might remind of headier times around here when the Stars were a Ken Hitchcock-coached team. Columbus' Rick Nash is Mike Modano. Mike Commodore is a big, bruising defenseman like Derian Hatcher was here. It could be intoxicating to watch."

Brad Daugherty

The ESPN NASCAR analyst will be at TMS trackside for today's prerace show at 1:30 p.m. in advance of the 300-mile Nationwide Series race. If all goes according to plan, Daugherty should be relaxing in front of a TV set by the time his alma mater, North Carolina, tips off against Villanova in the second game of the NCAA men's basketball semifinals. Daugherty played center at North Carolina before he was the first player selected in the 1986 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

So what would gearhead Daugherty do if he had to choose between watching the Daytona 500 or the Tar Heels in the national championship game?

"If you grow up in North Carolina like I did, you are a fan of both the Tar Heels and racing. Races are so long, you can miss 40 or 50 laps and come back and catch up unless the race is at Bristol, when you can't turn away for a minute. But at Daytona ... That's a long day. I'd watch the Tar Heels but flip back and forth during timeouts."

Rebecca Lobo

In 1995, Lobo led the Connecticut women's basketball team to an NCAA championship. On Sunday and Tuesday, she will be working the sidelines at the Women's Final Four in St. Louis.

So what would viewers miss if they didn't tune in to watch the women play?

"They'd miss seeing perhaps the best team in the history of women's college basketball. Connecticut is that good." (Note: UConn has won its NCAA Tournament games by an average of 27.5 points. It beat Louisville, which is in the Final Four, by 39 points and Oklahoma, another Final Four team, by 28.)

David Feherty

If there is a wittier, more entertaining golf analyst than Feherty, he or she has yet to show it. Feherty's usual duty for CBS is to walk the course with the leaders on the weekend. At the Masters, however, he works a tower like the other analysts.

So does he prepare differently for the Masters than he does for the other tournaments on the CBS schedule?

"I arrive three days earlier than I do for a normal tournament to go over the golf course to look for the subtle changes that are introduced each year. On my holes, I get out the mental microscope and examine the greens each day. Attention to detail is the key. At the Masters, they allow us to putt every day before the start of play so we will know everything about the green. That's not allowed anywhere else."