He may or may not be the “top ESPN name” discussed in December, but ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt has reportedly attracted the interest of NBC Sports Group. NBC is prepared to go after ESPN anchor Scott Van Pelt when his contract expires in April, sources told the website The Big Lead. ESPN, according to the report, “is already bracing for the tug-of-war” (thebiglead.com, 1/12). For his part, Van Pelt told the website that he has yet to talk to NBC. The story comes just over a month after Advertising Age reported that “[a]t least one top ESPN name” was involved in competing negotiations with both ESPN and NBC Sports, reported by Sports Media Watch.