Dear Member:
With the long awaited return of live sports, I just thought I’d pass along some of the sportscasting news that has been making headlines recently.
As we continue to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, I hope that you and your family are safe and in good health.
Regards and best wishes,
Lou Schwartz
President
Melanie Newman made history this week as the first female to call a Baltimore Orioles regular season game. The 29-year-old made her play-by-play debut on the Orioles Radio Network in the team’s 4-0 loss to the Marlins. Newman joins WFAN Radio broadcasting pioneer Suzyn Waldman as one of four women broadcasters in Major League baseball.
Speaking of Waldman, the New York Yankees radio analyst performed the National Anthem before the home opener against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. The performance was the result of a bet she made with new Yankee pitcher Gerrit Cole back in 2011 that if he ever signed with the Yankees she would sing the National Anthem. The former Broadway actress made good on her promise after Cole reminded her of their deal.
ASA Members Mike Tirico and Kenny Albert are among the play-by-play commentators for the Stanley Cup qualifiers and playoffs on NBC. Other announcers include Mike “Doc” Emrick, John Forslund, Brendan Burke and Gord Miller.
Kelly Tilghman, longtime Golf Channel anchor, will be joining CBS’ coverage of this weekend’s PGA Championship. Tilghman will serve as the on-course reporter, replacing Davis Love III who announced he will be leaving the position after less than a year on the job.
The return of the NBA delivered a ratings boost for TNT. The Restart matchup between the Clippers and Lakers had an average of 3.4 million total viewers – more than doubling the network’s average viewership for a regular season telecast, according to Nielsen.
It looks as though ESPN will have a new "Monday Night Football" broadcast team. According to reports, the new three-man booth will consist of veteran SportsCenter anchor Steve Levy and analysts Brian Griese and Louis Riddick. Lisa Salters will remain as the sideline reporter.
Jamie Samuelson, veteran Detroit sports radio personality, passed away on July 27 after a bout with colon cancer. He was 48. Most recently, Samuelson hosted a morning show with Michael Stone on 97.1 The Ticket.
Mike Golic’s long run on ESPN Radio reached its end on July 31 with the final Golic and Wingo show signing off. Between 18 years co-hosting Mike & Mike with Mike Greenberg and the past four years with Trey Wingo, Golic has been the voice of ESPN Radio mornings for the last 22 years.
The Texas Rangers radio booth took a hit last week due to the coronavirus. Radio broadcaster Matt Hicks tested positive for the virus and will be out for the foreseeable future. As a precaution, ASA member and Hall of Fame play-by-play voice Eric Nadel opted out of last weekend’s games. Rangers pre and post-game host Jared Sander filled in on the play-by-play and former Rangers David Murphy and Mark McLemore handled the color.
CBS announced the studio and game talent for their UEFA Champions League coverage, Through a collaboration with London’s IMG Studios, Kate Abdo will anchor the network’s studio coverage. She’ll be joined by analysts Roberto Martinez, Jamie Carragher, and Micah Richards. As for the matches, Clive Tyldesley and Peter Drury will each call five matches across both the Champions and Europa League tournaments this August, though they’ll be calling them from the studio rather than on site in Portugal.
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