ESPN is likely going with a two-person booth on Sunday Night Baseball. Also: Jeremy Roenick is done at NBC; Turner Sports is going ad-free for the fourth quarter of the NBA All-Star Game; Paul Finebaum could be moving on from ESPN.
ESPN passes on Cone, likely to go with two-person SNB booth
ESPN is unlikely to replace Jessica Mendoza on its Sunday Night Baseball broadcasts after passing on YES Network Yankees analyst David Cone, the New York Post reported Thursday. Per the report, the network is expected to move forward with Matt Vasgersian and Alex Rodriguez in a two-person booth. [NYP 2.13]
Roenick done at NBC
NBC Sports said Wednesday that it has fired suspended NHL analyst Jeremy Roenick, ending his decade-long tenure with the company. Roenick was suspended in December for making sexual jokes about on-air colleagues Kathryn Tappen and Patrick Sharp during a podcast appearance.
In a video titled “What a Joke!!” posted to his Twitter account Wednesday, Roenick said he was disappointed and angry about the decision. [NBC, Roenick/Twitter 2.12]
Turner going ad-free for fourth quarter of NBA All-Star Game
Turner Sports will present the fourth quarter of Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game commercial-free, it was announced Thursday. Under a new format, the fourth quarter will be untimed, with the teams playing to reach a target score (the score of the leading team after three quarters plus 24 points). [Turner Sports]
Finebaum could leave ESPN next year
Radio host Paul Finebaum could leave ESPN when his contract expires next year and is exploring opportunities beyond traditional sports media, Sports Business Daily reported Tuesday. Finebaum, who joined ESPN in 2013, has approached all four of the major broadcast networks about creating a sitcom about his life, and has been approached about launching his own media startup ala The Ringer. There have also been discussions about him joining the John Skipper-led streaming outlet DAZN. [Sports Business Daily 2.11]
