If talks break down between CBS and Jim Nantz, ESPN may be waiting in the wings. Plus: baseball owners’ plan for a delayed and shortened season have been dashed; Mike Tirico is set to call the NHL’s outdoor games; and more.
Report: ESPN could court Nantz
ESPN is interested in pursuing CBS play-by-play voice Jim Nantz in the event that he becomes a free agent this summer, Front Office Sports reported Wednesday. Per the report, ESPN is eyeing Nantz for its NFL and Masters golf coverage.
Notably, Front Office Sports characterized negotiations between Nantz and CBS as being at an “impasse.” Nantz is reportedly seeking a significant raise in his ~$6 million/year salary. [Front Office Sports 2.3]
MLB’s delayed, shortened season proposal rejected by players
As expected, the Major League Baseball Players Association on Monday rejected a league proposal to delay the start of the 2021 season until late April and shorten the schedule to 154 games per team, meaning that the season remains slated to begin as originally-scheduled April 1.
The owners’ rejected proposal also included the expanded postseason format first floated early last year in which seven teams per league would have made the playoffs, with the top seed receiving a bye and the second and third seeds picking their opponents in a nationally televised selection show. [AP 2.1]
Tirico would call NHL outdoor games
NBC Sports said Wednesday that Mike Tirico will handle play-by-play for the NHL’s scheduled Lake Tahoe outdoor games later this month. Tirico began calling NHL games in a limited capacity two years ago and has never before called an outdoor game. He did serve as the studio host for NBC’s Winter Classic coverage in 2019 and 2020.
NBC has not yet announced its lead NHL play-by-play voice. The New York Post reported earlier this year that Tirico is considered a dark horse for the role. [NBC Sports PR 2.3]
Plus: Olympics, British Open, NBC RSNs
The president of the scheduled Tokyo Summer Olympics said Tuesday that the Games will go on “regardless” of the situation regarding COVID-19, but that “new ways” of hosting may have to be considered. … The chief executive of the R&A said this week that the organization is “certainly planning to stage” the British Open this year, after last year’s edition was canceled. … The NBC Sports regional sports networks have begun merging their operations with the corresponding owned-and-operated NBC stations in each market, according to The Athletic. [Reuters 2.2, Golfweek 2.2, The Athletic 1.29]
