Laura Rutledge is officially headed to NFL Live as part of a cast overhaul. Plus: NBA announcers may be on-site at Disney, but Marv Albert will not be among them; MLB has not ruled out its “Field of Dreams” game; and more.
ESPN announces NFL Live cast overhaul
ESPN announced Tuesday that Laura Rutledge, Keyshawn Johnson, Marcus Spears, Mina Kimes and Dan Orlovsky will comprise the new cast of NFL Live starting in August. Rutledge will host and Johnson, Spears, Kimes and Orlovsky will serve as analysts, with Ryan Clark joining on Fridays.
Rutledge, who succeeds Wendi Nix, will continue hosting SEC Nation on SEC Network. ESPN did not mention her status on Get Up!, but Outkick the Coverage previously reported that she would give up her contributor role. Spears and Orlovsky will continue appearing on Get Up!.
Kimes will continue serving as a contributor to ESPN’s daytime talk shows, but give up her host role on ESPN’s daily podcast. She will be replaced by Pablo Torre.
As for Johnson, the NFL Live gig will not affect his widely-reported move to ESPN Radio’s national morning show. While Johnson’s new radio role remains an open secret, ESPN did announce Tuesday a multi-year contract extension with the former Sunday NFL Countdown analyst. [ESPN PR 6.30]
Some national NBA announcers to be on site; Marv not among them
The NBA is planning for ESPN and TNT broadcasters to call games on-site at Walt Disney World during the league’s planned resumption of play next month, but that will not include TNT lead play-by-play voice Marv Albert, the New York Post reported Tuesday. Albert, 79, is in an age group at higher risk from COVID-19.
While Albert will not be on-site, the Post indicated that he will call some games remotely. ESPN analyst Hubie Brown, 86, may also avoid going on-site for the games. [NYP 6.30]
MLB has not abandoned Field of Dreams
Major League Baseball has not yet abandoned plans to hold a 2020 regular season game in Dyersville, Iowa, where the 1989 movie “Field of Dreams” was filmed, according to multiple reports Tuesday. As announced last year, the game would take place August 13 between the Yankees and White Sox at a temporary stadium constructed specifically for the event. Because the Yankees and White Sox would not play each other under MLB’s regionalized 60-game schedule, another matchup would likely be selected.
In a statement to MLB Network Tuesday, MLB said “there has been no change in the status of the event, and we hope to have the option to play.” [Quad City Times 6.30, Jon Morosi/Twitter 6.30]
Plus: US Open on NBC, ESPN daytime shows, The Basketball Tournament
NBC, which has taken over the remainder of Fox Sports’ USGA media rights deal, plans to air 20.5 hours of US Open coverage on its broadcast network in September, down from 24 on FOX last year. Its weekend windows would run from 11 AM-7:30 PM ET on Saturday and Noon-6 PM on Sunday. … ESPN’s daytime talk shows Jalen & Jacoby, Highly Questionable, Around the Horn and Pardon the Interruption are listed as returning to their normal 30-minute windows as of July 13, per an advance ESPN schedule, though it was not clear whether that would mean a return to their usual formats. The shows have been airing in shortened, remote form, with PTI folded into SportsCenter. … ESPN is scheduled to televise 21 of the 23 games in this year’s edition of The Basketball Tournament, which is set to run from Saturday through July 14. [NBCSports.com 6.29, ESPN Press Room, ESPN PR 6.30]
