ASA Sportsbeat
"Sportscasting in the News"
Updated 4/19/24

Following the sudden retirement of veteran New York Yankees radio play-by-play voice Jon Sterling, the team is planning to honor him during a pregame ceremony at Yankee Stadium on April 20. Word has it the broadcast booth at the Stadium will be named in his honor. A plaque in monument park commemorating his 35 years of service is also expected.

“King Charles” has been dethroned. The new weekly CNN show featuring Charles Barkley and Gayle King which attempted to mix sports and politics was cancelled due to poor ratings.

Jack Edwards, longtime Boston Bruins play-by-play man, is retiring after this postseason.

Interesting point raised by WNBA great Sue Bird during a recent interview on “Real Ones.” Bird took issue with sports networks like ESPN for not offering more broadcasting opportunities and financial stability to competent women sportscasters like Monica McNutt and Andraya Carter which would allow them to continue covering the WNBA instead of moving over to the NBA. It seems like once these women announcers make a name for themselves, they are pushed over to the NBA where there are more broadcasting opportunities and more money to be earned.

Speaking of women sportscasters, congratulations to Amina Smith, who made her SportsCenter debut on April 5th. Smith is a former track athlete at the University of South Carolina who cut her teeth at NBC Sports Boston before getting the call to Bristol.

Best wishes to Hannah Storm, who revealed to "Good Morning America's" Robin Roberts that she was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Thankfully, it was detected early and after a successful surgery the ESPN sportscaster is now cancer free.

Eli Gold has already landed two new assignments after parting ways with Alabama after 35 years as their football voice. The longtime ASA member will be the play-by-play voice of the AFL's Nashville Kats and Jacksonville State baseball.

Awesome Baby! Dick Vitale is feeling great and hopes to get his full voice back shortly after recent vocal cord surgery.

Kudos to sportscasting great Bob Costas who hosted a panel discussion at the NBA Legends Awards Brunch on February 18 during the NBA All-Star weekend in Indianapolis. Costas was joined by ABA legends Spencer Haywood, Artis Gilmore, “Dr. J” Julius Erving and Darnell Hillman as they reminisced about their experiences in the flashy, freewheeling league known for its up tempo style of play, 3-point shot and slam dunk contest, all of which came over to the NBA after the two leagues merged in 1976. Costas is no stranger to the ABA, having joined the league’s Spirits of St. Louis fresh out of Syracuse University in 1974 and spending two years as their play-by-play man until the merger.

.ESPN play-by-play announcer Dave Pasch had some fun at the expense of his partner, ASA Board member Bill Walton during a recent college basketball telecast. As Oregon was blowing out USC on Febraury 1, Pasch mentioned that he heard the basketball Hall of Famer had auditioned for the role of Chebacca in the original Star Wars movie. After sidestepping the question, Walton finally made the admisison. “I did audition for the role of Chewbacca but they said no,” Walton said. “But they said they were going to model the character after me.” What a long strange trip it’s been for Walton.

Kudos to ASA Lifetime Member Joe Buck and his ESPN Monday Night Football partner, Troy Aikman, for being named the top NFL broadcast team for 2023 by Awful Announcing. The website received over 18,000 votes from its readers and came up with a list of this past season’s top 17 NFL announcing teams. Coming in a close second was ASA member Ian Eagle and his CBS partner, Charles Davis. Rounding out the top five was the CBS broadcast team of Kevin Harlan and Trent Green (3), Fox’s Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen (4), and the NBC Sunday Night Football duo of Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth (5).

Bob Costas, sportscasting great and winner of 28 sports emmy awards joined award winning actor and comedian Billy Crystal at Madison Square Garden to take in the Knicks -Heat game on January 27. Aside from basketball, the two friends also share a love of baseball, especially for the Yankees and all-time great Mickey Mantle.

A Belated Happy Birthday “Mr. Baseball” Bob Uecker, who turned 90 on January 26, 2024. The Lifetime ASA member and longtime voice of the Milwaukee Brewers is still the flagship radio announcer for all Brewers’ home games. This year will mark his 53rd season with Milwaukee, the fourth longest tenure with one team in MLB history.

With Amazon Prime's acquisition of Thursday Night Football broadcasts beginning with the 2022-23 season, broadcasting legend and ASA Member Al Michaels has already emerged as the streaming services' top choice to handle the play-by-play. Michaels, 76, is in his final year of his contract with NBC which culminates with the broadcast of the Super Bowl. Amazon's short list also includes Fox's top announcer and ASA Member Joe Buck as well as CBS' veteran play-by-player and ASA Advisory Board Member Ian Eagle.

ESPN has signed Leah Hextall to do NHL play-by-play and other roles, making her the first woman play-by-player to be a regular part of a national NHL TV package. Last year the 17-year broadcast veteran became the first woman in Canada to call play-by-play for a national NHL broadcast on Sportsnet. Another "first" on her resume was being the first woman to call the NCAA men’s tournament for ESPN.

Marv Albert, ASA Advisory Board Member who is considered one of the greatest NBA play-by-play announcers of all-time, has announced he will be retiring after the Eastern Conference Finals on TNT.

Albert, whose legendary career has spanned nearly 60 years, got his start in 1963 when he filled in for his mentor, ASA Hall of Famer Marty Glickman on a New York Knicks game for WCBS Radio. He went on to become the Voice of the Knicks from 1967 to 2004.

Albert, who will turn 80 in June, has covered everything from football and boxing to hockey, baseball and tennis. But his signature voice is most associated with basketball, whether it be with the Knicks, the NBA on NBC, the New Jersey Nets, or his current role on the NBA on TNT. He has also called 13 NBA Finals and 25 All-Star Games for NBC and Turner, along with the Dream Team's romp to the gold medal in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

Known for his signature call, "Yes!," Albert was voted the ASA's "Sportscaster of the Year" in 1996 and received the Basketball Hall of Fa me's Curt Gowdy Media Award a year later.

Bill Worrell, ASA LIfetime Member retired as the Houston Rockets television play-by-play broadcaster following Houston’s final home game of the season on May 14. Worrell will remain as a special contributor for AT&T SportsNet next season, which will be his 40th with the Rockets.

Also announcing his retirement was Jim Paschke, who called t after 35 years as Milwaukee Bucks play-by-play announcer.

NBC Sports recently announced a change to their Olympics broadcaster lineup. ASA Member Leigh Diffey will be taking over as the play by play broadcaster for track and field events in Tokyo, replacing fellow ASA Member Tom Hammond, who has called track events for NBC since the 1992 Olympics.

TNT has signed hockey legend Wayne Gretzky as a lead studio analyst for its newly acquired NHL telecasts. Turner, which signed a seven-year deal with the league after it spent 16 years on NBC, has also recruited peacock network talents Kenny Albert and Eddie Olczyk to call games for the network.

To limit the amount of people in stadiums, MLB announced that both radio and TV announcers will not travel with the team and will broadcast all road games remotely.

Tim McCarver, Hall of Fame broadcaster for the St. Louis Cardinals, has opted out of calling games this season. McCarver, 78, consulted with his doctor and felt that the travel from his home in Florida to St. Louis and the everyday rigors of going to the ballpark was just too risky.

Meanwhile, ASA Lifetime Member Bob Uecker recently announced that he will be behind the microphone for his 50th season as the radio voice of the Milwaukee Brewers.

The NBA’s original plan of having announcers broadcast games remotely has changed. Team and network announcers will in fact call games live from Orlando when the season resumes July 31st. One broadcasting legend, however, will not be there. ASA Advisory Board Member Marv Albert has decided not take part as the sunshine state’s COVID-19 cases have been skyrocketing and the 79-year-old feels it is too risky.

The PGA Tour returns to CBS this weekend, albeit with social distancing rules in place. Jim Nantz will be in the 18th tower by himself during this weekend’s Charles Schwab Challenge from Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, signing on with his familiar “Hello Friends” into a robotic camera. Nick Faldo will be in the studio in Orlando and Dottie Pepper will keep her distance will reporting from the green.

Charles Schwab Challenge from Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. GOLF Channel and CBS lined up to carry the action this weekend with coverage Thursday and Friday from 4-7p and Saturday & Sunday from 1-3p on Golf Channel with CBS picking up from 3-6p. The PGA TOUR’s three-month hiatus officially ends on Thursday on GOLF Channel, which will see network staple Golf Central return to its traditional live, in-studio setup starting today. (Courtesy of Cynopsis Sports)

NBC Sports announced that it will kick off live coverage of the Premier League’s return to action with a pair of matches on June 17 – the first of 36 days of live games in a 40-day stretch to conclude the 2019-20 season. (Courtesy Cynopsis Sports)

The NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2021 and the winner of the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR will be announced during a special presentation of NASCAR America on Tuesday, June 16 at 5p on NBCSN. The program will be hosted by NBC Sports’ NASCAR studio team of Dale Jarrett, Kyle Petty, Krista Voda and Nate Ryan. Three NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees will be selected from the list of nominees – two from the Modern Era ballot and one from the Pioneer ballot. Two of the modern era candidates are part of the NBC Sports NASCAR team: Jeff Burton and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Courtesy Cynopsis Sports)

ASA Hall of Famer Vin Scully will be first in the lineup for MLB Network’s new series showcasing the greatest calls and moments from iconic Major League Baseball play-by-play broadcasters in its new original series “The Sounds Of Baseball.”ASA Board Member Bob Costas and Tom Verducci. Airing June 8, at 8pm, the Scully episode running 52 years to the day that Scully called the Dodgers’ Don Drysdale breaking Walter Johnson’s consecutive scoreless innings streak in 1968. (Courtesy Cynopsis Sports)

Ed Ingles, whose career in sportscasting spanned over 60 years, died on March 6 at the age of 87. Ingles spent 24 years at WCBS 880 AM in New York as Sports Director and morning sports anchor at a time when radio was the primary source of sports information. He was a friend and mentor to many up and coming talents including ESPN's Mike Breen and Linda Kohn. After retiring from sportscasting, Ingles enjoyed a second career as a professor at St. John's and Hofstra University where he continued to teach and mentor aspiring sportscasters.

Happy Birthday to Steve Holman, ASA Lifetime Member and longtime radio voice of the Atlanta Hawks, who turned 66 on March 5.<

It looks like there might be a major shakeup in the “Monday Night Football” broadcast booth. According to reports, ESPN “will attempt to acquire” legendary voice of NBC’s "Sunday Night Football," Al Michaels. The dream scenario would be to pair the longtime ASA member with former Colts and Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, who is also on ESPN’s wish list now that Tony Romo has agreed to a whopping 10-year, $180 million contract to stay at CBS. ESPN was eager to sign the former Cowboys quarterback for its MNF telecasts but CBS didn’t give them a chance by offering the popular analyst this monumental deal, making him the highest paid analyst in television history.

In honor of International Women’s Day, an all-female crew will broadcast and produce the Blues-Blackhawks game to be aired on NBCSN on March 8. Kate Scott will serve as the play-by-play announcer, with former U.S. defenseman A.J. Mleczko serving as the color analyst. Current Team USA hockey star Kendall Coyne-Schofield will serve as the “Inside the Glass” announcer. Kathryn Tappen will anchor studio coverage with three-time Canadian Olympic gold medalist Jen Botterill. Game production will be led by producer Rene Hatlelid and director Lisa Seltzer.

ESPN extended its contract with Hannah Storm in a multi-year deal. The ASA member and SportsCenter anchor is now in her 12th year with the network.

ASA Member John Leahy has a new podcast, "Airing It Out, Files From Leahy’s Locker Room," available on iTunes , Spotify, and multiple other outlets. It is devoted to everything broadcasting- from his play-by-play experiences, to broadcast fundamentals, to travel, his background, and more.

James Hinchcliffe, part-time INDYCAR driver for Andretti Autosport, is joining NBC Sports as a motor sports analyst for a majority of the network’s 2020 INDYCAR race coverage. He will make his debut at the season-opener in St. Petersburg, Fla., on March 15.

Kimberley A. Martin, former NFL writer for Yahoo Sports, will join ESPN on March 9 as an NFL reporter. Martin will cover the league year-round and contribute to ESPN’s NFL shows, SportsCenter, ESPN.com and more.

Chipper Jones, Atlanta Braves Hall of Famer, has joined ESPN as a game analyst. Jones who served as a guest analyst several times last year, will work primarily on weekday and holiday games.

Doug Mientkiewicz, Javier Lopez, Gaby Sanchez and Adam Greenberg have been hired by the ACC Network for game and studio analysis of the conference’s season-long baseball action.

Melanie Newman, former Salem Red Sox play-by-play announcer, has been named by the Baltimore Orioles to their TV broadcast team.

ESPN released its announcer lineup for the 2020 baseball season on February 20. Most notably, Jessica Mendoza will not be returning to Sunday Night Baseball leaving a two-man booth of play-by-play announcer Matt Vasgersian and analyst Alex Rodriguez. Mendoza will work weekday games as the first woman to ever serve as a solo analyst on the national level. She will team with rotating play-by-play voices Karl Ravech, ASA Lifetime Member Dan Shulman, Jon Sciambi and Dave Flemming. Other analysts include Eduardo Perez, Rick Sutcliffe and Jeff Passan. In the studio, Ravech is entering his 27th season as host of Baseball Tonight and will also host Sunday Night Countdown with Mark Teixeira and Tim Kurkjian. For Sunday Night Baseball on the radio, Sciambi will handle the play-by-play alongside partner Chris Singelton. The duo are celebrating their 10th season together. The Sunday Night team on ESPN Deportes will be Ernesto Jerez and Luis Alfredo Alvarez with Guillermo Celis reporting.

Congratulations to Cayleigh Griffin, the new Houston Rockets host/reporter on ATT SportsNet Southwest.

Dwyane Wade has joined TNT’s NBA team, reuniting with Shaquille O’Neal.

Lou Palmer, ESPN’s original “SportsCenter” anchor, died on Friday after a battle with lung cancer. He was 84.

According to sources, ESPN is considering breaking up its “Sunday Night Baseball” broadcast team. Sources say Alex Rodriguez is safe, but there is a chance that Matt Vasgersian and Jessica Mendoza will be moving on.

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men’s basketball is discontinuing radio broadcasts in favor of streaming. The change will save the department the five-figure fee it pays for radio. ASA member Wayne Larrivee will remain as the play-by-play voice.

Miami Hurricanes broadcaster Mike Maniscalco underwent successful surgery recently to remove a large non-cancerous mass from his abdomen and is looking forward to returning to work as soon as possible.

Jim Bowden, MLB Network Radio host was put in a precarious situation when NY Yankees great Reggie Jackson let the expletives fly during a live interview prior to Game 2 of the ALCS. Jackson dropped a few f-bombs when he was informed Giancarlo Stanton would not be playing because of injury. “Bleep, he’s been out all bleeping year! How the bleep could he be hurt?,” said Mr. October who appearantly didn't know he was live.

ESPN is reportedly negotiating a buyout with "NBA Countdown" host Michele Beadle. It seems as though Countdown will be taking a backseat to Rachol Nichols' show, "The Jump," for the upcoming NBA season or will be scrapped altogether.

Pierre McGuire has been removed from NBC’s No. 1 NHL team in favor of Brian Boucher.

The Big Ten Network has announced its on-air talent for the upcoming 2019 college football season. Play-by-play voices include Kevin Kugler, Brandon Gaudin, Lisa Byington, Joe Beninati and Mike Monaco.

John Sterling, radio voice of the New York Yankees who has not missed a game since his debut season in 1989, decided to take a well-deserved break. Sterling sat out the opening game of a four game series in Tampa with the Devil Rays on July 4th, which happened to be the veteran broadcaster's 81st birthday. Ryan Ruocco handled the play-by-play duties alongside Suzyn Waldman. Sterling will make his return after the All-Star break...Another Yankees voice who was missing from that series was TV announcer Michael Kay. The veteran YES network sportscaster saw a specialist in Boston for a "vocal chord issue" and surgery was recommended. Kay will be out for about a month to recover from the procedure.

Mark Schlereth has signed a 3-year contract extension with Fox Sports to continue calling NFL games. The ASA member is currently paired with veteran play-by-play announcer and ASA member Dick Stockton. Schlereth also revealed that he received a "generous offer" from ESPN, where he was a mainstay on their NFL studio shows for over a decade, but declined.

Dennis Eckersley, Boston Red Sox announcer on NESN, criticized Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Marcus Stroman after he out a yell and stared down the Red Sox dugout after a strikeout to end his sixth scoreless inning in a 6-1 Blue Jays win. Eckersley, who was known for his own theatrics on the mound during his pitching career, called Stroman's show of emotion "tired." The Blue Jays ace was not happy and took to Twitter where he called the former Oakland A's All-Star a "hypocrite" and a "clown," and that "his comments are always trash."

ESPN has decided to go with a two-man booth for the upcoming 50th year of "Monday Night Football." The network announced on May 1st it will not try to the replace Jason Witten but stick with the duo of play-by-play man Joe Tessitore and analyst Booger McFarland, who will not be in his dreaded "Booger Mobile" but in the booth.

Ron Darling’s new tell-all book, “108 Stiches,” has sparked some controversy, especially the accusation made by the SNY Mets announcer that former teammate Lenny Dykstra went into a racist tirade against Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd as he was warming up prior to Game 3 of the 1986 World Series. Boyd, who appeared on WFAN Radio’s “CMB Show,” said he was not aware of this, as the atmosphere at Fenway Park was electric and he was concentrating on getting ready for the game. But he does not dismiss that it happened. Dykstra vehemently denies it and is threatening to sue Darling. Other teammates including Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden and Kevin Mitchell say they do not remember the incident.

Dick Groat, Pitt basketball radio broadcaster alongside ASA member Bill Hillgrove since 1979, announced that he will not be returning for a 41st year in 2019-20. According to Groat, a former standout basketball player at Duke who played one year in the NBA and then went on to play Major League baseball, the decision was not his and called it “a complete shock.” Groat is 88.

Amy Zimmer, former KMIR-TV Sports Director in Palm Springs, CA, is the new sports anchor/reporter at WJCL News in Savannah, GA.

Lauren Jbara, former host/reporter for the Detroit Pistons and ESPN 3, is joining Altitude Sports in Denver as a host/reporter.

Jesse Krull is the new sports anchor/reporter at WJHL in Johnson City, TN.

Mike Tirico will serve as play-by-play host for the Augusta National Women’s Amateur when the new event is shown on NBC on April 6.

Frank Thomas has joined NBC Sports Chicago as an analyst for the Chicago White Sox, the team he spent 15 of his 18 year Hall of Fame career with. The network also hired former White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen as a pregame and postgame analyst. Scott Podsednik, Brian Anderson and Bill Melton will also be in the studio analyst rotation this season.

Please check out new ASA member Scott Morganroth's website, www.southfloridatribune.com where you can follow Scott as he travels throughout the Sunshine state for the latest sports stories. He also hosts "The Sports Exchange" radio show on www.weinetwork.com.

Show me the money. That’s what NFL analyst Tony Romo is reportedly telling CBS if they want to keep him at the network. Romo, who has enjoyed huge success in the broadcast booth, is seeking a contract extension worth 10 million per year, more than double his current salary of $4 million, which would make him the highest paid TV analyst in sports history.

Mike Francesa addressed on Twitter yesterday the rumor per a March 23rd NY Post report that WFAN Radio would be adding Sirius XM host Adam Schein as his co-host and eventual replacement. Francesa was vague but did say he approached the station with the idea of adding a co-host but didn't mention anyone specific and that ultimately he has final say about his afternoon drive show. The drama was short lived as Schein signed a contract extension to remain as the morning host at Mad Dog Radio, named for Francesa's old partner, Chris Russo.

In the battle for afternoon drive supremacy in New York, ESPN's Michael Kay scored a minor victory over WFAN 's reigning king, Mike Francesa. Kay beat out Francesa in the January ratings with the male audience of 25-54, 5.8 - 5.0. However it's the quarterly ratings that will allow Kay or Francesa to take home the winter ratings crown. Still six more innings to go.

Are you ready for some more football? The Alliance of American Football (AAF), founded by TV and film producer Charlie Ebersol and NFL Hall of Famer Bill Polian, will kick off its 12-week season on February 9 on CBS. The Alliance features eight teams playing a 12-week season culminating with the championship game the weekend of April 26-28, 2019.

Talk about a mob scene. After the New England Patriots beat the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 in Super Bowl LIII, play-by-play man Jim Nantz threw it down to sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson for an interview with winning quarterback Tom Brady. However, Wolfson seemed to be engulfed by the mass of people trying to get a piece of the six-time Super Bowl winner. After nearly three minutes of holding her ground in the melee, Wolfson finally was able to get a few words with Brady.

Hannah Storm will serve as the host of the "Legends for Charity" Dinner on January 31, becoming the first female to do so. The highlight of the event, which takes place annually during Super Bowl week, is the presentation of the Pat Summerall Award, given to a deserving broadcaster. This year’s honoree is CBS "NFL Today" studio analyst Bill Cowher. Making the presentation will be "NFL Today" studio host and ASA member James Brown. Proceeds from the event go to benefit the St Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Greg Papa, ASA Lifetime Member, has been named the new radio voice of the San Francisco 49ers, signaling an end to Ted Robinson’s 10-year run. Papa was let go by the Raiders prior to the start of the 2018 season.

Ralph Lawler, who is set to retire at the end of the season after 40 years as the voice of the LA Clippers, will be joined in the booth by actor and fan Billy Crystal to call the Jan. 31 game against the Lakers. Crystal is one of many notable names who will be joining Lawler on broadcasts to pay tribute.

Tim Neverett is joining the Dodgers’ broadcast team, replacing Kevin Kennedy. Neverett, who chose to let his contract expire with the Red Sox's WEEI Radio after rumors that the station will drop the conventional style of broadcasting games in favor of a sports talk radio format, will fill in on TV for Joe Davis and on radio for Charley Steiner. Steiner will work a reduced schedule as part of a three year extension.

Matt Millen, longtime NFL and current Big Ten Network analyst, received quite a Christmas gift. Millen, who has been battling a rare disease that attacks the lining of the heart, underwent successful heart transplant surgery on Christmas Eve. After waiting three months for a match in Newark Beth Israel Hospital, Millen received the good news on December 23. The ASA sends its thoughts and prayers to Matt and his family as he continues his recovery.

Emma Tiedemann has been named the play-by-play announcer for the Morehead State University's women's basketball team, marking the first time in school history that a woman has held a full-time broadcasting position. Tiedmann, 25, is the granddaughter of legendary announcer Bill Mercer. She recently called games for the Lexington Legends, the Class A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals.

Mick Hubert, Voice of Florida Gators football, basketball and baseball, will be inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame on November 7. Hubert has been with the school since 1989.

Bob Ramsey, who has been in the St. Louis sportscasting business for more than three decades, is shifting from KTRS (550 AM) to KFNS (590 AM).

Patrick Sharp, who won three Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks, will join NBC Sports Chicago as a Blackhawks studio analyst.

Marty Brennaman, ASA Member and longtime radio play-by-play voice of the Cincinnati Reds, confirmed over the weekend that he will be returning to the booth for the 2019 season. It will be the 76 year-old's 46th season behind the mike, which will coincide with the franchise celebrating its 150th anniversary of the Cincinnati Red Stockings, baseball's first professional team.

Hank Greenwald, veteran radio play-by-play announcer for the San Francisco Giants, died on October 22, 2018, due to heart and kidney complications. He was 83. Greenwald had two stints with the Giants, 1979-1986 and 1989 -1996. He spent the two years in between stints with the New York Yankees but couldn't get along with team owner George Steinbrenner. Greenwald returned to broadcasting part-time, joining the Oakland A’s telecast in 2004 and 2005. Athletics broadcaster and ASA member Ken Korach noted Greenwald’s ability to excel in the booth throughout his career even when the team is in the midst of a disappointing season. “He may have been the greatest ‘bad team’ broadcaster of all-time,” said Korach. “He once told me, ‘If you get swept up in how bad the team is on the field, you’re going to sound just as flat as the team that’s playing. You can’t let that happen.’”

Paul Azinger, Fox golf analyst, will replace Johnny Miller who is retiring after 29 years as NBC's lead golf analyst, the network announced on October 22. Azinger, who replaced Greg Norman on Fox alongside ASA Member Joe Buck, will remain on Fox Sports broadcasts of the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open while taking the NBC seat vacated by Miller.

Matt Millen, college football analyst for the Big Ten Network, announced that he will be stepping away from the broadcast booth for health reasons. Millen has been battling a rare disease called amyloidosis and is in need of a heart transplant. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Millen and his family

Hubie Brown, Lifetime ASA Member, recently signed a new multi-year contract with ESPN which gives him both regular season and playoff assignments for NBA play by play. In addition, he’ll be the analyst on Sunday afternoon games aired on ABC alongside Mark Jones. Brown, 85, has analyzed 17 NBA Finals on TV and radio, which is the most for any broadcaster, and has been on every Finals series dating back to 2007.

HBO recently announced it’s ending its 45-year association with boxing next month. The final card will take place on October 27 with former middleweight champion Daniel Jacobs taking on Russia’s Sergiy Derevyanchenko at the Madison Square Garden theater. HBO plans on moving more toward storytelling projects like a new Muhammad Ali documentary, LeBron James’ “The ‘Shop,” and the NFL reality series, “Hard Knocks,” and less on live events. Boxing analyst and ASA Member Jim Lampley will continue to work for HBO, saying, “I am motivated and prepared to support storytelling initiatives in the sports department,” while others including Max Kellerman, Harold Lederman, Roy Jones Jr. and Andre Ward are expected to pursue other opportunities. HBO’s first televised bout was the famous Joe Frazier-George Foreman heavyweight fight in 1973 with Foreman scoring a second round knockout to capture the title.

ESPN's new "Monday Night Football" broadcast team of play-by-play voice Joe Tessitore, analysts Jason Witten and Booger McFarland, and reporter Lisa Salters will make their debut as MNF kicks off its 49th season with a doubleheader on September 10. Tessitore and Witten will be in the booth, while McFarland will be the first-ever field-level analyst. The new trio will call the second game of the doubleheader, Oakland Raiders vs the Los Angeles Rams. This is the first time in the 13-year history of the week 1 doubleheader format that ESPN’s top crew will call the late game. The early matchup of the New York Jets and the Detroit Lions will feature announcers Beth Mowins, Brian Griese and reporter Laura Rutledge. Last year, Mowins, a Lifetime ASA member, made history as the first female broadcaster to call an NFL game in 30 years. Griese and Rutledge will be calling their first MNF game.

Al Michaels and Chris Collinsworth are set to begin their tenth season as the broadcast team for NBC's "Sunday Night Football." Michelle Tafoya is entering her eighth year as SNF's sideline reporter.

Michelle Beadle will be leaving ESPN's "Get Up!" morning show effective August 29. She’ll be replaced by a rotating collection of hosts, including Maria Taylor, Laura Rutledge, Jen Lada, Mina Kimes, and Dianna Russini. Beadle, who recently signed a contract extension with ESPN, will be relocating to Los Angeles to focus strictly on the NBA. She will continue to host "NBA Countdown" and a post-game show, "After the Buzzer," which will air after doubleheaders on Wednesdays and Fridays. Beadle recently revealed that she no longer watches college football or the NFL due to their mistreatment of women.

Jim Nantz, ASA Board member and the No. 1 announcer for CBS Sports, will be writing a monthly column, "The View From Pebble Beach," for Golf Digest. Nantz, who wrote in his first column, " I love golf like I love oxygen," called his 33rd Masters Tournament for CBS this past April.

Mike Tirico, Lifetime ASA Member, will replace Dan Patrick as host of NBC's "Football Night in America" studio show.

Jon Smoltz and Joe Buck will both be at the U.S. Senior Open in Colorado Springs next weekend (June 28-July 1, 2018), but Buck will be broadcasting the event and Smoltz will be a participant. Smoltz, who qualified for the tournament back in May, was ecstatic when he informed his Fox baseball broadcasting partner that he had made the cut. “He called me on his way out of the golf course and he sounded like a 10-year-old boy,” Buck said. “I have never in my life seen or heard a guy that giddy, especially a guy who has won a World Series, is in the Hall of Fame, stared down the most intense sporting situations and won. It will be interesting to see how Fox handles the coverage of one of its announcers. Smoltz said he would be willing to wear a microphone but doesn’t want to turn his accomplishment into some kind of network stunt.

Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, Fox's No. 1 NFL team now in their 17th year together, have been slated to call the "Thursday Night Football" matchups in addition to most of the Sunday games. The news came during the annual upfront week, where television networks show off their slate of fall programs, which took place the week of May 13. Fox has owned the rights to televise Sunday afternoon NFL games since 1994, and they have added to that portfolio by investing $3.3 billion for exclusive rights to televise Thursday night games for the next five years.

Fox will also be broadcasting the 2018 World Cup from Russia this summer, albeit without Team USA who didn't make the cut. Alexi Lalas will be the lead analyst.

ESPN revealed at its upfront presentation that Alex Rodriguez will be hosting an interview show this fall.

After ESPN was unable to convince Peyton Manning to join the "Monday Night Football" broadcast booth, it appears that the network has successfully lured future Hall of Famer Jason Witten into retirement to become the next MNF analyst. Rumors began swirling last week that Witten, an 11-time pro bowler with the Dallas Cowboys, was contemplating hanging up his helmet to join the "World Wide Leader in Sports" but wanted to meet with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones before making a final decision. Well, it seems like that decision has now been made and Witten will be joining new play-by-play man Joe Tessitore in the MNF booth come September.

After a farewell tour that seemed like a lifetime, Mike Francesa will be returning to the WFAN Radio airwaves just four months after what we thought was his final goodbye. WFAN has not confirmed his return but just that "they are in ongoing discussions." Francesa's final show was on December 15, 2017 where he was showered with praise and well wishes from tons of past and present colleagues, as well as sports figures and celebrities. At the time he said we wasn't retiring, but that after 30 years, it was time for a change. Apparently, he was unable to find another opportunity to fit his liking and salary requirement, so he's returning to his old stomping grounds. Francesa was replaced by the trio of Chris Carlin, Maggie Gray and Bart Scott (aka CMB) but with them losing to ESPN in the ratings since his departure, the station will surely welcome his return. Nothing has been confirmed but it looks as though CMB will air from 1-3pm and Francesa will take the reigns until Yankee baseball at 6:30pm. Stay tuned.

With the first round of the NBA playoffs getting underway, TNT/NBA TV have six broadcasting teams scheduled to cover the action. They include: Marv Albert and Chris Webber; Kevin Harlan and Reggie Miller; Brian Anderson and Kevin McHale; Ian Eagle and Brent Barry; Spero Dedes and Mike Fratello; and Pete Pranica and Greg Anthony.

Within hours of the New York Mets' home opener, one of their beloved former players passed away. Rusty Staub, the red-haired All-Star slugger who spent seven of his 23 years in the majors with the Mets, died in a West Palm Beach hospital after a long illness. He was 73. A visibly emotional Keith Hernandez a former teammate and close friend of Staub's, spoke at a press conference today where he said the fan favorite was "in a lot of pain" and "is now in a better place." After his retirement in 1985, Staub became a Mets announcer on WWOR-TV Ch. 9, a position he held for 10 years. Staub was also revered for his philanthropic efforts. Through his Rusty Staub Foundation, founded in 1986, he raised millions of dollars for the families of New York City policemen and firefighters who were killed in the line of duty as well as those who lost their lives in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Jim Nantz is gearing up to call his 28th consecutive Final Four on CBS on Saturday, March 31, from the Alamo Dome in San Antonio, TX, with partners Bill Raftery and Grant Hill. Raftery, who has been covering college hoops on CBS for over 33 years, is working his fifth Final Four telecast after many years on the Westwood One Radio broadcasts.

For the first time in 26 years, Brad Nessler is calling an NCAA Tournament for CBS Sports. Nessler, who last worked a tournament game in 1992 during his first stint with CBS before moving to ESPN, will be filling in for Verne Lundquist, who is recovering from back surgery.

Peyton Manning is hot commodity right now and Fox is determined to land the future Hall of Fame quarterback for its newly acquired "Thursday Night Football" package. So much so that the network is considering trying to work a deal with NBC that would allow Manning's longtime friend Mike Tirico to do the play-by-play.

If you tune into Boston’s WEEI Radio tomorrow, chances are you won’t be hearing any inappropriate remarks from some of their talk show hosts. In fact, you wont be hearing anything because the station has suspended all live programming on Friday, February 16, from 6am-6pm for a mandatory sensitivity training class for all its on-air personalities. After recent incidents like host Christian Fauria doing a racist imitation of Tom Brady’s agent, Don Yee, and Alex Reimer calling Brady’s daughter “an annoying little pissant,” the station has heard and seen enough. Hopefully these guys will be taking a lot of notes.

Merrill Reese, ASA member and the longest tenured play-by-play broadcaster in the NFL, finally got his chance to call an Eagles' Super Bowl victory. As Super Bowl 52 came to an end with the Eagles ahead, 41-33, Reese, the Eagles' radio announcer since 1977, jubilantly exclaimed on WIP Radio, “The Philadelphia Eagles are Super Bowl champions! Eagles fans everywhere, this is for you! Let the celebration begin!”

With the retirement of Mike Francesa and the firing of Craig Carton, there will be a lot of new voices on WFAN Radio come January 2, 2018. The “Boomer and Gio show will make its debut, with Boomer Esiason and new co-host Greg Giannotti, who replaces Carton, and air from 6am-10am. Regulars Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts will follow until 2pm before the debut of “The Afternoon Drive with Chris Carlin, Bart Scott and Maggie Gray,” which will attempt to fill the void of Francesa, who has been an afternoon drive institution at the station for the last 30 years.

The ESPN Sunday Night Baseball just lost another announcer with the news that analyst Aaron Boone will become the next manager of the New York Yankees. ASA member Dan Shulman has already vacated his post as play-by-play announcer, so that leaves Jessica Mendoza as the last woman standing.

While Eli Manning's future as a player with the NY Giants is uncertain after being benched by the team earlier this week, the possibility of a broadcasting career might be on the horizon. According to a story by TMZ, legendary announcer and ASA member Al Michaels and CBS CEO Les Moonves both gave ringing endorsements of Manning while leaving an LA restaurant. When asked if Manning could end up at CBS, Moonves said, "We'd take him in a second." Michaels agreed and praised Manning's character. "He's all class, Michaels said. "Eli will have a future in a lot of places, wherever he wants.”

Joe Morgan, ASA Member and Cincinnati Reds Hall of Famer, feels that steroid users do not belong in the Hall of Fame. And he made it perfectly clear with the letter that he sent on November 21st to the 430 members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA), who will soon vote on the 2018 Hall of Fame class. “Players who failed drug tests, admitted using steroids, or were identified as users in Major League Baseball’s investigation into steroid abuse, known as the Mitchell Report, should not get in,” Morgan wrote. “Those are the three criteria that many of the [Hall of Fame] players and I think are right.” Morgan noted, “Please keep in mind I don’t speak for every single member of the Hall of Fame,” though he added, “I do know how many of the Hall of Famers feel." This comes after last year's vote saw suspected PED users Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds receive over 50% of the 75% of the votes needed for election.

Things got emotional at ESPN Radio as Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic, hosts of "Mike and Mike" signed off for the final time on November 17 after 17 years together. Both hosts summoned their families to the set and thanked them and the fans for remaining loyal listeners for nearly two decades. Golic will continue the 6-10 am morning show with new co-host Trey Wingo and Greenberg is gearing up for his own ESPN cable show, "Get Up," which premieres April 2, 2018.

After much speculation as to who would become Mike Francesa's replacement at WFAN Radio, the station announced that the trio of Chris Carlin, Bart Scott and Maggie Gray would be taking over as the new hosts of 1-6pm afternoon drive show. Carlin is a former WFAN producer and host on WIP Radio in Philadelphia. Scott comes over from ESPN Radio and also had a stint on CBS' The NFL Today and Gray has worked for MSG Network and Sports Illustrated. Francesa, one of the pioneers of sports talk radio for 30 years, paired with Chris Mad Dog Russo on "Mike and the Mad Dog" from 1989-2008 and then hosted the afternoon show on his own. His last show will be December 15.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are in the World Series for the first time since 1988 and the buzz for Vin Scully to take part in the Fall Classic is beginning to pick up steam. However, Scully, who called that World Series 29 years ago which was punctuated by Kirk Gibson's walk off home run, said he will not participate. "I honestly don’t feel I belong there and I would not want anyone to think I was eager for a spotlight,” Scully said. Joe Buck, who will be handling the play-by-play on Fox is even hoping to share the booth with the sportscasting legend. “I swear on my late father, to have Vin come do some of the series with us and in my place would be an honor," Buck said. "If someone can hypnotize him and make him say ‘yes,’ I will drive and pick him up myself. He knows I feel this way, as does Fox and he continues to say no, unfortunately.” Anyone know a good hypnotist in LA?

Stephanie Ready made history in 2015 when she became the first female to work as a full-time game analyst for an NBA team. Unfortunately, she has been demoted to sideline reporter, which has upset many Charlotte Hornets fans, not to mention those of us at the ASA who would like to see continued progress for women in the sportscasting field. Fox Sports Southeast defended the move by saying they need a presence down on the sideline. But couldn't they have hired a new sideline reporter?

“Cousin Ness.”It has a nice ring to it. That’s what Brad Nessler jokingly dubbed himself when talking about taking over for Verne Lundquist, affectionately known as “Uncle Verne,” on CBS’ coverage of SEC football this fall. Nessler hopes that fans will welcome him with open arms, and why not, the Lifetime ASA member has 20 years of college football under his belt at ABC and ESPN. He will also be reuniting with one of his former ABC partners, Gary Danielson. “If you told me pick a guy who’s most like Verne’s style out there, I’d choose Brad even if I didn’t know him,” Danielson said. “He’s a minimalist as a broadcaster. I think it’ll be a little different. Brad will be a little more aggressive in seeking out information, but I think both styles are great.”

Kudos to James Brown, veteran host of “The NFL Today” on CBS, who has lost a whopping 74 pounds since October of 2016. Brown, who received motivation from his former Fox colleague Howie Long, is down to 218 pounds. The ASA member and devout Christian said the principal reason for his transformation was that “I want to be a strong vessel for the Lord.”

7/12/17 - It’s “Jimmy V Day” today, a special day at ESPN to commemorate the life and legacy of legendary NC State coach Jim Valvano, who died of cancer in 1993. Donations are being collected all day long across all platforms with 100% of the monetary donations going to the Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research. There are also many once in a lifetime experiences that you can bid on at ebay.com, like 4 tickets to a Yankee game which includes a visit with announcer Michael Kay in the broadcast booth. Valvano received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the inaugural ESPY Awards in 1993. His touching and heartfelt speech included his famous quote, “Don’t Give up...Don’t ever Give up.” Speaking of the ESPYS, it’s hard to believe the 25th anniversary event will take place tonight with former NFL great Peyton Manning serving as host. Along with the many awards to be given for the top performances in all sports from the past year, legendary L.A. Dodgers announcer and ASA Hall of Famer Vin Scully will be receiving the ESPYS Icon Award.

Lee Corso, longtime ESPN “College Game Day” anchor, has signed a multi-year deal with the network. Corso joined ESPN in 1987 and was part of the “College Game Day” premiere with original host and fellow ASA member Tim Brando and co-analyst Beano Cook.

John Clayton, veteran ESPN NFL insider, has confirmed that he was one of the many announcers that was laid off by the network last month. Known as “The Professor,” Clayton was a well respected senior NFL writer and commentator for 23 years.

Alex Rodriguez, former NY Yankees slugger, has signed a deal with ABC News. Yes, you read that right. A-Rod will actually be appearing on shows like “Good Morning America,” “World News Tonight” and “Nightline” doing pieces on lifestyle, family and even finance. You won’t see Rodriguez on ESPN though, as he is still under contract with Fox as an MLB analyst.

Jaime Jarrin, Spanish voice of the LA Dodgers for an incredible 58 years, was recently featured on HBO’s "Real Sports" with Bryant Gumbel. During the segment, it was revealed that during Jarrin's first six years with the Dodgers beginning in 1959, he wouldn't accompany the team on road trips. So he would call the away games by listening to the English broadcast of iconic Dodgers voice Vin Scully and immediately translating it into Spanish. As a favor to his friend Jarrin, Scully would make a habit of providing added information like the weather or the field conditions so that Jarrin could incorporate it into his broadcast.

Awesome Baby! ESPN has added another year to longtime ASA member Dick Vitale's contract which will take college basketball guru through the 2019-2020 season, marking his 41st year in Bristol.

Seth Greenberg, versatile ESPN announcer, signed a multi-year extension with the network. Greenberg will continue to provide college basketball analysis as well as appear on various ESPN platforms, including SportsCenter and ESPN Radio programming.

Nate Burleson is the newest member of "The NFL Today" studio show on CBS. Burleson, who replaces Bart Scott, will join ASA member James Brown, Bill Cowher, Boomer Esiason and Phil Simms, who is making the transition from game analyst to studio analyst. The former wide receiver will continue to host "Good Morning Football" on the NFL Network.

“The Bus” will be leaving the depot. That’s according to a report by The Sporting News that names Jerome Bettis as one of the 100 on-air personalities and writers who were laid off by ESPN. The Hall of Fame running back had been with the network since 2013 and appeared on NFL Live, SportsCenter and ESPN Radio. Bettis has not confirmed his dismissal via social media or any other outlet.

It was BTIG Charity Day in New York City on May 2nd as some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment took part in the global investment firm's annual fund raising event. ASA members Hannah Storm and Bruce Beck were just some of the celebrities that showed up at the firm's office to take phone calls and encourage clients to make trades with the proceeds going to various charities. Also in attendance were sports legends Derek Jeter, Warren Moon, Ralph Sampson and Darryl Strawberry.

Phil Simms, former No.1 NFL analyst on CBS, will be moving into the studio as a member of "The NFL Today." Simms, who was replaced by Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo on CBS' top broadcast team, will fill the spot recently vacated by Tony Gonzalez. The former New York Giants quarterback, speaking for the first time since he was replaced, said initially the move was a blow to his pride. But he is now looking forward to his new role in the studio which gives him the opportunity to follow and comment on all the games each week, not just the one he would normally cover.

Steve Albert, longtime broadcaster best known as the voice of Showtime Boxing, is retiring after a 45-year career. Steve, who is Marv Albert's younger brother, has been the TV play-by-play voice of the Phoenix Suns for the last five years. He also called games for the Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers and New Jersey Nets, and served as a TV sports anchor for WCBS, WNBC and WWOR in New York. From 1992-2009, Albert was at ringside for many of boxing's greatest bouts on Showtime, including the infamous Tyson-Holyfield fight where "Iron Mike" took a chunk out of Holyfield’s ear.

It’s been 30 years since a woman has called an NFL regular season game but that could change come next season. ESPN has been toying with the notion of letting Beth Mowins call the late night “Monday Night Football” season opener. Mowins, primarily a play-by-play announcer for women’s sports, has already done some men’s college football and Raiders preseason games. You have to go back to 1987 when Gayle Sierens, a sports reporter turned news anchor for WFLA, an NBC affiliate in Tampa,called the regional regular season finale between the Seattle Seahawks and the Kansas City Chiefs on NBC. The peacock network had her slated to do six more games but WFLA asked her not to pursue any more play-by-play opportunities. Sierens continued to serve as the top news anchor at the Tampa station until her retirement in 2015. She would later say that “I kicked down the door, but no one else came in.” It might be time for Mowins to finally follow in Sierens’ footsteps. Mowins would actually be one up on Sierens, as this would be a national game, making her the first female to accomplish that feat.

Tony Gonzalez had decided to leave CBS’ “The NFL Today” pre-game show after three years. The Hall of Fame tight end says he wants to stay in broadcasting but would like find employment on the West Coast where he could be closer to his family. Possible landing spots would be California based Fox Sports or the NFL network.

According to ESPN insider Jim Miller, approximately 40-50 of ESPN’s on-air staff will be receiving their walking papers as “The Worldwide Leader in Sports” looks to cut its expenses. It will be interesting to see who survives the overhaul in Bristol and what announcers will soon be seeking new employment.

Rex Ryan has inked a multi-year deal with ESPN. The former head coach of the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills will be primarily featured on "Sunday NFL Countdown."

Oddly enough, it's been 22 years since a woman has served as an analyst on an NCAA men's basketball tournament broadcast (ASA member Ann Meyers Drysdale called two rounds back in 1995). That's about to change with the news that longtime sideline reporter Debbie Antonelli will provide color commentary during this year's tourney on CBS.

Bill Webb, legendary television director known for his work with the Fox Sports and the New York Mets, died on March 7 after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 70. During his career, Webb directed 18 World Series, 20 League Championship Series and 18 MLB All-Star Games. Joe Buck, who worked with Webb from 1996 - 2014, told Newsday in 2015 that more than anyone, Webb was responsible for the look of baseball on Fox Sports. Webb, who earned 40 Emmy nominations in his career, also called the shots for New York Mets games since 1979, most recently on SNY.

After serving as a part-time post-season analyst on Fox for the last several years, Alex Rodriguez has been hired by the network on a full-time basis. As part of his multi-year agreement, the former Yankees slugger will continue to work in the studio, but he will also take on a new challenge, color commentary in the broadcast booth. His responsibilities will also include participating in FS1's new show "MLB Whiparound."

Mike Francesa, veteran WFAN Radio talk show host, has received some backlash regarding his recent comments that you probably won't see a woman head coach in a major professional male sport. The afternoon drive host continued to stand by his words during his March 6th show, saying it would be "a tall building to climb,"for a woman to coach in football, baseball or hockey, but he did say that basketball is a possibility because of avenues like the WNBA and women's college basketball. Francesa feels his comments shouldn't categorize him as a "chauvinist" or from the "stone age" as many are saying.

Doug Adler, ESPN tennis commentator who was fired after using the word "guerilla" during a Venus Williams match, says the heart attack he suffered on February 28 was a result from the stress he has suffered because of the incident. Adler, who says he has been labeled a racist by many who feel he was referring to Williams as a "gorilla"during his call of the Australian Open, is suing the network for wrongful termination.

Lesley Visser, ASA Advisory Board Member and a trailblazer in women's sports journalism, was named a Lombardi Fellow at the 47th annual Vince Lombardi Honors. Just as Lombardi faced discrimination for being an Italian-American in the 1950s and 60s, Visser faced discrimination as a female in a male dominated field. However, it didn't stop her from becoming one of the top sports journalists who eventually would become the only woman to present the Lombardi Trophy at the Super Bowl and the only woman to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Mark Grace, one of the most popular personalities in Arizona Diamondbacks history, is returning to broadcasting as a pre- and post-game analyst on Fox Sports Arizona. Grace, who served as the team's assistant hitting coach last year, will join hosts Todd Walsh and Jody Jackson as well as analyst Brandon Webb. Steve Berthiaume and Bob Brenly will once again handle play-by-play and color commentary duties, respectively.

ESPN has signed former New York Yankees All-Star Mark Teixeira to a multi-year agreement. Teixeira will regularly contribute to ESPN’s MLB studio coverage, SportsCenter and additional ESPN platforms, including ESPN Radio. The 14-year MLB veteran is expected to begin during ESPN’s 2017 Spring Training coverage.

ASA Board Member Jim Nantz and Lifetime Member Gary McCord will host the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am Million Dollar Hole in One for Charity on CBS on February 11at noon. The closest to the pin contest features 30 players from across the sports and entertainment worlds including Justin Timberlake, Peyton Manning, Mark Wahlberg, Bill Murray and Toby Keith.

With his call of Super Bowl LI on Westwood One Radio, Boomer Esiason passed legendary coach and broadcaster Hank Stram for the most radio Super Bowl broadcasts. Esiason recorded his 17th radio call during the Patriots stunning come from behind win over the Falcons, 34-28, alongside play-by-play man Kevin Harlan. Along the way, Esiason has also worked with Howard David and broadcasting great Marv Albert. Stram was at the microphone for 16 Super Bowls, all with ASA Hall of Famer Jack Buck. It was also the 30th Super Bowl that Westwood One has aired. ON the TV side, the game drew approximately 111 million viewers, down from the past two years

Mike Francesa, WFAN Radio afternoon drive show host who is broadcasting live from Houston all week, site of Super Bowl LI, figures there's approximately 250 radio stations that have also set up shop there in anticipation of one of the world's biggest sporting events. That's a far cry from the late 1980's when Francesa recalled his station was one of the few, if not the only, to broadcast live from the Super Bowl.

LeBron James has had just about enough of Charles Barkley. After the TNT broadcaster called King James "whiney" for his recent comments that his Cavs team needs to fortify their roster if they want to compete for another title, James fired back hard at the "Round Mound of Rebound." "I'm not going to let him disrespect my legacy like that," James told ESPN. "I'm not the one who threw somebody through a window. I never spit on a kid. I never had unpaid debt in Las Vegas. I never said, 'I'm not a role model.' I never showed up to All-Star Weekend on Sunday because I was in Vegas all weekend partying. All I've done for my entire career is represent the NBA the right way. Fourteen years, never got in trouble. Respected the game. Print that." Wow. This could get interesting.

The NFL released its TV viewership numbers for 2016 and it seems the average fan is tuning in 155 minutes less than they did a year ago. This has gotten the league a little concerned and one area they will look into that might be causing the decrease is poorly placed and extended commercial breaks throughout the games.

John Lynch, former All-Pro defensive back and Fox announcer, will be leaving the broadcast booth to become the next general manager of the San Francisco 49ers, a move that has many shaking their heads due to Lynch's lack of front office experience.

Brent Musberger, a national TV voice for over 40 years currently with ESPN and the SEC Network, announced that he will be retiring effective January 31st following his call of the Georgia-Kentucky college basketball game on ESPN. Musberger, one of the most recognizable figures in sports television, began his career on local television in 1968 and joined CBS Sports in 1973. He rose to prominence as the host of CBS’ “The NFL Today” and became the network’s top sportscaster covering all the major events including the NBA Finals, NCAA Final Four and the Belmont Stakes. He parted ways with CBS in 1990 and moved to ABC and later ESPN where he has covered a myriad of events including the Rose Bowl, the World Cup, the Indianapolis 500 and the BCS National Championship game.

Chris Berman and Tom Jackson, who hosted ESPN's "Sunday NFL Countdown" together for nearly 30 years, had the studio named in their honor. Berman, who hosted his last in-studio show for ESPN this past Sunday, was joined on set in the closing minutes of the show by former partner Jackson, who retired last August, and longtime colleague Cris Mortensen as the NFL studio in ESPN’s Digital Center 2 building was officially renamed the Chris Berman-Tom Jackson Studio. It is the first time in the company’s history that a studio has been dedicated to a commentator or executive.

Vin Scully recently retired voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers for 67 years, has been named as one of the recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Other recipients include basketball Hall of Famers Michael Jordan and Kareen Abdul Jabbar, as well as acting icon Robert DeNiro and legendary musician Bruce Springsteen. Scully will receive his award, which is the highest civilian honor in the United States specifically given to individuals who made “an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors,” at the White House on November 22.

Mike Tirico, NBC sportscaster and Lifetime ASA member, will call make his NFL play-by-play debut on this week’s Sunday Night Football telecast between the Green Bay Packers and the Washington Redskins, the network confirmed today. Tirico will call a total of four NFL games on the network including the Thanksgiving night game (Pittsburgh-Indianapolis), Kansas City-Denver on Sunday November 27th and a Thursday Night game on December 22 (Giants-Eagles). He will also call two late season Saturday night games on the NFL Network with Doug Flutie- December 17 (Jets-Dolphins) and December 25 (Baltimore-Pittsburgh).

Bill Simmons' HBO show, "Any Given Wednesday," has been cancelled by the network after just five months due to low viewership. The last episode will air November 9. HBO has said they are still committed to Simmons and is excited to work with him on future programming.

Craig Sager, NBA sideline reporter on TNT and a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan, is a little heavier in the pockets these days. It turns out, Sager has been betting on the Cubs to win the World Series since 1981, and thanks to the team's odds defying comeback, he finally cashed in on his wager. The lifetime ASA member has also written a new book, Living Out Loud: Sports Cancer and Things Worth Fighting For, due out November 8. Sager, who has been battling leukemia since 2014, had a successful procedure done last week and also celebrated a birthday. Our thoughts and prayers are with him.

After a 108-year drought, the Chicago Cubs have finally won the World Series. The following is ASA member Joe Buck's call on Fox of this historical sports moment:

“Here’s the 0-1. This is going to be a tough play! Bryant! THE CUBS! WIN THE WORLD SERIES! Bryant makes the play! It’s over! And the Cubs have finally won it all, 8-7 in 10!”

On the radio side, Pat Hughes provided this description on 670 WSCR in Chicago:

“A little bouncer, slowly towards Bryant. He will glove it and throw to Rizzo! This game’s over, and the Chicago Cubs win the World Series! The Cubs come pouring out of the dugout, jumping up and down like a bunch of delirious 10-year-olds! The Cubs have done it! The longest drought in the history of American sports is over, and the celebration begins!”

Congratulations Chicago!

Michael Smith and Jemele Hill will serve as co-hosts of ESPN's 6pm edition of "SportsCenter" beginning on February 6. The His & Hers personalities will replace Lindsay Czarniak, who heads to maternity leave and will return in a new role for the company.

ESPN has announced that Cari Champion has inked a new multi-year deal to remain with the company. In addition to her SportsCenter duties, Champion also will continue as a contributor to espnW.

Kevin McHale, basketball Hall of Famer, has signed a multi-year deal with Turner Sports where he will provide analysis for NBA TV’s Fan Night, along with select NBA on TNT game telecasts.

Jerry Howarth, ASA member and long-time Toronto Blue Jays voice, won’t be saying “Indians” when Toronto and Cleveland meet in the American League Championship Series starting on October 14th. Howarth says he made the decision not to say the Cleveland team name more than two decades ago because he finds it offensive to aboriginal Americans or First Nations people. Howarth told a Toronto radio show he also doesn’t use “Braves” for Atlanta or phrases like “a pow wow on the mound” for meetings between coaches and pitchers. He said he had made the decision after the 1992 World Series when the Blue Jays beat the Braves. Howarth says he received a letter from a member of an indigenous tribe and said he had found Indian team names and terms offensive.

It's been rumored that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is a candidate to replace longtime WFAN Radio talk show host Mike Francesa when he retires in 2017. Christie is an avid sports fan and a frequent guest on the FAN's Boomer and Carton morning show and has even served as a fill-in host.

Bob Miller, ASA member and TV voice of the LA Kings for 44 years, will work an abbreviated schedule during the 2016-'17 NHL season. Miller, who underwent a quadruple bypass last season, will call all home games and a select amount of games on the road for a total of 58 games. The Kings have announced a roster of guest play-by-play announcers who will work with analyst Jim Fox when the team goes east which includes former NHL on ESPN voice Gary Thorne, NHL on TSN announcer Chris Cuthberg, and recently-retired Dallas Stars TV voice Ralph Strangis. Original Kings TV voice Jiggs McDonald will also be tapped for one game as well.

John Leahy, ASA Member and play-by-play broadcaster of the Lowell Spinners, the short season minor league affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, has been awarded the Warner Fusselle Award of Radio excellence, given annually to the top radio personality in the New York Penn League. Leahy, a member of the Connecticut School of Broadcasting's "Wall of Fame," has been the voice of the Spinners since 2011.

As the 2016 baseball regular season has come to an end, sadly, so too have the careers of broadcasting giants Vin Scully and Dick Enberg. Scully has been synonymous with the Dodgers since 1950, when Red Barber was still in the "catbird seat" and the team still called Brooklyn's Ebbets Field its home. Scully, inducted into the ASA Hall of Fame in 1992, was voted the "Sportscaster of the Century" by the ASA membership in 2000, as well as th Top Sportscaster of All-Time in 2009. After an illustrious career on the national stage with NBC, CBS and ESPN, Enberg returned to his first true love, baseball, and spent the last six years as the TV voice of the San Diego Padres. He is a 14-time Emmy Award winner, five-time winner of the ASA's Sportscaster of the Year Award and has long served as the organization's Chairman.

ESPN will pay tribute to legendary LA Dodgers announcer Vin Scully during tonight's telecast of "Wednesday Night Baseball" between the Giants and the Dodgers at 10p.m. et. The network will air Scully's call of the entire fourth inning courtesy of SportsNet LA, and some of the ASA Hall of Famer's most memorable moments behind the microphone will be featured throughout the broadcast.

Sarah Spain, ESPN Radio host and espnW writer, has signed a multi-year contract extension. Spain will continue in her role as a featured reporter and columnist for espnW and contribute to multiple ESPN platforms. She will also co-host a new national weeknight ESPN Radio show with Israel Gutierrez, entitled "Izzy and Spain" which launches Monday, September 26, at 9pm.

Good Luck to Lifetime ASA Member Sean McDonough as he calls his first Monday Night Football game, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Washington Redskins, tonight at 7:10 pm with partner Jon Gruden. McDonough is taking over the reins from fellow Lifetime member Mike Tirico, who is now with NBC.

ESPN's SportsNation host Michelle Beadle is be joining NBA Countdown as a part-time host. Beadle will split time with current host Sage Steele, who will also be hosting Sports Center. ASA Lifetime member Doris Burke has also earned a spot in the Countdown studio as an analyst.

With broadcasting legend Vin Scully's final season coming down to the wire, KTLA-TV Ch. 5 has agreed to a deal to air the ASA Hall of Famer's final six regular season games. This will be a real treat for Dodgers fans in the Los Angeles area. Strange as it may seem, most of the city doesn't have access to SportsNet LA, which holds the TV rights to Dodgers games, due to the lack of cable systems that carry the station.

Craig Sager, colorful NBA sideline reporter for TNT, received a rare third bone marrow transplant on August 31 as he continues to battle Leukemia. The lifetime ASA member, who announced in March that his cancer had returned, was forced to cancel his trip to the Rio Olympics. Sager, 65, has been remarkably upbeat since he was diagnosed with the disease in 2014. “Man, life is too beautiful, too wonderful, there’s just too many things,” Sager said. “It’s not just you. It’s your family and kids and all. Fight. Fight until the end. Fight as hard as you can.” Our thoughts and prayers are with him.

The Golden State Warriors are moving...to a different radio station. After 32 years on KNBR, the Warriors will have a new home on 95.7 The Game starting with the 2016-17 NBA season. Tim Roye, the team’s play-by-play man for 22 years, will be making the move. However, the status of analyst Tom Tolbert, who also hosts a talk show in KNBR, is uncertain. The recent knock on KNBR is that the Warriors games were sometimes bumped down the dial for Giants baseball. “The Game” will dedicate much more air time to the 2015 NBA Champs, including the playoffs, extended pre and post-game coverage and special programming.

Mike Tirico will be doing football on NBC after all. The former ESPN “Monday Night Football” voice, who was scheduled to do the play-by-play on NBC’s Thursday Night Football package before the NFL decided they wanted Al Michaels to handle the call, has been given the assignment of host of “Sunday Night Football.” Bob Costas, who has been handling those duties, will now preside over the Thursday night telecasts.

The Los Angeles Rams have announced that Pac-12 Network play-by-play man JB Long and former NFL running back and NFL Network analyst Maurice Jones-Drew will be the team's radio broadcasters on ESPNLA 710 AM. Former LA Rams linebacker D'Marco Farr will work the sidelines.

With the 2016 college football season fast-approaching, ESPN has hired Molly McGrath as a college sports sideline reporter and host. McGrath, who worked at ESPN in 2011 as a production assistant, returns to the company to be a sideline reporter for ESPN’s Friday night college football telecasts and will also host College Football Live on select days beginning in late August and continuing through the season. McGrath will also be a sideline reporter on ESPN’s 2016-17 college basketball telecasts.

Charles Barkley, the outspoken basketball Hall of Famer and TNT announcer, will be getting his own show. Barkley will host "The Race Card,"an hour-long show featuring the NBA legend discussing “hot-button topics” with guests such as cultural leaders with varying viewpoints and perspectives. TNT released the following statement: “NBA legend and Inside the NBA analyst Charles Barkley has had enough. The America that he knew has lost its way, becoming mired in partisan politics, social divides and entrenched corporate interests. Now he hopes to get to the root of the problem in the new limited-run series, The Race Card." TNT has ordered six episodes of the show, with plans to launch in early 2017.

The house cleaning continues at ESPN with word that longtime "Sunday NFL Countdown" analyst Tom Jackson will likely be leaving the network prior to the 2016 season. Jackson, 65, has been part of the "Coundtown " team alongside host Chris Berman since he arrived in Bristol in 1987. ESPN has already parted ways with Mike Ditka, Keyshawn Johnson and Chris Carter, replacing them with Charles Woodson, Matt Hasselback and Randy Moss. Berman's future at ESPN is unclear as well, as his contract expires in 2017 and there have been reports that the he will either retire or take a reduced role. The Boomer has been a fixture at ESPN since its inception in 1979.

Jerry Remy, Boston Red Sox TV analyst on NESN, was forced to leave Saturday's game against the Minnesota Twins in the second inning after he was hit in the head by a TV monitor that fell off the wall in the broadcast booth. Steve Lyons came on in relief of Remy and finished the game with play-by-play man Dave O'Brien. Thankfully Remy did not sustain any injuries and was back in the booth on Sunday.

ESPN confirmed the addition of Randy Moss to its lineup. He will serve as an analyst on Sunday NFL Countdown and Monday Night Countdown and contribute to ESPN's annual Super Bowl week coverage. For the past three years, Moss worked as a NFL analyst for FOX Sports on FOX NFL Kickoff.

Showtime’s Inside the NFL returns for season 39 on Sept. 6 at 9p, with this season’s lineup set to include the return of James Brown beside Phil Simms, Boomer Esiason and Brandon Marshall. Michael Irvin joins the cast as guest analyst throughout the season, with Adam Schein also returning to the show as a contributor and guest host.

The Los Angeles Rams locked in a five-year agreement with ESPNLA 710AM to serve as the Rams’ official home and flagship radio partner. The agreement covers pre-season, regular-season, and post-season games, with extensive pre and post-game shows, producing an eight-hour game-day broadcast. The Rams have also reached a multi-year agreement with Entercom’s The Sound 100.3FM, who will simulcast game-day broadcasts and serve as the Rams’ official FM home.

Mike “Doc” Emrick, Hall of Fame hockey broadcaster, will team with veteran announcer Bob Costas to call his first ever major league baseball game. Emrick will call the action as the Pittsburgh Pirates take on the Chicago Cubs this Friday night on the MLB Network. Costas, who appeared on the Mike & Mike show on ESPN Radio on Wednesday morning, mentioned that when the two NBC colleagues get together, the conversation usually switches to baseball and how Emrick, a lifelong Pittsburgh Pirates fan who grew up listening to Bob Prince on KDKA Radio, would love to call a game. Costas was able to pull some strings at the MLB network to make it happen. The fact that it’s a Pirates game is all the more sweeter.

NBC will use a record 170 commentators for this year’s Summer Olympics in Rio, the network announced. The American Sportscasters Association will be well represented with members including Bob Costas, Marv Albert, Craig Sager, Marc Zumoff, Ann Meyers, Michele Tafoya, Rebecca Lowe, Liam McHugh, Tara Lipinski, Tom Hammond, Kenny Albert and Leigh Diffey taking part in the coverage.

Kevin Calabro has been named the new television play-by-play voice of the Portland Trailblazers starting with the 2016-17 season. The broadcast veteran takes over for Mike Barrett, who departed the team with color analyst Mike Rice after 13 years.

Archie Manning has been named the 2016 recipient of the National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame Gold Medal in recognition of his exceptional leadership and unblemished reputation. The Lifetime ASA Member will be honored for his achievements and contributions to our nation during the 59th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Dec. 6 at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City.

NBC named Dave Briggs (Bravo/Tennis), Ahmed Fareed (USA Network), Brett Haber (Bravo/Tennis), Fred Roggin (CNBC) and Rob Simmelkjaer (MSNBC) as hosts for NBC Olympics coverage of the Summer Games. “With expansive coverage across multiple networks, we are excited to have these talented on-air personalities guide our viewers through the events of the day,” said Jim Bell, Executive Producer, NBC Olympics.

The U.S. Open is upon us and ASA member Joe Buck will once again man the Fox booth, this time with new partner Paul Azinger, who replaces Greg Norman who was let go after a less than stellar first year on the job. The network will offer over 36 hours of coverage on Fox and FS1 of this year's Open from the Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania.

Congratulations to new ASA members Liam McHugh and Rebecca Lowe, both of whom will be headed to Rio to cover the Olympic Games for NBC, the network announced today. Joining them will be veteran announcer and ASA member Al Michaels, who will handle daytime hosting duties, as well as Dan Patrick and Carolyn Manno. Longtime ASA member Bob Costas will handle the prime time coverage for a record 11th time.

For the first time in his illustrious career, TNT reporter Craig Sager will be working the sidelines for an NBA Finals game. A Lifetime Member of ASA, Sager will work Game 6 tonight in Cleveland with announcers Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson and Doris Burke. He was approached by TNT and ESPN executives about making the special appearance on the ESPN on ABC telecast and was thrilled to have the opportunity to fill out his resume which oddly enough doesn't include an NBA Championship game. ESPN will also honor Sager with the Jimmy V Perseverance Award at this year's ESPY Awards on July 13th.

In somewhat of an unorthodox move,Annie Apple, mother of New York Giants first round draft pick Eli, has been hired by ESPN to contribute to its Sunday NFL coverage. Whether it will be a distraction for the rookie defensive back and/or the Giants remains to be seen.

Verne Lundquist, veteran CBS announcer and ASA member, will be stepping down as the play-by-play voice of SEC football on CBS after the 2016 season. Lundquist, affectionately known as “Golden Throat,” has had the assignment since 2000. He will still call college basketball and Masters Golf for the network. Replacing him will be longtime friend and fellow ASA member Brad Nessler, who is returning to CBS after 24 years at ESPN.To mark the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500, ABC is set to utilize 100 cameras for the race, which takes place on May 29th. Production will include three onboard cameras per car in 12 of the 33 cars competing in the race as well as four Ultra Hi Motion cameras, aerial cameras located in a blimp and a helicopter and four robotic cameras with overhead views of the pits. Sound will be captured for viewers by 287 microphones, including 235 positioned around the racetrack and 26 mounted in race cars.

Could you imagine Vin Scully calling NFL games with John Madden? It almost happened. Back in 1981, CBS wanted to shake things up a bit so they promoted rising star Madden their No. 1 team, replacing Tom Brookshier. Now the question was, would Pat Summerall continue as the main play-by-player or would they elevate Scully, who was already calling regional NFL games for CBS. In a move which would be unheard of today, CBS decided to hold an on-air audition between the two heavyweights for the first 8 weeks of the NFL season. Weeks 1-4 saw Scully work with Madden, and Summerall with Hank Stram. In weeks 5 -8, Summerall paired with Madden, and Scully with Stram. By week 9, the showdown between the broadcasting behemoths ended with CBS executives voting that Summerall had the better chemistry with Madden and was a better fit. Scully, who was upset with the way the situation was handled, eventually left for NBC in 1983 to be the No. 1 baseball announcer.Of course, Madden and Summerall went on to become one of the best broadcasting teams in sports history.

Craig Sager, veteran TNT reporter, will be awarded the Jimmy V Perseverance Award at the 2016 ESPY Awards on July 13th. Sager, who has been battling Leukemia since 2014, recently revealed that the cancer has returned for a third time. He has already had two stem cell transplants. Sager also appeared on the cover of the May 2nd issue of Sports Illustrated that included an in-depth feature article by Lee Jenkins.

ESPN has named Sean McDonough as the new voice of "Monday Night Football." He will team with analyst Jon Gruden and reporter Lisa Salters. A Lifetime Member of ASA, McDonough just signed a contract extension with ESPN, where he has been since 2000. He will continue to call college basketball after the NFL season. The move comes in the wake of Mike Tirico's decision to leave the campus in Bristol for NBC, effective July 1. Tirico's assignments will include NBC's new Thursday Night Football package, Sunday Night Football and the Olympics, which was a key factor in Tirico's decision to make the move from ESPN, where he had been since 1991.

ESPN continues to shake things up on their NFL coverage, as they plan to let go of analysts Ray Lewis and Chris Carter in favor of former Vikings wide receiver and Fox analyst Randy Moss. Keyshawn Johnson and Mike Ditka have already been replaced by Charles Woodson and Matt Hasselback.

Telemundo and NBC Universo unveiled their agenda for this year's Summer Olympics in Rio, offering more than 200 hours of coverage on the two networks which will rank as the most in the history of US Spanish-language television. The action begins on Aug. 3 and runs through the 21 with a lineup of over 20 presenters, including ASA Lifetime Member Andres Cantor along with Jessica Carrillo and Miguel Gurwitz as hosts. With a spotlight on soccer and other primary targets that include swimming, track and field, boxing, diving, tennis and more.

Tina Cervasio, former New York Knicks sideline reporter, is now an Arena Football sideline reporter at CBS Sports.

According to reports, ESPN veteran Mike Tirico is leaving the network to join NBC Sports. A Lifetime member of ASA, Tirico has been a mainstay at the "worldwide leader in sports" since the early 1990s when he was an anchor on SportsCenter. He has been the play-by-play voice of "Monday Night Football" since 2006. Fellow ASA Lifetime member Sean McDonough has been mentioned as the leading candidate to replace Tirico on MNF if indeed he makes the move to the Peacock Network.

Curt Schilling, who was let go by ESPN for his recent transgender comments on social media, defended himself during an interview on Sirius XM Radio. Schilling, who started at the network in 2010, said ESPN was "a company where the rules are different based completely and solely on your perspective and your belief." He also said he has "never" treated someone differently based on their race, religion or sexual preference. "I don't care! I've never cared. As long as you're not sleeping with my wife, I don't care who you sleep with," Schilling said. The Facebook post in question, which has since been deleted, showed a man in ripped women's clothes with the caption: "Let him in to the restroom with your daughter or else you're a narrow minded, judgmental, unloving, racist bigot who needs to die!"

ESPN and ESPN Deportes will carry the historic matchup between between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban National Team on March 22. Karl Ravech, Eduardo Perez and Doug Glanville will have the call of the exhibition game which marks the first time an MLB team has played in Cuba since the Baltimore Orioles took on the Cuban Nationals in 1999. President Barack Obama, who will be in attendance, is also making history as the first acting president to visit the country since Calvin Coolidge in 1928. Hopefully the mutual love of baseball by the U.S. and Cuba can serve as a stepping stone to improve relations between the two countries. The game will be preceded by a special 90-minute, on-site edition of SportsCenter, hosted by ASA member Hannah Storm, at noon.

TSN agreed to a deal with Sky Sports to offer Canadian viewers the company’s broadcast coverage of the FIA Formula One World Championship. The deal will see TSN serve up expanded pre-race and post-race coverage for all 21 races on the F1 calendar. Broadcasts will be handled by commentators Martin Brundle, David Croft, Damon Hill, Anthony Davidson and Johnny Herbert. Melissa Stark, versatile NFL Network sportscaster, is joining HBO’s "The Fight Game with Jim Lampley" as the new interviewer and correspondent, replacing Michelle Beadle. The Fight Game, which launched in 2012, makes its season premiere on Wednesday, March 16 (11:00-11:30 p.m. ET/PT) on HBO.

Lane Grindle, University of Nebraska broadcaster, has been added to the Milwaukee Brewers WTMJ Radio team. Grindle pair with Jeff Levering on road broadcasts that Hall of Fame announcer and ASA member Bob Uecker does not make.

Dino Costa, veteran sports talker, will be joining St. Louis' KFNS "The FAN" as the host of "Dino in the Morning."

Jim Edmonds, former All-Star center fielder, has joined Fox Sports Midwest to serve as an analyst on approximately 30 St. Louis Cardinals games. Edmonds joins ASA Lifetime Member Al Hrabosky, Ricky Horton and Tim McCarver in the rotation alongside play-by-play broadcaster Dan McLaughlin.

Tony Gwnn Jr.is the new co-host the LA Dodgers' radio post-game show, "Dodger Talk," which airs on AM 570 LA Sports. Gwynn Jr. will team with David Vassegh on the show which will also feature segments from Charley Steiner, Rick Monday, Alanna Rizzo and Ned Colletti.

NFL insider Adam Schefter and ESPN are being sued by New York Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul for tweeting out a picture of Pierre-Paul's medical records showing he had his finger amputated back in July. Two people have since been fired for illegally accessing and leaking the file which was revealed by Schefter after Pierre-Paul's 4th of July fireworks accident.

Carl Edwards has been added to the Fox Sports lineup of drivers who will serve as race analysts for its coverage of the NASCAR XFINITY Series this season. Edwards will rotate with fellow drivers Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, Brad Keselowski and Danica Patrick. His first assignment will be on April 8 on FS1.

The MLB Network is gearing up for a new season of live Spring Training baseball coverage for 34 straight days. Beginning March 1, the network will offer coverage of every MLB camp with its "30 Clubs in 30 Days," as well as over 200 spring training games. Hosts Greg Amsinger, Fran Charles, Brian Kenny, Matt Vasgersian and Heidi Watney will join analysts Sean Casey, Mark DeRosa, Al Leiter, Dan Plesac, Harold Reynolds and John Smoltz will be at each camp to provide analysis and predictions on the coming season.

Former WWE announcer Jim Ross has signed on with CBS Sports to serve as a boxing announcer. He will make his debut on March 12 with partner Al Bernstein, the first of eight scheduled monthly events known as "Knockout Night at the D." This marks Ross' first regular broadcasting gig since he filled in on WWE broadcasts following Jerry Lawler's heart attack in 2012.

Bob Varsha and Calvin Fish have been named by Fox Sports as the lead voices of its 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship. The first event set to run on FS1 on April 17. Announcers John Hindhaugh and Graham Goodwin, and reporter Louise Beckett will also handle microphone duties. Meanwhile, 24 Hours of Le Mans will see Varsha and Brian Till call the action, with analysis from Fish, Tommy Kendall and Jamie Howe. Justin Bell and Andrew Marriott report from around the paddock.

Tracy McGrady is joining ESPN where he will serve as an analyst. The former NBA All-Star will also have a role on the new afternoon series “The Jump," which debuts February 18, as well as contribute analysis on SportsCenter.

Jay Bilas, veteran ESPN basketball analyst, was named the recipient of the 2016 Curt Gowdy Media Award for his contributions to the sport as a member of the electronic media. The award will be presented during the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement events in September.

Bob Costas, 10-time Olympic prime time host for NBC, will reprise his role for an 11th time this year at the Rio Summer Olympics. Costas has served as prime time host for every Olympics on NBC since 1992, including the 2012 London Games. Marv Albert has signed a new multi-year contract extension with TNT to continue as the lead voice for the NBA on TNT. He will call NBA regular season games, playoff games, and the All-Star Game for the network.

As far as the NFL's "Thursday Night Football" package is concerned, it's "share and share alike." The league struck a new two-year deal with both NBC and CBS, giving each network five games apiece at the price tag of $225 million per network. Those games will be simulcast on the NFL Network, which will get its own slate of eight games, including late season Saturday games.

My, how time flys. Linda Cohn, longtime ESPN announcer, will anchor her 5000th "SportsCenter" on February 21st at 8am. Cohn, who made her "SportsCenter" debut alongside Chris Meyers back on July 11, 1992, has hosted more editions of the show than anyone else in its 36-year history.

Fox Sports 1 has decided to cancel its nightly highlight show, "Fox Sports Live." Hosts Jay Onrait and Dan O'Toole will remain with the station.

Keyshawn Johnson, studio analyst on ESPN's "Sunday NFL Countdown," will not be returning to the network after his contract expires at the end of the NFL season.

Bob Miller, TV voice of the LA Kings, is taking a leave of absence to undergo heart bypass surgery. A time table for his return has not been determined . Veteran radio voice Nick Nickson will fill-in for Miller on TV and Jon Rosen will handle the radio call. Chris Mortensen, longtime ESPN NFL reporter, has been diagnosed with throat cancer and will be taking a leave of absence. A staple at ESPN since 1991, Mortensen is known as one of the best "newsbreakers" in the business. We at the ASA wish him a full and speedy recovery.

It seems to be one and done for Greg Norman. According to reports, Fox has dropped the U.S. Open golf analyst from its coverage after only one year. It's been rumored that the network, which acquired the rights to the golf championship last year, was unhappy with Norman's lack of preparation and weak analysis during crucial moments of the broadcast.

The Minnesota Vikings suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the first round of the playoffs, and it seems like no one was more upset then their radio play-by-play announcer Paul Allen. "Are you kidding me? The season can't end like that!" Allen screamed in disbelief after Blair Walsh missed a 27-yard field goal wide left. Allen then somberly stated, "The Seattle Seahawks are off to Charlotte.” Blair did make three field goals in the game which accounted for all of the Vikings offense as they lost 10-9.

Ann Meyers, ASA member and Phoenix Suns TV analyst, was part of sportscasting history on January 6th when the Suns hosted the Charlotte Hornets. The game marked the first time that the local telecasts for both teams featured female analysts; Meyers for the Suns on Fox Sports Arizona and Stephanie Ready for the Hornets on Fox Sports Southeast. Ready, who became the first full-time female analyst after she made the move from sideline reporter last year, called Meyers an inspiration and posted several pictures of the two on Twitter, as well as an interview she did with the women’s basketball pioneer during the pregame.

I guess three really is a crowd. According to reports, John Smoltz, MLB Network baseball analyst and 2015 Baseball Hall of Fame inductee, will be joining veteran play-by-play man Joe Buck in the Fox broadcast booth, replacing Tom Verducci and Harold Reynolds. FOX also announced that its No. 1 football annoucing team of Buck, Troy Aikman and Erin Andrews will call all three of FOX’s exclusive NFC post-season games starting Sunday, January 10th Joining the trio on-site will be Chris Myers, serving as an additional game reporter, and former head of NFL officiating and football rules expert Mike Pereira.

Michelle Margaux was named by FOX Sports San Diego as the new host of the network’s weekly show, “Padres POV.” She will also serve as a fill-in Sideline Reporter behind Julie Alexandria on Padres telecasts.

Jim Costa is the new PM Drive host on Grand Rapids, MI station ESPN 96.1.Costa will co-host “It Is What It Is” with Droo McCarthy.

Keith Hernandez, SNY New York Mets analyst, remains a free agent, as he has yet to be re-signed by the Mets regional network. Hernandez, 62, has been a commentator on Mets telecasts on SNY for 10 seasons. He has been joined by play-by-play announcer Gary Cohen and fellow analyst Ron Darling to form one of the most beloved broadcast teams in sports.

CBS Sports is getting a make over. The 35-year old CBS “eye” logo will be redesigned to give it a more sleeker and updated look. The new logo, as well as a new on-air graphics package, will debut during the network’s Super Bowl Week programming and its broadcast of Super Bowl 50 on February 7.

Rachel Nichols is heading back to Bristol. According to reports, the veteran Turner and CNN reporter will be returning to ESPN where she will host her own program, serve as an anchor and reporter, contribute to SportsCenter and other platforms. After nine years at ESPN, Nichols left “The Worldwide Leader in Sports” in 2013.

CBS feasted on Thanksgiving Day, as its NFC matchup between the undefeated Carolina Panthers and the Dallas Cowboys drew an average viewership of over 32.5 million, according to Neilson, making it the most watched CBS Thanksgiving game in the last 20 years. NBC also scored big with its primetime showdown between the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers. Its 27.8 million viewers made it the most watched primetime Thanksgiving game ever. It didn’t hurt that the Packers were honoring some guy named Favre at halftime.

Comcast is apparently saying “No” to the YES Network. Citing low viewership and unreasonable demands in their negotiations which includes a 33% fee increase, Comcast has dropped the cable home of the Yankees, Nets and NYFC soccer club. Some 900,000 homes in parts of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut will be affected.

“Goooooaaaaaaal!” That's what Andres Cantor exclaimed when he signed a multi-year contract extension with NBC Deportes assuring him the opportunity to serve as Telemundo’s lead broadcaster for the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics, the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments. Securing Cantor’s services was key as Telemundo has ponied up some $600 million to snare the U.S. Spanish-language rights to the World Cup away from rival Univision starting with the 2018 tournament.

Lesson #1: When your phone rings, answer it. Because it might be living legend Vin Scully on the other end. That's what Joe Davis learned when he let two calls that didn't come up on his caller ID go to voice mail. The first call ended with no message but the second left Davis in awe, as it was broadcasting great Vin Scully welcoming the 27-year-old to the Dodgers family. Davis signed a deal with the team to call 50 road televised games on SportsNet LA with analysts Orel Hershiser and Nomar Garciaparra. The up and coming Davis has already worked for ESPN and Fox Sports, and with Scully announcing that 2016 will be his last year, there is speculation that Davis will be groomed to be the next Dodgers voice. He will have some mighty big shoes to fill.

"No mas." That's what Ken Hershman, president of HBO Sports, has decided. As he announced that he will be leaving the position he has held since 2012 at the end of the year. The move came as a surprise to the boxing world, as Hershman, 52, is one of the most powerful people in the business. He handled an eight-figure annual budget for HBO's boxing franchise, oversaw its pay-per-view division and decided which fighters the network would back and hopefully propel to superstar status.

With college hoops about to get into full swing, ESPN has shored up its broadcasting crew across its college platforms. The SEC Network will see Glen "Big Baby" Davis, Andrew DeClercq and John Pelphrey handling analyst duties this year for the men and new hires Candance Parker and Andy Landers for the women. ESPNU has added Antawn Jamison and Jason Capel to their stable of announcers. The season gets underway across the networks on Friday, Nov. 13 with an SEC Network doubleheader showcasing Albany at No. 1 Kentucky at 7 p.m., followed by Eastern Washington at Mississippi State at 9 p.m. The ESPNU doubleheader has Siena at No. 5 Duke at 7 p.m., followed by McNeese State at LSU.

Tina Cervasio, ASA member and former New York Knicks sideline reporter, is joining One World Sports. She will make her OWS debut on Saturday working the Cosmos' NASL Championship semi-final. Aside from her Knicks duties at MSG, Cervasio also worked on Red Bulls telecasts. Next season, Cervasio will anchor a Cosmos pregame show and report from the sidelines, joining play-by-play man JP Dellacamera and analyst Shep Messing. She also will co-host OWS’ “NASL This Week.”

There was a full moon after the Cincinnati Bengals' win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, and I don't mean in the sky. The NFL network's Albert Breer was interviewing Bengals cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones in the locker room after the road win catapulted Cinci to a 6-0 record. Unbeknownst to Breer and Jones, some of his teammates were in the background in their birthday suits, which probably won't "sit" well with the FCC. I'm sure this will rehash the ongoing debate as to whether or not cameras and the media really need to be in the locker room. At least it wasn't a female reporter, which would have opened up a whole other can of worms.

No wonder why Alex Rodriguez doesn't play the field anymore, he's lost his throwing accuracy. Rodriguez, who will be joining Fox Sports for the remainder of the post-season, stopped by the Fox NFL studio on Sunday to chat with studio hosts Curt Menefee, Howie Long, Terry Bradshaw, Jimmy Johnson and Michael Strahan. A former quarterback in high school, A-Rod was prompted to show off his arm and proceeded to sail a pass over the head of NFL insider Jay Glazer that went crashing through a TV monitor.

Great news from Turner Sports confirming that ASA Lifetime member Craig Sager will be back on the sidelines on NBA opening night. Sager, who recently received another round of chemotherapy in his ongoing bout with leukemia, will work the Pelicans-Warriors game with the broadcast team of Marv Albert and Chris Webber. The 2015-16 NBA season on TNT tips off its 32nd year of coverage on October 27 at 7pm et with the "Inside the NBA" studio show followed by the opener of the doubleheader between the Cavaliers and Bulls.

Joe Buck has apparently upset some Kansas City Royals fans, namely Adam Jones, who started a petition to have the longtime Fox play-by-play man relieved from his duties calling the American League Championship Series. Buck caught wind of the petition and even had a little fun on Twitter, retweeting the link and offering "Good Luck" to its creator. Jones should be happy, his Royals are up two games to none on the Blue Jays.

I don't think Michigan reporter Jamal Spencer is familiar with the late Yogi Berra saying, "It ain't over 'till it's over." If he was, he wouldn't have reported live on WZZM-TV from outside the Big House in Ann Arbor that the Wolverines beat the Michigan State Spartans when in fact a last second botched punt allowed the Spartans to score and pull off a stunning upset. The mistake was corrected by the sports anchor back in the studio and the station manager also offered an explanation on their website.

Audra Martin, former sports anchor for Nashville’s WKRN and sideline reporter for the Tennesse Titans, has joined FOX Sports North as a sideline reporter and host for the regional sports network, primarily covering the Minnesota Wild and the Minnesota Twins. Martin will make her network debut on Oct. 18 and her “Wild Live” hosting debut on Oct. 25.

Siera Santos has been hired by Comcast SportsNet Chicago as its newest on-air talent member for the network’s signature nightly sports news program, “SportsNet Central.”

The Minnesota Timberwolves and CBS affiliate WCCO- 830 AM announced they have signed a new multi-year radio partnership beginning with the team’s upcoming 2015-16 season. Under the partnership, WCCO will continue as the team’s flagship radio station, a designation it has held since the 2011-12 NBA season.

Ken "Hawk" Harrelson, ASA Lifetime member and longtime TV voice of the Chicago White Sox, announced he will be cutting his schedule for the 2016 season. Although it has not been finalized, sources say Harrelson, 74, will only work road games and a limited number of home games including Opening Day and the Chicago Cubs series.

Dusty Baker is joining Turner Sports for TBS’ coverage of the 2015 MLB post-season. Baker will join Pedro Martinez and Gary Sheffield as studio analysts along with host Casey Stern for pre- and post-game shows during TBS’ National League post-season coverage.

David Feherty, longtime golf reporter who was recently let go by CBS, has made NBC Universal his new media home. Feherty will serve as a walking and tower analyst on NBC and Golf Channel, primarily for their slate of marquee PGA TOUR events, including the “Florida Swing,” THE PLAYERS, and FedExCup Playoffs, as well as the Olympics. He will also continue his series, “Feherty,” on the Golf Channel.

Sirius XM Radio and the Pro Football Hall of Fame have teamed up to launch a new exclusive weekly show, “Pro Football Hall of Fame Radio on Sirius XM,” which will air nationwide on the SiriusXM NFL Radio channel. The show will air live every Saturday at 2pm with Hall of Fame Executive Vice President Joe Horrigan and SiriusXM’s Howard Balzer serving as hosts and a different Hall of Famer joining them each week.

The 2015 NFL season kicks off tonight with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots hosting Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers. While it is a Thursday night game, it is actually a special edition of “Sunday Night Football,”which is why it is airing on NBC with ASA members Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth calling the action. CBS and the NFL Network will air the “Thursday Night Football” package starting Week 2.

Vin Scully, legendary LA Dodgers voice and ASA Hall of Famer, announced that he will be back for a record 67th season behind the microphone in 2016, but the broadcasting icon said it will likely be his last

Jessica Mendoza made history on August 24 when she became the first woman to broadcast a major league baseball game on ESPN. Mendoza served as an analyst on the Cardinals-Diamondbacks game alongside fellow analyst Dallas Braden and play-by-play man Dave O’Brien.

CBS Sports unveiled its announcing teams for the upcoming 2015 season during the network’s annual NFL Media Day. Leading the crew will be Jim Nantz, Phil Simms and Tracy Wolfson, who will also call Super Bowl 50. Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts take the No. 2 slot and will call the network’s top game on Sundays when Nantz and Simms do not call a game. Other crews will include Greg Gumbel/Trent Green, Kevin Harlan/Rich Gannon, Spero Dedes/Solomon Wilcots, Andrew Catalon/Steve Tasker/Steve Beuerlein, Tom McCarthy/Adam Archuleta and Brian Anderson/Chris Simms.

The Miami Herald is reporting that ESPN Radio’s popular, ratings-winning ”Dan LeBatard Show With Stugotz” is planning to move from its current afternoon radio time slot to the 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. time slot vacated by Colin Cowherd. Speaking of Cowherd, Fox Sports officially announced that his new radio show will air from 12pm-3pm on Fox Sports 1 and Premiere Radio. This means that Mike Francesa’s afternoon drive simulcast will be moved to Fox Sports 2.

Doug Flutie, NBC college football studio analyst, will be moving into the broadcast booth this year, replacing Mike Mayock on Notre Dame football telecasts. Mayock had been the calling Fighting Irish games since 2010. Replacing Flutie in the studio will be former Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma.

Bill Simmons, sports commentator and writer who recently parted ways with ESPN, has signed a multi-year deal with HBO where he will host a weekly television series. The show, which will feature stories and guests from across the sports and other landscapes, will debut in 2016.

Van Miller, legendary voice of the Buffalo Bills for 37 seasons, died on July 17 after a brief illness. He was 87. Known for his signature calls “Fasten Your Seatbelt” and “Do You Believe It?,” Miller was behind the microphone for the Bills' four Super Bowl appearances in the early 1990s. Unfortunately, the team was unable to capture the Lombardi Trophy. Among his many honors, Miller was awarded the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award by the Pro Football Hall of Fame and was inducted into several Halls of Fame, including the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame (1999), the Buffalo Broadcasting Hall of Fame (1998), and the New York State Broadcasters Hall of Fame (2008).

Michael Kay, host of “The Michael Kay Show” on ESPN Radio, signed a three-year contract extension that will keep him on the airwaves through 2018. Kay, who is also the play-by-play voice of the New York Yankees on the YES network, has been hosting the afternoon drive show with partner Don LaGreca since 2002.

Charles Davis, Fox college football analyst, has been promoted to the NFL. Davis will call games with play-by-play man Thom Brennaman as part of Fox’s No. 3 announcing team. The move comes after Donovan McNabb, who was tabbed to call NFL games for Fox this fall, was suspended indefinitely by the network after his recent DUI arrest, the second in 18 months. With Davis headed to the pros, Fox announced that Joel Klatt will take his place as lead college football analyst.

Sean Grande, radio voice of the Boston Celtics, has been named the play-by-play announcer for Bellator MMA. Grande will team with color analyst Jimmy Smith on Friday July 17, for “Bellator 140” at Mohegan Sun Arena airing on Spike at 9pm. “Sean Grande is an incredibly talented and well-accomplished sports announcer with a passion for mixed martial arts,” said Scott Coker, President, Bellator MMA. “He has been behind the microphone for many championship events and we look forward to him bringing his enthusiasm and energy to Bellator as our league continues to grow.”

Josh Maurer, radio play-by-play man for the Pawtucket Red Sox, Boston’s Triple A team, is headed to the big leagues. Maurer, in his second season with Pawtauket, will be filling in for Red Sox TV announcer Don Orsillo on NESN from July 17-23 while he is on vacation.

Lyman Hellums, “Ole Miss”football color analyst for 41 years, died on July 9th at the age of 89. Hellums worked alongside eight play-by-play announcers and broadcast over 400 games. From 1959 to 1963, Hellums teamed with Bill Goodrich for five of the greatest seasons in college football history as Coach John Vaught’s Rebels were 46-4-3 and earned a share of three national championships. His last game was Nov. 25, 1995, when the Rebels defeated Mississippi State, 13-10.

Lesley Visser, ASA Advisory Board member and a pioneer in women's sportscasting, will be inducted into the NSSA Hall of Fame on June 8. Visser was voted the ASA's "Top Female Sportscaster of All-Time" and is currently a co-host on "We Need to Talk," the first-ever all-female talk show which airs on the CBS Sports Network. Also being inducted is Lifetime ASA member Bill Raftery, veteran college basketball analyst for CBS Sports and Fox Sports 1 who called his 33rd NCAA tournament this year.

Bob Ley, ESPN's longest running commentator, has signed a new long-term contract extension. Ley, who joined the fledgling network on September 9, 1979, its third day of operation, will continue to host Outside the Lines and numerous soccer events including the World Cup and Euros 2016.

Dwayne Wade may be looking towards life after basketball. The Miami Heat star is joining ABC as a studio analyst for select games of the NBA Finals, providing insight and analysis alongside Sage Steele, Doug Collins and ASA member Jalen Rose.

. Sports Illustrated has reported that Bill Simmons will no longer participate on any ESPN platforms despite several months remaining on his contract. According to the article, the two sides have reached an agreement that will keep Simmons off the air as well as away from his site Grantland and podcasts. ESPN President John Skipper stated that he hopes to keep a “cordial” relationship with Simmons despite the fallout.

Anita Mark joined ESPN New York 98.7FM as a weekend host. She will also be co-hosting the ”Ruocco & Rothenberg” with host Ryan Ruocco on May 18 - 21 from 12- 1pm. In addition, Marks is slated to provide SportsCenter updates regularly on weekdays and host or co-host multiple shows as needed.

ESPN has secured a deal with the Mountain West Conference to bring its annual football championship game to the network through the 2019-20 season. This is in addition to its current deal the conference which includes exclusive worldwide rights to televise up to 16 Mountain West football games, plus every Boise State home game, as well as up to 31 conference-controlled men’s basketball games annually.

Tommy Hutton, ASA member, is in his 19th year as a TV analyst for the Miami Marlins. This is Hutton's 34th year as a broadcaster, having previously worked with ESPN, the New York Yankees and the Montreal Expos, and his 51st overall as both a broadcaster and a player with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays and the Expos.

Michelle Beadle of ESPN/HBO and Rachel Nichols of TNT/CNN tweeted on Saturday that their credentials for the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight had been revoked as a result of their critical reporting on Mayweather's past, which includes two months in jail for a domestic violence incident in 2012. The Mayweather camp has denied these allegations, saying there was a mixup at the credentials office and the two veteran female reporters were never banned from the event.

NBC Sports has been offering a record 15.5 hours of live Kentucky Derby coverage which kicked off on April 29 and will culminate with the 141st running of the Derby on May 2. NBCSN starts Derby Day coverage at noon before handing it off to NBC at 4pm with host and ASA member Bob Costas. ASA member Tom Hammond will be reporting live from Churchill downs, as will new ASA member Tara Lipinski, who will reprise her role as a fashion and lifestyle expert.

The Baltimore Orioles, playing for the first time since the outbreak of riots in the city several days ago, beat the Chicago White Sox, 8-2, in an afternoon game played at an eerily silent Camden Yards that was closed to the public due to safety concerns. This is the first time in major league baseball history a game has been played where fans were not allowed in the stadium. The O's are scheduled to hosted the Devil Rays but the series will be moved to Tampa with Baltimore assuming the role as the home team.

Pete Rose, baseball's all-time hit leader, is returning to the game as an analyst for FOX Sports. The 74-year-old will serve as a guest analyst for the "MLB on FOX" pregame show on FOX and FOX Sports 1, and will also appear on "MLB Whiparound," "America's Pregame" and "FOX Sports Live" on FOX Sports 1. The network said they did not need permission from major league baseball to hire Rose, who was banned for life in 1989, but contacted them as a courtesy to alert them they were interviewing Rose and planned to offer him a contract.

Dan Sileo, morning talk show host on San Diego's "Mighty 1090," is the new host of the San Diego Padres pre-game show, "Padres Inside Pitch." The half-hour show will air before all weekday games.

Tim Brando, ASA Lifetime member and Fox announcer, has decided to end a 15-year run of his daily morning talk show, "The Tim Brando Show." On his Facebook page, Brando thanked listeners for their many years of support and explained that he's been unable to devote as much time to the show as he'd like to due to his increased workload at Fox as a play-by-play announcer for college football and basketball, the NFL and his most recent assignment, the U.S. Open, which he will cover in June. The final show will air on SiriusXM Radio on April 30th.

Kyle Kraska, Sports Director and Anchor at KFMB-TV CBS 8 in San Diego, returned to work on March 12 after being shot multiple times outside his home. The 15-year TV veteran started his 6pm sports report by thanking viewers for all their support during his month-long recovery. Kraska was shot on Febuary 10 by alledged gunman Mike Montana, who appearantly became disgruntled by Kraska’s dissatisfaction over some painting work he had done on his home.

Rob Stone will be the prime-time studio host for Fox Sports’ coverage of the Women’s World Cup in Canada.Stone will anchor coverage of the six-city, month-long tournament from the FOX studio in Vancouver, British Columbia, the network announced Wednesday. Stone has hosted Fox Sports’ coverage of the Premier League and other soccer leagues in Europe, as well as college football and basketball programming.

Keith Olbermann was suspended by ESPN for one week after exchanging insulting tweets with Penn State University students, referring to them as “pitiful.” ESPN said in a statement that Olbermann’s actions were “completely inappropriate and does not reflect the views of ESPN.” He will return to hosting his ESPN 2 show, “Olbermann,” on March 2.

Marv Albert, ASA Advisory Board member, has been chosen as the lead blow-by-blow announcer for NBC's new primetime series, "Premier Boxing Champions" (PBC), which debuts on Saturday, March 7 at 8:30 pm.

Our sympathies go out to John Sterling, New York Yankees radio announcer, who was among the hundreds of people who lost their homes during a multi-alarm fire that raged through the The Avalon apartment complex on January 21st in Edgewater, NJ. Thankfully there were no casualties, as over 400 people were safely evacuated.

The inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship saw its debut game boost ESPN to the largest audience in cable history, according to Nielsen. Monday’s telecast averaged 33,395,000 viewers with an 18.2 U.S. household rating, setting new records for both the largest audience and highest rating in cable television history.

Babe Laufenberg, sports anchor at KTVT Ch. 11 in Dallas for almost 17 years, is leaving the station after the two sides could not agree on a new contract. Laufenberg’s last appearance is scheduled for January 14th during the 10 p.m. newscast. The move should not affect his work as the analyst on Cowboys radio broadcasts. Laufenberg completed his 22nd season with the Cowboys on Sunday.

Fred Hickman is leaving WVUE-TV in New Orleans effective January 15th after four years with the Fox affiliate. Hickman, known for his work with CNN and ESPN, says he hopes to return to the national spotlight.

The Baltimore Orioles will be back on FM radio in 2015, as the club announced on January 12th a new multi-year deal naming CBS Radio’s 105.7 The Fan (WJZ-FM) its flagship station. Broadcast team Joe Angel and Fred Manfra will return for their 12th season together. The station previously was a rights holder from 2007-10 before the club switched to WBAL-AM.

Tim McCarver is set to return to Fox Sports Midwest this year to serve as analyst on about 30 St. Louis Cardinals games alongside play-by-play man Dan McLaughlin.

CBS Sports will debut a one-hour special on ASA Lifetime Member Verne Lundquist, who is celebrating 50 years in sportscasting. “In Your Life” will air Saturday, November 29 at 1:30pm. The documentary follows Verne over the past year and relives some of the biggest calls of his career with interviews that include ASA Board member Jim Nantz, Bill Raftery, David Feherty and Scott Hamilton.

The Miami Heat agreed to a new long-term deal with Sun Sports that will keep the station as the exclusive regional TV home for the three-time NBA World Champion franchise.

David Resnick, ASA member and MSG Varsity sportscaster, has been named the play-by-play voice for the Westchester Knicks of the NBA Developmental League, with games airing on WFAS Radio and the D-League's YouTube Channel.

As ESPN Radio gears up for its coverage of the 2014 World Series starting on Tuesday, the radio network announced that Dan Shulman, ASA Lifetime Member and the voice of ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball," will handle the play-by-play for each game alongside analyst Aaron Boone. Meanwhile, Jon Sciambi, Chris Singleton and Peter Pascarelli will be on-site for pre- and post-game coverage with in-studio host Marc Kestecher.

Let the pictures speak for themselves. That’s what ASA member and Fox play-by-play voice Joe Buck did last night amid the frenzy at AT&T Park as Travis Ishikawa hit a game-winning three-run home run in Game 5 of the NLCS to send the Giants to the World Series for the third time in eight years. Buck’s call was simple and to the point, “Hits one into right....The Giants Win the Pennant!,” as he paid homage to the legendary Giants announcer Russ Hodges who used the same line back in 1951 when Bobby Thomson hit “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World” to send the then New York Giants to the World Series.

John Leahy, ASA Member and voice of the Lowell Spinners of the NY Penn League, was recently added to the Connecticut School of Broadcasting's "Wall of Fame" (Boston, MA campus). Leahy also informed us of the new Facebook page created by Tim Poszgai, "Broadcaster Buddy." It's designed to answer many of the questions broadcasters have as they prepare to call a game at an unfamiliar venue: Does the booth have a good phone line? Is there a clear view of the field/arena or is there an obstructed view? Are there enough electrical outlets to accommodate all your electronics or do you need a surge protector? Are stats and rosters readily available? Is there complimentary water/food? Broadcasters are also encouraged to post photos and reviews of the booths they've worked in.

The NBA has extended its TV deal with ABC/ESPN and Turner Sports for a whopping $24 billion over nine years. The deal will take effect starting with the 2016-17 season and run through the 2024-25 campaign. Highlights include 10 additional regular-season games for ABC/ESPN, bringing their regular season total to 100; and an additional 750 hours of NBA-focused programming for ESPN. ABC will continue to be the exclusive home of the NBA Finals as will Turner retain the rights to All-Star weekend. The new deal will also result in a substantial increase to team salary caps, which NBA superstars LeBron James and Kevin Durant will look to take advantage of when they are eligible for free agency in 2016. Kobe Bryant has also commented on the mega deal, tweeting that the additional income means owners can no longer call players selfish and ungrateful for not wanting to take less money for the good of the team.

Jim Lampley, ASA member and HBO boxing commentator since 1988, hosts a new episode of "The Fight Game with Jim Lampley”which airs September 16 at 11pm et. Highlights include “an in-depth perspective on major events making headlines in the sport; a preview of some of the major showdowns on tap for the fall; a satellite interview from Omaha, Neb. with lightweight titleholder and fast-rising star Terence Crawford; HBO Boxing’s Max Kellerman on the latest news; a satellite interview with promoters Arum and Oscar de la Hoya; and new rankings.”

Gus Johnson has stepped down as Fox Sports' primary soccer broadcaster citing a full slate of college football and basketball and wanting to spend more time with his family as his reasons.

CBS Sports launches its 14th season of national coverage of SEC Football on Saturday at 3:30p with Georgia vs. South Carolina. ASA member Verne Lundquist, Gary Danielson and reporter Allie LaForce call the action.

Tim Tebow is already adding to his responsibilities at ABC/ESPN. He’s officially joining “Good Morning America”as a contributor on Sept. 15, and is expected to appear on the show to launch a slate of segments showcasing individuals’ stories of triumph.

Ted Robinson has been suspended by both the San Francisco 49ers and Pac-12 Networks over his remarks about the Ray Rice incident. On a KNBR Radio show, Robinson called Rice's wife Janay’s decision to marry him after the beating, “pathetic.” The 49ers suspended him for two games, while Pac-12 Networks stated that he will not call any games for the next two weeks. Robinson will also undergo sensitivity training. He has since apologized for his comments. The suspension by the 49ers comes at a curious time, as the team is allowing defensive end Ray McDonald to play while he’s being investigated for felony domestic violence.

Greg Gumbel, longtime CBS NFL play-play-by play voice and new host of Showtime's "Inside the NFL," was featured in New York Daily News columnist Bob Raissman's September 7th column as "Dude of the Week." Raissman commended Gumbel for his handling of a segment on the name controversy in Washington.

Here's what Raissman had to say:

"Dude of the Week - Greg Gumbel - For continuing to be himself even when thrust into the egocentric atmosphere of Showtime's "Inside the NFL." Gumbel, the new host, rocked steady, especially during a "discussion" about the controversy surrounding the name of the Washington NFL franchise. While others have gotten extremely windy stating their positions, Gumbel said, 'I haven't used it (the name) for a few years. It's just that I didn't feel that you need to stand up on a podium and announce it.' This approach has always served Gumbel well. It's what makes him different than most of his peers."

Hank Goldberg, ASA member, will be offering his fantasy football picks regularly throughout the 2014 NFL season on CBSSports.com. Bart Scott, Tracy Wolfson, Amy Trask and Anita Marks will also contribute to pro and fantasy football programming on the website.

SportsNet NY will feature some old and new faces this year for their New York Jets coverage. SNY veterans Brian Custer, Ray Lucas, and Jeane Coakley will be joined by former Jets safety Erik Coleman, former Jets linebacker Chad Cascadden and Mike Garafolo.

Tom Durkin, longtime horse racing announcer, retired after an illustrious 43-year career which included 20 years as the voice of the Breeders' Cup, and 10 years of calling the Triple Crown races on television. Durkin, 63, called his last races on Sunday, August 31st, at the Spa in Saratoga Springs, NY.

Ann Meyers Drysdale, ASA member, will provide the color commentary for Game 1 of the WNBA Western Conference Finals between the Minnesota Lynx and the Phoenix Mercury alongside Kevin Ray. Tip off is at 10pm et on NBA-TV.

CBS Sports held its annual Media Day Luncheon on August 18, an informal round table discussion featuring "The NFL on CBS" announcers including ASA Members James Brown, Jim Nantz, Ian Eagle, Rich Gannon, Steve Tasker and Kevin Harlan.. A hot topic of conversation was the new "Thursday Night Football" telecasts in partnership with the NFL Network. Coverage will start at 6pm on the NFL Network with "NFL Access Kickoff" featuring Rich Eisen, Michael Irvin, Marshall Faulk and Steve Mariucci. At 7:30pm, the action shifts over to CBS with Brown, Deion Sanders and Bill Cowher anchoring "NFL Thursday Night Kickoff" from inside the stadium. The show will air on CBS and be simulcast on NFL Network during Weeks 2-8 and air exclusively on NFL Network during Weeks 9-12 and 14-16. During halftime, Brown, Sanders and Cowher host the Lexus Halftime Show on CBS and NFL Network.

Chris Berman, ASA member, will host the 2014 Gillette Home Run Derby, set for Monday at 8pm on ESPN. John Kruk will co-host while Buster Olney and Pedro Gomez will provide reports and interviews.

NHL Network’s Kathryn Tappen is joining NBC Sports Group where she will work on NHL Live, Football Night in America, Notre Dame Football. She will also be part of NBC's coverage of Super Bowl XLIX and the 2016 and 2018 Olympic Games. Tappen will continue to appear as a personality on the NHL Network as well.

ESPN Radio will serve as the exclusive, national radio home for the 2014 MLB All-Star Game for the 17th consecutive year. Jon Sciambi and Chris Singleton will call the action on Tuesday, July 15th, with on-site studio host Marc Kestecher and reporters Peter Pascarelli and Tim Kurkjian.

Tim Brando, ASA Lifetime Member, is headed to Fox Sports after several reports pointed towards him joining the SEC Network. Brando will cover college football and basketball for Fox Sports and Fox Sports 1 beginning this Fall. Brando's partner and the rest of the broadcast roster will be announced at a later date.

CBS Sports will cover Tiger Woods' return to play in the Quicken Loans National on June 28 and 29. Coverage includes the third- and final-round of the event with ASA Board Member Jim Nantz, Sir Nick Faldo, Ian Baker-Finch, ASA members Gary McCord and Peter Kostis, and David Feherty.

Ann Meyers, longtime ASA member and Basketball Hall of Famer, will be honored along with her teammates from the 1976 U.S. Olympic women's basketball team by the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame during their annual Induction Ceremonies on June 14 in Knoxville , TN. The 1976 team, which took home the Silver Medal from the Summer Games in Montreal, the first time women's basketball was played in the Olympics, will be recognized for their contributions to the game in a display at the Hall entitled “Trailblazers of the Game." The team will join the All American Red Heads, Edmonton Grads, the Former Helms/Citizens Savings/Founders Bank, and the Wayland Baptist Flying Queens as the only five groups to receive this distinct honor.

Stanley Cup Finals coverage between the LA Kings and NY Rangers begins on Wednesday, June 4, at 8pm on NBC, with ASA member Kenny Albert handling play-by-play, Eddie Olczyk as analyst and Pierre McGuire as the Inside-the-Glass analyst. Mike 'Doc' Emrick, who will miss Game 1 due to a death in his family, will return for the remainder of the series beginning with Game 2 on Saturday. Game two has also shifted to NBC,airing at 7:30 pm following the Belmont Stakes. Games three and four will be carried by NBCSN while any of the potential final three games will run on the broadcast network.

ABC's coverage of the NBA Finals, a rematch from last year between the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs, will tip off on Thursday, June 5, at 9pm. Mike Breen has the call, beside analysts Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson, reporter Doris Burke and officiating expert Steve Javie. Production highlights are set to include an updated broadcast open celebrating the greatest players and moments from the NBA Finals; I-MOVIX cameras presenting slow motion replays; 36 high-definition video cameras; and the use of eight Super Slo Mo cameras.

Jenny Dell, NESN reporter whose role was significantly reduced in January when she let it be known she was romantically involved with Red Sox third baseman Will Middlebrooks, is leaving the network.

With California Chrome attempting to become the first Triple Crown winner in 36 years, NBC Sports is doubling its programming for the Belmont Stakes to 16 hours. Coverage includes the June 4th documentary, "California Chrome: The Unlikely Champion," narrated by ASA Advisory Board member Bob Costas, Belmont Classics on June 5th, and live race coverage of the True North and Belmont Gold Cup on June 6th, all airing on NBCSN. Coverage of the Belmont Stakes begin at 2:30pm on NBCSN and continue on NBC at 4:30pm leading up to the main event.

David Diehl, former NFL offensive linesman, has joined FOX Sports as a game analyst. The 11-year veteran who played his entire career with the New York Giants, announced his retirement in January.

Tara Lipinski, new ASA member, will serve as a fashion commentator for the 140th running of the Kentucky Derby on NBC. Lipinski, who was a hit at the Olympics in Sochi and at the Oscars, will team with Johnny Weir and appear in pre-taped segments throughout the day as well as live after the race to critique some of Churchill Downs’ best and worst looks.

Craig Sager, ASA Lifetime Member and TNT Reporter, announced that he has been diagnosed with leukemia and will miss the 2014 NBA playoffs as he undergoes treatment. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Sager and his family during this difficult time.

Jimmy Cooper, ASA member from Corinth, Miss., will start his seventh year of doing Kossuth High School football play-by-play in the fall. He also hosts a weekly coaches radio show on WADI 95.3.

Joe Buck, Fox’s lead football and baseball play-by-play announcer, will soon add golf to his resume. The Lifetime ASA member has been named as the voice of the U.S Open. Buck will team with Greg Norman when Fox begins its coverage of the event in 2015 at Chamber’s Bay. The network acquired the rights to the major championship last year, signing a 12-year deal with the USGA worth more than $1 billion. NBC had broadcast the tournament since 1995.

It was 40 years ago today, April 9, that Henry Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s record of 714 home runs. Hall of Fame broadcaster and ASA member Milo Hamilton was behind the microphone to provide the call for this monumental event in baseball history:

“Henry Aaron, in the second inning walked and score. He’s sittin’ on 714. Here’s the pitch by Downing. Swinging. There’s a drive into left-center field. That is ball is gonna be-eee … Outta here! It’s gone! It’s 715!There’s a new home run champion of all-time, and it’s Henry Aaron.”

“The Mike Francesa Show” debuted March 24 on Fox Sports 1, running weekdays on the channel from 1-4pm, before shifting to FOX Sports 2 from 4-6pm.

Brian Billick will not be returning to Fox Sports after the network decided not to offer the NFL analyst an extension to his expiring contract.

Colleen Dominguez, former ESPN "SportsCenter" anchor, has been added to the Fox Sports 1 lineup where she will serve as a reporter and feature contributor for "FOX Sports Live,"among other shows.

Mary Carillo agreed to a three-year contract extension with the Tennis Channel through 2016. In addition to her current French Open, Wimbledon and US Open assignments, she will cover March's Sony Open Tennis tournament in Miami as well as other competitions throughout the year from Los Angeles as part of Tennis Channel's in-studio team. Carillo originally joined Tennis Channel in 2011.

Larry King will have his own how on the Los Angeles Dodgers' new network, SportsNet LA. "Larry King At Bat" will feature the lifelong Dodgers fan interviewing "celebrities, baseball legends, Dodger personalities and other luminaries" in a series of hour-long episodes. The first episode will debut on Tuesday, March 18 at 7p and feature Orel Hershiser.

Mike Schmidt it returning to the Phillies, where he will join Comcast SportsNet as a member of the club's broadcast team for 13 Sunday home games in 2014. Schmidt will work as an analyst alongside play by play man Tom McCarthy for Sundays with Schmidt broadcasts this season.

NBC Sports Group and Churchill Downs Inc. have agreed on a 10-year contract extension for the exclusive rights to the Kentucky Derby.

Mike Francesa, WFAN Radio talk show host, seems to have found a new TV home after his 12-year simulcast on the YES Network ended on Super Bowl Sunday and was replaced by "The Michael Kay Show." According to New York Newsday, Francesa will be taking his afternoon drive show to Fox Sports 1.

Curt Schilling, ESPN baseball analyst who announced last week that he has cancer, underwent surgery and is recovering, according to his daughter, Gabby. The 47-year-old has not divulged what type of cancer he has. Schilling, who pitched in the majors for 20 seasons, was recently added to the "Sunday Night Baseball"announcing team, replacing Orel Hershiser.

The Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association held its annual Spring Preview on Wednesday, February 5th, at the Hockeytown Café. George Eichorn, ASA Member and Executive Director of the DSBA, welcomed Dave Dombrowski, President, CEO and General Manager of the Detroit Tigers, who took time out from his busy schedule to attend the event and discuss with the media his many offseason moves, including the trading of first baseman Prince Fielder to the Texas Rangers, and what he expects from his club this season.

Despite the lopsided score, FOX still managed to walk away with record audiences for Super Bowl XLVIII. The network reports that 111.5 million viewers tuned in to the big game, besting the previous mark of 111.3 million set by Super Bowl XLVI (between the Giants and Patriots). Overall, this year’s Super Bowl posted a 46.4/69, matching last year's ratings for the game, according to Nielsen's fast national numbers to tie as the seventh highest-rated Super Bowl ever. As for the Pepsi Halftime Show, 115.3 million viewers tuned in to watch Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chili Peppers perform, also a record.

Terry Bradshaw, Fox studio analyst, was not part of the network’s coverage of Super Bowl XLVIII after the passing of his father, William Bradshaw last Thursday at the age of 86. The four-time Super Bowl champion flew back to Louisiana to be with his family during this difficult time. Newly-elected football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan filled in for Bradshaw while Chris Meyers stepped in for Strahan on the Fox red carpet pregame show alongside Charissa Thompson.

NBC announced that Kevin Martin, a two-time Olympic curling medalist, will join NBC Olympics for its 2014 Olympic Winter Games coverage. He will serve as curling analyst for NBC Olympics' coverage.

Dick Vitale, ESPN college basketball guru and ASA member, proclaimed Syracuse’s 91-89 victory oer Dukie in an overtime thriller at the Carrier Dome was one of the five best games he has ever worked.

NESN is bringing in Sarah Davis as the channel's newest reporter, anchor, and host. Davis will join in mid-February after working at Rogers Sportsnet in Toronto where she served as a host of Soccer Central and Fox Soccer News.

Lindsey Vonn, gold medal alpine skier, will join NBC as an Olympic Correspondent for the Today show and NBC Sports during the 2014 Winter Games. Vonn will report daily stateside for Today, and she will contribute to NBC Sports Olympic coverage. In her first interview since deciding to withdraw from the Sochi Olympics, Vonn appeared on Today this morning to talk about her role at the network and give an update on her training and rehabilitation before talking about how athletes prepare physically and mentally for the Games.

The NFL Pro Bowl which aired Sunday night on NBC, ranked as the most-watched sporting event of the weekend. Facing stiff competition from the Grammys, the game averaged a 3.2 rating among adults 18-49 in Fast National numbers from Nielsen, down a tenth of a point from last year's game. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell seemed pleased with the results from the format change. "You have to admit it was very competitive," Goodell told ESPN Radio's Mike & Mike in the Morning. "Exciting. Fun. I think the players played much harder."

ESPN launches its 25th Major League Baseball season with on Opening Night featuring a West Coast matchup between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres on “Sunday Night Baseball” on March 30. The new broadcast team will see ASA member CDan Shulman, analysts John Kruk, newly added Curt Schilling (who replaces Orel Hershiser) and reporter Buster Olney make their regular-season debut to call the action. Meanwhile, MLB Opening Day will include a five-game slate that spans more than 12 hours of live game action on ESPN stations on Monday, March 31, which include Cubs/Pirates, Red Sox/Orioles, Cardinals/Reds, Rockies/Marlins, and Mariners/Angels.

Dan Le Batard Miami Herald Reporter and ESPN Radio Host, has been stripped of his Hall of Fame vote for life by the Baseball Writers Association of America after he turned his vote over to readers at Deadspin this year. According to the official release from the BBWAA, the Board of Directors also decided to remove Le Batard's membership for one year, for "transferring his Hall of Fame ballot to an entity that has not earned voting status." Le Batard reportedly did not take any compensation for his decision.

Al Michaels, ASA Member and play-by-play man for NBC’s “Sunday Night Football,” was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame. The annual event was held at the Hilton in New York City on December 17, 2013. Cris Collinsworth, Michaels’ current booth mate, served as Master of Ceremonies. Michaels is in his eighth season as the play-by-play man for NBC's “Sunday Night Football” after a 20-year run in the same role for ABC's “Monday Night Football.” He has called eight Super Bowls, including Super Bowl XLVI -- the most-watched program in U.S. television history. A seven-time Emmy Award winner, Michaels is the only commentator to call the Super Bowl, World Series and NBA Finals, and host a Stanley Cup Final for network television. Michaels has also covered numerous Olympics including his unforgettable broadcast in 1980 of the United States' hockey team's gold-medal run at the Lake Placid Games when he made the memorable call of "Do you believe in miracles? Yes!" as the Americans upset the Soviet Union. In 1995, Michaels was named the ASA’s “Sportscaster of the Year,”as voted by its membership, and received his award at the 11th annual ASA Hall of Fame Dinner.

Bob Wolff, the longest running broadcaster in television and radio history, celebrated his 93rd birthday on November 29. Wolff, a professional broadcaster in nine decades, can still be seen on News 12 Long Island where he has covered sports since the station’s inception in 1986, as well as occasional appearances on the YES and MSG Networks.

Brian Wheeler, ASA member and Portland Trail Blazers radio play-by-play announcer, had his broadcasting streak of 1,359 consecutive games snapped on November 15 when he missed his first game (a win against the Celtics in Boston) in his 16-year career with the Blazers due to illness. Last week the Blazers announced that Wheeler would not be accompanying the team on their four-game road trip with stops in Boston, Toronto, Brooklyn and Milwaukee. During Wheeler’s absence, the Blazers decided to simulcast the audio from its TV broadcast team of Mike Barrett and Mike Rice, with radio analyst Antonio Harvey added to the broadcast.

The Miami Marlins announced a partnership with Clear Channel Media and Entertainment Miami, making 940 WINZ-AM the official English radio broadcast home of the Marlins, beginning with the 2014 season. 940 WINZ-AM, Miami’s “Sports Animal,” will feature full Miami Marlins coverage with live game broadcasts, pre- and post-game analysis, as well as daily game recaps with coaches and players. In addition, “The Hot Stove Report,” a half-hour long show covering Marlins and Major League Baseball news, will air each weekend during the off-season. 940 WINZ-AM is also the radio broadcast home of the Miami Dolphins, Florida Gators football and basketball and carries NFL games throughout the season.

Bill Raftery, ASA Lifetime member and lead college basketball game analyst for Fox Sports 1, will make his debut on Friday, November 8, as Providence hosts Boston College. After 32 years as a college basketball analyst for ESPN, Raftery joined Fox Sports 1 last June. The good news for college basketball fans is Raftery’s role for CBS does not change. He’ll do his usual set of games on that network as well as work the NCAA tournament for CBS and Turner Sports. Raftery said he will call somewhere between 30-40 games this season for Fox Sports 1. He’ll call a little less than that for CBS.

Al McCoy, Lifetime ASA member and longtime voice of the Phoenix Suns, is entering his 42nd year with the team. McCoy, the longest tenured broadcaster in the NBA, is partnered with former Suns player Tim Kempton on KTAR Radio.

Stephen A. Smith, while appearing on ESPN’s “First Take” last Friday, seemed to have fallen asleep while debating Skip Bayless on the upcoming Jets-Titans game. After Smith commended the job Jets coach Rex Ryan had done thus far, Bayless proceeded to explain how he wasn’t sold on the team just yet. That’s when Smith appeared to doze off. When asked about the next topic, Tiger Woods, by anchor Cari Champion, Smith, with his eyes barely open said, “Nothing left to say. I prefer to skip it.” By the way, Skip’s predicted the Titans would win, 24-13. The Titans ended up winning by an even larger margin, 38-13.

Clark Kellogg and Greg Anthony, Lifetime Members of the ASA, are switching roles for CBS Sports' coverage of the upcoming 2013-14 NCAA men's basketball season. Anthony will serve as the lead game analyst alongside ASA Board Member Jim Nantz, while Kellogg is returning to the network’s studio show. Kellogg was a studio analyst for 16 years before replacing Billy Packer on game telecasts. He called his first Final Four in 2009. Anthony has been CBS’s lead studio analyst since 2008. CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus said Monday that “we believe this shuffling of our lineup allows both Greg and Clark to play more to their individual strengths.”

CBS Sports Network has joined the Yankees Sports & Entertainment Network in the bidding to acquire the TV rights to WFAN Radio’s “Boomer and Carton Show.” The show is currently simulcast on the Madison Square Garden Network, with the contract expiring this month. Although the move to CBSSN would give the show national exposure, the content, which has a New York flavor, might need to be changed to appeal to a wider audience.

Hugh Douglas, former NFL defensive end who was fired recently by ESPN, was arrested in Hartford, Conn., after he allegedly attacked a woman in a downtown hotel. Douglas was let go by ESPN after he made insulting remarks about his “Numbers Never Lie” co-host Michael Smith.

Marty Brennaman, Hall of Fame broadcaster, has agreed to a three-year contract extension with the Cincinnati Reds to continue as their play-by-play announcer on Radio Network through the 2016 season. Brennaman, 71, has been the radio voice of the Reds since joining the team in 1974. He shared the booth with Reds’ Hall of Fame pitcher Joe Nuxhall for 31 years and was the recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award in 2000. Next year will mark his 50th as a baseball broadcaster.

Elissa Walker Campbell, ASA member and host of the “Big E Sports Show,” can be heard on Yahoo! Sports Radio every Friday night from 8-10PM ET starting September 20th. The fast-paced, upbeat sports talk show features sports superstar guests who share real-life stories. “I’m honored to join the Yahoo! Sports Radio team,” said Walker Campbell. “This is an exciting new growth opportunity for our show, and I am thrilled to partner with one of the most recognizable brands in sports radio. I look forward to continuing to offer compelling stories and informative interviews for our ever-expanding audience with some of the biggest names in sports.”

Joe Buck, ASA member and Fox's lead football and baseball play-by-play announcer, is engaged to NFL Network reporter Michelle Beisner.

Jerry Remy, longtime Boston Red Sox TV analyst, said he will not return to the broadcast booth this season. Remy’s 34-year-old son, Jared, has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and domestic assault in the stabbing death of his girlfriend, Jennifer Martel.

Chris "Mad Dog" Russo, will be joining the MLB Network starting in spring 2014. The former co-host of WFAN's "Mike and the Mad Dog" will host a weekday television show and appear on other programs the network produces. Russo will also continue to do his "Mad Dog Unleashed" show on SiriusXM, as he recently inked a new three-year deal with the satellite radio provider.

Bob Robertson, voice of Washington State University football for 46 years, has announced he will be stepping down effective immediately. Bud Nameck, WSU's basketball voice and football sideline reporter and part-time analyst, will be taking his place. WSU athletic director Bill Moos called it a mutual decision. Robertson will continue to work the pregame and postgame as well as halftime shows. Robertson, 84, cited a diminished energy level, noting he has always stood during broadcasts, but that a year ago, “I found myself looking for something to sit on maybe late in the first half. My attitude is, ‘I’ve been doing this a long time, and if you’re not going to get any better, if you’re not improving, you’re going in the other direction.’

Bob Socci, ASA member, is gearing up to begin his first season as the play-by-play announcer for the New England Patriots. Socci will replace the legendary Gil Santos, who retired following the AFC Championship game in January after 36 seasons as the voice of the Patriots. Socci has called Navy Football for the last 16 years and had a short stint with the minor league Pawtucket Red Sox before getting the call for the Patriots gig.

Jim Laslavic, longtime ASA member, celebrated his 30th year on San Diego TV on July 20th. For the last 24 years “Laz” has served as KNSD-TV NBC 7's Sports Director, with sports reports Sunday through Thursday at 6 and 11 p.m. He also hosts “Valley View Casino Sportswrap” on Sunday nights, and during football season hosts “Football Night in San Diego” following NBC’s “Sunday Night Football.” A multiple local Emmy Award winner, Laz can also be heard doing morning sports reports on KPRI radio and during the Chargers season hosts the pre-game show on Rock 105.3.

Max Kellerman and Marcellus Wiley made their debut as hosts of ESPN 2's “SportsNation” on June 24th. The two have already been working together on the highly-rated “Max and Marcellus Show” on ESPNLA 710 Radio, and they will now try to fine-tune the clever and off-beat SportsNation tradition of discussing the day’s hottest and most compelling sports topics.

Fred Roggin, KNBC-TV sports anchor for more than 30 years, was given the Joseph M. Quinn Award for Lifetime Achievement by the Los Angeles Press Club during their annual awards ceremony on June 23rd at the Biltmore Hotel. Bob Miller, longtime ASA member and Voice of the Los Angels Kings, made the presentation to Roggin.

SportsTime Ohio the regional sports network, which was bought by Fox Sports at the end of last year, has suspended production of “Last Call” after the show’s host, Chuck Galeti, was arrested on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol and failure to display his license, according to reports.

ESPN is in the process of laying off up to 400 employees, roughly 5% of its 7,000 total employees. The news broke earlier this week and some insiders say that the network’s massive programming investments are cutting into their profit margin. Just last week, the network acquired the rights to the U.S. Open, which will cost the media giant $75 million dollars a year over the next 11 years. Then there are their recently extended deals with the NBA ($930 million a year), NFL ($1.9 billion annually), and MLB ($700 million per year), not to mention a new contract for the entire college football playoff syste,m including the Orange, Sugar and Rose Bowl, that will cost the network a $470 million a year.

Mike Francesa has signed a long term deal with Sports Radio WFAN (660AM/101.9FM), to continue as the host of his popular afternoon drive show several years to come. Francesa joined WFAN in 1987, the same year the station launched as the country’s first all-sports station. As part of the agreement, Francesa will also bring his long running Sunday morning “The NFL Now” show to CBS Sports Radio beginning this fall.

Robin Roberts will receive the Arthur Ashe Courage award at the 2013 ESPYS on July 17 in Los Angeles, ESPN announced. The award will recognize the strength and courage Roberts has displayed throughout her life and career, overcoming life-threatening illnesses twice. Past honorees include Jim Valvano, Muhammad Ali, Dean Smith, Billie Jean King and Pat Summitt. One of the first female sports anchors on ESPN in the ’90s, Roberts has worked with ABC’s “Good Morning America” for the past two decades, blazing a trail for women in broadcasting.

Jim Nantz, CBS announcer, said it’s hard mentally to move on from the dramatic injury of Louisville’s Kevin Ware in the team’s win over Duke during the NCAA tournament. Nantz, who called the game with Clark Kellogg, said “when you’re that close to it, it’s hard to get the image out of your mind. … You replay it over and over in your head.” Kellogg said the injury created “as raw and emotional a circumstance as I’ve been involved with as a broadcaster. … I was virtually not able to say anything. Actually, I was praying myself.” The two announcers spoke only sparingly during the delay after the injury. “There were people who were visibly sick in the stands,” Nantz said. “What could you say? There was very little you could add.”

Sean McDonough, Bill Raftery, Jay Bilas and Doris Burke will call the Big East men's basketball Tournament for ESPN on March 12-16th. This will be the last on ESPN, which has aired the tournament since 1996. The Big East basketball schools, including St. John's, Villanova, DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence and Seton Hall, will be leaving the conference effective June 30th, but will retain the Big East name and are in negotiations with Fox Sports on a new TV deal.

Manny Acta, former manager of the Cleveland Indians and Washington Nationals, has joined ESPN as a baseball analyst in both English and Spanish.

Alan Ashby ASA member, has been added to the television broadcasting lineup for the Houston Astros. A former catcher, Ashby will join longtime announcer Bill Brown, who is entering 27th season as the team’s primary play-by-play voice. This will be Ashby's second stint in the broadcast booth for the Astros, previously working the radio side. He spent the past six years doing TV and radio for the Toronto Blue Jays. Ashby replaces Jim Deshaies, who in the offseason left for Chicago to be the TV analyst for the Cubs. Ashby will primarily do color for the Astros, but he's expected to do some play-by-play as Brown, 65, is reducing his play-by-play duties to about 100 games.

Robin Roberts, ASA Advisory Board Member, made her return to ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Feb. 20th, exactly five-months after bone marrow transplant surgery. The bulk of the ABC show turned into a celebration of her return as she's recovering from MDS, a blood and bone marrow disease. President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and basketball star Magic Johnson all sent taped greetings.

Chris Mannix has joined both NBC Sports and NBC Sports Radio on multi-year deals. He will serve as a reporter for NBC Sports on the television side and will host “The Chris Mannix Show” on NBC Sports Radio network on Sunday evenings. Mannix remains at Sports Illustrated, where he covers NBA and Boxing for the magazine and for SI.com.

John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman have signed a one-year deal with WCBS Radio to continue their duties as the radio voices of the New York Yankees.

Leigh Diffey has joined NBC Sports as the lead play by play announcer for the network s auto racing coverage. Diffey had spent the previous eight years as a play by play announcer for SPEED Channel.

Sam Farnsworth has been promoted to Sports Director at KKTV 11 News in Colorado Springs, CO.

Lina Washington has been hired as the weekend sports anchor and weekday news reporter at KGET in Bakersfield, CA. She is a graduate of Arizona State University.

Chris Dortch has joined Big Ten Network as an analyst of the show Big Ten & Beyond. Dortch, the editor of Blue Ribbon Magazine, also works for NBA TV and NBA.com.

Paul Ralston, University of North Dakota men’s basketball announcer, was suspended from his play-by-play duties for two games due to comments he made after a 74-72 overtime loss to Northern Arizona on February 16th. Ralston interviewed UND coach Brian Jones shortly after the game and used the phrase “choke job” in his questioning. The passing of longtime Los Angeles Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss has sent shockwaves throughout the City of Angels. Everyone that has worked with or for the Lakers owner has started to reflect on their relationship with Buss and the impact he’s had on them, including team announcer Stu Lantz (for full story see News)

Dick Vitale, longtime ASA member and the face of ESPN’s college basketball for 34 years, has had a front row seat to more than 2,000 college basketball telecasts, including many of the best and most memorable matchups. The one event missing from his Hall of Fame resume is calling an NCAA Men’s Final Four game. That will all change this year as ESPN announced that Vitale will work two Final Four games for ESPN International — a semifinal and the National Championship. ESPN hoops analyst Jay Bilas will work the other semifinal (not called by Vitale) while ASA member Brad Nessler will call play-by-play on all three telecasts. The telecasts will go to 150 countries and territories across 35 broadcast networks in Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Canada, but will not be seen in the United States.

Jack Morris, former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher, is returning to the city where he won two World Series titles as Sportsnet’s newest Blue Jays analyst. Morris will provide analysis for Sportsnet 590 The FAN’s Blue Jays radio broadcasts, and will also make appearances on Sportsnet’s Blue Jays game telecasts, Blue Jays Central and Baseball Central at Noon. Best known in his playing days for his devastating forkball, the right-handed pitcher and five-time All-Star will forever be known to Blue Jays fans as the first 20-game winner in club history (21 wins) and for propelling his team into the playoffs for the first of their back-to-back World Series Championships in 1992 and 1993. Morris retired in 1995 and has spent time as a color analyst for the Minnesota Twins and as well as a guest on Detroit Tigers broadcasts.

Bob Costas, veteran NBC sportscaster and longtime St. Louis resident, paid tribute to the late Stan Musial during a two-hour mass outside Busch Stadium on Saturday, January 26th. Costas, his voice cracking with emotion, acknowledged Musial’s achievements on the field, including his three NL MVP titles and seven batting championships, but also pointed out that in his 92 years of life, Stan “The Man” never let anyone down. “Where is the single person to truthfully say a bad word about him,” Costas said. Also in attendance were commissioner Bud Selig, Hall of Famers Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Ozzie Smith, Bruce Sutter, Whitey Herzog, and 90-year-old Red Schoendienst, who once roomed with Musial.

Bobby Valentine, former New York Mets manager, has been in discussions with the Mets’ flagship network, SNY, about a possible role on Mets’ telecasts. According to MLB sources, Valentine would be featured on about 20 Mets games, mostly marquee matchups like the Subway Series, in the studio of SNY’s new pre-pregame show and as a fill-in for SNY’s No. 1 studio analyst, Bobby Ojeda, on his off days.

Stanley Frank Musial made a name for himself as one of baseball's best hitters of all time on the field, as well as one of its greatest, most dignified ambassadors off it. And now "Stan the Man" is gone. Musial died at his Ladue, Missouri, home surrounded by family, the Cardinals said in a statement.(for full story, see In Memoriam)

A winning candidate did not emerge from the 2013 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting conducted by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America and verified by Ernst & Young.(for full story see News)

Robin Roberts, "Good Morning America" anchor and ASA Advisory Board member, continues her bone marrow transplant recovery, and she's sharing some happy news.(for full story see news)

Just three weeks after suffering serious burns in an accident at home, ESPN anchor Hannah Storm returned to television to host the 124th Rose Parade in Pasadena, Calif. on New Years' Day. (for full story see News)

Isiah Thomas, former New York Knicks coach, has joined NBA-TV as a studio host and will also contribute to NBA.com. Thomas will make his debut on Friday, December 21st, prior to the Knicks-Chicago Bulls game.

Samantha Steele, ESPN sideline reporter, married Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder on Monday, December 17th in St. Croix County Court in Wisconsin, 30 miles east of Minneapolis.

John Andariese, longtime New York Knicks TV and radio announcer, was honored with the fifth annual Dick McGuire Knickerbocker Legacy Award, given by the family of the Hall of Fame player and team employee to a person who "exudes the qualities of what it means to be a Knickerbocker." Andariese, an ASA member who recently retired after more than 35 years of broadcasting the Knicks, received his award before the Knicks’ 103-102 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on December 15th.

ESPN’s Robert Parker apologized for the comments he made about Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III on ESPN’s December 13th telecast of “First Take” which earned him a suspension from the network.

1. On TwitLonger.com, Parker said: “I blew it and I’m sincerely sorry. I completely understand how the issue of race in sports is a sensitive one and needs to be handled with great care. This past Thursday I failed to do that.

“I believe the intended topic is a worthy one. Robert’s thoughts about being an African-American quarterback and the impact of his phenomenal success have been discussed in other media outlets, as well as among sports fans, particularly those in the African-American community. The failure was in how I chose to discuss it on First Take, and in doing so, turned a productive conversation into a negative one.

“I regrettably introduced some points that I never should have and I completely understand the strong response to them, including ESPN’s reaction. Perhaps most importantly, the attention my words have brought to one of the best and brightest stars in all of sports is an unintended and troubling result.

“Robert Griffin III is a talented athlete who not only can do great things on the field, but off the field handles himself in a way we are all taught — with dignity, respect and pride.

“I’ve contacted his agent with hopes of apologizing to Robert directly. As I reflect on this and move forward, I will take the time to consider how I can continue to tackle difficult, important topics in a much more thoughtful manner.”

Larry Merchant, longtime boxing Analyst for HBO Sports, stated that he is retiring from ringside as of Saturday December 15th, when he will work his last fight.(For full story see News)

ESPN's “First Take” frequenter Rob Parker has been suspended by the network Friday as it conducts a full review in the aftermath of Parker's comments about Washington Redskins QB Robert Griffin III on Thursday's broadcast.(for full story see News)

News Corp. said Tuesday it was acquiring a 49 percent stake in the YES Network, the New York Yankees' regional cable sports channel. Yankee Global Enterprises, Goldman Sachs and other investors will reduce their ownership as part of the transaction, and the team will receive a payment of $500 million for agreeing to the transaction. "The Steinbrenner family expects to have a continuing, long-term ownership stake in the YES Network and we will continue our yearly commitment of fielding a championship caliber team for decades to come," Yankees managing partner Hal Steinbrenner said in a statement. News Corp., which owns Fox, may acquire an additional stake in the YES Network after three years that could bring its ownership to 80 percent. Yankee Global Enterprises would retain a significant minority stake.

The YES Network has added ASA member Greg Anthony to their lineup of Brooklyn Nets analysts which already includes Mike Fratello and Jim Spanarkel to compliment play-by-play man and ASA member Ian Eagle and his backup, Ryan Ruocco.

The Chicago Cubs will be interviewing five sportscasters in their search to replace Bob Brenly as the team’s new TV analyst. Dan Plesac, Rick Sutcliffe, Eric Karros, Todd Hollandsworth and Gary Matthews are all contenders for the job. Plesac was considered a frontrunner from the moment Brenly announced he was returning to the Arizona Diamondbacks to work a reduced schedule on Fox Sports Arizona and national games for Fox Sports.

Melissa Stark, former “Monday Night Football” sideline reporter who has been juggling a career and a family for the last 10 years, has found a comfortable position as the co-host of “First On The Field,” for the NFL Network. The show, which debuts earlier than any other Sunday NFL pregame show at 7 a.m. ET, features the quartet of Stark, co-host Sterling Sharpe, analyst Michael Lombardi and former Chargers running LaDainian Tomlinson.

Marv Albert, one of basketball’s great sportscasters, returns to the place of his birth, Brooklyn, on Thursday, November 1st, to announce the Brooklyn Nets’ home opener against the New York Knicks(For full story see News).

ASA member Charles Chitwood of Jefferson, Texas was recently named by 88.9-KETR as the play-by-play voice for the Texas A&M University – Commerce football broadcasts. The long-time East Texas broadcaster joins veteran color commentator Brock Callaway for the Lions’ 2012 schedule. Chitwood steps into the spot vacated by J.P Heath, who earlier accepted the lead microphone for all Rice University athletics’ broadcasts.

Carroll Hoff “Beano” Cook, a college football icon who worked for ESPN since 1986, died in his sleep at the age of 81.

Cook was born in San Francisco but raised in Boston and Pittsburgh, where he attended the University of Pittsburgh. He became famous on ESPN as an opinionated, colorful, funny college football analyst with an historian’s knowledge of the sport.

Many great quotes are attributed to the man, one of the most fondly remembered of which had nothing to do with football. In 1981, as American hostages were freed from Iran and baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn offered them lifetime passes to major league games, Cook asked: “Haven’t they suffered enough?”

Known as the "Pope of college football, “ Cook was ABC Sports' NCAA press director from 1966-1974. He also worked for CBS sports from 1977-1982 and was a studio commentator for ABC Sports’ College Football Association telecasts from 1982-85.

Alex Karras, former defensive tackle for the Detroit Lions, actor in movies and TV as well as the third-ever analyst on Monday Night Football, died on October 10 at the age of 77. Karras had recently suffered kidney failure and been diagnosed with dementia. And was being cared for at home. Karras was considered one of the best players in Lions history having played from 1958-1970.

In 1974, he joined ABC’s Monday Night Football hastily replacing Fred Williamson who was fired after the preseason. Karras stayed with MNF through the 1976 season.

Karras also had a number of movie and TV roles. Among his most famous roles was playing in “Blazing Saddles.” He played George Papadapolis in the sitcom “Webster” with his wife, Susan Clark. Some of his other movie roles included “Victor Victoria,” “Porky’s” and “Against All Odds.”

Karras has been inducted in the Iowa Sports Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame. Ten of baseball’s most beloved and honored broadcasters were named as the finalists for the 2013 Ford C. Frick Award, presented annually for excellence in baseball broadcasting by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum (for full story see News).

John Andariese, New York Knicks’ radio analyst, is resigning to spend more time with his family and focus on his advertising business, ending a career with the National Basketball Association team that began in 1972.(for full story see Articles)

Mike Tirico, ASA Lifetime Member, called his 100th “Monday Night Football” game on October 1, making him just the sixth commentator in “MNF’s” 43-year history to reach this milestone. Tirico, who has been the play-by-play voice of “MNF” since 2006, joins legends Frank Gifford (411 games), Al Michaels (323), Dan Dierdorf(200), Howard Cosell (approx.180) and Don Meredith (approx.150) in this elite club.

ESPN Radio lined up its announcers for the coming playoffs, which marks its 15th consecutive season as the exclusive national home of the Major League Baseball postseason. The pair of ASA member Dan Shulman and Orel Hershiser will call the AL Wild Card tonight, as well as the Yankees ALDS series, the ALCS and the World Series. Jon Sciambi & Chris Singleton will handle the NL Wild Card, the Nationals NLDS series and the NLCS. ASA member Dave O'Brien and Aaron Boone call the Tigers/Athletics ALDS series. The Giants/Reds NLDS games will feature Gary Cohen and Rick Sutcliffe for the first two games, and ASA member Chris Berman and Sutcliffe for the remainder of the series.

Carolyn Manno signed a multi-year deal with NBC Sports. As part of the new agreement Manno, who was on-air for NBC at this year’s Summer Olympics in London, will be taking on some new duties it was also announced today. She will be a reporter on NBC’s NFL overview show Football Night In America, a correspondent on action sports coverage like the Dew Tour and she’ll handle MLS and SportsDesk updates. Manno will also be joining the new NBC Sports Radio Network as well as getting back into Olympic mode to work on the network’s coverage of 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games.

Keith Hernandez, New York Mets TV analyst, will shave off his iconic mustache to raise money for the Jacquelyn Hernandez Adult Day Health Center, which aids people with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. The event will take place outside Citi Field at the Jackie Robinson Rotunda before the Mets’ final home game on Thursday, September 27. Hernandez has raised $5.7 million for the center named after his mother, who died of Alzheimer’s disease in 1989.

Ann Meyers Drysdale, longtime ASA member and network sportscaster, has been hired as a TV analyst for the Phoenix Suns, serving as a fill in for commentator Eddie Johnson. Meyers, a Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, is coming off a recent assignment as a women’s basketball analyst for NBC during the 2012 Olympics. She has also written a book entitled, You Let Some Girl Beat You?, which is now available on amazon.com, or her website, www.annmeyersdrydale.com.

NFL Films President Steve Sabol, half of the father-son team that revolutionized sports broadcasting and mythologized pro football into the country's favorite sport, died Tuesday from brain cancer. He was 69.(for full story see In Memoriam)

Art Modell, former owner of the Cleveland Browns who moved his team, which became the Baltimore Ravens, died early Thursday. He was 87. (For full story see In Memoriam)

Allen Pinkett, Notre Dame football radio analyst, will not broadcast the Irish's game on Saturday, Sept 1st, against Navy in Dublin, Ireland, because of the controversial comments he made during a recent radio interview. Pinkett, who starred as a running back at Notre Dame, was on 670 The Score’s “McNeil and Spiegel Show” when he made the following remarks about his former team:

“I’ve always felt like, to have a successful team, you gotta have a few bad citizens on the team. I mean, that’s how Ohio State used to win all the time. They would have two or three guys that were criminals. That just adds to the chemistry of the team. I think Notre Dame is growing because maybe they have some guys that are doing something worthy of a suspension, which creates an edge on the football team. You can’t have a football team full of choir boys. You get your butt kicked if you have a team full of choir boys. You gotta have a little bit of edge, but the coach has to be the dictator and ultimate ruler.”

Needless to say, Pinkett’s employer, the Notre Dame IMG Network, was not happy with these remarks, even after his recent apology, and pulled the radio analyst from the broadcast.

Vin Scully, ASA Hall of Famer, will return to the broadcast booth for an unprecedented 64th season in 2013 as “Voice of the LA Dodgers.” Scully, who was named “Sportscaster of the Century” by the membership of the ASA in 2000, is the longest-tenured broadcaster in sports, having started with the Dodgers when they were still in Brooklyn in 1950.

Michele Smith, two-time Olympic softball gold medalist and ESPN softball analyst, made history on August 19th, when she sat beside play-by-play man Ernie Johnson and analyst John Smoltz in the TBS booth for the Dodgers-Braves game at Turner Field, becoming the first female analyst for a nationally televised Major League Baseball game.

In what could be his last renewal, Brent Musburger has signed a multi-year contract extension with ESPN/ABC Sports. Musburger, 73, remains one of the most visible play-by-play announcers on broadcast television. He will continue to serve as a play-by-play for the “Saturday Night Football” series on ABC and will work the two remaining Bowl Championship Series title games.

CBS Sports announced its NFL broadcast pairings for the 2012-13 season, with the only change from last year being the elimination of the No. 8 team of Don Criqui & Randy Cross. With the NFL having Thursday night games all season long, the Sunday afternoon carriers, including Fox, need no more than seven broadcast teams on any given week. The pairings include: 1. Jim Nantz & Phil Simms; 2. Greg Gumbel & Dan Dierdorf; 3. Ian Eagle & Dan Fouts; 4. Marv Albert & Rich Gannon; 5. Kevin Harlan & Solomon Wilcots; 6. Bill Macatee & Steve Tasker; 7. Spero Dedes & Steve Beuerlein.

Len Dawson, longtime ASA Member who was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987, was honored again in Canton, this time for his career in radio and television. The popular broadcaster and Hall of Fame quarterback received the 2012 Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award. (for full story see News)

Justin C. Wooten, new ASA member, recently graduated from Southern University and will be applying to Graduate School at Ole Miss or LSU.

The Brooklyn Cylcones, the Class A minor-league affiliate of the New York Mets, have hired three Seton Hall University students to serve as the team’s radio announcers, replacing the late Warner Fusselle. Vincent Coughlin and Chris Paizis both 21, will work the home games while David Rind, 22, will broadcast games on the road.

LeRoy Neiman, who stood alone among contemporary artists in capturing the color, spectacle and excitement of the world of sports, died one June 20, 2012. He was 91. (for full story see In Memoriam)

Ralph Barbieri, former talk show host on KNBR Radio in San Francisco, filed a lawsuit against the station saying he was fired in April because of the health ailments he has been battling. Barbieri, 66, claims in the suit that he was wrongfully terminated after the station learned that he had Parkinson’s disease and Type 2 diabetes. Barbieri joined KNBR in 1984 and hosted an afternoon show with Tom Tolbert from 1996 until he was let go.

IN MEMORIAM: Warner Fusselle, successor to Mel Allen as the voice of "This Week in Baseball," died on June 10, 2012, of an apparent heart attack. He was 68. Fusselle, a sportscaster for over 40 years, most recently was the play-by-play voice of the Brooklyn Cyclones, a Class A minor league affiliate of the New York Mets.

ESPN Radio in New York, since moving to the FM dial (98.7) in April, has closed in on all-sports powerhouse WFAN Radio (660 AM) in the ratings recently. ESPN's audience has nearly doubled since May 2011, up to 1.3 million, while WFAN's number have taken a slight hit, down to 1.5 million listeners.

Dick Vitale, ESPN college basketball icon and ASA member, raised more than $2.1 million for pediatric cancer research during his May Gala for the Jimmy V Foundation.

Robin Roberts,"Good Morning America” anchor and ASA Advisory Board member who beat breast cancer five years ago, has been diagnosed with a blood and bone marrow disease.

Roberts announced Monday morning that she has myelodysplastic syndrome, or MDS, which used to be known as preleukemia.

She says her doctors have told her she has a great chance to be cured of the serious medical condition, but that she will miss time on the show as she undergoes treatment.

She will now begin a pre-treatment of chemotherapy in advance of a bone marrow transplant later this year. She says that while bone marrow donors are scarce, particularly for African-American women, she is fortunate to have a sister who is an excellent match.

Roberts has been on "Good Morning America" for a decade, most recently teamed with George Stephanopoulos as co-anchor.

She learned of her diagnosis on the same day that "Good Morning America" beat NBC's "The Today Show" in the ratings for the first time in more than 16 years, Roberts said. On a day some of her bone marrow was extracted for testing, Roberts learned she had landed an interview with President Barack Obama where the president revealed his support for gay marriage.

"The combination of landing the biggest interview of my career and having a drill in my back reminds me that God only gives us what we can handle and that it helps to have a good sense of humor when we run smack into the adversity of life," she said.

Jim Nantz, lead announcer at CBS Sports and ASA Board member, married fiancé Courtney Richards on the seventh hole at the famed Pebble Beach golf course in California on June 9.(for full story see news)

The Los Angeles Lakers signed radio play-by-play announcer John Ireland and color analyst Mychal Thompson to multi-year deals. The team also agreed to multi-year deals with TV broadcasters Bill Macdonald and and ASA member Stu Lantz, which would make them the centerpiece of the newly created Time Warner Cable channel next season.

Tommy Lasorda, longtime Los Angeles Dodgers manager, was hospitalized after having what the team called a “mild” heart attack on Monday evening in New York. (for full story see News)

Scott Van Pelt confirmed the rumors that he will be staying at ESPN...(for full story see News)

Michelle Beadle, another coveted ESPN free agent, seems to be leaning towards joining NBC Universal. Beadle is reportedly negotiating a deal with the network, but nothing has been finalized yet. Beadle would be doing some sports, including the Olympics, but would also contribute to NBC’s entertainment programs such as "Access Hollywood" and "The Today Show."

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez, longtime ASA member and Hall of Fame Spanish-language play-by-play announcer, will call 50 games this year for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Fox Sports West and 69 games for the Oakland A’s on KIQI Radio. Pi-Gonzalez will be working alongside fellow ASA members and veteran announcers Jose Mota (Angels) and Manolo Hernandez-Douen (A’s).

IN MEMORIAM: Dom Valentino, longtime sportscaster, died on April 17, 2012, after a bout with prostate cancer. He was 83. Valentino, a Brooklyn native, was the play-by-play man for the Cincinnati Royals of the NBA before joining the New York Yankees’ radio team in 1975, working alongside Phil Rizzuto. That same year he called games for the New York Mets, the New York Nets when they were playing in the ABA with Julius Erving, and the NHL’s Islanders. He also called games for the Oakland A’s during the Bill Martin years of the early 1980s.

IN MEMORIAM: Steve Fredericks, well-known sports talk show host, died on April 7, 2012, after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 72. Fredericks started his career while serving in the Air Force on the Armed Forces Radio Network. He called 76ers games on WCAU Radio in Philadelphia before moving to Boston in 1965 where he hosted radio shows at WMEX, WITS and WEEI. He returned to WCAU in 1978 and was the host of “Sportsline” for 12 years. He had a short stint at WFAN Radio in New York before returning once again to Philly in 1992, this time for WIP Radio, where he stayed until his retirement in 2004.

Jack Whitaker, ASA Hall of Famer and veteran CBS & ABC sportscaster known for his coverage of the Olympics and thoroughbred racing, will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Sports Emmys on April 30th.

Bob Wolff, broadcasting legend and sports anchor for News 12 Long Island, has been officially recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records for the “Longest Career as a Sports Broadcaster.” Wolff, in his 73rd year behind the microphone, started his career at WDNC in Durham, North Carolina, while still a freshman at Duke University in 1939. On the national level Wolff has worked for all the major TV networks and has covered such classic events as Don Larsen’s perfect game in 1956 and the 1958 NFL Championship Game. Locally he is known in Washington as the pioneering TV voice of the Senators and in New York he has been a staple at Madison Square Garden covering the Knicks and Rangers. The 91-year-old shows no sign of slowing down as he just signed a two-year contract extension with News 12 where he has been since the station launched in 1986.

Gary Carter, Hall of Fame catcher and ASA Lifetime Member died Thursday after a battle with brain cancer. He was 57.(for full story see In Memoriam)

Mike Breen, New York Knicks play-by-play announcer, called in to the “ Imus in the Morning” show on February 16, where he received praise from Don Imus for his “Bang” call of Jeremy Lin’s game winning 3-pointer with .5 seconds to go against the Toronto Raptors. Breen went on to say that the young phenom is “the ultimate underdog,” and his rise to stardom is one of the most extraordinary things he’s seen in 20 years.

NFL analyst Ron Jaworski has received a five-year contract extension from ESPN, but the network announced on Wednesday that he no longer will be part of the “Monday Night Football” broadcast.(for full story see Articles)

Kudos to ASA members Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth for their informative, entertaining and exciting call of Super Bowl XLVI. It was reported by NBC that a record 113 million viewers tuned in as Eli Manning and the NY Giants narrowly defeated Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, 21-17, in a thrilling down-to-the-wire battle. More than two million fans streamed the game live on their computers and iPads, the first time the NFL’s title game was legally streamed.

NBC Sports Group has reached an agreement to begin televising the Breeder's Cup World Championships with the 2012 edition. NBC previously aired the Breeders' Cup from 1984 to 2005.(for full story see Articles)

The American Sportscasters Association would like to offer our most sincere Get Well Wishes to ASA members Todd Ant, Sports Anchor/Reporter for ABC Radio Network and the American Sports Correspondent for BBC News, and Bert Sugar, noted author and boxing historian, as they recover from health ailments. Both are longtime ASA members who have given so much of their time and effort over the years in support of the organization and its many endeavors, and we wish them nothing but the best on their road to recovery.

Tim McCarver, an All-Star catcher who discovered a second career as a folksy announcer known for explaining the game in exacting detail, won the Hall of Fame's Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting excellence on Wednesday.(for full story see News)

Larry Munson, who spent 42 years as the radio play-by-play announcer for Georgia’s football team, died Nov. 20 at the age of 89 after complications from pneumonia. (For Full Story see In Memoriam)

NBC Sports Group has chosen Stamford, Conn., for new studios and offices. The new location starting in 2012 will consolidate much of NBC Sports’ Northeast operations. NBC will also build a studio for the NHL Network.

Ten of baseball’s most beloved and honored broadcasters were named as the finalists for the 2012 Ford C. Frick Award, presented annually for excellence in baseball broadcasting by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. (for full story see news)

Dick Vitale, ASA member and ESPN college basketball analyst, was honored on September 30th at The Brownstone in Paterson, NJ, for his work as the voice of the Jimmy V Foundation. Over the years, Vitale has helped raise more than $100 million in his quest to help find a cure for cancer. Vitale, a New Jersey native, got his start coaching high school basketball at East Rutherford and Garfield before moving on to college ball at Rutgers.

Many people think of the American Revolution’s Battle of Lexington and Concord when they hear the “Shot Heard ’Round the World.” However, for baseball fans, the phrase takes on a completely different meaning. It refers to New York Giants’ outfielder Bobby Thomson’s three-run home run off Ralph Branca of the Brooklyn Dodgers to win the 1951 National League pennant. Oct. 3 marked the 60th anniversary of this famous home run. In his autobiography, “A Moment in Time: An American Story of Baseball, Heartbreak and Grace,” published Sept. 20 by Simon & Schuster Inc., Branca focuses more so on his upbringing and family life than on baseball.(For full story see Articles)

In a poll recently conducted by the American Sportscasters Association, its members questioned why sportscasters are not involved in the National Baseball Hall of Fame voting process. (For full story see News).

Sam DeLuca, former radio voice of the New York Jets and TV analyst on NBC, died on September 13, 2011, of pancreatic cancer. He was 75.(For Full Story see In Memoriam)

Bob Miller, ASA member, has signed a new two-year contract with the Los Angeles Kings. The 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons will see Miller reach 40 years as "The Voice of the Kings." He does Kings TV play-by-play on Fox Sports West.

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez, longtime ASA member and veteran Spanish-language announcer, is currently doing TV play-by-play for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Los Angeles Clippers

Westchester’s WVOX Worldwide Sets Aside Program Time for Aspiring Sportscasters - The New York area station (WVOX 1460 AM and wvox.com) has made it easy for emerging sports talkers to produce and host their own live shows at special reduced rates. For further information, call David O’Shaughnessy, son of Whitney Media Chairman Bill O’Shaughnessy, at 914-636-1460.

Dick Ebersol, who left NBC this past May due to stalled contact negotiations, is returning to NBC Sports as a Special Advisor to NBC Sports Group President Mark Lazurus.

Ebersol, who was the main driving force behind NBC’s historic acquisitions of the Olympic Games for the past two decades, will lend his expertise to NBC’s coverage of “Sunday Night Football and the 2012 Summer Games in London.

Vin Scully, ASA Hall of Famer and legendary Voice of the Dodgers, has announced he will be returning for the 2012 season, marking an unheard of 63rd year with the team.

Scully surprised listeners with good news during the August 26th contest between the Dodgers and Rockies.

During the broadcast on Prime Ticket Scully said, “...after a lot of soul searching and a few prayers, we’ve decided that we will come back with the Dodgers next year. God’s been awfully good to me, allowing me to do the things I love to do. I asked him, 'One more year at least?' and he said. 'OK.' "

Shortly after Scully’s announcement, the Dodgers put out a release that the entire eight-man broadcast team will be returning which includes ASA member Rick Monday, Charley, Steiner, Steve Lyons, Eric Collins, longtime ASA members and Spanish voices Jaime Jarrin and Pepe Yniguez, as well as Fernando Valenzuela.

Brian Kenny, 14-year veteran at ESPN, will be leaving to join the MLB Network as their primary studio anchor. Kenny is also looking for a boxing gig and HBO and Showtime have shown interest.

Rich Gannon has been teamed with ASA member Marv Albert for this year's NFL telecasts on CBS

Chris Evert is making her U.S Open debut for ESPN working as a studio and match analyst. The six-time U.S. Open champion joined the network this summer at Wimbledon.

Former Baltimore Orioles pitcher Mike Flanagan, a Cy Young Award winner who became a television announcer and top executive with the club, died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound Wednesday afternoon, according to police.(For full story, see News)

Howard Eskin, longtime ASA member and sports talk radio pioneer, has decided to step down as host of his daily radio show on WIP in Philadelphia after 25 years effective Sept. 2. He said he will remain at the station in a different capacity as well as pursue other opportunities. Eskin recently served as fill-in host on Dan Patrick’s national radio show.

ESPN announced the additions of Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice and two-time Super Bowl-winning coach Bill Parcells for the 2011 season. Parcells, who returns to ESPN after most recently working in the Miami Dolphins' front office, will make his first appearance on "Monday Night Countdown" on Aug. 15 before the New York Jets-Houston Texans preseason game. He will make his regular-season "Monday Night Countdown" debut Sept. 12 in Miami, at a game featuring two of his former teams -- the Dolphins against the New England Patriots. He also will make appearances during the season on "Sunday NFL Countdown" and contribute to two "SportsCenter Special" shows: "Super Bowl Confidential" and "Draft Confidential." Rice will make his first appearance as an ESPN analyst on the Sept. 15 edition of "Audibles," from ESPN's Los Angeles studio. The show, which debates topics based on fans' suggestions, also will feature Steve Young, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback who threw 85 touchdown passes to Rice. Rice, a three-time Super Bowl champion, also will appear on "NFL Live" and "SportsCenter" from ESPN's Bristol, Conn., studios during the 2011 season.

A statue of Hall of Fame broadcaster Harry Kalas was unveiled by the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on August 16 before a game between the Phillies and Arizona Diamondbacks. Fans took turns touching and admiring the $80,000 bronze masterpiece which was created by sculptor Lawrence J. Nolan and stands in the plaza below Harry the K's restaurant in the left field corner of the ballpark.

Former WABC-TV sportscaster Marvell Scott pleaded guilty on August 16 to endangering the welfare of a child and will serve 20 days community service. Scott, 36, was to be arraigned on second degree rape charges but in a plea agreement, was allowed to plead guilty to the misdemeanor charge. Scott left television last year to work as a full-time sports medicine doctor.

Jim Nantz, lead play-by-play announcer for The NFL on CBS and ASA Board Member, received the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 2011 Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award, given annually by the Pro Football Hall of Fame recognizes “long-time exceptional contributions to radio and television in professional football.” (For full story see news)

August 5th marked the 90th anniversary of Harold Arlin calling the world's first baseball broadcast on Pittsburgh's KDKA Radio, the nation's first commercial radio station. Arlin described what he was seeing on the field to those beyond the ballpark as he spoke into a converted telephone from a seat behind home plate at Forbes Field as the Pirates defeated the Phillies, 8-5.

ASA members and Basketball Hall of Famers Bill Walton, Tom Heinsohn and Ann Meyers will serve as presenters at the 2011 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremonies to be held Aug. 12 in Springfield, Mass. Walton, Heinsohn, and Meyers will present new Hall of Famers Arvydas Sabonis, Tom "Snatch" Sanders and Teresa Edwards, respectively, for induction.

Jim Durham, lead NBA announcer for ESPN Radio and former TV voice of the Chicago Bulls from 1972-1991, will receive the Curt Gowdy Media Award from the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame during their annual induction ceremonies in Springfield, Mass., on August 12.

July 2nd marked the 90th anniversary of the first sports broadcast in New York. WJY Radio carried the Jack Dempsey - Georges Carpentier heavyweight championship bout from Jersey City.

No longer will American tennis fans have to search for Wimbledon matches on TV. All England Club officials achieved their goal of having the entire tournament televised live and by the same company in the U.S. under their new 12-year contract with ESPN, ending a 43-year run on NBC. (For More see Articles)

Iconic sports broadcasters Bob Costas and Al Michaels will team up to announce a baseball game for the first time on the MLB Network. The duo will call the July 8 game between the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park.(For more see News)

Brad Nessler, ASA Lifetime member and college football play-by-by voice for ABC & ESPN, has been hired by the NFL Network for their “Thursday Night Football” telecasts for the 2011-2012 season. He will be joined by the NFL Network’s draft guru Mike Mayock. The network will broadcast eight regular-season games starting Nov. 10 when the Chargers host their division rivals, the Oakland Raiders.

Al Michaels, ASA Member and play-by-play voice of NBC’s “Sunday Night Football, received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of TV Arts & Sciences at their 32 Annual Sports Emmy Awards on May 2 in New York City.(For more see News)

Pat Summerall,ASA Hall of Famer and legendary NFL announcer, received the Vin Scully Lifetime Achievement Award in Sports Broadcasting from Fordham University’s WFUV Radio at their annual Spring Gala on May 2 in New York City.(For full story see News)

Chris Carrino, radio voice of the New Jersey Nets on WFAN Radio, has said publicly for the first time that he suffers from a form of muscular dystrophy. In an effort to raise money for this disease, Carrino, 40, has launched the Chris Carrino Foundation for FSHD, which is a genetic muscle wasting disease effecting both children and adults in a variety of ways.

Ralph Kiner, ASA Lifetime Member, is celebrating his 50th year broadcasting New York Mets baseball. Kiner was part of the original broadcasting team along with Lindsey Nelson and Bob Murphy when the Mets started play in 1962.

Bob Wolff, the longest running broadcaster in television and radio history, has authored a new book entitled, The Complete Guide to Sportscasting. Wolff, 90, a longtime fixture on the New York sports scene for decades, can still be seen on Long Island’s News 12.

Keith Hernandez, ASA member and New York Mets analyst on SNY, noted on the air recently in self-amazement that he has now been retired from baseball for more than 20 years.

Brooks Robinson Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame third baseman and former Orioles color commentator, was hospitalized after developing a fever and infection before a scheduled outpatient surgery at Greater Baltimore Medical Center on March 31. A release from Robinson stated that his doctors chose to fight the infection and he is responding well to antibiotics.

Bert Sugar, ASA member, noted author and boxing historian, was honored on March 16 with a Citation read on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives in recognition of his charitable work and support of the youth in his hometown of Washington, DC. Sugar, who serves on the Board of Directors of DC’s youth organization, Kids in Trouble, was honored with their 2005 Lifetime Achievement Award. Sugar was in Washington broadcasting the Armed Forces Boxing Tournament.

John Miley’s decades-long passion for sports led him to collect an extensive archive of historical moments in athletic competition. Miley and the Library of Congress announced today that his vast collection of sports broadcast recordings made prior to 1972—known in the sporting world as The Miley Collection—will reside among the collections in the world’s largest library. This acquisition represents the largest and most significant collection of sports broadcasts in America.(For full story see News)

Dick Vitale, ASA member and ESPN college basketball analyst, hopes to raise $1 million for pediatric cancer research for his V Foundation with his new book, Dickie V’s ABC’s and 123's.

Andres Cantor, ASA Lifetime Member and renowned soccer announcer, is celebrating his 10th anniversary with Deportes Telemundo. The station also announced it will be giving him a contract extension. Cantor, a pioneer in Hispanic media, served as the main anchor on Telemundo’s coverage of the 2004 and ‘08 Olympics and is the host of several soccer shows. Cantor also has a daily radio program that can be heard in over 100 stations in the U.S. In 2000, Cantor, became the first announcer to cross over when he became the lead English-language announcer for NBC’s coverage of the Olympic Games in Sydney. Known for his signature call, “Gooooal!,” when a team scores, Cantor was named the ASA’s 1994 Sports Personality of the Year.

Are you the next Chicago Cubs announcer?
The Cubs announced a contest giving fans a chance to become their next public address announcer at Wrigley Field. The current PA announcer Paul Friedman is leaving the organization to "pursue a new job opportunity" that would keep him from working day games at Wrigley. Fans can submit their audio or video applications to http://cubs.careerbuilder.com. Finalists will be selected by March 14, and the winner will be selected March 25.

Tommy Hutton, ASA member and Florida Marlins announcer, is celebrating his 30th year in broadcasting and 47th year overall in baseball. Hutton played with the Dodgers, Phillies, Blue Jays and Expos before becoming a broadcaster in 1982. He has served as a color analyst for the Expos, Yankees, Blue Jays, ESPN and the Marlins, where has been for the last 15 years.

Scottie Pippen, former Chicago Bulls All-Star, will make his debut as an analyst on Comcast Sports Net’s Chicago Bulls telecasts on March 4.

ESPN announced its new lineups for its 2011 baseball telecasts. ASA member Dan Shulman, Orel Hershiser and Bobby Valentine is the new team for Sunday night games; ASA member Sean McDonough, Rick Sutcliffe and Aaron Boone will handle Monday night duties; and ASA member Dave O’Brien and Nomar Garciaparra will call the action on Wednesdays.

Joe Torre, ASA Lifetime Member, has been hired as MLB's executive vice president of baseball operations. Commissioner Bud Selig made the long–anticipated announcement on Saturday, Feb. 26, before the dedication of the new spring facility for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies.(For full story see Articles)

The Golf Channel removed Jim Gray from its coverage of the Northern Trust Open on February 18, for his handling of Dustin Johnson's penalty for nearly missing his tee time. Johnson's caddie, Bobby Brown, had the wrong tee time for the opening round, leading to a two-stroke penalty. Brown said Gray approached Johnson on his way to the 14th tee to ask him why he was late to the tee. As Johnson was signing his card, Brown told Gray that the middle of the round was not the time to be asking such a question. "Our aim is to provide the best possible golf coverage for our viewers. Anything else is a disservice," Golf Channel spokesman Dan Higgins said in a statement. "In order not to provide further distraction, we've decided to remove Jim from this particular assignment.

Joe Starkey, ASA member and the voice of University of California Golden Bears football since 1975, was the recipient of the National Football Foundation’s “Chris Schenkel Award” given for a distinguished career as a college football broadcaster. Starkey received the award at the Foundation‘s annual dinner held at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City on Dec. 7, 2010.

Michael Kay, play-by-play voice of the New York Yankees on YES Network, married WPIX-TV news anchor Jodi Applegate on February 12. Former New York City Mayor and die hard Yankees fan Rudy Giuliani married the two during a lavish ceremony at The Plaza Hotel in New York City.

Suzyn Waldman, ASA member and NY Yankees radio announcer on WCBS, is participating in the 2011 Honorary Bat Girl Contest, which honors fans who have been affected by breast cancer. Waldman, a breast cancer survivor, is one of the judges on the panel that will help choose Honorary Bat Girls, who will be recognized on the field during Mother’s Day celebrations of their favorite clubs. Fans can share their stories and vote for their favorites at honorarybatgirl.com.

Troy Aik-Met?...FOX NFL Analyst Troy Aikman was a guest on HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” recently and he talked about how a baseball career with the New York Mets almost pre-empted his decision to enroll at Oklahoma and embark on his football odyssey.

Aikman: “I got a call from the New York Mets and what they said was, ‘We need to know what it’s gonna take to get you to forgo college.’”

Bryant Gumbel: “Did you pitch?”

Aikman: “I was a pitcher and a shortstop. And so when they said, ‘What’s its gonna take,’ I said, ‘I don’t know, $200,000.’ They said, ‘$200,000? Darryl Strawberry is not even making that much money.’ And I said, “Well, that’s what its gonna take.’ And they said, ‘You go have a nice football career at Oklahoma.’” courtesy of “The Rumble” - NY Post

ASA recently secured a voice over job for longtime member Ian Eagle, NFL analyst on CBS, who was chosen to narrate the upcoming 2010 Virginia Tech football “Season in Review” DVD. Over the last several years, the ASA has been instrumental in securing voice over duties for its members including Brad Nessler, Verne Lundqusit and Tim Brando. Not to mention movie roles for members Merle Harmon, Greg Lucas and Bob Ortegel, in 2006's “Glory Road” and Gary McKillips who was cast in the 2007 ESPN film, “Ruffian.”

Bobby Valentine, one of the new voices of ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball,” has been named as the Director of Public Safety and Public Health in Stamford, Conn., his hometown. Valentine said the new position will not interfere with his baseball analyst duties at ESPN

Ron Franklin has filed a lawsuit against ESPN for wrongful termination after the company dismissed Franklin, who had been with the company for 25 years, on Jan. 4.(For full story see Articles)

POSITION WANTED - Amaury Pi-Gonzalez, ASA member and Spanish-language play-by-play announcer with 33 years of MLB experience most recently with the Oakland A’s, is currently looking for employment for the upcoming 2011 baseball season. Gonzalez was recently inducted into the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame with fellow ASA member Jon Miller. Please contact the ASA if interested.

Dave Van Horne, ASA member who has spent the last 42 seasons calling play-by-play action for the Montreal Expos and the Florida Marlins, has been selected as the 2011 recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award, presented annually by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum for excellence in baseball broadcasting.(for full story see News)

Don Meredith, former Dallas Cowboys quarterback who also manned the "Monday Night Football" broadcast booth, passed away on December 6 at the age of 72 after suffering a brain hemorrhage and lapsing into a coma. He had also been battling emphysema in recent years and suffered a stroke in 2004.

Meredith led the Cowboys to NFL title games in 1966 and 1967, losing both contests to the Packers, before abruptly retiring at age 31 in 1968.

He joined the “MNF” booth in 1970 and quickly became one of the most popular broadcasters in sports known for his colorful personality, down home humor and on-air feuds with longtime partner Howard Cosell. His signature call was singing the famous Willie Nelson song “Turn Out the Lights” when it appeared the game’s outcome had been determined. Meredith left ABC after the 1973 season for a three-year stint with NBC before returning to MNF in 1977. He retired in 1984, one year after Cosell left the team.

Meredith’s success as an announcer helped pave the way for future ex-athletes to enter the sports broadcasting field once their playing careers had ended.

Dan Shulman, Orel Hershiser and Bobby Valentine will be in the booth for ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball" next season, the network recently announced.

Shulman has been a radio voice for "Sunday Night Baseball" as well as other ESPN TV games. Hershiser worked on "Sunday Night Baseball" last season; Valentine, a former player and manager who served as an analyst on ESPN's "Baseball Tonight" last season, joins the booth for the first time.

The team replaces Jon Miller and Joe Morgan, whose contracts were not renewed after last season. Miller and Morgan had been the voices of "Sunday Night Baseball" for 21 seasons.

Bill Walton, ASA Board Member, made his return to broadcasting on November 12, 2010 as a part-time color commentator for the Sacramento Kings. (For full story see News)

ASA member and Cleveland Cavaliers radio announcer Joe Tait was released from The Cleveland Clinic on Nov. 16.(For full story see news)

Hall of Fame announcer Dave Niehaus, the lead voice for the Seattle Mariners since their inception, died Wednesday, November 10, 2010. (For full story see In Memoriam)

Joe Buck, ASA Lifetime member, called his 13th World Series on FOX, surpassing career play-by-play totals of broadcasting greats such as Curt Gowdy, Vin Scully and Joe’s father, Jack Buck, who called 11 Fall Classics. For veteran analyst Tim McCarver, 2010 marks the 21st year he will be providing color commentary for a World Series, a streak that might be impossible to ever match.

Gus Johnson has been relieved of his duties as radio play-by-play voice of the New York Knicks on the MSG Network. Mike Crispino, an announcer for MSG Radio and TV since 1992, will take over.

George Blaha, ASA member and Detroit Pistons announcer for 30 years, was recently inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame. Other inductees included Bob Becker, Steve Fraser, Rick Leach, Meg Mallon, Herman Moore, Eddie Murray, Bill Flemming, Marian Ilitch, Jack Roush and Jon Urbanchek

Gary Gerould, ASA member, recently worked his 1,500th network telecast, the NHRA US Nationals at Indianapolis on ESPN. He is also approaching his 2,000th broadcast as the play-by-play radio voice of the Sacramento Kings.

CBS Sports reinstated "The NFL Today" analyst Shannon Sharpe after a woman who had obtained an order of protection against him withdrew her compaint from a Georgia court

Bert Sugar, ASA member, noted author and boxing historian, made the list of “Boxing’s 100 Most Influential People,” which was released by Yahoo! Sports on September 5. Sugar came in at number 28 ahead of such boxing luminaries as George Foreman, Oscar De La Hoya, Larry Holmes, Joe Frazier, Gene Tunney and Willie Pep. Sugar has written over 75 books, mostly on boxing, and was the editor of Ring Magazine and Boxing Illustrated.

Aside from his boxing notoriety, Sugar is also known in the baseball world for his Sports Collectors Bible, a comprehensive reference guide for baseball card enthusiasts, which he first published over 35 years ago. His latest effort is the Baseball Maniac’s Alamanac, which is being billed as “The absolutely, positively, and without question greatest book of facts, figures and astonishing lists ever complied.”

The National Baseball Hall of Fame is allowing fans to nominate their favorite broadcaster for the prestigious Ford C. Frick Award through the museum’s facebook site, www.facebook.com/baseballhall, from Sept. 1 through Sept. 30. The top three fan selections will be placed on the ballot for the award, with the winner to be announced at baseball’s winter meetings in December.

Jim Gray, the 1998 and 1999 ASA Sportscaster of the Year (Reporter), has joined the Sacramento Kings as a special correspondent. He will serve as a reporter on 20 Kings games this season, as well as cover special Kings events and conduct interviews with high profile figures around the world to be aired on Kings broadcasts.

George Eichorn, ASA member and Executive Director of the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association, recently received Special Recognition Award given annually by the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame.

ASA Board Member Jon Miller received the Ford C. Frick Award during the annual Baseball Hall of Fame Induction ceremonies in Cooperstown, NY on July 25, 2010. ASA President Lou Schwartz was also on hand for the festivities and to show support for Miller (For Miller's speech and photos from the event see News)

George Steinbrenner, whose thirst for winning gained him infamy as Yankees owner, died Tuesday, July 13, the team confirmed, after suffering a massive heart attack at his Tampa home. He was 80 years old.(For full story see news)

Bob Sheppard, whose elegant introductions of stars from Joe DiMaggio to Derek Jeter at Yankee Stadium for more than a half century earned him the nickname "The Voice of God," died Sunday, July 11. He was 99.(For full story see news)

Scott Clark, ASA Advisory Board member and sports anchor for WABC-TV Ch. 7 in New York since 1986, has decided he will be retiring in January to enjoy life away from the sports desk. With his contract set to expire in January, Clark said he went to station management and said it was time to go. They offered to negotiate a new deal, but he, with the support of his family, made the decision to step away."I just told them it was not about money or anything else. This was my decision," he said.

Lorn Brown, former Chicago White Sox announcer died on June 24. He was 71. Brown called games on television and radio from 1976-79 and 1983-88. He also did games for DePaul, Notre Dame, Bradley, the Big Ten and Atlantic Coast Conference before moving in 2005 to Las Cruces, where he worked for New Mexico State. Brown worked alongside Harry Caray, Jimmy Piersall, Don Drysdale, Early Wynn and Del Crandall in the White Sox booth. He was at the microphone in 1983 when the White Sox clinched the AL West title to reach the postseason for the first time since 1959.

Legendary voice of the Detroit Tigers Ernie Harwell received the “Vin Scully Lifetime Achievement Award” posthumously at Fordham University’s WFUV-Spring Gala on May 5th in New York City. Former Tiger great and baseball Hall of Famer Al Kaline accepted the award on Harwell’s behalf.

Elisabeth Hasselbeck issued a public apology on “The View” to “Dancing with the Stars” contestant and ESPN reporter Erin Andrews after Hasselbeck said Andrews’ costumes were too provocative, especially since she was a recent victim of a peeping tom.

Longtime Detroit Tigers broadcaster Ernie Harwell, beloved by generations of fans who grew up listening to his rich voice, Southern cadence and quirky phrases on the radio, has died after a months-long battle with cancer. He was 92.(See In Memoriam for full story)

Hall of Fame boxing referee Arthur Mercante, the third man in the ring for the first Joe Frazier-Muhammad Ali fight and more than a hundred other world title bouts, died Saturday. He was 90. Mercante, a longtime friend of ASA President Lou Schwartz, died at his home in Westbury, said Edward Brophy, executive director of the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota. The cause of death wasn't disclosed.

ASA member Bob Uecker was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Uecker, the longtime voice of the Milwaukee Brewers, served as Master of Ceremonies for Wrestlemania III and IV. He was inducted by longtime friend and Chairman of NBC Universal Sports & Olympics Dick Ebersol.

Sports broadcasting and cable pioneer, Chester R. "Chet" Simmons, who served as president of ESPN when it launched in 1979, died of natural causes Thursday, March 25, in Atlanta. He was 81.(For Full Story see News)

Tony Kornheiser has been suspended as host of ESPN's "Pardon the Interruption" for comments he made on his radio show last week about Hannah Storm's wardrobe, according to several media reports. (For full story see News)

ASA Board member Jon Miller, who has spent parts of five decades as the voice of five major league baseball teams, was selected Monday, February 1, as the 2010 recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award. (For full story see News)

Ernie Harwell, ASA Hall of Famer and legendary voice of the Detroit Tigers, celebrated his 92nd birthday on January 25.

Rory Markas, who called Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim games on both TV and radio for the past eight seasons, died on January 4. He was 54. Markas was also the voice of USC men's basketball and was a reporter and sportscaster for KTTV-TV in Los Angeles.

Peter Gammons, veteran ESPN baseball analyst since 1989, has moved to the MLB Network where he will appear on the studio shows “Hot Stove” and “MLB Tonight,” as well as do online reporting for the station’s website.

George Michael, a mainstay on the Washington, DC, sports television scene for decades who reached a national audience with “The George Michael Sports Machine,” has died. He was 70 years old.”Sports Machine” began shortly after Michael’s arrival at WRC-TV in Washington in 1980 as “George Michael’s Sports Final,” a late night local feature. Then in 1984 it grew into the first nationally syndicated sports highlights show, eventually airing in 194 markets across the country and in 10 foreign countries. It was a trendsetting program, gaining its footing in the days before ESPN and cable television were widely available.

Bill Mazer’s legendary 69-year broadcasting career likely ended last month when “The Amazin’” stepped down as host of a talk show on WVOX AM in Westchester, NY. Mazer,89, who hosted the first call-in sports show in 1964 on NBC Radio, admitted that his hearing has started to falter which prompted him to hang up his headphones. Mazer is probably best known as the host of “Sports Extra” for over 20 years on WNYW-TV Ch.5 in New York. He was also the first TV broadcaster of the New York Knicks when they played in the BAA in 1947.

ASA member Peggy Kusinski of NBC 5 in Chicago won the Midwest Regional Emmy Award for Individual Excellence as a sportscaster for the second straight year. She also won for Outstanding Feature Reporting.

"Oh my!" The Padres have landed a legend for their television broadcast team -- ASA Chairman Dick Enberg, who is considered not only one of the most versatile broadcasters in sports, but also one of the most recognized.(For Full Story, see News)

Chip Caray has called his final baseball game for TBS. Network spokesman Jeff Pomeroy confirmed Monday that TBS and the announcer have decided to part ways.A son of late Braves broadcaster Skip Caray and a grandson of famed broadcaster Harry Caray, Chip had called first-round playoff games for TBS during the past three seasons. He originally worked with Tony Gwynn and Bob Brenly, then teamed with Ron Darling and Buck Martinez.Caray also was part of the network’s Sunday regular-season package. Pomeroy said no replacement has been picked.“Since the end of the 2009 MLB Playoffs, we’ve had several discussions with Chip Caray regarding 2010 and beyond. Both sides agree that now is the right time to move ahead on different paths,” the network said in a statement.

Bob Sheppard has no intentions of returning to his longtime job as the public address announcer at Yankee Stadium, MLB.com reported on Nov. 26. (For Full Story, see News)

ASA Advisory Board member Todd Ant was one of the 17 prominent members of the radio industry to be inducted as part of the first class of the Hoftra University Radio Hall of Fame on Nov. 7. Ant has been a sportscaster in the New York market for nearly 30 years and is currently with the ABC Sports Radio Network and is the American correspondent for BBC Radio, UK.

Legendary golfer and ASA member Arnold Palmer received a Congressional Gold Medal from President Obama during a ceremony at the White House on September 30. The seven-time major championship winner also celebrated his 80th birthday on Sept. 10.

Elissa Walker Campbell, ASA member, has joined the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder as a host and sideline reporter for Fox Sports Oklahoma.

ASA member Bonnie Bernstein has joined "The Michael Kay Show" on ESPN 1050 AM in New York as an update newsperson.

ASA member Hank Goldberg has returned to Miami radio as the midday host at WAXY-AM.

Ernie Harwell, the 91-year-old Baseball Hall of Fame honoree ASA Hall of Famer and longtime broadcaster for the Detroit Tigers, said Friday that he has inoperable cancer.(For full story see news)

ASA Member & CBS Sports' Lesley Visser, voted the No. 1 Female Sportscaster of all-time by the American Sportscasters Association, broke new ground as the first woman analyst for a television broadcast of an NFL game. (for full story see Articles)

Major League Baseball's first televised game took place 70 years ago today, August 26. (For more info see News)

Jerry Remy is working in the Boston Red Sox broadcast booth for the first time in more than three months.(For full story see News)

Vin Scully has announced he will return to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ booth for the 2010 season, his 61st season broadcasting Dodgers’ games. It was widely speculated that Scully would retire at the end of this season when his contract was up.

Damon Amendolera has left WQAM in Miami to become the evening host at Boston’s new sports radio station, WBZ-FM.

John Andariese, former Fordham University basketball star and longtime New York Knicks announcer, will be honored as a new member of the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame at their 20th annual event on September 24. Andariese will also be entering his 31st year as an analyst with the Knicks on the MSG Network.

The ASA recently announced its list of the "Top 15 Women Sportscasters." Veteran CBS sportscaster Lesley Visser was voted number one.(For Press Release and Full List see News)

The ASA was shocked and appalled to learn that ESPN reporter Erin Andrews was spyed on and secretly videotaped in her hotel room.(For Full Story see News)

Veteran broadcaster Jerry Schemmel has accepted an offer to become the play-by-play announcer for Colorado State University football and men’s basketball broadcasts on the Colorado State Radio Network.(for full story see Articles section)

Best wishes to 21-year ASA member and ESPN college football analyst Lee Corso, who is recovering from a minor stroke. Lee plans to be back for the start of the regular season which starts in late August.

D'Marco Farr and Jim Hanifan have traded jobs on St. Louis rams' radio broadcasts. Farr will be the in-game color analyst this season while Hanifan will be the pre-and post-game analyst.

Jorge Sedano is the new morning show host on WAXY-AM in Miami moving from middays. He is joined by Krystal Fernandez. Steve White and Brandon Guzio have taken over the midday spot.

Detroit Tigers radio broadcaster Dan Dickerson is taking some time off to have surgery following a jogging accident and will be replaced by John Keating.

Fox has hired John Lynch as an NFL analyst and let go Brian Baldinger.

ESPN has announced that former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden will replace Tony Kornheiser on the network's “Monday Night Football” broadcasts.(For full story see News)

The National Academy of TV Arts & Sciences held it 30th annual Sports Emmy Awards on April 27 at Lincoln Center in New York City.

The awards were presented by a distinguished group of sports personalities including Cris Collinsworth, Dan Hicks, Jim Nantz, James Brown, Joe Buck, Tim McCarver, Karl Ravech, Hannah Storm, Kyle Petty, Dennis Eckersley. Mary Carillo, and Max Kellerman.

Dick Ebersol, Chairman of NBC Sports & Olympics who has led NBC Sports for 20 years, was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

NBC was the big winner of the night taking home 9 Emmys followed by HBO (8), CBS (5), FOX (5), ESPN (4), FSN (3), TNT (2) and ABC (1).

In the Outstanding Sports Personlity category, Bob Costas (NBC) won for Studio Host, Jim Nantz (CBS) for Play-by-Play, Terry Bradshaw (FOX) and Tom Jackson (ESPN) for Studio Analysts, and Cris Collinsworth (NBC) for Event Analyst.

Ken Stabler will not return as radio analyst on niversity of Alabama football broadcasts. Stabler had been on leave since being arrested on a D.U.I. last June.

Retired sportscaster Les Keiter died in Hawaii at age 89 after a long illness. Keiter broadcast baseball, boxing, football and New York Knicks basketball in New York City, Philadelphia and Hawaii for 50 years. He also was the sports director at WFIL-TV in Philadelphia and KHON-TV in Honolulu.

Harry Kalas became the third person to ever have a public viewing in a baseball stadium. Only Babe Ruth in Yankee Stadium and Jack Buck in Busch Stadium had received that honor in death. The Phillies TV booth will be called "The Harry Kalas Broadcast Booth".

With Cris Collinsworth replacing John Madden on NBC's "Sunday Night Football", he will no longer be the analyst for the NFL Network's Thursday and Saturday night telecasts.

David Wells has been signed by TBS as a game analyst for their Sunday telecasts.

Merle Harmon, a legendary Brewers, Braves, and NBC Sports broadcaster has died. He was 82 years old.(For full story see In Memoriam)

John Madden is retiring from football announcing, where his enthusiastic, down-to-earth style made him one of sports’ most popular broadcasters for three decades. The Hall of Fame coach spent the last three seasons on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football.” His final telecast was the Super Bowl in February.(For full story see News)

Radio and TV broadcaster and longtime ASA member Harry Kalas, whose baritone delivery and signature "Outta here!" home run calls provided the soundtrack to Philadelphia baseball for nearly four decades, died Monday, April 13, after collapsing in the broadcast booth before the Phillies' game against the Washington Nationals. He was 73.(For full story see In Memoriam)

Baseball Hall of Famer Dave Winfield has joined ESPN as a studio analyst on "Baseball Tonight."

Arthur Richman, a longtime baseball writer who went on to spend four decades as an executive with the New York Mets and Yankees, died Wednesday. He was 83.(For full story see In Memoriam)

The ASA wishes a speedy recovery for its Board member, ABC/ESPN basketball analyst Bill Walton, who recently had spinal fusion surgery

New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner donated $500,000 to the Baseball Assistance Team (BAT) in memory of longtime Yankee player and broadcaster Bobby Murcer. BAT helps former major league players who are in financial trouble.

Max Kellerman is out at New York’s ESPN Radio 1050 as its 10am - 1pm talk show host. Rumors have Kellerman, who is also a boxing analyst for HBO, joining Mike Francesa on his WFAN Radio afternoon show.

Jim Powell, who was Bob Uecker’s booth mate in Milwaukee, has joined the Atlanta Braves’ radio broadcast team.

Bobby Fenton, whose talk show in Tampa was replaced by the syndicated Dan Patrick Show, has left all-sports WQYK-AM in Tampa.

ASA member Harry Kalas may miss some of the Philadelphia Phillies’ exhibition games broadcasts as he recovers from a minor surgical procedure.

Charles Barkley, analyst on TNT’s “Inside the NBA” studio show, will return from his leave of absence and be back on the air during the network’s NBA coverage on Thursday, Feb. 19. The former NBA star was arrested Dec. 31 for drunken driving in Scottsdale, Ariz., and his leave began Jan. 9. Barkley was forced to miss the TNT's coverage of All-Star Weekend in Phoenix.

Chris Cotter has left SNY in New York to join the Fox Business Channel.

Veteran NBC sportscaster and ASA Advisory Board member Bob Costas has left HBO for the newly created MLB Network (MLBN). Joe Buck, ASA member and Fox’s No. 1 baseball and football voice, has been chosen to replace him.(For full story see Articles)

“Hot Rod” Hundley, who has been the only voice of the New Orleans/Utah Jazz since the team was established 35 years ago, will decide over the summer if he will retire or just broadcast home games next season.

Ducis Rodgers and John Discepolo, the weekday sports anchors at WCBS-TV, have left the station and Sam Ryan, the weekend sportscaster, is expected to replace them. Steve Bartelstein, the weekend news anchor, is expected to also do the sports on his newscasts.

Don Sutton has left the Washington Nationals' telecast team and will be replaced by Rob Dibble. Sutton is rejoining the Atlanta Braves radio broadcast team.

Ken Korach has signed a contract extension to be the radio voice of the Oakland A’s through the 2011 season.

Steve Davis, the host of Baltimore’s WBAL-AM evening sports call-in show, has been laid off. For the time being, Baltimore Sun sports columnist Peter Schmuck will fill some of the talk hours.

Jadon Daley is leaving KIDO-AM in Boise, Idaho, where he did play-by-play for Boise State University football.

Kristen Berset is the new weekend sports anchor at WBFF-TV in Baltimore. Kristen comes to Baltimore from WJHG in Panama City, Fla. Kristen is also a former Miss Florida USA.

Nestor Aparicio is back on the air on WNST-AM in Baltimore replacing Rob Long who left for Fox Radio 1370.

Ex-Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets head coach Herm Edwards has signed on as a studio analyst for ESPN and begins work in mid-February.

The Oakland Athletics and the Spanish Beisbol Network (SBN) have agreed to terms on a five-year contract to broadcast all 162 regular season games in Spanish on KDIA (1640 AM) and KDYA (1190 AM) radio stations, beginning this upcoming 2009 season. It marks the first time in club history the A’s have featured Spanish broadcasts for every regular season game, home and away. Veteran announcer and ASA member Amaury Pi-Gonzalez, a pioneer in establishing Spanish baseball radio play-by-play in the Bay Area, will serve as the “Voice of the A’s” for all Spanish broadcasts.

Jeff Nelson, former Yankees relief pitcher, is joining the MLB Network as a studio analyst.

Turner Sports is celebrating 25 years of covering the NBA.

Vin Scully, legendary voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers and ASA Hall of Famer, will be returning for his 60th year as voice of the Dodgers. Scully was recently voted No. 1 on the ASA’s list of the “Top 50 Sportscasters of All-Time.” (for full list see news)

Ed Podolak, the former Iowa and Kansas City Chiefs football star, has retired as the radio voice of Iowa football after 27 years.

Gil Santos, the longtime morning sports anchor for WBZ-AM in Boston will retire from that job at the end of January. Santos will continue as the voice of the New England patriots.

Joe Starkey has retired as the voice of the San Francisco 49ers and will be replaced by Ted Robinson. Starkey will continue as the voice of the University of California's college football team.

Dave Barnett, ASA member, is joining the Texas Rangers' radio broadcast team replacing Victor Rojas who now works for the MLB Network. Barnett will continue his college football and basketball duties at ESPN.

Gus Johnson has replaced Steve Albert as the voice of Showtime Boxing.

Curtis Fitzpatrick has been hired by KOKH-TV in Oklahoma City as a sports anchor/reporter replacing Liam McHugh.

Brian Kenny will host a nightly ESPN national radio show from 8-10pm Eastern Time beginning February 2nd.

Billy Packer and Bobby Knight will anchor five “Survive and Advance” NCAA Tournament Specials from Las Vegas on FSN in March.

Brady Ackerman has left ESPN 1080 WHOO radio in Orlando.

Tony Kubek has been awarded the 2008 Ford C. Frick Award for Excellence in Broadcasting from the Baseball Hall of Fame. (For full story see News)

Sal Marchiano, a sportscaster for more than 40 years most recently with WPIX-TV in New York, has announced his retirement.

Tim Neverett will replace the recently retired Lanny Frattare in the Pittsburgh Pirates broadcasting booth. Neverett worked for FSN Rocky Mountain as a pre-and post-game studio host and part-time play-by-play announcer for Colorado Rockies telecasts. He also works for VERSUS and The Mountain West Conference Sports Network.

Chris Carlin is joining SNY in New York as the host for the New York Mets’ pre-and post-game studio shows.

Julie Donaldson of WHDH-TV in Boston has left the station to pursue other career opportunities.

ASA Hall of Famer Vin Scully will be inducted into the NAB Hall of Fame on April 21st during a luncheon at their convention in Las Vegas.

Bill Werndl and Joe Tutino have been let go at XX Sports 1090 in San Diego due to budget restrictions.

Dan Jiggetts and Mike North will be the co-hosts of “Monsters in the Morning” a live 3-hour show on Comcast Sports Net in Chicago which begins on January 12th

Stacey Dales, a woman’s basketball analyst and college football sideline reporter for ESPN, has left the network.

Victor Rojas has left the Texas Rangers’ broadcast team to join the MLB Network as a studio host.

Longtime Cleveland Indians’ broadcaster and ASA member Herb Score, who also was a top pitcher before he suffered a serious eye injury that derailed his career, has died at the age of 75. (For full story see In Memoriam)

Matt Vasgersian, who was the San Diego Padres’ TV play-by-play man, has been hired by the new MLB Network to be their lead studio host. Al Leiter and Harold Reynolds have been hired as studio analysts and Hazel Mae and Trenni Kusnierek will be reporters.

Lee Mazzilli is no longer the lead studio baseball analyst for SNY in New York. John Gordon has signed a two-year contract extension to continue as radio play-by-play man for the Minnesota Twins.

The Baltimore Orioles have announced that Gary Thorne will be returning as their TV play-by-play voice next season and Amber Theoharis will return as the in-game reporter.

Larry Munson was forced to retire as the football voice of the University of Georgia Bulldogs due to his failing health and his feelings that he wasn’t able to broadcast the games up to the level the Bulldogs’ fans deserve.

Lanny Frattare has retired as the voice of the Pittsburgh Pirates after a career that spanned over three decades.

Ralph Strangis and Darryl Reaugh have signed long-term contract renewals to continue to broadcast Dallas Stars hockey through the 2003-14 season.

Dick Lynch, who starred at cornerback for the New York Giants during their glory years in the late 1950s and early 1960s and was a longtime radio analyst for the team, has died. He was 72. (For full story, see In Memoriam)

Brian Davis will be the TV voice and Grant Long the color analyst for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the NBA.

Steve Stone will move over from the radio booth to be the color analyst on Chicago White Sox telecasts next season, replacing Darren Jackson. Jackson is considering the team’s offer to move into Stone’s radio position.

Bob Wolff, one of the most honored and longest-running sportscasters in the nation, received the Curt Gowdy Media Award from the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame during their annual induction ceremonies on September 5 in Springfield, Mass.(For Full Story see News)

Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo has left WFAN radio in New York. Mike Francesa, his partner on the “Mike and the Mad Dog” radio show for over 20 years, will continue doing the show by himself for the time being and has signed a new 5-year contract to stay at WFAN. Russo is expected to sign with XM/Sirius Satellite Radio.

Jason Shaver is the new voice of the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League. Jason is replacing Pat Foley, who is returning to work Chicago Blackhawks games after two seasons away.

ASA member Bob Carpenter had his contract renewed for next season to continue as the TV voice of the Washington Nationals.

San Diego State University has hired Chris Ello to be the radio color analyst on KOGO-AM football broadcasts, alongside play-by-play announcer Ted Leitner.

CBS Television and the Southeastern Conference have agreed on a 15-year contract extension to continue broadcasting football and basketball games.

Darren Goldwater is the new radio voice of The Citadel college football games. He also does the school’s baseball broadcasts.

Central Michigan University has named Ryan Schuiling as their new radio voice for college football broadcasts on WCHB-AM.

Paul Peck is the new radio voice of the University of Buffalo college football broadcasts on their new radio home, WECK-AM in Buffalo N.Y. Peck replaces Howard Simon.

Dan Hampton and Laurence Holmes will be the midday hosts at WSCR-AM in Chicago beginning September 2nd. They will replace Mike Mulligan and Brian Hanley who replaced Mike North on the morning show.

KFNS-AM in St. Louis will not be renewing the contracts of their morning hosts, Joe DeNiro and Brian McKenna, but the station will allow them to remain indefinitely.

Skip Caray, a voice of the Atlanta Braves for 33 years and part of a family line of baseball broadcasters that included ASA Hall of Famer Harry Caray, died in his sleep at home on Sunday, the team said. He was 68.(For full story see In Memoriam)

Billy Packer has left CBS Sports and will be replaced as lead color analyst on NCAA Basketball telecasts by ASA member Clark Kellogg.

Bob Wolff will receive the 2008 Curt Gowdy Media Award from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame during enshrinement ceremonies September 4th and 5th in Springfield, Mass. Wolff, who has broadcasted in eight decades, still does sports for News12 on Long Island, NY.

With the NBA’s Seattle Supersonics moving to Oklahoma City starting next season and being renamed the “Thunder,” their radio voice, Matt Pinto, will make the move with the team while their TV voice, Kevin Calabro, will not join them.

ASA Hall of Famer Pat Summerall is resting at home after being hospitalized for two weeks with internal bleeding.

Bobby Murcer, a five-time All-Star outfielder who spent nearly four decades with the New York Yankees as a player, executive and announcer, has died. He was 62. The Yankees said Murcer died Saturday, June 12, due to complications from brain cancer. He was surrounded by family at Mercy Hospital in his hometown of Oklahoma City, the team said. (For full story see In Memoriam)

Dan Patrick has been named a co-host of NBC's "Football Night in America" studio show, reuniting him with Keith Olbermann. The two redefined sports highlights during their time together on ESPN’s SportsCenter from 1992-97.(For full story see News)

Bob Papa has been named as Bryant Gumbel’s replacement as play-by-play man on the NFL Network’s Thursday and Saturday night games of the week. Papa is also the radio voice of the New York Giants.

Kevin Connors, a sports anchor at WCBS-AM, is moving over to the anchor desk at ESPN News at the end of July.

Jeff Skversky, a sportscaster at KMOV-TV in St. Louis, has been fired in a cost-cutting move.

Michael Strahan, the recently retired New York Giants’ football player, is joining Fox’s “NFL Sunday” broadcast. He signed a three year contract worth over $2 million annually.

Barry Melrose, who has been a studio hockey analyst for ESPN for 12 years, is leaving the network to become the head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Mike North, the morning sports talk host on WSCR-AM in Chicago, has been fired. North and the station could not agree on new contract terms.

Charlie Jones, the deep-voiced sportscaster whose career as a play-by-play announcer dated to the beginning of the American Football League in 1960, has died. He was 77.(For Full Story, See In Memoriam)

Jim McKay elegantly covered competitions from badminton to barrel jumping. Yet he may best be remembered for that grim day at the Munich Olympics when he broke the news with three simple words: "They're all gone." The groundbreaking sportscaster died Saturday of natural causes at his farm in Monkton, Md. He was 86. (For Full Story, see In Memoriam)

Neil Funk is the new TV play-by-play man for the Chicago Bulls, moving over from the radio broadcasts. Funk replaces Wayne Larrivee who called games on WGN-TV and Tom Dore who called them for Comcast Sportsnet.

Johnny Kerr will no longer be an analyst at courtside, he will host pregame and halftime shows at the United Center and be the team’s official ambassador. The Bulls will honor Kerr for his longtime service with the team with a sculpture that will be on display at the United Center.

Chuck Swirsky, who was the Toronto Raptors TV play-by-play man, is replacing Funk on the Bulls’ radio broadcasts.

Pat Foley is returning to the Chicago Blackhawks broadcasting booth after a two year absence, replacing Dan Kelly Jr., who replaced him.

Jonathan Coachman, who has worked for WWE, CSTV and MSG, has been hired as a sports anchor by ESPN.

Rod Simons, the main sports anchor at KSTP-TV in Minneapolis/St. Paul, will leave the station when his contract is up in October.

Jeff Gordon and Jeff Vermetti will replace Chris Dimino on KFNS-AM in St. Louis beginning May 27 in early afternoons. Dimino is leaving the St. Louis market. Bob Ramsey and Bob Fescoe will replace the fired Kevin Staton in drive-time afternoons.

FSN West broadcaster Bill MacDonald is recovering from prostate cancer surgery and will be off the air for approximately six weeks.

The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) announced their winners on April 28, 2008, at the 29th Annual Sports Emmy Awards at a special ceremony at Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. (For full story see Articles)

Don Gillis, who worked in Boston for decades, and became the city’s first sports TV anchor in 1962 at WHDH-TV died April 23rd in Falmouth, Mass. at the age of 85. He had battled Alzheimer’s disease for many years. His legendary career in Boston included broadcasting games for all four professional sports teams and the Harvard-Yale football game. He also hosted the popular candlepin bowling show, a radio show called “Voice of Sports” on WHDH-AM and was the sports director at WCVB-TV (the former WHDH) from 1972 until he retired in 1983.

Harold Reynolds is joining SNY in New York as a part-time studio baseball analyst. Reynolds also works for MLB.com.

Tony Pettitti, second in command to Sean McManus at CBS Sports, is leaving the network to run the MLB Channel which begins telecasting in January, 2009.

ESPN Radio has named Scott Van Pelt co-host of Mike Tirico’s afternoon show which will now be called “Tirico & Van Pelt.” In addition, Van Pelt will do a solo hour at 3p.m. replacing Stephen A. Smith.

Bryant Gumbel has left his broadcasting position at the NFL network. Two of the leading names to replace Gumbel are ASA members Tom Hammond and Marv Albert.

On March 17, 2008, the Los Angeles Dodgers played their last spring training game at Holman Stadium, in Vero Beach, Fla. ASA President Lou Schwartz was in attendance for that final game which the Dodgers lost to the Astros, 12-10. (For full story see News)

Legendary University of Georgia football broadcaster Larry Munson had successful surgery on April 4th to remove blood clots on his brain. Munson is expected to make a full recovery and plans to be the primary UGA p-b-p announcer in 2008. Anyone wishing to send Larry best wishes can at: Larry Munson c/o UGA Athletic Association, P.O. Box 1472, Athens, GA. 30603.

Gib Shanley, who was the Voice of the Cleveland Browns for 24 years and the sports anchor for 20 years at WEWS-TV in Cleveland, died on April 6th at the age of 76.

Veteran Boston sportscaster Bob Lobel is leaving WBZ-TV because of a workforce deduction. Lobel joined the station in 1979 as a weekend sports anchor and took over the weekday position two year later. He also hosts “Sports Final” a weekly sports roundup on Sunday nights.

JP Peterson is the new afternoon drive time sports talk host on WQYK-AM in Tampa, Fla.

Andy Adler is the new weekend sports anchor on WNYW-TV in New York City.

Darren Smith, the afternoon co-host at XX Sports radio 1090 in San Diego, has signed a multi-year contract extension to continue on the station.

An emotional Dick Vitale, in his fourth time being nominated for enshrinement into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, was one of seven selected Monday, April 7, to the class of 2008. (For Full Story see Articles)

Ron Darling will be the color analyst for ten games of the TBS Sunday afternoon baseball package. Buck Martinez will be the analyst for the games that Darling isn’t working.

Gary Thorne and Dave Campbell are the new radio broadcast team for ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball” series. Campbell was the radio analyst for the series previously.

When Brent Musberger broadcast the Cubs vs. Brewers opening day baseball game for ESPN on March 31st, it was his first baseball broadcast since he did the Yankees-Mariners playoff series for ABC-TV in 1995.

Jorge Sedano is the new 12pm -3pm radio host on WAXY-AM in Miami, replacing Jon Sciambi. Kevin Rogers will take Sedano’s former spot of 10am -12pm and Jonathan Zaslow will do Rogers’ former evening shift.

Dave Smith and Roger Lodge will do the morning show for Los Angeles’ newest sports-talk station KLAA-AM, followed by the new ”Tony Bruno Show” from 9am -12pm.

John Callaghan, a longtime sportscaster for WNAC-TV in Boston died on March 5th at the age of 81. Mr. Callaghan spent 21 years as the sports anchor at the station and covered some of Boston’s most memorable teams. After leaving TV, Mr. Callaghan worked for the Massachusetts state government in a variety of positions.

ESPN has announced that their baseball analyst, Rick Sutcliffe, has been diagnosed with a treatable form of colon cancer and will miss several months of the upcoming baseball season while he undergoes surgery and chemotherapy.

ASA member Tina Cervasio, who left WCBS-TV in New York several years ago to join NESN in New England, is leaving NESN at the end of March and is expected to return to New York to work for the MSG Network.

Jon Sciambi is leaving his daily talk show on WAXY-AM in Miami.

Ron MacLean will be the prime-time host for CBC’s Beijing Olympic coverage. Scott Russell and Diana Swain will host the morning coverage and Ian Hanomansing will host late-night coverage.

Jim Hughson is leaving Rogers Sportsnet after signing an exclusive six-year deal with the CBC to do Toronto Blue Jays baseball and Hockey Night in Canada.

Chris Singleton has left the Chicago White Sox radio broadcasting team to join ESPN. Steve Stone, who was to work a partial radio schedule, will now work the entire schedule with ASA member Ed Farmer, replacing Chris.

Michael Holley has received a multi-year contract extension from WEEI-AM in Boston. Holley co-hosts the “Dale and Holley Show” middays with Dale Arnold. Holley joined WEEI in 2005.

ASA member Ed Berliner has been hired as a part-time weekend sportscaster at WAXY-AM in Miami.

For the first time since 1960, there won't be a Buck in a St. Louis Cardinals broadcast booth this year. ASA Lifetime Member Joe Buck, who had been doing the play-by-play for a few Redbirds games on FSN Midwest in recent seasons, has decided not to return in order to enjoy himself at the ballpark in a nonworking capacity.(For Full Story, see Articles)

ESPN NFL analyst Sean Salisbury is leaving the network after 12 seasons to pursue other interests. Former All-Pro wide receiver Cris Carter will replace him.

Best wishes to Bobby Murcer who will be undergoing a biopsy to see if he has had a recurrence of brain cancer.

Chris Pelikan is the new weekend sports anchor at KEYE-TV in Austin, TX. He was previously at KTVI-TV and KSLG radio in St. Louis.

Former coach Bobby Knight is joining ESPN as a studio analyst for NCAA basketball championship week and the NCAA Tournament.

Myron Cope spoke in a language and with a voice never before heard in a broadcast booth, yet a loving Pittsburgh understood him perfectly during an unprecedented 35 years as a Steelers announcer. The screechy-voiced Cope, a writer by trade and an announcer by accident whose colorful catch phrases and twirling Terrible Towel became nationally known symbols of the Steelers, died Wednesday at age 79. (For Full Story See In Memoriam)

Happy birthday, Dave Niehaus, you're headed for the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Niehaus, a fixture in the Seattle Mariners' booth since they entered the American League as an expansion franchise in 1977, was named the 2008 winner of the Ford C. Frick Award Tuesday and will be honored at the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies July 27 at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, N.Y. (For Full Story, See News)

HBO has cancelled their sports program “Inside the NFL” after 31 seasons. The show which features ASA members Bob Costas and Dan Marino, as well asCris Collinsworth and Cris Carter, is owned by the NFL and the league will look for a new network to air it. (For Full Story see Articles)

ASA member Ken “Hawk” Harrelson has signed a three-year contract extension to remain the Chicago White Sox’ television announcer through 2011.

Charlie Slowes has resigned to return to the Washington Nationals radio booth as lead announcer for 2008. He rejoins Dave Jageler who signed a new deal earlier in the off-season.

David Cone has been hired by the New York Yankees as a baseball analyst. Cone will work from 50-75 games split between the studio and the booth.

ASA member Marv Albert has signed a new contract with Turner Sports which will keep him as play-by-play announcer for their NBA Thursday night, All Star Game and the conference finals coverage through the 2015-16 basketball season. Marv will also do some games for NBA-TV, a network now operated by Turner Sports.

After undergoing throat surgery Dec. 18, Dick Vitale will return to his favorite spot Wednesday, Feb. 6, behind the microphone for ESPN's coverage of the Duke-North Carolina game. (For Full Story, see News)

Tony Bruno, the morning show host on The Sporting News Radio Network, has left the network.

Wayne Hagin has been hired to be the No. 2 man in the New York Mets’ radio booth, teaming with Howie Rose and replacing Tom McCarthy, who rejoined the Phillies’ broadcasting team.

J.P. Dellacamera and John Harkes will be the new announcing team for ESPN’s “MLS Primetime Thursday” soccer telecasts replacing Dave O’Brien and Eric Wynalda. Wynalda will be an in-studio analyst and O’Brian will concentrate on baseball and basketball duties at ESPN.

ESPN 2 "First Take" host Dana Jacobson returned to the air Monday, January 28, with another apology for comments she made at a Jan. 11 celebrity roast for ESPN Radio personalities Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic.(For Full Story See Articles)

The Florida Marlins have hired Glenn Geffner as their No. 2 radio announcer, teaming with ASA member Dave Van Horne. Geffner shared the Boston Red Sox No. 2 radio job, alongside ASA member Joe Castiglione, with Dave O’Brien in 2007.

David Justice will not return as a studio analyst for Yankees’ games on YES in 2008.

Jerry O’Neill, formerly of WQTM in Orlando (which dropped its sports format) has joined WHOO ESPN1080 to co-host their afternoon show with Brady Ackerman.

Condolences to ASA member Ian Eagle whose father, Jack, passed away at age 81 on January 10th. Jack Eagle was a noted actor and comedian who was most famous for portraying a monk, Brother Dominick, on a Xerox commercial which first aired during the Super Bowl in 1977.

Greg Williams, the co-host of the afternoon drive time show “The Hard Line” has resigned from KTCK-AM in Dallas. Williams had hosted the show since KTCK became an all-sports station in 1994 alongside Mike Rhyner.

Rich Lord has signed a new contract to remain the afternoon co-host on KILT-AM in Houston.

Stu Nahan, a onetime minor-league hockey goalie who delivered sports reports on Los Angeles television and radio for decades, has died. He was 81. (For Full Story, See In Memoriam)

Sportscaster J.P. Peterson and WFLA-TV in Tampa have mutually agreed to part ways when Peterson’s contract expires in March, 2008. Peterson had reported sports on WFLA for more than seven years.

ESPN sportscaster Stuart Scott has been diagnosed with a malignant tumor found during an appendectomy last month. He will stay on the air while undergoing preventative chemotherapy.

Bill Parcells, ESPN NFL analyst, is expected to sign a four-year deal with the Miami Dolphins to be their Vice President of Football Operations. Earlier this week, it was reported that the two-time Super Bowl winning coach was going to accept the same job with the Atlanta Falcons.

Dick Vitale, ASA Lifetime Member, is temporarily stepping down as ESPN’s lead college basketball analyst after undergoing throat surgery Tuesday, December 18.(For Full Story see News)

Joe Torre, ASA Lifetime Member, recently had knee replacement surgery. The 67-year-old former major league catcher said for several years that he needed the operation and had been limping noticeably as of late. The new manager of the Dodgers is also working on a memoir which will be co-authored by Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci. The book will include his years with the Yankees, with whom he won four World Championships, and his general thoughts on the game. Torre will also explain why he chose to walk away as manager of the Yankees and what history will record as the “Torre Era.” Doubleday is publishing the book and it is due out in Spring 2009.

Reischea Canidate is leaving WNYW-TV in New York City to join ESPN News early in 2008.

A record 122,505 fan votes were cast online at www.baseballhall.org throughout November as fans chose three of 10 names to be listed on the ballot for the 2008 Ford C. Frick Award, given annually by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum for excellence in baseball broadcasting. (For full story, see Articles)

Joe Nuxhall, ASA member and the youngest major leaguer at age 15 and later a beloved broadcaster as "the ol' left-hander" in Cincinnati, has died. He was 79.(For Full Story see In Memoriam)

Bruce Miller, former Tulane University football broadcaster, was inducted into the Tulane Athletic Hall of Fame on Oct. 26. Miller, an amusing and entertaining announcer known for the catchphrases "Oh brother!,” “Man alive!,” “Holy cow!” and “Hold the phone!," was the radio voice of Green Wave football from the late 1950s through 1976.

ASA member Hank Goldberg will leave WQAM radio in Miami when his contract expires at the end of the year.

Chris Singleton will return as the Chicago White Sox radio color analyst in 2008, teaming with play-by-play man and ASA member Ed Farmer.

Central Michigan University had a ceremony on October 12th to dedicate the Dick Enberg Academic Center, named after the ASA Chairman of the Board who graduated from C.M.U. fifty years ago. Two scholarships have also been established in Enberg’s name.

Milo Hamilton, ASA member and voice of the Houston Astros, recently suffered a mild heart attack and is recovering at home.- (For Full Story see News)

Alan Horton is the new radio voice of the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves.

Jeremy Marks-Peltz has been hired as the pre-and post-game host on Miami Heat radio broadcasts.

Roxy Bernstein will not be returning to the Florida Marlins broadcast booth in 2008.

Mike Tirico, Lifetime member of ASA and play-by-play announcer for ESPN’s “Monday Night Football,” will be the host of The Masters in 2008 when ESPN takes over the exclusive rights to televise the first two rounds of the tournament. Tirico also has a new talk show on ESPN Radio, “The Mike Tirico Show,” which moved into the weekday 1-3 pm time slot previously held by Dan Patrick.

ASA member and pro snowboarder Keir Dillon was part of the Boost Mobile revitalization project at DeWitt Clinton Park in New York City on October 6. Dillon joined hip-hop star Busta Rymes and about 150 volunteers to paint handball courts, basketball backboards and fences in the Hell’s Kitchen park.

Brian Sieman, former radio voice of the Minnesota Timberwolves, has been named the play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Clippers. Sieman replaces Matt Pinto, who will do play-by-play for the Seattle SuperSonics.

Joe Rose has rejoined the Miami Dolphins radio team as a second analyst on WQAM, the Dolphins’ new flagship radio station.

Bill Clement will no longer be the host of the NHL pre-game shows on Versus and NBC. Bill Patrick replaces Clement on Versus and Pierre McGuire replaces him on NBC.

Jason Shaver has been named Director of Broadcasting for the Houston Aeros of the American Hockey League.

Jorge Sedano has been hired as the mid-day sports talk host at 790TheTicket in Miami.

Chris Fowler, Doug Flutie and Craig James will be the broadcast team for ESPN’s “Thursday Night College Football.”

Phil Rizzuto, the Hall of Fame shortstop during the Yankees' dynasty years and beloved by a generation of fans who delighted in hearing him exclaim "Holy cow!" as a broadcaster, has died. He was 89. (For Full Story, see In Memoriam)

Steve Goldstein will be the new television play-by-play voice of the Florida Panthers. He had been the radio play-by-play man.

Bill Flemming, the longtime ABC Sports broadcaster, has died of prostate cancer. He was 80. (For Full Story see In Memoriam)

Charlie Jones, the longtime sportscaster at NBC and ABC Sports, was named to the Texas Radio Hall of Fame.

Jack Edwards will be the full time television play-by-play man for the Boston Bruins. Edwards had done play-by-play of road games with Dale Arnold doing the home games.

Dan Patrick is leaving ESPN effective August 17th. Patrick will join “The Content Factory” which will eventually distribute his new radio show.

Dave Strader is the new play-by-play man for the Phoenix Coyotes of the NHL. Strader was the television play-by-play man for the Florida Panthers.

Jason Jackson of 790TheTicket, is moving to WQAM and is expected to become part of a new morning show expected to start in September.

Curtis Fitzpatrick is leaving KWTW-TV in Oklahoma City to become the Oklahoma City host of “SportsNight Oklahoma” on Cox Cable. Mike Wolfe of KOTV in Tulsa has been hired as the Tulsa host.

The University of Houston has resigned its play-by-play voice, Tom Franklin, to a three-year contract extension.

Tim McKernan has left the KFNS-AM “Morning Grind” show in St. Louis and is rumored to be headed to Sportsnet New York as an anchor.

Ron Thulin and Jack Mildren are the co-hosts of a new sports talk show on WKY-AM in Oklahoma City.

ASA Hall of Famer Jack Whitaker will be inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame on December 12th.

Larry Munson, the longtime, legendary voice of the University of Georgia college football team, will be limited to broadcasting only home games this upcoming season, due to age and illness. Munson is 84 years old and has broadcast Georgia sports for over 40 years.

Duke Castiglione has been named weekday sports anchor for WNYW-TV in New York. Duke had been the weekend anchor.

Sean Pendergast and John Harris have been hired as sports-talk hosts at KILE-AM in Houston.

Jenna Wolfe, the weekend morning sports anchor at WABC-TV in New York, is leaving the station.

Andy Masur will be the voice of University of San Diego Toreros college basketball on XX Sports Radio. Before coming to San Diego to broadcast San Diego Padres’ games this season, Masur was the play-by-play voice of the Loyola of Chicago Ramblers.

Steve Martin will take over the television play-by-play for the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats after spending the past three seasons on the radio side. Taking Martin’s place as radio play-by-play man is Scott Lauer.

The FAN590 in Toronto, Canada has resigned ASA member Chuck Swirsky to a multi-year deal. Swirsky also is a play-by-play man for the Toronto Raptors.

Jim Hughson, Rance Mullineks and Jesse Barfield will be the broadcast team for Toronto Blue Jays baseball when it returns to the CBC airwaves on June 23rd.

The late Bill Hewitt, son of the legendary broadcaster Foster Hewitt, will be honored by the Hockey Hall of Fame with the award named after his father. Hewitt’s family will be presented with the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award on November 12th. The award is given to members of the radio and television industry who have made outstanding contributions to their profession and hockey.

Curt Keilback, the long time voice of the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes, will not return as play-by-play man next season.

KCAL-TV in Los Angeles will not renew the contract of sports anchor Alan Massengale.

John Granato has signed a contract to host a morning drive time sports-talk show on KILE-AM in Houston, TX. The show is expected to start in late summer. He will also be KILE’s VP of Operations. Granato was formerly the morning co-host at KILT.

Steve Albert has been named this year’s recipient of the Sam Taub Award for excellence in broadcasting by the Boxing Writers Association of America.

Dave Revsine is leaving ESPN after ten years to become the lead studio host of the new Big Ten Network. He will also do some basketball play-by-play.

Suzy Kolber has been named studio host for “ESPN on ABC’s” NASCAR coverage.

Andy Gresh will be the host of ESPN Radio’s “Sunday GameDay Show” heard every Sunday from 1-4PM. Gresh continues to work at WSKO-AM in Providence, R.I. during the week, as well as contributing to Fox Sports New England’s “GameNight” show.

Steve Mix, the Philadelphia 76ers’ television color analyst, won’t have his contract renewed for next season. ASA member Marc Zumoff will continue on play-by-play.

Former Houston Rockets head coach Jeff Van Gundy has accepted a position as a guest analyst with ABC and ESPN for the remainder of the NBA playoffs. Van Gundy will work alongside play-by-play man Mike Breen and analyst Mark Jackson.

HBO is considering replacing Larry Merchant, their longtime No. 1 “World Championship Boxing” analyst with “Boxing After Dark” analyst Max Kellerman.

John Granato, the morning co-host on KILT in Houston, Tx. has left the station. He is expected to return to the Houston airwaves on a different station later in the year.

Jim Mandich will replace Joe Rose as the Miami Dolphins’ radio analyst when the games move from Rose’s radio station, 790 The Ticket, to Mandich’s WQAM in 2007.

Andrea Brody, who spent the past four years as an anchor/reporter for The George Michael Sports Machine”, has returned to Miami TV on Channel 6.

Chris Lincoln has replaced Jack Bunds as sports director at KTUL-TV in Tulsa, Okla. He last worked at the station 25 years old before forming his own production company, Winner Communications.

HBO has hired Andrea Kremer of NBC Sports to be a correspondent on “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.”

Pete Bercich has been hired as the radio analyst for Minnesota Vikings’ NFL games. Bercich, who was a Vikings player and assistant coach, replaces Joe Senser.

WEEI-AM in Boston has resigned midday co-host Dale Arnold to a multi-year contract extension.

The Phoenix Suns and Sports 620 KTAR Radio will honor Suns broadcaster and ASA member Al McCoy with the naming of the Al McCoy Media Center. The newly updated and improved media center will be unveilled at the beginning of the 2007-08 season and will feature displays tracing McCoy’s legendary career as the “Voice of the Suns” which spans 35 years.

Legendary Canadian hockey announcer Don Cherry will make his U.S. debut during NBC’s coverage of the NHL Finals.

MSNBC commentator Keith Olbermann has been added to NBC’s Sunday night football show, “Football Night in America,” as a co-host with Bob Costas and Cris Collinsworth. Jerome Bettis and Tiki Barber are the show’s analysts.

The Anaheim Ducks of the NHL have signed radio play-by-play man Steve Carroll to a multi-year contract extension.

After a one-year hiatus, ASA member Babe Laufenberg will return to the Dallas Cowboys’ radio booth as the color analyst in 2007, replacing Charlie Waters.

Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn have been hired by TBS to be analysts for baseball coverage that begins with this season’s playoffs. Ripken will be a studio analyst, along with studio host, Ernie Johnson, Jr. Gwynn will join play-by-play man Chip Caray in the booth.

Hall of Fame broadcaster and ASA member Herb Carneal, whose fluid and smooth baritone narrated Minnesota Twins games for the past 45 seasons, died April 1 of congestive heart failure, the club said. He was 83.(For Full Story, see In Memoriam)

Veteran New York sportscaster Jerry Girard, who always added a witty twist to his nightly jock reports, died on March 26 after a long battle with cancer. He was 75.(For Full Story, See In Memoriam)

There will be a quarterback change in the Monday Night Football broadcast booth for the 2007 season. ASA member Ron Jaworski will join fellow ASA member Mike Tirico and Tony Kornheiser on the ESPN telecast. Jaworski replaces Joe Theismann, who has been offered a prominent football analyst job with the network. (For Full Story, see News)

Emmitt Smith has joined ESPN as an NFL studio analyst. He replaces his former Dallas Cowboys teammate Michael Irvin who was released by the network in February.

Ben Wagner is the new voice of the Buffalo Bisons of the Class AAA International League. Ben spent the past three years as the voice and Director of Media and Public Relations for the Lakewood BlueClaws.

Newcomer Toby Hyde will join Deene Ehlis in the Class AAA Pacific Coast League Iowa Cubs broadcast booth in 2007. Toby spent the past two seasons as the voice of the Visalia Oaks of the Class A California League.

Mick Gillispie has been named the voice of the Tennessee Smokies of the Class AA Southern League. He spent the previous two seasons broadcasting Chattanooga Lookouts’ games.

Bobby Murcer, New York Yankees announcer on the YES Network, has completed six weeks of chemotherapy and radiation treatment at a Houston hospital and is resting at his home in Oklahoma. Murcer, who had a brain tumor removed in December, will be returning to Texas to get an update and a progress report.

ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball” has received the rights to broadcast each MLB team as many as five times in 2007. Last season, no team could make more than four appearances on Sunday night.

ASA member Ralph Kiner will be back for his 45th season as a New York Mets announcer. Kiner will join Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling for a schedule of Friday night games throughout the season on SportsNet New York.

Denny Matthews, who has seen more Kansas City Royals games than anybody, was named the 2007 winner of the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting excellence Thursday and will be honored at the National Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies July 29 at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, N.Y. (For Full Story, see News)

Jim Jackson, the radio voice of the Philadelphia Flyers, will be the radio pre-and post-game host for the Philadelphia Phillies. Scott Franzke, last year’s host, will be exclusively a play-by-play man in 2007.

Bill Parcells has been hired by ESPN to be an analyst on “Monday Night Countdown”. He will also do a radio show with co-host Chris Mortenson on ESPN radio on Friday afternoons during the NFL season.

ASA Hall of Famer Vin Scully was awarded the John R. Wooden Lifetime Achievement Award by the Paralysis Project of America.

Rece Davis will host “College Football Live” a daily, weekday series on ESPN starting July 23rd.

ASA member Amaury Pi-Gonzalez has been hired to be the radio play-by-play voice of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Gary Thorne will be the lead play-by-play man for the Baltimore Orioles’ telecasts on MASN. Jim Palmer and Buck Martinez will alternately team in the booth with Thorne, who formerly did play-by-play for the Mets on TV and radio and works various sports for ABC/ESPN. Jim Hunter and Rick Dempsey will host the pre-and post game shows and Hunter will be the play-by-play man on games when Thorne isn’t available.

Johnny Holliday, the voice of Maryland Terrapins football and basketball, will be the pre-and post-game host for Washington Nationals’ baseball games on MASN. He will be joined by former major leaguer, Ray Knight.

Brian Anderson is the new television play-by-play man for the Milwaukee Brewers replacing Daron Sutton.

The Tennis Channel has hired John McEnroe and Martina Navratilova as lead analysts for its coverage of the 2007 French Open.

Dick Vitale, ASA member and ESPN college basketball analyst, has been chosen as one of the 15 finalists to be voted on for possible induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for 2007. Also named were former Chicago Bulls and current Los Angeles Lakers Coach Phil Jackson, former St. John's and NBA star Chris Mullin, former players Adrian Dantley and Richie Guerin; coaches Roy Williams, Eddie Sutton and Bob Hurley Sr.; owner Bill Davidson and the 1966 Texas Western NCAA championship team, which was college basketball's first national champion with five black starters.

Tiki Barber, the just-retired NFL running back, was formally introduced as an NBC Universal employee on February 13. He'll contribute news and human interest stories to "Today," and he'll be an analyst on NBC's Sunday highlight show "Football Night in America" in the fall.(For Full Story See Articles)

Andy Masur, the pre-and post game host for the Chicago Cubs on WGN radio is leaving to join the San Diego Padres’ broadcast team replacing Tim Flannery.

Scott Pinner has been named Director of Broadcasting for the Brevard County Manatees of the Class A Florida State League. Scott will broadcast all the Manatees games online and 60-70 games will also be on AM radio in the Cocoa Beach/Melbourne Florida area.

FSN West announced there will be a second TV broadcasting team for the Anaheim Angels this season. Jose Mota and former pitcher Mark Gubicza will broadcast 50 games while the primary crew of Steve Physioc and Rex Hudler will work 100.

CBS has hired former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher as an analyst for “The NFL Today” pregame show.

Charlie Waters will not return as the radio analyst for Dallas Cowboys games next season.

Chicago Cubs play-by-play man, Pat Hughes, was voted the Illinois Sportscaster of the Year for the third time.

Alan Ashby, former big leaguer and Houston Astros’ broadcaster, will join Jerry Howarth in the Toronto Blue Jays’ radio booth.

Sean Aronson, who spent the past four seasons calling Florida State League baseball games in Ft. Myers, is the new play-by-play man for the St. Paul Saints.

University of Tulsa play-by-play announcer Bruce Howard has been named Oklahoma Sportscaster of the Year.

ASA Board Member Jim Nantz joined ASA Chairman of the Board Dick Enberg and ASA Hall of Famer Curt Gowdy as the only broadcasters to call a Super Bowl and a Final Four. Nantz is the 11th man to call a Super Bowl on American television. He will also announce the Masters in April, making him the first sportscaster to do all three events in a single year.

Dave Lee, the voice of Minnesota Golden Gophers football, has been named the 2006 Minnesota Sportscaster of the Year. Lee is also the host of WCCO-AM’s morning show.

Dave Sims is joining the Seattle Mariners broadcast team.

Todd Lewis, the sports director of WKMG-TV in Orlando, will be leaving the station in the spring.

Don Sutton has been hired as the new color analyst for Washington Nationals’ baseball telecasts on MASN replacing Tom Paciorek.

Best wishes to veteran Los Angeles sportscaster Stu Nahan, who is undergoing treatment for lymphoma.

KHCW-TV’s Jorge Vargas and Houston Chronicle sportswriter Jerome Solomon will be the co-hosts on the afternoon drive-time sports talk show on KFNC-FM in Houston.

Former pitcher Jack Morris has signed on as a radio color analyst for 40 Minnesota Twins’ games in 2007 on KSTP.

John Sciambi will broadcast 80 Atlanta Braves’ games on FSN South and SportSouth, teamed with Joe Simpson.

ESPN has signed Kenny Mayne to a new one-year deal. He will do features, horse racing and 50 shows of SportsCenter, which he hasn’t done since 2004.

Sage Steele will be a new sports anchor on ESPN News. She previously worked at Comcast SportsNet in the mid-Atlantic region.

Larry Ridley is the new weekend sports anchor at WHDH-TV in Boston.

Jim Rich has been named sports director at KMSP in Minneapolis.

Duke Castiglione has been hired to do part-time sports reporting at WNYW-TV in New York. Duke continues to work regularly at ESPN.

Tom Waddle is leaving WGN’s “Sports Central” show, which he co-hosted with Dave Kaplan for 10 years. Waddle is expected to sign a contract to host a show at Chicago’s ESPN1000.

Frank Robinson has been signed as a baseball analyst for ESPN during spring training through the middle of April. Tony Kornheiser will begin a weekday morning talk show on WTWP in Washington D.C. on February 20th.

Benny Parsons, ASA member and NASCAR announcer, died on January 16 in Charlotte, N.C., where he had been hospitalized since Dec. 26 because of complications from his lung cancer treatment. He was 65.(For Full Story see In memoriam)

ESPN/ABC has agreed to televise 26 Arena Football games per season. They've also acquired a minority ownership in the league. The broadcast teams will be Mike Greenburg and Mike Golic; Trey Wingo and Mark Schlereth; and ASA member Ron Jaworski and Merrill Hoge. Greenburg and Golic will also be the announcers on ABC's coverage of Arena Bowl XXI.

Gary Gerould, ASA member, recently broadcast his 1,700th Sacramento Kings basketball game.

Veteran sports broadcaster Jim Lampley was arrested in California on January 3 for beating up his girlfriend, authorities said. Lampley, known for his work on HBO boxing telecasts and the Olympics, was charged with domestic violence, violating a restraining order and preventing a witness from testifying.

Jim Karvellas, a longtime broadcaster of NBA games and the Cosmos soccer team, died at 71.(For full story, see In Memoriam).

New York Yankees broadcaster Bobby Murcer had surgery to remove a brain tumor on December 28.(For full story, see Articles)

The Boston Red Sox have announced their new radio broadcast team. ASA member Joe Castiglione will return for his 25th season with the club and will be joined by Dave O’Brien and Glenn Geffner. Castiglione will broadcast all 162 games while Geffner and O’Brien will split duties in a way to be determined. O’Brien will also call "Monday Night Baseball" games on ESPN.

Skip Caray and Pete Van Wieren will continue to broadcast Atlanta Braves games on the radio. The TV broadcasters for the last season of Braves’ baseball on TBS have yet to be finalized but it is believed that Chip Caray, Skip’s son, will broadcast a majority of the games, along with Joe Simpson. Van Wieren and Skip Caray will do occasional games.

WQAM Radio in Miami has dropped the late night sports-talk show hosted by Ed Kaplan. Kaplan was the first sports talk host ever on WQAM almost twenty years ago.

Guy Rawlings is the new lead sports anchor at WESH-TV in Orlando. Rawlings was a sports anchor for WTVJ-TV in Miami. Pat Clarke, the current lead anchor, will shift to weekends.

Lee Mazzilli has been hired as lead in-studio baseball analyst at SNY in New York .

ASA member Herb Carneal, John Gordon and Dan Gladden will remain on the Minnesota Twins’ broadcasts even though the team has a new flagship radio station. The Twins will have a new pre-and post-game show host, Kris Atteberry, who has spent the past five seasons calling St. Paul Saints minor league baseball on radio and television.

Spero Dedes has signed a multi-year contract with the NFL Network. Dedes is the radio voice of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Condolences to Marc Zumoff, the television voice of the Philadelphia 76ers, whose mother passed away.

John Leahy, ASA member, will be entering his third year as the voice of the North Shore Spirit baseball team in the Can-Am League of Professional Baseball on 1510 The Zone (Sporting News Radio, WWZN-AM) in Boston.

ASA member and Hall of Fame broadcaster Harry Kalas has signed a three-year contract to continue to do play-by-play for the Philadelphia Phillies. He will be joined in the booth in 2007 by returning broadcasters Larry Anderson, Chris Wheeler and Scott Franzke, and new color man Gary Matthews, Sr. Scott Graham, who had been the primary radio voice of the Phils, and had been with the team since 1991, will not return in 2007. Specific broadcasting roles will be announced in spring training.

ASA member Ken “Hawk” Harrelson, the TV voice of the Chicago White Sox, is one of the men nominated for the 2007 Baseball Hall of Fame’s Ford C. Frick Award. Others nominated are: ASA member Joe Nuxhall; the late Tom Cheek, longtime voice of the Toronto Blue Jays; Tony Kubek; Dizzy Dean; Dave Niehaus, the voice of the Seattle Mariners; ASA Hall of Famer Graham McNamee, France Laux; the late Bill King; and Denny Matthews, the voice of the Kansas City Royals.

Evan Roberts, a part-time overnight host on WFAN in New York, will become Joe Beningno’s co-host on WFAN’s midday show effective January 2nd.

Casey Coleman, ASA member who did play-by-play for the Cleveland Browns and covered the city's other sports teams for nearly 30 years, died on November 27, 2006, at home of pancreatic cancer. Mr. Coleman, the son of former Red Sox announcer Ken Coleman, was 55.Coleman's voice, which was similar in tone and delivery to his father's, was known to a generation of Clevelanders. Mr. Coleman had worked at WJW-TV, where he won four local Emmy Awards as a sports anchor, and was currently the co-host of a morning show on WTAM. He also won several Associated Press broadcasting awards for excellence.(For Full Story See- In Memoriam)

“George Michael’s Sports Machine,” the syndicated late Sunday night sports highlight show, will go off the air after 23 years in March when Michael retires as the sports director and weeknight sports anchor of WRC-TV in Washington D.C.

Fox announced its on-air lineup for the college football Bowl Championship Series games it will be broadcasting in 2007. ASA member Kenny Albert will do the play-by-play of the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 3 along with game analysts Terry Bradshaw and Howie Long. Analysts Pat Haden of NBC and Terry Donahue of Fox will work with play-by-play man Matt Vasgersian on the Jan. 2 Orange Bowl telecast. Fox’s Thom Brennaman, former Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez and TBS analyst Charles Davis will call the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1 and the national title game on Jan. 8.

ASA Hall of Famer Pat Summerall will call the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 1 for Fox

Bob Neumeier has signed a three-year contract to work full-time for NBC Sports.

ASA Chairman of the Board Dick Enberg was inducted into the Indiana University Sports Hall of Fame on November 11th.

Talk show host Gary Miller has been let go by KSPN 710 in Los Angeles. His co-host DeMarco Farr will continue on the show with various guest co-hosts until a permanent co-host is hired.

Tom Paciorek will not be returning as the color analyst for Washington Nationals’ telecasts in 2007.

Daniel Dahm who co-hosted an afternoon sports-talk show on ESPN radio stations in Orlando and Melbourne with former football coach Terry Bowden, is leaving radio to work on the website of WKMG-TV the Orlando CBS affiliate.

Martin Kilcoyne has left “The Morning Grind” show on sports talk station KFNS in St. Louis.

ESPN has extended Dick Vitale’s contract through the 2012-13 season.

Mike Cairns was hired by STO in northeast Ohio to be the play-by-play man for Cleveland State University basketball telecasts.

WNST Radio in Baltimore has fired morning show co-host Terry Ford and replaced him with Casey Willett.

WLW Radio has fired radio host and ASA member Andy Furman for calling Cincinnati Bengals’ wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh a racist during his weeknight talk show. A dispute between the two began when Houshmandzadeh failed to appear for a weekly paid appearance on Furman’s show.

Tim Flannery has left the San Diego Padres’ radio booth to become the third base coach for the San Francisco Giants.

Former New York Knick Allan Houston has been hired by ESPN to be an NBA analyst. He will be on a wide range of NBA programs and may analyze some games.

The agent for soon-to-be-retired pitcher David Wells has been calling networks to see if there are any analyst opportunities for his client.

With the retirement of Yankees analyst Jim Kaat, its been said that John Flaherty will pick up the bulk of Kaat’s games for the YES network in 2007. Former Yankee Joe Girardi who most recently was managing the Florida Marlins, will also join YES in ’07.

Brent Musberger will host ABC-TV’s coverage of NASCAR racing starting in 2007. Dr. Jerry Punch will call the races and former racer Rusty Wallace will be the lead analyst.

Marc Daniels has been let go as the afternoon host at WQTM radio in Orlando. Daniels is also the voice of University of Central Florida sports for that station and his future in that job is uncertain.

Ted Leitner has signed a two-year contract to continue as the No. 1 announcer for San Diego Padres’ radio broadcasts.

Minnesota Twins’ TV broadcasters Dick Bremer and ASA member Bert Blyleven have agreed to multi-year contract extensions.

Fox Sports has announced that ASA Hall of Famer Pat Summerall will do the play-by-play of the Cotton Bowl on January 1st.

Thom Brennaman has left the Arizona Diamondbacks booth to join his father, Marty Brennaman, in the Cincinnati Reds booth starting in 2007. Thom signed a 4-year deal to do approximately 90 games per season split evenly between TV and radio. The Reds are looking for another announcer to do approximately 120 games on radio and 40 on TV.

Nick Faldo has been named lead analyst for CBS-TV’s golf coverage. Nick will also be the lead analyst on The Golf Channel and on ABC’s coverage of the British Open.

ESPN is in talks with former New York Knick Allan Houston about becoming an NBA studio analyst.

Ron Fairly voice of the Seattle Mariners for the last 14 years, said he will retire after the Mariners’ final home game on October 1 ending a 27-year career in broadcasting.

Greg Glynn, ASA member, will begin his third year as the play-by-play voice of the Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League this October.

Gary Danielson called his first college football game for CBS, a national telecast of Florida-Tennessee on September 16. Last year Danielson called games for ESPN.

Joe Buck, ASA member and new host of Fox’s NFL Sunday pre-game show, is the first broadcaster to serve as a studio host and then do the play-by-play of a game that follows.

Mike Patrick, ASA member and former play-by-play man on ESPN’s “Sunday Night Football,” has been paired with Todd Blackledge on ESPN’s Saturday prime-time college football games.

Kirk Herbstreit, ASA member and analyst on ESPN’s Saturday morning college football pre-game show, will team with Brent Musburger and Bob Davie on ABC’s prime-time game.

Paul Maguire, ASA member and former ESPN “Sunday Night Football” analyst, joins ASA members Bob Griese and Brad Nessler on ABC’s top Saturday afternoon college football game.

Ralph Bednarczyk, ASA member, has been hired by St. John’s University to broadcast women’s basketball and volleyball, and men’s soccer and baseball on Redstormsports.com.

Pat Foley, who was fired as the play-by-play voice of the Chicago Blackhawks after last season, has been hired by the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League to be their TV play-by-play voice.

ASA member Ann Meyers is leaving broadcasting to become the general manager of the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and a vice president for the NBA’s Phoenix Suns.

Joe Micheletti will replace John Davidson as the game analyst on New York Rangers’ telecasts.

Bob Costas is returning to radio as host of “Costas on the Radio” a two-hour interview show that will air on weekends starting September 16th.

Thom Brennaman, Barry Alvarez and Charles Davis will be the lead play-by-play team for Fox Sports’ BCS College Football bowl coverage.

Former Miami Dolphins’ and New York Jets’ play-by-play man Howard David will be the host of “Gameday Insiders” which is broadcast on weekends during the football season on WFTL radio in the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area.

NESN has hired Kathryn Tappen to be a sports reporter and weekend sports anchor for “SportsDesk.”

Kenny Walker and Kim Bokamper are the new co-hosts of the morning show on WQAM radio in Miami.

Wendi Nix has been hired to be a sports reporter by ESPN. She previously was a sports reporter for WHDH-TV in Boston.

The NFL Network has hired Deion Sanders to be a game analyst for “NFL Gameday.”

ASA member Michael Barkann is hosting a new sports and entertainment show on Comcast Sports Net in Pennsylvania, South Jersey and Delaware called “Monday Night Live.”

Chris Rose will be the halftime and pre-and post game host for Fox Sports’ BCS college football bowl game coverage.

Mike Claiborne is leaving KFNS radio in St. Louis for KTRS, where he will host Cardinals’ and Blues’ pre-and post-game shows and do some call-in shows.

Carl Dukes and Brad Davies are the new co-hosts of the morning show on KBME radio in Houston.

Matt Vasgersian, the TV voice of the San Diego Padres, has been hired by CBS Sports to do NFL play-by-play this season.

CBS Sports, who will do away with the sideline reporter starting this season, has decided to use analysts Solomon Wilcots and Steve Tasker on the sidelines for their telecast of Super Bowl XLI.

Terry Bowden, former ABC/ESPN college football analyst, is the new main college football game analyst for CBS/Westwood One Radio. Bowden also does shows for Sirius Satellite Radio and two stations in the Orlando market.

For the second half of its season-opening Monday Night Football doubleheader on Sept. 11, ESPN will have ASA members Brad Nessler, Ron Jaworski and Dick Vermeil in the booth in Oakland for the Chargers-Raiders game. ASA member Bonnie Bernstein will be the sideline reporter.

ASA member Joe Morgan will be the new analyst on ABC's coverage of the Little League League World Series. He will team with Orel Hershiser and Brent Musberger. Morgan replaces Harold Reynolds, who was recently let go by ESPN.

ASA Chairman Dick Enberg and ASA member Ian Eagle will call play-by-play of CBS' U.S. Open tennis coverage.

The New York Islanders have announced that Steve Mears will be their radio play-by-play man starting with the 2006-07 season. Mears replaces John Weideman.

Matt Loughlin will be the new radio play-by-play man for the New Jersey Devils, replacing John Hennessey.

WOIO-TV in Cleveland has re-signed their lead sports anchor Chuck Galeti to a multi-year deal.

Trev Alberts, who was fired by ESPN during the 2005 college football season, has been hired by CSTV to be a college football game analyst working with play-by-play announcer Tom Hart.

Bill Weber has agreed on a multi-year contract extension to stay with TNT in his role as pre-race host and play-by-play announcer for the network’s NASCAR coverage.

Beginning August 28th, ASA member Hank Goldberg will return to his familiar spot of 4pm-7pm on WQAM in Miami. For several years, Hank had been doing his show from 7am-10am.

Mike Edmonds, former play-by-play voice of the University of Houston, died of cancer. He was 59. Edmonds was Houston’s voice for two decades.

Paul Eels, legendary voice of the University of Arkansas who broadcast Hogs games for three decades, died after being involved in a car accident. Eels, a multiple time winner of the “Arkansas Sportscaster of the Year” award, was 70.

Jeff Cawley, the sports director of KGTV in San Diego, has resigned effective September 8th.

ASA member Bob Miller, play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Kings, will receive a star on the world famous Hollywood Boulevard “Walk of Fame” on October 2, 2006. Miller is starting his 34th year as the Kings’ announcer.

Buddy Pittman who has worked as a sports reporter at WESH-TV in Orlando, Fla. for 27 years is retiring.

Mike Grimm is the new voice of Minnesota Golden Gophers men’s college basketball. He will also be the pre-and post-game host for Gophers college football. Grimm previously was a sports talk show host at KMOX since 2001.

Geoff Haxton, the former voice of Oral Roberts baseball, is the new host of “Sports Morning” on KYAL in Tulsa, Okla.

John Weideman has been named the radio voice for the NHL’s Chicago Black Hawks. He had previously been the voice of the New York Islanders for five seasons.

Clay Matvick has joined ESPNU to do play-by-play of college football and hockey. He formerly worked for FSN North.

Nick Faldo will serve as The Golf Channel’s main analyst for PGA Tour coverage starting in 2007.

Condolences to ASA member and baseball Hall of Fame broadcaster, Milo Hamilton, on the death of his daughter, Patricia Joy Watson, who died from complications of a stroke she suffered at the end of June.

ESPN has announced that “NFL Prime Time” will move to Monday nights at 6pm this season, ending an 18-year run on Sunday nights and will be hosted by Stuart Scott, Mike Ditka and Ron Jaworski, who replace ASA member Chris Berman and Tom Jackson.

TBS Superstation will stop broadcasting Atlanta Braves baseball in 2008 when a national Sunday afternoon Game of the Week replaces Braves’ games. TBS also acquired all first-round baseball playoff games beginning in 2007.

Jenny Dunn is the new weekend sports anchor at WFTV in Orlando, Fla. Jenny comes to Orlando from WLOS in Asheville, N.C.

NBC has decided to add four more regular season NHL games and three more post-season NHL games to its schedule beginning next season. That will bring the regular season total to 10 and up to 17 post-season games, depending how long the Stanley Cup Finals go.

Eddie Olczyk, NBC NHL studio analyst, was been named the new lead game analyst for the network’s NHL coverage.

ASA Chairman Dick Enberg has signed on with Fox Sports Net to do a show called “In Focus,” which will highlight great sports moments.

ASA member Bonnie Bernstein is replacing Sam Ryan as ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball” reporter. She will also work on college football telecasts for the network.

NBC announced that golf analyst Johnny Miller has signed a six-year contract extension.

Former New York Met Mookie Wilson will be a studio analyst on SportsNet New York for the Mets-Red Sox series in Boston June 27-29.

Former ESPN and ABC sportscaster Sam Ryan has joined WCBS-TV in New York as a weekend sports anchor. Sam will also do work on CBS’ coverage of college basketball and NFL football.

Bob Wolff, a Ford Frick Award honoree in the Baseball Hall of Fame, has signed a two-year contract extension as a special correspondent for News-12 Long Island.

Fred Roggin has given up his daily radio show on KMPC-AM in Los Angeles to concentrate on his TV work for KNBC-TV.

Mike Francesa has signed a four year contract extension to continue his Sunday night sports wrap-up show, “Mike’d Up,” on WNBC-TV in New York.

The New Jersey Devils have fired their radio broadcast team of John Hennessey and Randy Velischek.

The Chicago Black Hawks have fired their play-by-play man of the past 25 years, Pat Foley.

Best wishes to Colorado Rockies’ radio voice Jack Corrigan who recently suffered a mild stroke.

Mike Tyson will return to the ring in August-sort of. In what could be the beginning of a new career for the former undisputed champion, Tyson has signed on to work ringside as a TV analyst for the international broadcast of Hasim Rahman’s August 12 WBC heavyweight title defense against Oleg Maskev. (For Full Story, Click Here)

Now that Barry Bonds has passed Babe Ruth on the all-time home run list, ESPN reporter Pedro Gomez will no longer be covering Bonds on a daily basis. Gomez had been on this assignment since last year's spring training.

Baseball Hall of Famer Wade Boggs was an analyst for the Big East Baseball Championship on ESPNU on May 27.

ASA member Tina Cervasio, formerly of WCBS-TV in New York, is now a Boston Red Sox reporter for NESN.

Tony Roberts, the voice of Notre Dame college football on the Mutual/Westwood One radio network for 26 years, is being replaced by Don Criqui

Dick Enberg, the Chairman of the Board of the ASA, is expected to be named by Westwood One as the radio voice of the new Thursday/Saturday night NFL series of games which begin on Thanksgiving night and continue through the end of the regular season.

Pam Oliver and Jeanne Zelasko are strongly being considered as replacements for James Brown as the Studio Host for Fox Sports’ Sunday NFL pregame show. Brown left Fox to become the host of CBS’ “The NFL Today” pregame show.

Doug Flutie has retired from the NFL and will join ABC/ESPN as a college football studio analyst.

Ken Rosenthal will have a weekly segment on Fox’s Saturday MLB pregame show.

Former Dallas Cowboy Charlie Waters will replace ASA member Babe Laufenberg as the game analyst on Cowboys’ radio broadcasts. Waters had been a regular on the Cowboys’ pre-game show.

ESPN baseball analyst and former Philadelphia Phillies first baseman John Kruk has been hired to host a weekly Saturday afternoon radio show on WPEN in Philadelphia.

Stan White and Rob Burnett have been hired to be the game analysts on Baltimore Ravens broadcasts.

WEWS-TV in Cleveland has re-signed sportscaster Sue Ann Robak to a multi-year contract.

ABC college football studio analyst Aaron Taylor has left the network to pursue other interests.

ASA member James Brown is a minority partner in the group selected to own baseball’s Washington Nationals.

Bob Rathbun and Jeff Torborg have replaced the TBS broadcast crew on Atlanta Braves’ baseball games scheduled to be telecast on Turner South, as Time-Warner has sold the network to Fox. Rathbun and Torborg already broadcast the Braves’ games telecast on FSN South.

Bruce MacGowan, a sports reporter and host on KNBR radio in San Francisco for seventeen years, has been fired.

NBC announced that Sterling Sharpe will be a studio analyst on the network’s Sunday night NFL games. He will join Bob Costas, Cris Collinsworth, Jerome Bettis and Peter King.

Sam Ryan is negotiating to leave ABC/ESPN to become the evening weekend sports anchor for WCBS-TV Ch. 2 in New York. Ryan, the sideline reporter for ABC’s college football and ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball,” wants to be closer to home and spend more time with her two young children.

Chris Bevilacqua, one of the co-founders of CSTV, is leaving the company.

ASA Hall of Famer Keith Jackson thinks this is the right time for him to retire. Jackson, widely regarded as the voice of college football, has decided to stop broadcasting games. (For Full Story Click Here)

ASA Member Nancy Newman has been named official back-up to Bob Lorenz as Yankees Studio-Host for the YES Network, having been promoted to a YES Network staffer. Duties will also include New Jersey Nets studio hosting, Yankees field reporting and more.

Lou Schwartz,, President of the American Sportscasters Association (ASA), announced today that, at his recommendation, Gary McKillips, Advisory Board Member of the ASA, was chosen to play legendary ABC sportscaster and ASA Hall of Famer Jack Whitaker, in the new ESPN film, “Ruffian.” (For Full Story, Click Here)

Bob Sheppard, New York Yankees public address announcer since 1951, made his return to Yankee Stadium on April 21 after a hip injury caused him to miss his first-ever home opener on April 11.

Ralph Kiner ASA member and New York Mets announcer since the team’s inception in 1962, will make around 25 appearance on the Mets’ studio show on SportsNet New York.

It has been reported that Lou Piniella will be working for Fox Sports as an analyst on one of the “Game of the Week” broadcast teams.

Deion Sanders is in discussions with ESPN about a possible role on the network’s NFL coverage.

The Toronto Blue Jays will be wearing a special patch on their uniform this year in honor of their longtime play-by-play announcer, Tom Cheek, who passed away in October of 2005. The patch will include the initials "T.C." and a microphone.

The late Jack Buck, an ASA Hall of Famer, became the 25th person inducted into the Hall of Famous Missourians in Jefferson City, Mo. Buck was born in Holyoke, Mass. in 1924, started calling St. Louis Cardinals games in 1954 and became the lead Cardinals’ announcer in 1969. Buck died in 2002.

Babe Laufenberg, ASA member and the color commentator for Dallas Cowboys’ radio broadcasts since 1997, has quit to spend more time with his family. Laufenberg is also the lead sports anchor for KTVT-TV in Dallas.

Anita Marks, who was the co-host of the afternoon drive-time show on ESPN Radio 1400 in Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. has resigned in order to become the afternoon drive-time host at ESPN Radio 1300 in Baltimore, Md.

Boomer Esiason will remain at MSG Network after signing a new three-year deal. Esiason, who was pursued by Sports Net New York, will do 30 "Boomer Esiason Shows," more than double the amount from last year, and several specials beginning with an NFL Draft show in two weeks.

The Oakland A’s have renamed the broadcast booth at the MacAfee Coliseum the Bill King “Holy Toldeo” Broadcast Booth in honor of the late great A’s announcer who passed away in October of 2005. The team will also be wearing a special patch on their uniform in his honor.

Bryant Gumbel, host of HBO’s “Real Sports,” has had discussions with the NFL Network to do the play-by-play for the eight-game TV package the network will be airing beginning on Thanksgiving night.

Former Yankee pitcher Al Leiter, who retired after playing in the WBC, will call about 50 Yankee games for the YES Network.

The NFL Network, which for the first time will have counter-coverage to ESPN’s presentation of this year’s NFL Draft on April 29, is interested in having Ryan Leaf, the 1998 No. 2 pick, as part of its draft show.

Peter Gammons will not be in the booth on ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball,” but he will be joining Jon Miller, Joe Morgan and Sam Ryan on the broadcasts in what the network is calling a “scout position,” which could be a position in the stands.

The Washington Nationals have hired Bob Carpenter and Tom Paciorek as the team’s new television broadcast team, replacing Mel Proctor and Ron Darling. Carpenter is being replaced in the St. Louis Cardinals’ KPLR-TV booth by Wayne Hagin, who was fired from the Cardinals’ radio team this past winter.

Duke Castiglione has joined ESPN and left his job as the morning sports anchor at WCBS-TV in New York City.

David Halberstam, a former play-by-play man for the Miami Heat and St. John’s University basketball has been named Executive Vice-President /General Manager of the Westwood One radio network.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have announced that ASA Hall of Famer Vin Scully, has signed a two-year contract extension that will keep him broadcasting Dodgers’ games through 2008. After the contract expires, Scully will likely retire from broadcasting.

CBS has hired Gary Danielson away from ABC-TV to replace Todd Blackledge on their college football telecasts. Danielson will team with Verne Lundquist.

Gene Elston has been named this year’s recipient of the Baseball Hall of Fame’s Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting excellence. Elston was the voice of the Houston Astros from 1962-1986 and also broadcast CBS Radio’s “Game of the Week,” Mutual’s “Game of the Day” and Chicago Cubs games.

Rory Markas has signed a five-year contract extension to continue to broadcast Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim baseball.

Bob Socci is the new voice of the Norfolk Tides of the International League. Socci replaces Jeff McCarragher, who is now working for the ABC television affiliate in Topeka, Kansas. Socci is the play-by-play man for Navy college football and basketball and has broadcast Albuquerque Isotopes baseball the past three seasons.

Kansas University honored Max Falkenstein at their final 2005-06 basketball home game on March 1st. Max is retiring at the end of the season, concluding sixty years of broadcasting Kansas’ games. Max has called more than 1,750 basketball games and 650 football games for K.U. In 2004, Max was presented the prestigious Curt Gowdy Award by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. The College Football Hall of Fame has also honored him and in 2001, The Sporting News named Max “the best college radio personality in the country.”

ASA member Lesley Visser has been awarded a Gracie Allen Award by the American Women in Radio and Television. She will be presented with an individual achievement honor at a dinner in New York on June 19.

Dan Patrick is the new studio host for ABC’s NBA coverage replacing ASA member Mike Tirico who is now the No. 2 play-by-play man.

Suzy Kolber of ESPN was named the “Sports Broadcaster of the Year” by the prestigious Maxwell Club of Philadelphia. She is the first female recipient of the award.

Tony Kubek, Peter DiMaggio and Lou Schwartz were among those in attendance at the funeral services for sportscasting legend Curt Gowdy. (For full story, click here)

Curt Gowdy, legendary sportscaster and Vice President of the American Sportscasters Association, died on February 20, 2006, of leukemia. He was 86. (For Full Story, Click Here)

(For an Exclusive Interview of the late great Curt Gowdy, Click Here)

With his coverage of the 2006 Winter Olympics, Jim Lampley now holds the record for most Olympic assignments with 13. The record was previously held by ASA Hall of Famer and veteran ABC sportscaster Jim McKay.

Orel Hershiser, who retired as a pitcher in 2000 and worked as an ESPN analyst in 2001, will work as a game and studio analyst on ESPN’s baseball coverage.

Tony Gwynn has left ESPN after four years as a part-time baseball analyst. The network wanted someone full-time but Gwynn decided to focus on his career as a baseball coach at San Diego State, where he begins his fourth year. He will continue to call about 30 San Diego Padres games for Channel 4 San Diego.

Bob Wright, Chairman of NBC Universal, was honored by the Museum of TV & Radio for his many years of work in the broadcasting industry.

NBC is paying $613 million for the U.S. TV rights for the 2006 Winter Olympics, has more than 2,700 workers and more than 247,000 square feet of space at event venues and in the International Broadcast Center

Ryan Chiaverini is joining WLS-TV in Chicago as a sports reporter/fill-in sports anchor. Ryan comes to Chicago from KUSA-TV in Denver where he had been a sports reporter since 2002.

WFLD-TV in Chicago has fired their morning sports anchor Bruce Wolf.

Todd Blackledge is leaving CBS Sports to call Saturday night ESPN college football, teaming with ASA member Mike Patrick.

Scott Frantzke, formerly the pre-and post-game host for Texas Rangers’ baseball on KRLD in Dallas, is the newest member of the Philadelphia Phillies’ broadcast team. Frantzke replaces Tom McCarthy who will broadcast Mets’ baseball this season.

Randy Karraker, formerly of KTRS radio in St. Louis was hired by KSLG in St.Louis to host a daily mid-morning sports-talk show.

"Monday Night Football" will have a new broadcast team when it debuts on ESPN in 2006. ASA member Mike Tirico, Joe Theismann and Tony Kornheiser will be part of a three-man booth calling the games on Monday nights next season and Suzy Kolber and ASA member Michele Tafoya will be sideline reporters. (For Full Story, Click Here)

SportsNet New York added nine anchors/reporters to its lineup. They include: CBS(New York) weekend sports anchor Gary Apple; ESPN's Steve Berthiaume; CNN Sports Anchor Steve Overmyer; Fox Sports' Kenny Choi; Comcast Sports Southeast host Chris Cotter; CBS(Dallas) Sports Anchor Brian Custer; "Miami Heat TV" host Julie Donaldson; WHBQ-TV Sports Director David Lee: and Comcast SportsNet reporter/anchor Matt Yallof. SNY, the new network for the New York Mets, will make its debut on March 16.

ESPN and ESPN 2 have announced they will broadcast the World Baseball Classic. The two networks will broadcast 16 games, inlcuding the semifinals and finals on March 18 and 20. ESPN Deportes will televise all 39 games. XM Satellite Radio will also carry the games.

ASA member Bonnie Bernstein has left CBS Sports. She plans to start a business that will help mentor young broadcasters.

ASA member Phil Rizzuto is planning to sell all his sports memorabilia this summer when he moves into a smaller house.

Jaime Jarrin has signed a five-year contract extension to continue to broadcast Los Angeles Dodgers baseball games through the 2011 season. Jarrin has been the Dodgers’ Spanish language broadcaster for the past forty-seven seasons.

Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News is reporting that James Brown, the host of Fox NFL Sunday, will be leaving the network to join CBS to host their football broadcasts, as well as NCAA basketball. Raissman also reports that Greg Gumbel wants to return to a play-by-play role and may be teamed with Dan Dierdorf on NFL telecasts.

Mike Cairns, the weekend sports anchor for WKYC-TV in Cleveland, is leaving the station.

Thom Brennaman will be lead play-by-play voice of the BCS College Football bowl series when it moves to Fox starting next season. He will do one BCS bowl game and the BCS national title game each season.

According to several reports, Al Michaels is seriously considering joining John Madden in the broadcast booth on NBC’s new Sunday night NFL telecasts instead of moving to ESPN to broadcast their new Monday night NFL series.

Dave Jageler will replace Dave Shea in the Washington Nationals radio booth in 2006. Jageler broadcast Pawtucket Red Sox games last season and has also worked in Boston and Charlotte N.C. broadcasting college and pro basketball.

ASA member Ann Meyers, widow of baseball Hall of Famer and former broadcaster Don Drysdale, has won the U.S. Sports Academy Ronald Reagan Media Award. Previous winners have included Howard Cosell, Bob Costas, Keith Jackson, Frank Deford and Rupert Murdoch.

WSCR Radio in Chicago will not renew the contract of Jimmy Piersall, who did baseball analysis for the station.

Jay Gilmore is the new weeknight sports anchor for WPTV in West Palm Beach. He previously worked for WHNT in Huntsville, Ala.

Vince Cotroneo, who formerly broadcast Houston Astros and Texas Rangers baseball games, has signed a two-year contract to join the Oakland A’s broadcast team.

New York Newsday has reported that Andrea Kremer will leave ESPN to join NBC as sideline reporter for its Sunday Night NFL broadcasts.

The New York Mets’ new cable network, SportsNet NY, will have Keith Hernandez as their lead game analyst and Ron Darling as their secondary analyst. Hernandez will join lead play-by-play man Gary Cohen, who makes the move from radio to TV, on approximately 100 games. The WFAN Radio team will consist of Howie Rose and former Philadelphia Phillies radio man Tom McCarthy.

WSCR Radio in Chicago has hired former player Chris Singleton to team with ASA member Ed Farmer on Chicago White Sox broadcasts in 2006.

KMOX sports director Ron Jacober has been elected into the St. Louis Radio Hall of Fame. Jacober has worked in St. Louis radio and television since 1970.

Dean Blevins of KWTV in Oklahoma City has been voted the Oklahoma Sportscaster of the Year for the fifth time.

St. Louis Rams radio analyst and former wide receiver Jack Snow, died on Monday, January 9, 2006, after struggling with complications from a staph infection for the better part of the past month. He was 62. (For Full Story Click Here)

Gary Miller has been hired by KCAL TV in Los Angeles as a full-time sports anchor.

Gerry Sandusky is expected to be named the new voice of the Baltimore Ravens radio broadcasts and Stan White is expected to be the analyst as the Ravens move to their new station WBAL radio.

The Houston Astros have hired Brett Dolan,, from the Tucson Sidewinders, and Dave Raymond, from the Brockton (Mass.) Rox, to broadcast their road games on radio in 2006. Both men will alternate between analyst and pre-and post game show host for home games. Alan Ashby has not been rehired for 2006 and ASA member Milo Hamilton will only do play-by-play for home games.

Mike Dempsey, the afternoon sports talk host at WFXJ in Jacksonville, Fla., has jumped to rival sports talk station WZNZ to host its afternoon show with co-host Tom McManus.

Larry Krueger, former evening sports talk host at KNBR in San Francisco, has been hired by KGO to be the afternoon sports reporter. This job had been vacant since Joe Starkey left KGO in the summertime to continue broadcasting San Francisco 49ers games on KNBR.

ABC aired its final telecast of “Monday Night Football” on December 26. MNF made its debut on the network on September 21, 1970 with a matchup between the New York Jets and the Cleveland Browns. The telecast featured a three-man booth of Howard Cosell, Keith Jackson and Don Meredith. It ended its 36-year run with the Jets taking on the New England Patriots with announcers Al Michaels and John Madden calling the action. Ironically, both games resulted in a Jets loss, 31-21. ESPN will take over the broadcast rights to the Monday night institution starting in 2006.

Marv Albert, former voice of the New York Knicks, returned to Madison Square Garden for the first time as the play-by-play man for his new team, the New Jersey Nets, on December 26. Albert, who had been associated with the Knicks since 1965 when he was a fill-in for broadcast legend Marty Glickman, is now paired with fellow New York native and former Knick guard Mark Jackson.

The finalists for the Baseball Hall of Fame’s 2006 Ford C. Frick Award are: Dave Niehaus, Gene Elston, Tom Cheek, Denny Matthews, Bill King, Jacques Doucet, Dizzy Dean, Graham McNamee, Ken Coleman and Tony Kubek. The winner will be chosen by a 20-man committee and announced in February, 2006.

Danni Boatwright, who co-hosts a Sunday morning sports-talk show on KCSP-AM 610 Sports in Kansas City, Mo., won the $1 million prize on the popular CBS-TV show “Survivor.”

ESPN “Sunday Night Football” broadcasters, ASA Member Mike Patrick and Paul Maguire, will team to broadcast NCAA football games on ESPN next season.

Jennifer Mills is leaving The Golf Channel after 11 years to spend more time with her family. She covered the PGA Tour, all the major championships and the Ryder Cup for the network she has been with since its debut in 1995.

Tom McCarthy has been hired to replace Gary Cohen on New York Mets radiocasts. McCarthy has broadcast Philadelphia Phillies games, is the voice of St. Joseph’s Hawks college basketball and has broadcast Princeton and Rutgers college football games.

Sid Rosenberg, formerly of WFAN in New York, was hired to work the midday sports-talk show on WAXY in Miami, Florida, co-hosting with former Miami Dolphins’ wide receiver, O.J. McDuffie.

Keith Olbermann and Dan Patrick, who teamed for years on ESPN’s “SportsCenter,” have been reunited on ESPN Radio’s “Dan Patrick Show." Olbermann who had been appearing on the show for an hour each Friday, will now join Patrick for an hour each day (2-3pm).

Zach Zaidman is the new voice of DePaul Blue Demons basketball on WSCR in Chicago. Zaidman replaces Ron Gleason who became the new program director of WBBM.

David Stein, formerly of Fox Sports Radio, has joined Sporting News Radio as its overnight host.

Sal Messina, radio voice of New York Rangers for 30 years, was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as the 2005 recipient of the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award.

“Monday Night Football” sideline reporter and ASA member Michele Tafoya gave birth to a baby boy, Tyler Bruce Vandersall. Al Michaels made the announcement on MNF’s November 21st telecast. Tafoya's baby also has a date with the Super Bowl.

"I don't know if he'll actually go to the game, but he's coming on the trip [to Detroit]," said the new mom. "He may have good seats."

Under doctor's orders, Tafoya, got benched early in the season. "I had to stop traveling [for "MNF"] much earlier than I expected because they had seen that I was risking having a pre-term [delivery]. So they sat me down."

Wayne Hagin, who replaced the late Jack Buck on St. Louis Cardinals broadcasts, has been fired and will be replaced by former Chicago White Sox voice John Rooney.

ASA member Terry Bradshaw is interested in being part of a group that would buy the New Orleans Saints from current owner Tom Benson and keep the team in New Orleans.

Gary Cohen is moving from radio broadcasts of New York Mets baseball games to TV play-by-play on the Mets’ new TV network, SportsNet NY. Howie Rose continues on radio and the Mets are looking for partners for both announcers.

ASA member Ken Korach has signed a new four-year contract to be the Oakland A’s lead radio announcer. Korach moves up to replace his long-time partner, the late Bill King.

Evan Cohen has been named the voice of Florida Atlantic University college basketball on WLVJ in Miami, Fla.

Madison Square Network announced that it has added Kenny Smith as a game analyst for New York Knicks broadcasts. Smith, who will continue as a studio analyst for TNT, will fill in for Walt “Clyde” Frazier on about 20 games. His first Knicks game will be on Nov. 23 in Charlotte.

Tony Petitti was promoted to executive vice president of CBS Sports. Petitti will remain as the network’s executive producer. The move was made because CBS Sports President Sean McManus will also be the head of CBS’ news department.

Dave O’Brien has turned down the opportunity to be the full-time play-by-play man for the New York Mets’ new network, SportsNet, New York in favor of a new five-year multi-sport deal with ESPN. O’Brien will work Monday Night Baseball, college basketball, grand slam tennis and soccer.

Jim Spanarkel is back with the New Jersey Nets on the YES Network. Spanarkel will call 20 to 25 games, complimenting Mark Jackson’s 50-game ledger. Spanarkel will be teamed mostly with Ian Eagle, with whom he formed a strong bond with during his previous 17-year run with the Nets.

WWZN-AM Radio in Boston has cut back on its local programming, due to cost-cutting by its ownership, Vulcan Sports (Sporting News Radio), and has fired the local hosts, including ASA member Eddie Andelman, and former Boston Celtic radio play-by-play man Ryen Russillo.

Dick Galiette, the radio play-by-play man for Yale football for 33 seasons, has died at 72.Galiette died on October 21, 2005, at St. Raphael's Hospital, the school said. No cause of death was given. (For Fully Story, Click Here)

Longtime Oakland Athletics play-by-play announcer Bill King passed away on October 18, 2005, at San Leandro Memorial Hospital after suffering a pulmonary embolus. King was originally admitted to the hospital last Friday where he underwent hip surgery. (For Full Story, Click Here)

ASA Member Herb Carneal will return for his 51st season in the Minnesota Twins booth in 2006. Carneal will work three innings of weekend games at the Metrodome and three innings of weekday afternoon games at the Metrodome. John Gordon, and Dan Gladden are the primary Twins radio broadcast team.

ASA Member Casey Coleman is recovering from surgery for pancreatic cancer at the Cleveland (Ohio) Clinic. Coleman had his spleen, half his pancreas and some lymph nodes removed during his surgery. Coleman hopes to return to work at WTAM-AM after a six-to-eight week recovery period.

Former Dallas Maverick and New York Knick, Derek Harper, has been hired as a weekend sports anchor at KTVT-TV in Dallas, Texas.

Dionne Miller is the new sports anchor at XETV in San Diego, replacing Katy Temple.

ASA member Tom Cheek, who broadcast 4,306 regular-season Toronto Blue Jays games and all of their 41 postseason games, including both their World Series, has died. Cheek, 66, had been convalescing at his home in Oldsmar, Fla. He had surgery for a brain tumour on June 13, 2004, his 65th birthday. (For Full Story Click Here)

Longtime American Hockey League broadcaster, Dave Ahlers, has been signed to be the play-by-play voice of the new Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights team in the A.H.L. Ahlers spent nine years as the voice of the A.H.L.’s Portland Pirates.

Kevin Boryczki has been hired as the Manager of Public Relations and play-by-play voice of the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League. Kevin joins the Bruins after spending two seasons broadcasting Adirondack Frostbite games in the United Hockey League. Joe Babik replaces Boryczki in Adirondack.

John Michael is the new play-by-play voice of the Springfield Falcons of the American Hockey League. Michael was previously the voice of the Johnstown Chiefs of the East Coast Hockey League and was voted the league’s Broadcaster of the Year in 2004-05.

ASA member Herb Carneal was honored by the Minnesota Twins before their last game of the season upon completion of fifty years of broadcasting major league baseball games.

Jack Edwards, formerly of ESPN, will be the television play-by-play man for Boston Bruins’ road games this season on NESN, replacing Dave Shea.

ASA member Marty Brennaman will be inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame on November 5th.

WSVN-TV in Miami/Ft. Lauderdale has hired Larry Ridley as a sportscaster, replacing Rod Burks. Ridley comes to Miami from Jackson, Miss.

ASA member Paco “Puck” Chavez has become the Spanish Voice for the ECHL’s Long Beach Ice Dogs.

ASA Member Doug Ormay of the Kentucky News Network has been named sideline radio reporter for the University of Louisville's football broadcasts. He's been a member of Louisville's radio basketball broadcast team for the last four seasons.

Mike Riggs has joined KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City as a sports reporter. Mike has also worked in Lawrence and Topeka, Kansas, Rockford, Illinois, and Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Mike Rice, the radio analyst for the Portland Trailblazers for the past fifteen years, is moving to TV to replace Steve “Snapper” Jones. Rice will be replaced on radio by former Trailblazers player, Antonio Harvey. Ann Schatz, the Blazers’ sideline reporter, is leaving that job to become a women’s basketball play-by-play announcer on the College Sports Television network.

Jason Smith has replaced Todd Wright as host on ESPN Radio’s overnight show.

Dave Palet and Jeff Dotseth were fired from their show on ESPN Radio 800 in San Diego.

Dan Terhaar is the new TV voice of the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League.

Former ESPN college football sideline reporter, Adrian Karsten, was found dead after he hung himself in his garage at his home in Wisconsin. Karsten was scheduled to start an 11-month federal prison term for income tax evasion.

Sid Rosenberg resigned from his job at WFAN in New York the day after he failed to appear to host the New York Giants’ pre-game show on the station.

Jody McDonald has been hired to do an afternoon show on Philadelphia’s new all-sports radio station WPEN-AM.

Jerry Coleman, ASA Lifetime Member and voice of the San Diego Padres, was honored as “Mr. San Diego 2005” by the Rotary Club of San Diego.

Dave Hodge has signed a new five-year deal with Canadian all-sports network TSN. He will continue his hockey and hosting duties.

Chris Schenkel, legendary sportscaster and ASA Hall of Famer whose easygoing baritone won over fans during a more than six-decade broadcasting career in which he covered everything from bowling to the Olympics, died September 11, 2004, following a long battle with emphysema. He was 82.(For full story see In Memoriam & News sections.)

John Rooney, the veteran play-by-play announcer for the Chicago White Sox, will not be returning in 2006 as he couldn’t reach a contract agreement with the White Sox new flagship station, WSCR-AM. Rooney’s partner, ASA member Ed Farmer, signed a five-year agreement with the station and is expected to be the club’s primary play-by-play man starting next season.

ESPN is developing consistent anchor teams for its “Sportscenter” shows. The 6pm team will be Dan Patrick and Fred Hickman. The 11pm team will be John Anderson, and Steve Levy and the 1am team will be Scott Van Pelt and Neil Everett. The late-night teams will switch spots every month. Bob Ley and Chris McKendry will handle weekend mornings. Hickman, 48, was scheduled to co-host the 11pm show but after being diagnosed with a heart condition recently he was given the 6pm slot so he could have a more normal lifestyle.

Hall of Fame running back Marcus Allen has been let go by CBS. Allen started on the “NFL Today” in 1998 as a studio analyst with Brent Jones, George Seifert and Jim Nantz. The group never clicked which prompted the network to make some changes over the years before finally settling on the current team of Nantz, Dan Marino, Shannon Sharpe and Boomer Esiason. During that time, Allen was moved into the booth as an analyst before being reduced to a sideline reporter.

The NFL Network has added all-time leading rusher Emmitt Smith to its signature show, “NFL Total Access.”

Reggie Miller will join TNT for the 2005-06 NBA season. Miller, who retired at the end of last season after an 18-year career with the Indiana Pacers, will split time doing studio work and game analysis.

Speed Network announced that NASCAR Nextel Cup driver Brian Vickers will replace Johnny Benson as a weekly guest on “Inside Nextel Cup” once the 10-race chase for the cup begins.

ASA member Solomon Wilcots will join Sirius Satellite Radio and have a weekday radio show.

Jill Arrington, ESPN college football sideline reporter, will not return this season because she wants to spend more time with her family.

Mark Followill, the Dallas Mavericks’ radio play-by-play man, will replace Matt Pinto in the TV play-by-play spot and ASA member Chuck Cooperstein will replace Followill on radio. Pinto has been hired as the new radio play-by-play voice of the Los Angeles Clippers.

Howard Simon is the new voice of University of Buffalo Bulls college football on WGR.

Skip Irwin has been let go from his hourly radio spot on WGNU in the St. Louis area after 16 ½ years.

ASA member Milo Hamilton will be inducted into the Texas Radio Hall of Fame on November 5th. The late Bill Enis, who worked for KPRC in Houston and NBC Sports, will be inducted into the group’s Hall of Honor.

Kim Coyle has been hired as a sports reporter/anchor at KPIX-TV in San Francisco. Kim previously worked at WTEV/WAWS in Jacksonville, Fla.

Mike Emrick and John Davidson will be the lead broadcast team for OLN’s hockey telecasts.

Steve “Snapper” Jones will no longer be the television analyst on Portland Trailblazers NBA games. He will continue to do pregame segments and host the Trailblazers’ weekly call-in show on KXL radio.

Lee “Hacksaw” Hamilton is being replaced as the afternoon drive-time host on KLAC/ XTRA Sports in Los Angeles by Joe Grande and Matt Smith effective September 7th. Hamilton, a west coast sports-talk legend, has been hosting weekday afternoons for nineteen years. Hamilton will continue with the station doing commentaries on XTRA’s morning and midday shows and his “greatest fifteen minutes in sports radio” segment at the beginning of Grande and Smith’s show. He will also have four hour shows every Saturday and Sunday.

Myron Cope, color analyst for the Pittsburgh Steelers for 35 years who retired this past June, received the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award from the Pro Football Hall of Fame on August 6.

Jason Shaver has been named the play-by-play voice for the Iowa Stars, an expansion team in the American Hockey League.

After more than half a century on powerful KMOX, the St. Louis Cardinals are moving their broadcasts starting in 2006 to all-sports KTRS, a station with a much weaker signal. The team has purchased half of KTRS. KMOX has broadcast baseball continuously since 1929.

ASA member Milo Hamilton will only call Houston Astros’ home games on radio starting in 2006 and continuing through 2010.

Larry Krueger was fired as host of KNBR Radio’s “Sportsphone 680” in San Francisco for comments he made during his show on August 3 about Caribbean baseball players and Giants manager Felipe Alou.

In the heat of describing his disappointment with the Giants' season, Krueger characterized some of the players by their nationality and made inappropriate comments about the Giants manager. The following day, Krueger apologized on the air for his remarks and requested the opportunity to apologize personally to Alou.

On August 5, KNBR suspended Krueger for one week without pay, while weighing the gravity of his offense. On August 9, the KNBR Morning Show opened with a discussion of Felipe Alou's related comments on ESPN's Outside the Lines, which aired the previous evening. The segment, featuring comedy sound bytes, was deemed unacceptable by station management.

On August 10, Program Manager Bob Agnew, Morning Show Producer Tony Rhein and Sportsphone 680 Host Larry Krueger were released by the station.

Rod Simons has been named lead sports anchor and Ryan Kibbe, formerly a sportscaster in Milwaukee, has been hired as a sports reporter at KSTP-TV in Minneapolis, MN.

Recently retired NFL quarterback Rich Gannon has joined CBS Sports and will team with Craig Bolerjack on regional “NFL on CBS” telecasts this season.

Troy Aikman signed a six-year contract to continue in the Fox Sports’ NFL TV booth with Joe Buck.

As reported in the Wall Street Journal, Comcast Cable is considering revamping its OLN digital TV network into a national all-sports network directly challenging ESPN for programming.

Joe Starkey has left his Sports Director’s job at KGO in San Francisco after 26 years. He continues as voice of the 49ers, a job he’s had since 1989, on their new station KNBR. Starkey will continue to be heard on KGO because he is the voice of the California Golden Bears Football Network.

The weekend of July 29-31 was an unforgettable one for ASA Lifetime Member, Jerry Coleman. On July 29th he was inducted into Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame in Quantico, Va., and on the 31st he was presented the Ford C. Frick Award for baseball broadcasting excellence at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.

Katy Temple is leaving her job as reporter and backup sports anchor at XETV in San Diego.

Jim Hughson will be the new “Hockey Night in Canada” western region play-by-play man.

Paul Mittermeier has quit his job as drive-time talk show host at all sports radio WJFK-AM in Baltimore.

Cris Collinsworth signed a six-year deal to be co-host of NBC’s Sunday Night Football along with Bob Costas. Collinsworth will not work NFL games for Fox Sports this season leaving Joe Buck and Troy Aikman as a two-man announcing team.

Clay Matvick is leaving FSN North. Matvick primarily hosted Minnesota Twins, Gophers and Timberwolves pre- and post-game shows on the network. Cheri Hardmon is joining FSN North from Milwaukee.

John Riggins is replacing Bob Trumpy as lead analyst on Westwood One’s Sunday Night Football radio broadcasts.

Jimmy Cefalo and Joe Rose will be the Miami Dolphins new radio broadcast team on the Dolphins Radio Network. Both are ex-Dolphins who made the move to television sportscasting after their careers ended. Cefalo, who will call the play-by-play, and Rose, who will handle the analysis, also do radio shows on the Dolphins’ flagship station, WAXY 790 in Miami.

Ron Johnson, a former sports anchor and reporter in Mobile, Ala., has been hired by FSN North to be an anchor and reporter on the new nightly program “FSN Live”.

Michele Tafoya, ASA member, is due to give birth to her first child on November 28th. Tafoya, who works for ABC Sports as a sideline reporter for NFL and NBA games, plans to work as long as she is able during her pregnancy.

Bill Rosinski, former Carolina Panthers play-by-play announcer and ASA member, was hired by WFNZ in Charlotte to do a 2-hour daily midday sports talk show.

Josh Lewin has been hired to be the new play-by-play voice of San Diego Chargers’ football on KIOZ-FM, replacing Don Rowe. Lewin is also the TV play-by-play voice of the Texas Rangers and does games for Fox’s Saturday “Game of the Week”.

Dave Campbell, the analyst for baseball broadcasts on ESPN Radio, has signed a five-year deal to continue in that position.

Kendall Lewis, a former talk show host at WKNR-AM in Cleveland, has been hired to do the afternoon drive-time sports talk show at KSUD-AM, Radio ESPN Memphis.

Bob Ortegel, ASA member and Dallas Mavericks television analyst, received a contract extension from Mavericks owner Mark Cuban making the upcoming 2005-06 season his 18th year with the team. It will be Ortegel’s 25th year overall as a TV basketball analyst. Ortegel will also be appearing in the movie "Glory Road" to be released in January 2006. It is the story of the 1966 NCAA Basketball Championship that was won by Texas Western. He was cast after being recommended by ASA President Lou Schwartz.

Spero Dedes, YES Network Studio Host, has been named the new radio voice of the Los Angeles Lakers. Dedes, a Fordham University graduate, got his start in New York as a fill-in for Ian Eagle on New Jersey Nets telecasts on YES. He also worked on the YES Net and Yankee pre- and post-game shows. Nationally, Dedes has been a host and play-by-play man for NBA-TV and has done some NFL games for Fox and college basketballl on CBS. He also covered the 2004 Olympic Games in Greece for NBC.

Hall of Fame coach and former sportscasterHank Stram, who took the Kansas City Chiefs to two Super Bowls and was known for his inventive game plans and exuberance on the sideline, died on July 4, 2005. He was 82.(For full story see "News" or "In Memoriam")

Lesley Visser, ASA Advisory Board member, was inducted into the New England Sports Hall of Fame.

Brad Palmer of WLS-TV in Chicago will retire in January after a 39-year career as a sportscaster in that city.

Myron Cope, the legendary Pittsburgh Steelers’ color commentator, has retired after 35 years in the radio booth due to health reasons.

Barry Buetel, the Sports Director at WTEV-TV and WAWS-TV in Jacksonville, Fla., has resigned effective June 30th.

Pete Cataldo, the former Sports Director at WGXA-TV in Macon, Ga., is the new weekend sports anchor at First Coast News in Jacksonville, replacing Jeff Prosser.

Dave Grosby of KJR-AM in Seattle underwent heart bypass surgery on June 23rd, in which six bypasses were performed. Grosby hopes to be back on the air by late July.

John Madden is moving to NBC when the network resumes broadcasting National Football League games in the 2006-07 season, the network announced. (For full story see “News” section)

Scott Palmer, the 5pm sports anchor on WPVI-TV in Philadelphia, has retired after 24 years anchoring sports on the station. Gary Papa, 6 and 11 p.m. jock, will fill in at 5 until a replacement is named.

Joel Meyers will move from radio to take Paul Sunderland's spot as the television play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Lakers. Among the finalists for the radio job are Spero Dedes from the Nets TV booth and NBA-TV, Matt Pinto,, TV voice of the Dallas Mavericks and ASA member Brian Wheeler from the Portland Trailblazers.

ASA member Lesley Visser will no longer be able to work as a sideline reporter for CBS-TV’s NFL games. “It’s not a job for someone with a history of two major hip surgeries,” Visser told the Boston Globe. Lesley will continue to do reports for the CBS pregame show “The NFL Today”.

John McAdams, the public address announcer for the Big Five in Philadelphia, as well as Drexel University basketball, died in his sleep at his home in Upper Darby, Pa., on June 16th. Known as “the voice of the Palestra”, Mr. McAdams also was a broadcaster for WIP Sports Radio 610, and, at one time, was a backup broadcaster for the Philadelphia Flyers. He was 64.

Keith Olbermann will rejoin his former ESPN SportsCenter partner on “The Big Show”, Dan Patrick, for a weekly one-hour segment on Patrick’s ESPN Radio show starting in August. Olbermann is the host of a nightly talk show on MSNBC.

Bill Campbell, a Philadelphia area sportscaster since 1940, will receive the 2005 Curt Gowdy Media Award from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame during enshrinement ceremonies from September 8-10 in Springfield, Mass. His NBA broadcasting career included broadcasting Wilt Chamberlain’s record-setting 100 point game vs. the New York Knicks in Hershey, Pa. He broadcast Philadelphia Warriors and 76ers games on and off from the late fifties through 1981. Campbell also broadcast Big Five basketball for many years, was the voice of the Philadelphia Eagles from 1952-1966 and broadcast Phillies games from 1962-1971. Campbell still does commentary work for KYW newsradio 1060.

Rod Trongard, a sportscaster in Mankato, Minn., for the past 23 years and a member of the Minnesota Broadcasting Hall of Fame, died of liver cancer on June 17th. He was famous nationally as a wrestling broadcaster for the American Wrestling Association, for which he worked in the 70s and 80s, and brief work for the World Wrestling Federation. Trongard, who began his career as a radio announcer in 1953, was 72 years old.

Adam Kuperstein, a sportscaster from Toledo, Ohio, has been hired by WTVJ-TV6 in Miami, Fla., to replace Lindsay Czarniak who recently took a new job in Washington D.C.

Katy Brown is the new Sports Director at KATU-TV in Portland, Oregon. Katy is the first woman Sports Director in a top-25 market.

Bob Costas has signed a deal with CNN to be a substitute host on 20 “Larry King Live” shows. Costas’ first CNN show aired on June 12.

Don Dunphy, Jr., vice president and executive director of news and services for ABC news, will step down on June 30 after 40 years. The son of legendary boxing announcer Don Dunphy plans to form a news consulting service later this year.

Mike Tirico, ASA member, will call ESPN's NFL exhibition game in Japan this summer. He will be filling in for fellow ASA member Mike Patrick, who won’t make the long trip after having heart surgery last year.

Bobby Hurley is one of the candidates in line for the job of New Jersey Nets analyst on the YES Network. The former Duke star impressed YES’ president of production John Filipelli when he analyzed some Ivy League games for YES last season.

Doug Brown, ESPN Radio sportscaster, will be the radio voice of Boston University college basketball during the 2005-06 season, Before joining ESPN radio Brown broadcast BU sports on Boston radio and TV from 1981-1999.

ESPN is planning to speak with recently retired Indiana Pacer Reggie Miller about joining the network as an NBA analyst for next year.

Sid Rosenberg of WFAN Radio's "Imus In The Morning Show" was fired due to insensitive comments he made about singer Kylie Minogue's battle with breast cancer. He will remain with at the station as the co-host of the mid-day sports talk show with Joe Benigno.

Todd Blackledge signed a new one-year contract to remain a CBS college football analyst.

Robin Ventura, in his first year of retirement from baseball, filled in for ASA member Ken Harrelson on four Chicago White Sox games on WGN. Harrelson needed time off because of eye surgery.

Boomer Esiason will no longer do his syndicated NFL show, "In the Huddle."

Brent Musburger, veteran sportscaster for ABC/ESPN, celebrated his 66th birthday on May 26, 2005.

Curt Gowdy, Jr., longtime producer for ABC, has been hired by the New York Mets Network to be its Vice President of Production and Executive Producer. The new network will launch next season.

CBS Sports has extended the contracts of “NFL on CBS” analyst Phil Simms and “NFL Today” analyst Boomer Esiason, as well as those of basketball studio/game analyst Clark Kellogg and sports announcer Ian Eagle. Kellong and Eagle are both ASA members.

All are new multi-year extensions, although the lengths were not announced. Simms, the 15-year NFL veteran, joined CBS Sports in 1998. Esiason, a 14-year NFL vet, joined CBS Sports in 2002.

Kellogg has been with CBS Sports since 1993, while Eagle joined CBS Sports in 1998.

Sal “Red Light” Messina, ASA member and longtime analyst with the New York Rangers, will receive the 2005 Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for broadcasting excellence from the Hockey Hall of Fame during the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies on November 7.

ASA Board member Jim Nantz has signed a seven-year contract extension with CBS Sports.

ESPN will launch the first 24-hour Spanish language national sports radio network, ESPN Deportes Radio, in September.

Lindsay Czarniak, the host of FINS-TV on WTVJ-TV in Miami, is leaving to become a sports anchor on WRC-TV in Washington D.C.

ASA member Lee Corso will no longer be an analyst for ESPN’s Thursday night college football broadcasts. ESPN has decided to go with a two-man booth of Kirk Herbstreit and ASA member Mike Tirico. Corso will continue to be a part of the “College Game Day” Saturday show with Herbstreit and Chris Fowler.

NBC has signed a deal to continue broadcasting the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness horse races for the next five years.

Bob Wolff, Hall of Fame broadcaster, and his wife, Jane, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on May 4th.

Robin Roberts, former ESPN anchor, has been promoted to co-anchor of "Good Morning America," joining Charlie Gibson and Diane Sawyer. She will continue as newsreader.

Skip Caray, ASA member, is celebrating his 30th year as a broadcaster for the Atlanta Braves.

There is speculation that Spero Dedes, YES Network announcer, is a prime candidate to fill the position in the Los Angeles Lakers’ radio or TV booth. One scenario has Dedes replacing TV play-by-play man and ASA member Paul Sunderland, who was recently let go by the Lakers. Another is to move radio voice Joel Myers to the TV side and put Dedes on the radio broadcasts.

THE NATIONAL TELEVISION ACADEMY 26th ANNUAL SPORTS EMMY AWARD WINNERS

Winners of the 26th Annual Sports Emmy Awards were presented Monday, May 2nd, 2005 by the National Television Academy at a special ceremony at Frederick P. Rose Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City. Here is a partial list of the winners:

OUTSTANDING SPORTS PERSONALITY-STUDIO HOST: BOB COSTAS NBC/HBO

OUTSTANDING SPORTS PERSONALITY-PLAY-BY-PLAY: JOE BUCK FOX

OUTSTANDING SPORTS PERSONALITY-STUDIO ANALYST: CRIS COLLINSWORTH HBO

OUTSTANDING SPORTS PERSONALITY-SPORTS EVENT ANALYST: JOE MORGAN ESPN

THE DICK SCHAAP OUTSTANDING WRITING AWARD: WIMBLEDON on ESPN2 ESPN2 writer: Dick Enberg

OUTSTANDING SPORTS JOURNALISM: REAL SPORTS with BRYANT GUMBEL HBO Sport of Sheikhs

SUMMARY OF WINNERS BY NETWORK:NBC-7, ESPN-5, HBO-5, CBS-3, FOX-3, ABC-2, ESPN2-1, HBO/NBC-1, NFL Network-1, TNT- 1

Mick Mixon,, the longtime broadcast partner of Woody Durham on the North Carolina Tar Heels Sports Network, is leaving that job after 16 years to become the new voice of Carolina Panthers’ NFL football.

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association and ESPN have agreed on an eight-year deal for ESPN to broadcast the Breeder’s Cup racing program starting in 2006 from Churchill Downs. The annual show will be a seven-hour broadcast from noon-7 PM, two hours longer than the current broadcast on NBC-TV. ESPN and ABC will also have five two-hour broadcasts of major stakes races from June through October.

Chris Cuthbert, a 21-year veteran of the CBC in Canada is the new voice of the Canadian Football League on Canadian all-sports TV network, TSN. Cuthbert will also broadcast National Hockey League games.

Howard Cosell must be spinning in his grave. ABC's "Monday Night Football," an American TV institution for 35 years, will end after next season. The stunning word came on April 18, when the NFL announced it had inked new TV deals with NBC and ESPN.(For complete story, see "News" section)

Pat Summerall, ASA Hall of Famer and legendary sportscaster, did some of the voice overs for the Master Golf Tournament on CBS to commemorate 50 years of the network airing the event.

Larry Zimmer, ASA member and Denver Broncos broadcaster for 26 years, has a book published - Stadium Stories: The Denver Broncos- available on amazon.com. Zimmer will be the voice of the Colorado Buffaloes for the 32nd season this fall on KOA.

WFAN Radio in New York held its 16th annual Radiothon to benefit the Tomorrow's Children Fund, the CJ Foundation Fund for SIDS, and the Imus Ranch on April 15 and 16. Radio hosts Sid Rosenberg and Joe Benigno, Mike Francesa and Chris Russo, Steve Somers and Chris Carlin took donations and bids on sports and entertainment packages during their shows. Last year the Radiothon raised $3 million.

Mike Adamle has been hired as a weekend host at WSCR-AM in Chicago.

Rudy Martzke, USA Today media columnist, is retiring as of April 15th.

Wally Matthews and Tom Keegan ("Wally and the Keeg") have been let go from ESPN 1050 in New York. Their midday show will be replaced by two hours of the ESPN-syndicated Colin Cowherd program and a new daily 2-hour program hosted by Stephen A. Smith. Matthews is still a newspaper columnist with the New York Sun newspaper, while it is rumored Keegan may go to Chicago to work at ESPN 1000 radio.

Max Kellerman, formerly of ESPN and FSN, has been hired by ESPN 1050 to do a nightly one-hour show.

Bryan Dolgin is the new pre and post game radio host for the Chicago White Sox. Dolgin was the voice of the minor league Joliet Jackhammers.

Mel Proctor, ASA member, is the first television voice of the Washington Nationals. Proctor is also the radio voice of the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers.

Mike Lindskog is the new Broadcaster/Manager of Public Relations for the Class AA Springfield (Ill.) Cardinals baseball team.

Paul Steigerwald, the radio voice of the Pittsburgh Penguins, is the new voice of the Altoona Curve baseball team of the Class AA Eastern League.

Mike Antonellis has joined the Class AA Portland Sea Dogs broadcast team alongside veteran broadcaster Todd Jamison.Justin Kutcher is the new voice of the Erie SeaWolves, on WFNN-AM, replacing Antonellis.

Terry Byrom is the new play-by-play announcer for the Harrisburg Senators of the Class AA Eastern League on WKBO-AM. Byrom was previously the voice of the Fort Wayne Wizards of the Class A Midwest League.

Brett Pollock is the new voice of the Huntsville Stars Class AA Southern League team. Pollock previously announced Lakewood Blue Claws games.

Tim Hagerty comes from Idaho to become the new voice of Mobile BayBears baseball in Alabama.

Tony Bruno is the new morning host on KMPC-AM in Los Angeles. Vulcan Sports Media, which owns KMPC, plans to syndicate Bruno’s show on its national Sporting News Radio Network by the end of summer.

David Kelly is the new radio and TV voice of the Class AAA baseball team, Memphis Redbirds. Kelly formerly worked as a sportscaster at WTAM radio in Cleveland.

Nominations for the Sports Emmy Awards were released recently. ESPN led all networks with 29 nomitaions, followed by NBC (23), Fox (18), ABC (17), HBO (17) and CBS (12). NBC earned 14 nominations for its coverage of the Athens Olympics. Some of the key categories are as follows:

Live Sports Special: MLB Division Series (ESPN), World Series (Fox), Super Bowl (CBS), The Masters (CBS), Wimbledon (NBC).

Live Sports Series: Monday Night Football (ABC), Sunday Night Football (ESPN), IRL (ABC, ESPN), MLB (Fox), NBA (TNT).

Studio Show Weekly: NFL Sunday (Fox), Inside the NFL (HBO), Baseball Pregame (Fox), NASCAR (Fox), Sunday Night Countdown (ESPN).

Studio Show Daily: Baseball Tonight (ESPN), BDSSP (FSN), Inside the NBA (TNT), OTL Nightly (ESPN), PTI (ESPN), SportsCenter (ESPN).

Studio Host: Bob Costas (HBO, NBC), Bryant Gumbel (HBO), Dan Patrick (ESPN), Greg Gumbel (CBS), Mary Carillo (NBC).

Studio Analyst: Cris Collinsworth (Fox), Harold Reynolds (ESPN), Howie Long (Fox), Michael Irvin (ESPN), Steve Young (ESPN).

Play-by-Play: Al Michaels (ABC, ESPN), Dick Enberg (CBS), Jim Lampley (CBS), Jim Nantz (CBS), Joe Buck (Fox).

Analyst: Cris Collinsworth (Fox), Joe Morgan (ESPN), John Madden (ABC), Johnny Miller (NBC), Tim McCarver (Fox).

Jay Bilas will return as a color analyst for CBS during the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, working alongside ASA Chairman Dick Enberg. Bilas was absent from the tournament last year because his primary employer, ESPN, could not work out a deal with CBS.

David Justice has left ESPN to join the YES network as an analyst for the New York Yankees. Justice, a one-time Yankee player, replaces Joe Girardi who is now Yankee manager Joe Torre's bench coach.

A decision by WBBM management to cut the Chicago Bears' 3-man broadcasting team to two men has cost ASA member Hub Arkush his job. Arkush will continue as the Publisher and Editor of Pro Football Weekly.

Dave Jageler is the new voice of the Pawtucket Red Sox. Jageler replaces Andy Freed, who is now the voice of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Dan Miller is the new radio voice of the Detroit Lions on WKRK-FM, replacing ASA Member Mark Champion, who continues as the radio voice of the Detroit Pistons on WWJ-AM.

Roxy Bernstein has joined the Florida Marlins' radio play-by-play team. Bernstein was the radio voice for California Golden Bears college basketball games.

Charlie Slowes and Dave Shea were named as the radio voices of the new Washington Nationals baseball team.

Phil Samp, the original voice of the Cincinnati Bengals, has died at age 76. Samp broadcast the Bengals' games from 1968 until his retirement in 1990.

Beginning in 2005, San Francisco 49ers football broadcasts will be heard on KNBR-AM, KTCT-AM and KSAN-FM in the Bay Area after being broadcast on KGO-AM for 18 seasons. The 49ers hope their broadcasters will also make the move, but play-by-play announcer and ASA member Joe Starkey is also KGO's Sports Director.

Mark Vandermeer, ASA Member, has signed a new three-year deal to remain with KILT-AM in Houston as the afternoon talk-show host and Houston Texans play-by-play announcer.

Dave Harbison, ASA Member, has been named KILT's Sports Director.

Teddy Ebersol, the 14-year-old son of NBC Sports executive Dick Ebersol and actress Susan St. James who was killed in a plane crash in November, had a trail named after him at The Telluride Ski Resort in Colorado. "Teddy's Way" was dedicated on Saturday, March 12th, 2005. Ebersol and Saint James, who own a home in Telluride and are active in the community, attended.

WAXY-AM in Miami has gained the rights to broadcast Miami Dolphins football through the 2006 season. WAXY is looking for a new broadcast team as the old team Howard David and Jim Mandich are under contract to the old station, WQAM-AM.

The American Sportscasters Association was a guest at the 7th annual Gourmet Gala Charity Auction in Washington, D.C., on February 22 for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.(For complete story see "News" section)

Chuck Thompson, whose familiar radio voice painted the picture of Baltimore sports for more than half a century, died on March 6, 2005, after suffering a stroke the day before. He was 83.(For complete story see "News" and "In Memoriam" sections)

The YES Network and the New Jersey Nets announced on February 28 that legendary sportscaster and ASA Advisory Board member Marv Albert has signed a multi-year agreement to handle play-by-play duties for the Nets beginning in the 2005-2006 NBA season.

Kenny Smith, NBA analyst for TNT, and Jody McDonald, former WFAN Radio talk show host, are hosting a new NBA show on Sirius Satellite Radio. The show airs Monday- Thursday from noon to 3 p.m.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum announced on February 22, 2005, that Jerry Coleman, long-time voice of the San Diego Padres and ASA member, has been named the 2005 recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award, presented annually for major contributions to baseball broadcasting. Coleman also broadcast games for the New York Yankees, California Angels and CBS Radio’s Game of the Week. (See Full Story in "News" section.)

Bob Costas' HBO talk show, "On the Record," will start its fifth season on April 29 with a new name and format. The show, now titled "Costas Now," will air once a month for 12 months, a change from its usual 12-week run.

John Litner was named the President of the regional sports network the New York Mets are scheduled to launch prior to the 2006 season. Litner had been the COO of the NHL since 1999. The backbone of the network will be Mets' telecasts and Mets-related programming.

Dave Willis and Andy Freed are the new radio play-by-play team for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, replacing Paul Olden and Charlie Slowes.

Rich Waltz has been hired as the TV voice of the Florida Marlins. Waltz has worked for the Seattle Mariners and ESPN.

Nestor Aparicio has given up his daily talk show on WNST in Baltimore to concentrate on the business side of the network, which he owns.

Tom Leyden, ASA member and former WFMZ-TV sports anchor in New Jersey, is now a sports anchor for WXYZ in Detroit.

Dan Marino, ASA member, studio analyst for CBS and HBO, and former All-Pro quarterback for the Miami Dolphins, has been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback and Super Bowl XXIX MVP Steve Young, now an ESPN NFL studio analyst, will also join Marino in Canton as a first ballot Hall of Famer.

Steve Lyons and Al Downing have been added to the Los Angeles Dodgers' broadcasting team as analysts. Both will work approximately 45 games that Vin Scully, takes off. In those games, Charley Steiner and Lyons will do the TV side and Rick Monday and Downing will provide the radio broadcasts. For the rest of the season, Scully will do the TV telecasts by himself and Steiner will do radio play-by-play with Monday as the analyst.

John "Boog" Sciambi has resigned as a Florida Marlins broadcaster to host a daily 2-hour talk show on ESPN Radio 790 in Miami and broadcast one ESPN baseball game of the week per week.

Skip Erwin, ASA member, was recently inducted into the University of Missouri, St. Louis, Sports Hall of Fame.

Bob Brown, a longtime radio host who did pre- and post-game show for the Mets during the late 1960s and early '70s, died at his home of lung cancer on January 26. He was 79.

Jim Simpson, ASA member and an original ESPN NCAA basketball announcer, is doing the play-by-play on a series of Wednesday night telecasts on ESPN Classic. These games are telecast in a similar format as ESPN used when it started broadcasting games 25 years ago.

Bill Rosinski, ASA member, was relieved from his duties as the play-by-play man for the Carolina Panthers. Rosinski had been the voice of the Panthers since the team's inception.

Lisa Leslie, three-time Olympic gold medal winner and two-time WNBA MVP, has joined ESPN as a studio analyst for NCAA women's basketball games

ESPN has inked a deal with Sprint to launch the first ESPN branded cell phone. The sports network already offers scores, games and news to a number of wireless providers but the new deal with Sprint will give ESPN total control and subscribers the ability to customize their phones to receive pop up news and stats on their favorite teams as well as video clips and ring tones. ESPN Mobile is set to hit the market in the second half of 2005.

The NFL has agreed to $8 billion in contract extensions with Fox Sports and CBS Sports to televise Sunday afternoon games for six more years.

Spero Dedes has become the pre- and post-game studio host for New Jersey Nets basketball on the YES network. Dedes continues a long line of sports broadcasting excellence produced by Fordham University's WFUV Radio that began with the legendary voice of the Dodgers' Vin Scully in the late 1940s.

Omar Claro, ASA Member and Sports Anchor for Univision WLTV 23 in Miami since 1998, signed a new three-year deal.

Hubie Brown, ASA Lifetime member and former coach of the Memphis Grizzlies, will join Al Michaels on ABC's lead announce team this season. Brown, who resumes his broadcasting career that spanned from 1982-2001, will make his return to the booth on Christmas Day for the much anticipated Lakers-Heat game. It will be the first meeting of ex-teammates Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.

Lesley Visser, ASA Advisory Board member, made her return from hip replacement surgery on CBS' "NFL Today." Visser, sideline reporter for CBS' No. 1 broadcast team, had to relinquish that role for this season because it is too risky to be on the field after her operation.

Charley Steiner has left the New York Yankees' broadcast team to join the Los Angeles Dodgers' broadcast team. Steiner is replacing Ross Porter, who teamed with Rick Monday on Dodgers' radiocasts and approximately 45 TV games.

Len Casper has replaced Chip Caray as the television voice of the Chicago Cubs. Casper was the TV voice of the Florida Marlins.

Chris Carlin is the new overnight host of WFAN Radio in New York. He replaces Joe Benigno.

Norm Hitzges, longtime Dallas-area sportscaster, was elected to the Texas Radio Hall of Fame.

Fred Hickman is leaving the YES Network to join ESPN's "SportsCenter."

Dawn Mitchell, ASA member and former CLTV sports anchor in Chicago, is the new sports anchor for KMSP-TV, a Fox affiliate in Minnesota.

Jason Solodkin, ASA member, is the new Director of Operations for 790 ESPN Radio in Hollywood, Fla.

NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol and his college-aged son emerged from the fiery wreckage of a corporate jet after it crashed during takeoff and burst into flames, killing two crew members. Rescuers were still searching for Ebersol's younger son, whose seat was missing from the smoldering ruins. For the complete story, see our "News" section.

Chip Caray, play-by-play man for the Chicago Cubs, has left the Cubs to join his father, Skip, as a broadcaster for the Atlanta Braves.

Tom Kelly and Ross Porter have been elected to the Southern California Sportscasters Hall of Fame.

David Aldridge, NBA reporter who was recently let go by ESPN, is the new sideline reporter for the "NBA on TNT."

Gary Gerould, ASA member, is in his 20th season as the radio play-by-play announcer for the Sacramento Kings. Last season, Gerould called his 1,500th game for the Kings.

Mike Patrick, ASA member and ESPN NFL analyst who underwent heart bypass surgery and missed the preseason and the first four regular season NFL telecasts on ESPN, made his return to the broadcast booth on October 10.

Lesley Visser, ASA Advisory Board member and sideline reporter for CBS' No. 1 NFL team, is recuperating after undergoing hip replacement surgery. Bonnie Bernstein, ASA member, will serve as Visser's fill-in.

Mike Breen was offically named by MSG Network as the new TV voice of the New York Knicks. Breen replaces ASA Advisory Board member and longtime Knicks broadcaster Marv Albert, who was let go after a dispute with management for comments he made during game broadcasts. Albert will continue to call NBA games for TNT.

Kevin Frazier, former NBA and "SportsCenter" anchor for ESPN, is leaving the sports broadcasting field and has accepted a position with "Entertainment Tonight Weekend" in Los Angeles.

Bobby "Slick" Leonard is in his 20th season as the radio broadcaster for the Indiana Pacers.

Mike Gorman, ASA member and longtime voice of the Boston Celtics, began his 24th season of calling Celtics games on TV. On September 24, Gorman was inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame during a ceremony at the University of Rhode Island.

New York Jets and WADO 1280 AM Radio have announced a partnership in which the station will serve as the official Hispanic play-by-play station of the Jets. Veteran Spanish radio personality Clemson L. Smith Muniz will broadcast the games from the Meadowlands.

With the end of the 2004 baseball regular-season, ASA member Joe Nuxhall, who began pitching in the major leagues at the age of 15 and announced Reds' games for more than three decades, has retired from the broadcast booth.

Van Earl Wright has replaced Tony Bruno on Fox Sports Radio. Bruno left after he and Fox failed to reach an agreement on a new contract.

Mike Vaccaro, ASA member and former Director of Broadcasting at Campbell University, has accepted a position at UNC-Wilmington as the radio voice of the Seahawks. Vaccaro will also serve as the school's Assistant Director of Sports Marketing.

Steve Cohen, former NFL reporter for WFAN Radio, is the new head of Sirius NFL Radio. The new satellite radio system boasts intensive coverage of NFL.

Jenna Wolfe, former MSG network sports anchor, has joined WABC-TV ‘s Eyewitness News. Wolfe will report on all New York/metro team coverage and serve as a backup to sports anchor and ASA Advisory Board member Scott Clark.

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez, ASA member and Spanish radio voice for the San Francisco Giants and Seattle Mariners, was inducted into the Cuban Sports Hall of Fame in Miami, Fla. Gonzalez, who was also nominated for the Baseball Hall of Fame's 2004 Ford C. Frick Award, is in his tenth season with the Giants and his second with the Mariners.

Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon, hosts of ESPN's "Pardon the Interuption," signed a new five-year deal.

Scott Lauer, former WFAN Radio intern, is the new studio host for the NBA-expansion Charlotte Bobcats' radio games. Lauer will also do play-by-play on 15 games.

Warner Wolf, longtime sports anchor for WCBS-TV in New York, has been hired as the morning sportscaster for WABC Radio's "Curtis & Kuby Show." As part of the new deal, Wolf will also host a Saturday sports talk show on ESPN-1050 Radio. Both stations are owned by Disney. Wolf made his WABC Radio debut on Labor Day and his first ESPN show was Sept. 4.

Eddie Andelman, ASA member and WWZN midday host, co-sponsored the "Clash for Cash:Under the Stars," an outdoor pro boxing event at Fraser Field in Lynn, Mass. The card was broadcast live on AM 1510 "The Zone" and featured Dave Jageler and ASA member Ed Berliner behind the mike calling the action. A portion of the proceeds went to The Joey Fund and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Phil Rizzuto, ASA Member and New York Yankees broadcaster for 40 years, had a park in New Jersey named in his honor on July 21, 2004. "The Scooter," who was on hand to speak to the crowd during the dedication ceremony at the new Phil Rizzuto Park in Union County, has lived in nearby Hillside for the past 50 years. The 10.4 acre site boasts a soccer field to accommodate the area's growing Latino population, a gazebo with a replica of the Yankee Stadium facade and some oversized bats and balls.

Greg Glynn, ASA Member, has been hired as the new Director of Communications of the Portland Pirates Hockey Club of the American Hockey League. In his new position, Glynn will manage all team and franchise information, coordinate all print and electronic publishing, and work with Pirates management to execute and manage all external communications and advertising strategies for the franchise.

Bob Murphy, ASA member and longtime New York Mets sportscaster, died on August 3, 2004, at a hospice in West Palm Beach, Fla., from lung cancer. He was 79. Murphy, who retired after the 2003 season, was a fixture in the Mets broadcast booth since the team’s inception in 1962.

Before coming to New York, Murphy worked with ASA Hall of Famer Curt Gowdy calling Boston Red Sox games from 1954-59. After spending two years in Baltimore, Murphy was chosen as the nuts and bolts broadcaster to join nationally known Lindsey Nelson and former player Ralph Kiner as the broadcasting trio for the newly formed Mets franchise.

Along the way, Murphy has called over 6,000 Mets games. But maybe none have been more memorable than Game 6 of the 1986 World Series when the Mets were trying to keep a rally alive in the 10th inning. “It gets by Buckner!,” Murphy’s call of Mookie Wilson’s ground ball that rolled through the legs of Boston Red Sox first basemen Bill Buckner, still brings a smile to the face of every Mets fan. That fluke play forced a Game 7 which the Mets won to become World Champions.

Murphy, who was born in Oklahoma, began his broadcasting career with the Class C Muskogee Reds after coming out of the Marines at the end of WWII. Besides baseball, he has done college basketball and football, New York Titans football and one season of “Bowling for Dollars.” In 1994, Murphy was inducted into the Broadcasters’ Wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Lon Simmons, legendary Bay area broadcaster, received the Ford C. Frick Award during the annual Induction Ceremonies at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, on July 25, 2004.

An original voice of the Giants when they moved west, Simmons called games for San Francisco and the Oakland A's for 41 years before retiring after the 2002 season.

When the Giants moved to San Francisco in 1958, Russ Hodges was the only announcer to make the move, and Simmons joined him for the team's initial broadcasts at Seals Stadium. Simmons and Hodges worked together for 13 years before Simmons retired in 1973 after the death of his first wife. He returned to the Giants in 1976 for three more years, then moved across the bay to Oakland, where he teamed with Bill King to broadcast Athletics games from 1981-95. In 1996, he returned to the Giants and worked a partial schedule until his retirement in 2002.

Simmons broadcast the pennant-winning Giants team of 1962 and the A's teams which reached the World Series from 1988 to 1990. He counts as his biggest thrills calling the 600th home run of Willie Mays and the dramatic home run that marked the return of Willie McCovey to San Francisco in 1977. For those and many other home runs, Simmons gave his trademark call of "tell it goodbye!

Lowell "Cotton" Fitzsimmons, ASA member and longtime announcer for the Phoenix Suns, died on July 24 due to complications from lung cancer. He was 72.

In April, a malignant tumor was found on Fitzsimmons' lung and he had been in a Phoenix-area care center since suffering a stroke earlier this month.

Before his work as a sportscaster, Fitzsimmons coached in the NBA for 21 seasons. His record of 832-775 ranks him 10th in career vistories. Fitzsimmons also served as executive vice president of the Suns, a team he coached on three occassions.

Bob Brenly, recently fired as manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks, is one of the candidates being considered by Fox to work as a game analyst for this year's NLCS. If the New York Mets don't make the playoffs, Mets pitcher Al Leiter, who worked the NLCS for Fox last year, is also a strong possibility.

Chris Wragge is the new sports anchor at WCBS-TV Channel 2. He replaced longtime New York sports anchor Warner Wolf who was recently let go. Wragge will likely work some national telecasts for CBS.

Shannon Sharpe, former All-Pro tightend, signed a deal with Sirius NFL Radio that will give him a three-day-a-week, three-hour football talk show. Sharpe also replaced Deion Sanders as a studio analyst on CBS' "The NFL Today." John Davidson, New York Rangers TV announcer for 18 years, signed a multi-year contract extension with MSG network to remain with the club.

Tom Cheek, ASA member and veteran Toronto Blue Jays radio announcer, is recovering after undergoing surgery to remove a brain tumor on June 13.

Charles Chitwood, ASA member and voice of East Texas Baptist University and Jefferson High School athletics, was named the play-by-play voice of the Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings Arena Football team.

ESPN signed a four-year deal with the International Skating Union to broadcast figure skating and the World Figure Skating Championships. The deal, which starts in November and averages $5 million a year, is down from the just-expired ABC contract that averaged $22 million a year.

David Briggs, former weekend anchor for Fox affiliate Channel 23 in Tulsa, Okla, has been hired by WHDH-TV Channel 7 in Boston. The hiring brings the station's sports department back to full strength for the first time in a year.

Michele Tafoya, ASA member and NBA sideline reporter for ABC and ESPN, is the new sideline reporter for ABC's "Monday Night Football." She replaces fellow ASA member Lisa Guerrero who will continue to do other assignments for the network.

Rick Majerus, former University of Utah basketball coach, will become an ESPN analyst on college basketball and possibly the NBA this season.

Mike Ditka, former head coach of the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints, has joined ESPN on its NFL show, "Monday Quarterback." Ditka will also contribute to other shows on the network.

Tiki Barber, New York Giants running back, has decided he will not continue doing his weekly radio show, "The Tiki Lounge," on ESPN Radio. According to Barber, his decision had nothing to do with new Giants head coach Tom Coughlin and the strict guidelines he sets for his players. Barber's show aired every Thursday during the football season from 6-7 p.m.

Ross Coyle, ASA member of ABC 6 in Providence, Rhode Island, recently won the 2004 Associated Press Award for Best Sports Feature.

Rich Ackerman was hired by NBA TV as a studio host. Ackerman worked at ESPN radio and hosted the 1997 NBA Draft Lottery, "The NBA on ESPN" studio show and the WNBA finals before joining WFAN and NBA TV. The NYU graduate handles updates for WFAN.

If you have any news on ASA members' promotions please E-mail Zach Links at NETSZRL@AOL.com