Phillips Joining ESPN's Sunday Night Booth Elicits Split Reaction

Writer Questions Union Of Phillips With Current Sunday Night Broadcast Team

ESPN yesterday formally announced that MLB analyst Steve Phillips will join Jon Miller and Joe Morgan as part of the broadcast booth for its “Sunday Night Baseball” coverage, but many fans are “puzzled why ESPN made this latest move," according to Kevin Kaduk of YAHOO SPORTS. Kaduk: "Surely they know there's an anti-Morgan sentiment out there, just as they must know that people aren't too high on Phillips either. ... Why not take a chance on stirring up things by bringing in fresh blood to work with Miller and letting Morgan go do his thing in a lesser-viewed game during the week?" Kaduk writes of Miller and Morgan, “I can tolerate the duo once a week and wouldn't have batted an eye if they'd have come back by themselves for a 20th season” (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 1/21). But in Albany, Pete Dougherty wrote the move is "overdue to help overmatched analyst" Morgan. Phillips' presence "should give Morgan opportunity to filter out any unintelligent thoughts and will allow Peter Gammons -- who had been working as a reporter at game sites -- to return to the studio" (TIMESUNION.com, 1/21). SI.com's Ted Keith wrote, "I like Steve Phillips. ... I find his insights interesting from a different perspective than the traditional pairing of journalist and former player." But Phillips "could be as annoying as [Fox' Tony] Siragusa and as unengaged in the game as Dick Vitale and still be an improvement for this simple reason: Every time he's talking, Jon Miller and Joe Morgan are not" (FANNATION.com, 1/21).

BACK-GAMMONS: AWFUL ANNOUNCING’s Brian Powell wrote by moving Phillips to the Sunday night booth, ESPN is “probably scrambling now to beef up their MLB coverage, on the heels of [MLB Network’s] success.” Gammons is now “freed up to head back to the studio,” which is “where he belongs” (AWFULANNOUNCING.com, 1/21). The SPORTING BLOG's Chris Mottram wrote Phillips' move is "great news for those of us who dream of a day when 'Baseball Tonight's' format will be Karl Ravech, Peter Gammons and actual game highlights" (SPORTINGNEWS.com, 1/21).