People & Personalities: Barkley To Return To TNT Tomorrow

Barkley Hasn't Appeared In Studio Since His December Arrest

Turner yesterday announced that Charles Barkley will return as a studio analyst for the net's NBA coverage tomorrow (TNT). Barkley's leave of absence officially began January 9, and he has not appeared in the studio since his December 31 DUI arrest in Arizona (THE DAILY). AWFULANNOUNCING.com's Brian Powell writes, “TNT showed how great of an organization they are, in the way they handled this, and hopefully it will be the last time Barkley has to take a leave of absence” (AWFULANNOUNCING.com, 2/17). The SPORTING BLOG's Chris Littmann wrote, "It's great timing in that Barkley is never shy with his opinion and it'd be a shame to miss out on the Chuckster's take at the NBA trading deadline" (SPORTINGNEWS.com, 2/17).

WESTERN UNION: In L.A., Diane Pucin reports ESPN's Neil Everett and Stan Verrett will begin anchoring the 1:00am ET edition of "SportsCenter" live from the net's new production facility at L.A. Live beginning April 6. ESPN's Stuart Scott also "will host some shows, including the inaugural broadcast" (L.A. TIMES, 2/18).   

RADIO ROYALTY: In Sacramento, Bill Bradley wrote NBA Kings play-by-play announcer Gary Gerould is the “most underappreciated radio sportscaster in Northern California.” Gerould “does an impressive job of conveying the ebb and flow of a game,” and he “doesn’t come off as a homer” (SACRAMENTO BEE, 2/17).

SCOUT'S HONOR: In St. Petersburg, Tom Jones reported former NFL coach Jon Gruden will serve as an analyst on the NFL Network’s coverage of the scouting combine in Indianapolis this week. Gruden will appear on the net’s “Total Access” show from Thursday through Monday (TAMPABAY.com, 2/17).