ESPN Wednesday announced former NASCAR Sprint Cup team Owner Ray Evernham is returning to the net as an analyst for the ’12 season. Evernham will be a part of “NASCAR Countdown” before the Nationwide Series race that airs on ESPN on Saturday, Feb. 25. He also will appear on “NASCAR Now” and “SportsCenter” from Daytona. In addition, Evernham will help call several Nationwide Series races from the booth. Evernham was an analyst for ESPN from ’08-10 but left prior to the ’11 season to take a consulting position with Hendrick Companies (ESPN). Evernham will “continue working with Hendrick while commentating for ESPN.” He said that his work with Hendrick's companies “wasn't related to racing, and he doesn't believe it will create any issues” (AP, 2/15).
CHANGE BEHIND THE MIC: In Houston, David Barron noted Astros radio announcer Milo Hamilton “went to great lengths Wednesday to emphasize he isn’t retiring” and that he is “just changing jobs within the organization.” Hamilton, who has been an MLB radio broadcaster for 57 years, said that his duties “beyond 2012 will include working as an adviser" to Astros Owner Jim Crane, hosting "charity fundraisers and making the occasional booth appearance, including a road trip to Detroit in 2013 as the Astros move to the American League.” Hamilton said that his long-term goal is to “continue with occasional radio work, including the offseason Astroline show, through 2015 to give him 70 years on the air.” Hamilton: “That will give the kids something to shoot at” (CHRON.com, 2/15).
I GET A KICK OUT OF YOU: In Albany, Pete Dougherty listed TNT's Charles Barkley as his “top studio analyst” based “solely on entertainment value.” Dougherty wrote that Barkley “makes things difficult for host Ernie Johnson, but he is rarely dull.” The CBC’s Don Cherry is listed as number two because “those who see him often know he can be as unpredictable as our No.1 selection.” ESPN’s Lee Corso came in at number three and Dougherty wrote “College GameDay” is the “best studio show out there, and Corso is one of the major reasons it has flourished” (Albany TIMES UNION, 2/17).
DOING YOUR HOMEWORK: Padres play-by-play announcer Dick Enberg spoke at Marquette Univ. earlier this week, and said that in terms of preparation for a broadcast, his “rule of thumb is for every one hour on air it requires one day of study.” So a three-hour broadcast “means three days of preparation.” Enberg considers calling a baseball game "the most demanding and challenging" task in sports broadcasting. He said, “If someone can do it well, especially on radio, they are the best in our profession. ... If you can call the baseball game properly, accurately -- there is a lot of down time you have to fill with other information -- you can do any other sport" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 2/17).
