In Houston, David Barron noted Astros radio play-by-play announcer Milo Hamilton last night worked his final game "as a full-time broadcaster after almost six decades with seven major league clubs, including 28 years with the Astros." The Cardinals-Astros postgame broadcast included "tributes from colleagues Brett Dolan and Dave Raymond." Hamilton yesterday "burst into tears during a morning chat on KTRH (740 AM) as he and anchor Matt Patrick discussed his Astros memories" (CHRON.com, 9/26). MLB.com's Brian McTaggart noted Hamilton "won't travel with the team on its road trip through Milwaukee and Chicago to end the season, but he'll sign off the final broadcast of the season on Oct. 3." After the Astros-Cubs regular season finale is over, Raymond and Dolan "will throw the broadcast to Hamilton" in Houston (MLB.com, 9/26).
ANCHORS AWAY! FSN will use Erin Andrews as a sideline reporter for its "Battle on the Midway" game Nov. 9. She joins play-by-play announcer Dick Enberg and analyst Steve Kerr in calling the matchup, which will be produced by FS San Diego and distributed nationally to FSN and its affiliates. The San Diego State-Syracuse contest will be played on the flight deck of the USS Midway Museum Aircraft Carrier, which is anchored in San Diego harbor. The assignment marks Andrews' second sideline reporting role since joining Fox over the summer (John Ourand, THE DAILY).
NATITUDE ADJUSTMENT: In DC, Rick Maese writes Nationals TV analyst F.P. Santangelo "has narrated a memorable summer in Washington as the team’s ever-present voice." Last year was Santangelo's first with MASN, which he "likened to a teenager who had just earned his driver’s license." But Santangelo this year is "more fluid and comfortable." He said that MASN and the Nationals "have given him no constraints." Santangelo said he can be “as critical as I want to be.” But Maese writes, "More times than not, that means not very." He is "prone to giving the Nats -- and ballplayers in general -- the benefit of the doubt" (WASHINGTON POST, 9/27).
NOTES: Pro Basketball HOFer Calvin Murphy said that he will "start as a new member of the Rockets' broadcast team on Comcast SportsNet Houston" for the '12-13 NBA season (CHRON.com, 9/25)....ESPN's new season of PBA coverage, set to begin in December, will feature the broadcast team of Lon McEachern and PBA HOFer Randy Pederson (PBA)....The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has moved Hawks beat writer Michael Cunningham to "a new role as general assignment sports reporter." Chris Vivlamore will replace Cunningham on the Hawks beat (AJC.com, 9/24).
