In West Palm Beach, Brian Biggane wrote Golf Channel on-air host Holly Sonders "has become one of golf broadcasting’s rising stars" since joining the net three years ago. Sonders knows that she "faces the same quandary of many women in broadcasting: how to make sure her good looks don’t prevent her from being taken seriously as a host and reporter?" She said that one way is to "make sure stories such as the Golf Digest cover portray her for her golf skills and athleticism ... and not as a pin-up." Sonders: "I’ll give some credit to the (people at) Golf Channel ... (They) recognize me as someone who knows what they’re talking about" (PALM BEACH POST, 1/24).
LOOKING FOR BROTHERLY LOVE: MLB.com's Todd Zolecki reported former MLBer Jamie Moyer "interviewed this week" to be the Phillies' color TV analyst. Sources said that Moyer, MLB Network's Mitch Williams, Triple-A Int'l League Lehigh Valley IronPigs manager Mickey Morandini and CBS Sports Network's Kevin Stocker "are the top candidates, with some giving Moyer and Williams an edge." A source noted that ESPN's Doug Glanville "removed his name from consideration." The new analyst "will be hired as a Comcast employee -- they have been hired as Phillies employees in the past -- and the network has final say on whom it hires." But the Phillies "are involved in the selection process, although how much of a say they have is unclear" (MLB.com, 1/22).
LESSONS LEARNED: In Houston, Brent Zwerneman writes Texas A&M and the SEC "stand to benefit from ESPN's learning curve" with the Longhorn Network and "exactly how to sell a new sports network to cable and satellite providers." ESPN Senior VP/Programming Justin Connolly was "asked this week if ESPN intended to pitch the SEC Network ... on its own to such providers," and he "shook his head no." He explained that ESPN intends to include the SEC Network "in a package of services with ESPN and ESPN2" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 1/24).
PACIFIC RIMS: In San Jose, Jon Wilner noted Pac-12 men's basketball teams played 14 conference games "spread over nine Sundays" in '12-13. Compare that to this season, where there have been 23 conference games "on the nine Sundays." A source said that the reason is ESPN "wanted more Sunday games, and so did Fox Sports, to provide Sunday inventory for FS1" (MERCURYNEWS.com, 1/23).
