In Providence, Kevin McNamara writes ESPN's Lee Corso is "known as one of the faces of college football." Corso said, "I don't have a job. It's a privilege. It's like stealing with how much fun we have." Corso each Saturday dons a mascot head to pick the game featured on "College GameDay," and last week made his "250th selection" during the show's broadcast at West Virginia Univ. He said, "Being out there with the fans is so much fun." Corso said that Eugene, Ore., is his "favorite GameDay town." The show starts at 6:00am PT, but he said Oregon fans "sleep out all night to watch us" (PROVIDENCE JOURNAL, 11/5).
ON THE ROAD AGAIN: In Portland, Mike Tokito writes former NFLer Joey Harrington had "what seemed a plum job" when he began as a studio analyst for Fox Sports' college football coverage in '12. But last year, Harrington "moved out of the studio and became a color commentator." He said, "They are very different. Studio, in my opinion, is an easier job. It is more consistent in terms of travel. You know exactly where you're going each week, what time to leave here, and you can build a routine. But it's not as fun and exciting. You're sitting in a TV studio for 14 hours as opposed to being out at the game sites, with the crowd and 60,000 screaming people." Tokito noted despite the "preparation demands, broadcasting allows Harrington to be at home" with his wife, Emily, and their two sons "for much of the week." Harrington: "I've been essentially part of this game for 20 years now, and I've learned a few things, and I'm able to share those things through broadcasting and still, during the season, be able to be home with my wife and two boys Monday through Thursday" (OREGONLIVE.com, 11/4).
HITTING IT LONG: GLOBAL GOLF POST's Ron Green Jr. profiled Golf Channel's Brandel Chamblee and wrote he has "become one of the most important voices in the game, growing into a job he didn't plan for but seems made to do." Chamblee's opinions "are not always popular and not always conventional but they are always meticulously researched, built on logic and drizzled with a dash of intuition." One of the things that has made Chamblee "so good on television is his attention to detail." Green: "When he offers an opinion, it's usually based on research. He pores through statistics, looking for trends, strengths, weaknesses. If there is a case to be made, Chamblee wants to be on solid ground" (GLOBAL GOLF POST, 11/3 issue).
CAR-MA CHAMELEON: In West Palm Beach, Dave George notes while ESPN "will step away" from NASCAR coverage at the end of this year, ESPN/ABC racing analyst Allen Bestwick "is landing the prime gig of calling the Indianapolis 500 for ABC, in addition to the network's other IndyCar races." ESPN will "fill in all potential blanks, too, by putting Bestwick behind the microphone for duties ranging from college football to British Open golf to Wimbledon" (PALM BEACH POST, 11/5).
