SNY Mets analyst Ron Darling earlier this week shot down reports that he was going to replace Jerry Remy as the analyst for NESN's Red Sox broadcasts, he and he said he is "surprised stuff like this gets out when it has no journalistic integrity." Darling said, "I’m answering your questions on a story that is no story. I’m happy where I’m at. And I happily already have three jobs (SNY, TBS, MLB Network). Besides, my parents live in Worcester (Mass.) and are big Red Sox fans. My mom would never let me even think of getting in the way of Jerry Remy. He’s her favorite." In N.Y., Bob Raissman notes Darling will work playoff games for TBS, and no matter what he says or "how down the middle he cuts it," there will be some Dodgers fans who "will perceive he's leaning towards the Mets." Darling: "Half the people are going to come into this (TBS NLDS telecast) wanting to hate you; I totally get that. ... I certainly can take any backlash that could come my way" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 10/2).
WHAT'S THE BUZZ? GEORGIA TECH ALUMNI MAGAZINE's Jonathan Crowl writes ESPN anchor Chris Cotter "doesn’t bother with building up an oversized on-air persona." Instead, he "sticks to the shtick that brought him to sports broadcasting’s biggest stage: being himself." Cotter, who has been at ESPN since '12, said, "I felt like if I could go to ESPN and succeed there, at worst, that opens up opportunities in so many other areas. But I came here with the intention of being here the rest of my career." Crowl notes Cotter's first broadcasting job "was handling radio ad sales" for Atlanta's WQXI-AM, but he "was fired from his gig" in '05. Cotter: "Sometimes you need to get pushed." Within half a year, Cotter "had an agent representing him." He joined SNY in '06 and moved to Fox Business in '09. Cotter this fall "has moved into his largest role yet," hosting the college football studio coverage every Saturday on ESPN2 (GT ALUMNI MAGAZINE, Fall '15 issue).
PEN & PAPERS: In Boston, Dan Shaughnessy reports Olympics reporter John Powers "has retired from the Globe after 42 years." Powers' departure "is a loss for institutional memory and the craft of writing." Shaughnessy: "Happily, he’ll be back on occasion to cover the Olympics and a few of his other favorite topics" (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/2)....Writers Ethan Skolnick and Manny Navarro will cover the Heat this season for the Miami Herald. Skolnick, who has previously "worked as a general columnist" at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, will "write, report, columnize, blog and tweet about the Heat." Navarro "will focus on the Heat but keep his hand in UM coverage, as well" (MIAMIHERALD.com, 9/30).
MORE SOUTH FLORIDA NOTES: The NHL Panthers on Thursday announced that Bill Lindsay "will be the radio analyst for all 41 home games" this season. Lindsay in August was let go from FS Florida, the team's TV partner, after six seasons (MIAMIHERALD.com, 10/1)....WQAM-AM Program Dir Ryan Maguire on Wednesday said that Miko Grimes "will no longer serve as a radio host" on the station. Grimes, the wife of Dolphins CB Brent Grimes, "was arrested Sunday outside Sun Life Stadium" before the game against the Bills "on charges of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest." In addition to her primary duties on the "Big O Show," she had "co-hosted a weekend show on the station with the Sun Sentinel’s Omar Kelly" (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 10/1).
