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Mendoza Yet To Hear About Future With ESPN, But Signs Point To Prominent Role

Jessica Mendoza's role with ESPN's MLB coverage in '16 is yet to be determined, but it will "probably depend, in part," on whether fellow analyst Curt Schilling "has a future" with the net, according to Richard Sandomir of the N.Y. TIMES. Mendoza became the first female to call an MLB postseason game during Tuesday night's Astros-Yankees AL Wild Card game, but she has yet to hear "from ESPN officials about what she will do next season." Mendoza: "I haven’t even asked. I’m as curious as anyone. I’m hooked. This is something I want to do more of." ESPN Exec VP/Programming & Production John Wildhack "lauded her in a way that offered little doubt about the company’s intentions." He said, "You can expect that she has earned and will have a prominent role in our baseball coverage. Her knowledge of the game is comparable to any baseball expert out there, and her knowledge of hitting might be the best of any analyst out there." Sandomir: "Translation: Expect her to replace Schilling." It will be a "smart and progressive move" (N.Y. TIMES, 10/8).

BATTLE OF THE SEXES: In Atlanta, Rodney Ho reported WZGC-AM's Mike Bell was suspended yesterday through Oct. 12 after using a “sexist ‘Anchorman’ insult” on Twitter against Mendoza during Tuesday’s game. Bell yesterday “read a pre-taped statement on the air” apologizing for his actions. Ho noted Bell's stance is that color commentators "should be professionals or former professionals from that particular sport,” as in MLB. He does not see softball, which Mendoza played, “as the same as baseball” (AJC.com, 10/7). In N.Y., Katie Rogers noted as much as Mendoza's history-making moment Tuesday "excited many fans, it also revealed how stubbornly sexism persists in male-dominated sports." Some viewers "were apparently unable to get past Mendoza being a 'woman announcer,' and that they were being forced to listen to her." Since replacing Schilling to become a regular part of ESPN's broadcasting lineup, "much of the praise about her has centered on her knowledge of the game and ability to speak with authority when things get unpredictable." But even as Mendoza’s experience "is hailed by her colleagues, critics still question whether her experience in softball is enough" (NYTIMES.com, 10/7). WFAN's Boomer Esiason said Mendoza is a "more than competent broadcaster who's able to, with her credibility and smarts, do a good job." WFAN's Craig Carton: "I couldn't be more supportive." Carton added Bell’s tweet was the “old-school, kind of caveman ‘I don’t want a woman doing a broadcast’ type of thing” ("Boomer & Carton," WFAN-AM, 10/8).

JUDGE ME ON MY SKILLS: Mendoza this morning said she wants to "get to the point where it's like, ‘Let's think about what I'm saying, what I'm doing and not so much the sex that I am.’” She added, "I want to get to a point when we hear a female voice on the NBA, NFL or just anything in men’s sports, it's like, ‘Sweet, she's doing a good job’” (“GMA,” ABC, 10/8). FOXSPORTS.com's Meg Rowley wrote, "I’m glad the voice of the postseason sounds a little bit like mine. ... It makes me feel like I belong in this game. It makes me feel, if only for a moment, like we’re all pressing our noses against the same glass" (FOXSPORTS.com, 10/7).

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