A "key element" to the Dodgers hiring 27-year-old Joe Davis as a third play-by-play man is that the front office "had this deal in place for several months before making the announcement and was basically able to keep it under wraps amidst speculation about Vin Scully’s return for a 67th season," according to Tom Hoffarth of the L.A. DAILY NEWS. Dodgers Exec VP & CMO Lon Rosen had "basically been searching for someone to do a 50-game road package" since the end of the '13 season, when the team "decided not to renew Eric Collins and Steve Lyons for that package going into the first year" of their SportsNet LA creation. But Charley Steiner was "effective in helping the Dodgers go through play-by-play men tapes over the last two years before endorsing Davis" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 11/15).
REPLACING A LEGEND: SI.com's Richard Deitsch wrote Scully is "impossible to replace," but Dodgers brass "clearly see great potential in Davis." The latter "does not have a specific schedule yet" for his 50 games, but he "believes he will do the majority of the weekday road games and a good number of weekend games prior to September." Davis also will do 10 Spring Training games in March, "juggling between his Fox Sports college basketball schedule." Davis said of Scully, "He is the greatest there ever was and the greatest there ever will be and comparisons are going to be natural in a spot the year before he does what he said he will do. So I realized coming into this that those comparisons will be made and, sure, there is some intimidation to that. But I have one shot at living this life and going through this career, and I’m not going to make decisions based on fear and fear of failure and fear of criticism" (SI.com, 11/15).
MISSED OPPORTUNITY: In California, Michael Lev writes, "The most frustrating sports media story I’ve covered, by far, is the SportsNet LA distribution saga." TWC and the Dodgers "badly misfired on this one, putting their business interests ahead of what’s best for Dodgers fans." The "majority of the market has missed out" on two of Scully’s final three seasons. Lev: "How does that happen?" He added of Scully, "I feel privileged to have been able hear him broadcast games over the past 15 years (well, most of them). He is a true poet and gentleman. I got to meet him and write about him a couple of times, and each time he sent a handwritten thank-you note. ... Scully also is the only broadcaster whom no one seems to dislike. I’ve yet to come across another" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 11/17).
