In St. Louis, Rick Hummel reports MLB Cardinals radio broadcaster Mike Shannon, who will be starting his 45th season in '16 and will turn 77 in July, will reduce his schedule and "not do any road games for the club this season." Rick Horton "will replace Shannon" on KMOX-AM "for all the road games, joining John Rooney, Shannon’s normal partner." Mike Claiborne also "will be involved" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 1/19).
FRIEND OF A FRIEND: In Chicago, Scot Gregor noted the White Sox hired Jason Benetti as a TV play-by-play voice "thanks to Len Kasper, the Cubs' stellar TV play-by-play man." White Sox Senior VP/Sales & Marketing Brooks Boyer "contacted Kasper" in October. Kasper said, "When Brooks called, he asked me, 'Who would you target if you were in my position?' Jason was one of the names at the top of the list. I'm just thrilled he got the job. I think it's just a perfect fit." Gregor noted Benetti "got to know Kasper when he was broadcasting baseball games for five years" with the Triple-A Int'l League Syracuse Chiefs (Chicago DAILY HERALD, 1/17). Also in Chicago, Dan McGrath wrote Benetti is "not intended" as someone who will be anti-Hawk Harrelson. There is "plenty to be said for a man who has done what he has done for as long as he has done it, with dedication, distinction and flair." But Hawk "also loves Hawk," and his ego "can suffocate a broadcast, not to mention a well-meaning analyst." Benetti will "train a fresh pair of eyes on the games and offer a different perspective." He will "engage Steve Stone, whose expertise as an analyst has been of zero value to a partner totally taken with his own" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 1/16).
WHAT FORE? TSN.ca's Bob Weeks wrote golf analyst Greg Norman, who recently was relieved of his duties, "wasn’t the only bad thing about the Fox debut at the U.S. Open." Weeks: "It was, in short, an awful start." ESPN's Paul Azinger is the "obvious choice" to replace Norman, but Fox "may not have to look far at all if it wants a true talent." Brad Faxon is "already working for Fox," while Nick Price might be "another good choice" (TSN.ca, 1/18).
BASEBALL BOOTH: ESPN analyst Aaron Boone said that the net "has not told him" whether the new "Sunday Night Baseball" crew will be permanent, but he believes ESPN is "optimistic for a long-term play." Boone: "I don’t sense this is something they are just trying out. That being said, the nature of the business is that if this is not working or we are not delivering from our end, then there will be a new team" (SI.com, 1/17). Meanwhile, YAHOO SPORTS' Mike Oz wrote under the header, "How Jessica Mendoza Ignored Sexism And Broke Barriers In Baseball." The ESPN analyst is a woman "succeeding in what’s traditionally been a man’s job and that’s made her one of the most polarizing baseball stories of the past six months" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 1/18).
NOTES: Longtime SNY and Fox Sports baseball director Bill Webb "is recovering well from chemo, and may be back this season." Meanwhile, ESPN Associate Manager of Communications Dan Quinn "has packed it in, retired to Florida" after 24 years at the net (N.Y. POST, 1/17)....WGN anchor/reporter Rich King is "ready to call it quits" after 48 years in the business. King announced Sunday he "plans to retire June 15. He "first joined WGN as an intern" in '68 (ROBERTFEDER.com, 1/17).
