USA TODAY's Lorenzo Reyes notes CBS execs this week "expressed a strong vote of support" for NFL rules analyst Mike Carey, who has come under fire this season for getting several high-profile calls wrong. CBS Sports Chair Sean McManus said, "I've seen some of the criticism, and I think some of it is very hurtful, quite frankly. But Mike is learning his craft, and I think more often than not he has gotten it right" (USA TODAY, 1/29). McManus added, "Mike has perhaps gone out on a limb more than he should in terms of speculating what a call should be. I hope (viewers) would understand that Mike is only giving his opinion” (NEWSDAY.com, 1/28).
MAKING HER MARK: FS1's Katie Nolan is profiled in a BOSTON GLOBE MAGAZINE cover story by Chad Finn, who writes Nolan's show "Garbage Time" has "generated consistent buzz and corresponding hope almost exclusively" because of her presence. Nolan is a "charismatic, irreverent former bartender with an affinity for venting hard truths and making her audience buckle in laughter within the same half-hour." That Nolan "so easily combines comedy and candor is proof of her skill and versatility." Nolan "makes sure 'Garbage Time' is a good time with her stream of keen observations wrapped in wisecracks." But she also "delivers serious moments." Nolan asked rhetorically, "Are we a sports show that’s funny, or are we a funny show about sports? Those two worlds notoriously don’t play well together in television. So I think the way we’ve found to make it work is to not always try to be funny and not always be about sports" (BOSTON GLOBE MAGAZINE, 1/31 issue).
COHN OF PROBABILITY: ESPN's Linda Cohn on Feb. 21 will host her 5,000 episode of "SportsCenter." Cohn, who joined ESPN in '92, has hosted the show more times than anyone else (ESPN). ESPN Public Editor Jim Brady in his latest contribution examined how the net decides its "SportsCenter" assignments. ESPN Senior VP/"SportsCenter" & News Rob King said that the anchor pairings are "largely driven by air time." King: "The 11 p.m. show has always been about sports fandom. The games have just ended, there are a lot of balls in the air. We need seasoned, nimble, clever folks who can roll with the punches." He cited John Buccigross, John Anderson, Steve Levy, Nicole Briscoe, Lisa Kerney, Kevin Connors and Jay Harris "among those who match this need." Meanwhile, the 1:00am show features the "longest-running current pairing of 'SportsCenter' anchors -- Stan Verrett and Neil Everett," working from the company’s L.A. studios. King said of that duo, "The overnight show needs hosts willing to take risks and have a little fun" (ESPN.com, 1/28).
REMEMBERING A LEGEND: NASCAR driver Regan Smith said of late MRN announcer Barney Hall, who died this week, "You always get excited to hear his voice. We're going to miss hearing that when we go places." FS1's Wally Dallenbach added, "Barney was one of those guys who helped me a lot ... and he would always be honest with you, he was always straight with you." FS1's Adam Alexander: "The humility with which he carried himself is irreplaceable" ("NASCAR Race Hub," FS1, 1/27).
