In L.A., Tom Hoffarth cited sources as saying that while the Rams have yet to officially announce their radio team, the front runner for the play-by-play spot "appears to be Andrew Siciliano." For the last 10-plus years he has been "on the DirecTV Red Zone channel" and has been "calling Rams’ exhibition TV games for the St. Louis market in recent years." Would it mean he "has to leave that sweet NFL gig?" Hoffarth: "Probably." Also in the discussion is J.B. Long, while former NFLer Maurice Jones-Drew "is said to be locked in as the analyst with former Rams player and one-time L.A. sports talk host DeMarco Farr on the sidelines" (DAILYNEWS.com, 8/4).
VIEW FROM THE TOP: ESPN.com's Jason Sobel noted during the PGA Tour Travelers Championship broadcast, blimp pilot Terry Dillard has a cameraman seated behind him as he "controls the exact aerial video shown on your TV, but just like a player and caddie, one can't do his job without the other." The relationship "is symbiotic; while the pilot and cameraman use what's happening below them to help tell the story to viewers, the players will look above to assist with their jobs." Dillard said, "The players use us. They look at the blimp to see which way the wind is blowing. If it's a tailwind, they'll club down; if it's a headwind, they'll club up. They'll say, 'Look at the blimp and trust your club.'" Dillard "insists that he can identify players from his catbird seat" (ESPN.com, 8/4).
SOCIAL COMMENTARY: In Orlando, Matt Murschel notes "thanks to new NCAA legislation, coaches can now endorse social media posts by prospective recruits." At 12:01am ET Monday morning, coaches "entered a brand new world of recruiting, where a 'like' could make all the difference in landing a recruit." Recruits then "found their timelines flooded with ‘retweets’ and ‘likes’ as some coaches and their staffs began taking full advantage of the new legislation." Univ. of Florida football coach Jim McElwain said, "There's a lot to it and whether I'm a fan or like it, it really doesn't matter. It's the rules" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 8/5).
BACK IN THE GAME? In L.A., Scott Wolf cited a source as saying that former USC football coach Steve Sarkisian will do "more than half a dozen games as an in-booth analyst" for FS1. None of the games "are Pac-12 games and most involve Big 12 teams" (DAILYNEWS.com, 8/2).
