In L.A., Helene Elliott reports NHL Kings TV play-by-play announcer Bob Miller "will return for his 44th season with the team but is scheduled to do TV play-by-play of only 58 regular-season games, plus first-round playoff contests." He said that he "has not decided if this will be his final season because he wants to assess his health after he calls back-to-back exhibition games Oct. 7-8 and after the season begins to unfold." Miller said that he will "skip long trips east but will work all home games as well as games in the Midwest, short trips to cities in the Central and Mountain time zones and all Pacific Division games." The Kings said in a statement that they "will announce his stand-in at a later time" (L.A. TIMES, 9/20). Meanwhile, in Buffalo, John Vogl noted the Sabres broadcast team "will remain intact" for the '16-17 season, meaning play-by-play man Rick Jeanneret "will be back for his 45th season." He will again "work a partial schedule, with Dan Dunleavy manning the mic in Jeanneret’s absence" (BUFFALO NEWS, 9/17).
MIGHTY CASEY: On Long Island, Neil Best notes Turner Sports' Casey Stern "might be in for a long stay" after the net "recently announced a significant expansion of his duties." In addition to MLB broadcasts, Stern will "host NCAA men’s basketball tournament coverage and shows on NBA TV." He will "continue to host baseball and football shows on SiriusXM Radio and cover the World Series for MLB Network Radio." It all was "part of an effort to branch out from being known primarily as 'a baseball guy.'" Stern said, “Whatever I did, I fooled them enough to have them want me to get involved in other sports, which I’m really excited to do." Best notes Stern "nearly went in another direction" when in '14, he "appeared to be in line to join" the Mets’ WOR-AM radio crew. Stern: "It was hard to not enter that arena to do that, but knock on wood-- and it’s no offense at all to not being involved with Mets and WOR -- it’s the greatest thing that could have happened" (NEWSDAY, 9/20).
NOTES: In N.Y., Phil Mushnick noted ESPN Radio's "SportsCenter" anchor Bob Picozzi on Friday "packed it in after 18 ½ years and an estimated 61,400 reports." He will "continue to call ESPN college football and basketball telecasts" (N.Y. POST, 9/18)....MLB Cardinals beat writer Rick Hummel has been "selected for induction" into the St. Louis Media History Foundation's HOF (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 9/20).
