Media Notes
WEEI.com has hired Deadspin Founder and New York magazine Contributing Editor Will Leitch and former Boston Globe football writer Ron Borges. The Web site also added to its roster SportSound reporting service Founder Mike Petraglia, FoxSports.com basketball writer Jeff Goodman and Gary Marbry, who will write a stats-focused column. WEEI.com last month hired Boston Herald Red Sox beat writer Robert Bradford as Editor and Herald contributor Michael Felger, who will cover the Patriots for the site (THE DAILY).
EXTRA POINTS: In Boston, Doug Elfman wrote "everything is great" in EA's "Madden NFL 09." The game play is "flawless and beautifully illustrated." The game is an "all-year game" and "worth the price of admission." Elfman graded the game an "A" (BOSTON HERALD, 8/16). In Portland, Lou Kesten wrote under the header, "'Madden 09' Goes Long And Nails It." The game "looks better than ever, with [HD] graphics that come awfully close to the level of a network broadcast." Kesten awarded the game "three-and-a-half stars out of four" (Portland OREGONIAN, 8/18).
SHOT IN THE DARK? In Pittsburgh, Bob Smizik noted Pirates postgame show "Extra Innings" host Rocco DeMaro Friday night around 10:00pm ET said that Pirates top draft pick 3B Pedro Alvarez, who is repped by Scott Boras, "would agree to the Pirates' terms" ahead of the midnight deadline. Alvarez "agreed to a contract minutes before the midnight deadline, not hours, as DeMaro suggested," but DeMaro still "thought he looked pretty smart and spent part of the next day patting himself on the back." But Smizik wrote there "has to be some serious doubt about DeMaro's claim," as DeMaro at one point suggested that his information "came from within the Boras camp." Smizik: "That is preposterous. No one runs a tighter ship than Boras. ... Did he have a legitimate scoop? Or did he just make an educated guess and pretend that he had sources that provided him with the information?" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 8/18).
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Smoltz Steps In As Color Analyst
For Games Caray Was Set To Work |
BRAVE NEW VOICE: MLB.com's Mark Bowman reported injured Braves P John Smoltz served as a color analyst for Turner's Peachtree TV's coverage of Saturday night's Giants-Braves game. After late Braves announcer Skip Caray passed away earlier this month, Turner "approached Smoltz about doing the final two broadcasts that Caray had been scheduled to work this season for Peachtree." Bowman noted Smoltz "may be asked to serve as an analyst for postseason games aired on TBS" (MLB.com, 8/17).
NOTES: Cable spot broker NCC is teaming with DirecTV to "represent the satellite giant's regional sports networks in nine major U.S. markets" -- Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, L.A. and S.F. (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 8/19)....WGFX-FM has inked a two-year extension to remain the flagship station for the Predators. The station will carry all preseason, regular-season and postseason games that do not conflict with previous commitments. The team also will "return to a dual broadcasting format" (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 8/19).
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