In San Diego, Bill Center reports Padres television analysts Mark Grant and Tony Gwynn, as well as radio broadcasters Ted Leitner and Andy Masur, “are all at the end of their current contracts ... apparently without any extension discussions underway.” The team's current TV deal with Cox' Channel 4 and radio contract with XX Sports 1090 “are also expiring and the club has not announced new carriers, although Fox Sports has reportedly gained the television rights for an unspecified number of years.” The only Padres broadcasters with “contracts extending beyond the end of the season” are play-by-play announcer Dick Enberg, radio voice Jerry Coleman and Spanish broadcaster Eduardo Ortega (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 9/27).
CLASSIC ROCK: MMAJUNKIE.com reported Spike TV yesterday announced “counter-programming for the UFC’s debut" on Fox Nov. 12. Spike “will air a ‘UFC Unleashed’ marathon -- dubbed ‘Dos Santos vs. Velasquez: Unleashed for the Heavyweight Title’ -- featuring past fights” between the two. The site noted the marathon will begin just as Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos fight at UFC on Fox 1, the UFC’s first network TV show (MMAJUNKIE.com, 9/26).
MULTIMEDIA MAN: Rogers Sportsnet announced yesterday that former Globe & Mail columnist Stephen Brunt has signed an agreement to work on a full-time basis across all media platforms. He will be the back-page columnist on Sportsnet Magazine, which will debut Thursday. Brunt will also be a regular columnist and feature contributor on Sportsnet.ca. His broadcast appearances include co-hosting Sportsnet Radio The Fan 590’s Prime Time Sports with Bob McCown, contributions to Sportsnet Radio The Fan 960, and he will make appearances on Sportsnet Connected (Rogers Sportsnet).
WAITING GAME: In N.Y., Phil Mushnick reported that at 6:20pm ET Friday night, WFAN-AM reported that the Phillies-Mets game was rained out, and even “gave the make-up schedule.” But more than 40 minutes later, SportsNet N.Y. "was reporting that the game is delayed, thus it might be played.” SNY explained that “it was ‘waiting for the official word from MLB.'” MLB Network announcer Jim Kaat, who was “scheduled to work Red Sox-Yanks, knocked MLB -- on the league’s network -- for waiting far too long to postpone the game.” Mushnick: “Such freedom speaks well of MLBN” (N.Y. POST, 9/26).
