In Boston, Gayle Fee notes reporter Jenny Dell’s departure from NESN on Thursday "was no surprise to pals who saw the former Red Sox sideline reporter struggling between her job covering the team and her love life" with 3B Will Middlebrooks. NESN at the end of January "confirmed that Dell had been moved off the Sox beat and on to desk duty." Dell has been "job hunting since the change of assignment but she wanted to remain in Boston" to be with Middlebrooks, so her "options were limited." She left NESN on Thursday "without a new gig" (BOSTON HERALD, 5/30). Also in Boston, Chad Finn writes it was "a gracious departure for Dell, who has been marginalized since -- but not entirely for -- revealing her relationship with Middlebrooks." Dell filled a "less prominent reporter/anchor role on 'NESN Sports Today' since being pulled off the Red Sox coverage." If she "pursues a more prominent gig, the bet here is that she will land one quickly" (BOSTON GLOBE, 5/30).
DYNAMIC DUOS: ESPN President John Skipper last week said of the possibility of reuniting "SportsCenter" anchors Keith Olbermann and Dan Patrick, "We've talked about the idea of bringing back some of the announcers and putting them back on 'SportsCenter.' We don't know yet who would be interested in coming back. I don't have a quid pro quo deal with NBC (which employs Patrick). Dan hasn't expressed any interest in coming back" (Albany TIMES UNION, 5/30).
THE PRICE OF SILENCE: SPORTS ON EARTH's Steve Kim notes it has "been 25 days since Floyd Mayweather battled Marcos Maidana" and what "we don't know yet is how the fight ... did on pay-per-view." Kim: "You get the sense the formula for Coca-Cola would be easier to obtain than the official numbers for this card." Sources said that it "did between 800,000 and 900,000 buys; some believe it did just north of 900,000." Last year, when Showtime "pulled in huge numbers" for Mayweather's September showdown with Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez, it had "no qualms releasing the results within days" (SPORTSONEARTH.com, 5/30).
