In L.A., Tom Hoffarth reported ESPN's Jessica Mendoza will serve as an analyst for "the upcoming 'Sunday Night Baseball' coverage of the Dodgers’ home game" against the Cubs. Sitting in the booth with Dan Schulman and John Kruk, Mendoza "essentially replaces the still-suspended Curt Schilling." Mendoza on Monday became the first female to call an MLB game on ESPN, and she has "definitely earned the opportunity." Mendoza "had already been told she would rejoin" Dave O’Brien and Dallas Braden "on a Labor Day broadcast of the Orioles-Yankees." The fact that ESPN "may not have publicized it much before the game but used social media more during the game to get viewers on board may have also helped Mendoza ease into the situation." Her insights Monday "actually helped demonstrate not just how far she has come" as an information gatherer as a sideline reporter/analyst who "has an open mike and can contribute to a live conversation during an MLB game, but also how much the bat-and-ball sports are ... more related than unrelated" (INSIDESOCAL.com, 8/27).
BOSTON REVOLT: In Boston, Chad Finn writes NESN’s approach to the backlash from announcing that Red Sox play-by-play announcer Don Orsillo will not be returning for the '16 season "seems to be to wait out the storm and hope it all blows over." Multiple requests to Red Sox Chair Tom Werner and NESN Marketing & Communications Manager Gary Roy "have gone unanswered." The approach -- "confirming the news in the middle of a game that Orsillo was calling -- was awkward and insulting, and it does no favors" for Dave O’Brien, who has been "put in an uncomfortable position" as Orsillo's replacement. An irony in the situation is that NESN "is entirely responsible for creating the backlash, and not just because of the graceless manner in which the situation has been handled publicly." If the network "didn’t entirely create Orsillo and [analyst] Jerry Remy’s cult of personality, it certainly was happy to emphasize it" (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/28).
BANNER DAY: ESPN announced Thursday that former Eagles and Browns exec Joe Banner "was joining the network as a 'Front Office Insider.'" In Philadelphia, Jeff McLane reports Banner "will appear regularly on weekday editions of 'NFL Insiders,' 'NFL Live,' and 'SportsCenter' and will also contribute to ESPN Radio and espn.com in his new role." Banner's "experience with the salary cap and player evaluation, along with his involvement in negotiating the last collective bargaining agreement and getting stadiums built should provide a different viewpoint" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 8/28). Meanwhile, ESPN announced Josina Anderson will become a National NFL Insider, the first female to occupy that role. Her duties will include gameday reporting for "Sunday NFL Countdown." ESPN.com's NFL Nation adds Sheil Kapida as Seahawks reporter. He previously covered the Eagles for Philadelphia Magazine's Birds 24/7 website (THE DAILY).
RADIO ACTIVE: Former St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz will revive his eponymous show on ESPN Radio 101.1 St. Louis on weekday mornings from 7:00-10:00am CT, beginning Monday (THE DAILY)....In Ft. Lauderdale, Dave Hyde cites a source as saying that WMEN-AM afternoon host Hank Goldberg "is out" after a four-month stint that "briefly brought a South Florida talk-radio pioneer back to the market" (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 8/28)....South Carolina-based WNKT-FM "Halftime" show co-host Michael Haney is departing, while longtime WOLO-ABC sports dir/anchor Tim Hill is coming on board, "slated to team with Jay Phillips" in the station’s 1-4:00pm time slot (Columbia STATE, 8/28).
