GOLFWEEK.com's Martin Kaufmann reported Fox has signed Curtis Strange to a three-year contract to serve as the net's "lead on-course reporter" for its golf coverage. Strange said that he will "work the Masters for ESPN before his first assignment with Fox," the U.S. Amatuer Four-Ball in May. He also will call the U.S. Open, U.S. Senior Open and U.S. Amateur for the net. This marks Strange's "first job as an on-course reporter" after serving as a tower analyst for ESPN. Strange worked with Fox golf producer Mark Loomis while at ESPN/ABC, and he said that he and Loomis "have stayed in touch over the years" (GOLFWEEK.com, 2/26).
WHY MESS WITH HAPPINESS? THE MMQB's Peter King cites a source as saying that NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah in the past couple of months "has had one firm offer from an NFL team to head up its personnel department and another the-job-is-yours-if-you-want-it feeler from another team." However, Jeremiah "said no to both, preferring to stay with his wife and four children" in southern California. Jeremiah, who served as a scout for three teams before joining NFL Network, said, "It was really a tough call for me. ... It came down to this: If you're happy, and we are, then why look so hard for happier?" (MMQB.SI.com, 2/29).
KEEP AN OPEN MIND: In Boston, Chad Finn profiled new Red Sox TV play-by-play announcer Dave O'Brien and noted moving him from the team's radio booth "was something of a coup, a hiring that almost assuredly will result in a superb broadcast." Former Red Sox voice Don Orsillo is an "outstanding broadcaster, but a portion of his popularity on NESN was based in familiarity." It would be "unjust" if viewers hold NESN's decision not to re-sign Orsillo "against O'Brien, a native New Englander and lifelong Red Sox fan" (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/28).
ENTERING THE RING: Reporter Melissa Stark has joined HBO's "The Fight Game" for this coming season as a correspondent. Stark will continue her role with NFL Network. "The Fight Game," which is hosted by Jim Lampley, will debut its new season on March 16 (HBO).
