In Minneapolis, Neal Justin notes even though NBC will air Super Bowl LII at the end of this coming NFL season, Mike Tirico "won't be" there. Tirico: "The one game that we get every three years, that you can’t wait for, and I will be in Korea." Justin notes Tirico "couldn't pass on the opportunity" to host the '18 PyeongChang Games. He said, "As I tell my kids all the time, 'Life is a series of trade offs,' and I feel like I won on that trade" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 8/8).
SHINY NEW TOYS: In Chicago, Phil Rosenthal notes Fox losing Jay Cutler to the Dolphins "highlights a risk of bringing NFL players straight from the field to the booth." It would be "understandable" if CBS were now "casting a wary eye toward" Tony Romo. But CBS has "its own insurance policy." Should Romo "prove irredeemably bad, get ill, opt to return to football, dive headlong into golf, run for public office or chase some other dream, real or imagined -- none of which seems imminent at this time -- Phil Simms is still around" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 8/8).
BOOTH REVIEW: On Long Island, Neil Best notes 10 years after their radio programming launched, WFAN-AM's Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton are not only a "ratings hit but the pillar of a lineup soon to be scrambled by the departure of Mike Francesa." Their start followed Don Imus' firing in '07 and "ended a summer of experimentation much like this one to find a replacement for Francesa." The result has been an "eclectic mix of sports, pop culture and 'guy talk' that has morphed more into 'family talk' as the hosts and their children have grown up" (NEWSDAY, 8/8).
CALL IT LIKE I SEE IT: Former MLBer Larry Sorensen will be the radio color commentator for Wake Forest football broadcasts this season. Sorensen throughout his media career was a producer for ESPN's "NFL Live" and also worked as a baseball analyst for the net from '90-94 (Wake Forest).
