VARIETY's Brian Steinberg reported MSNBC's Joe Scarborough will host a new series exploring the "history, tradition and rivalries" in the EPL. The show, titled "This is Football," will debut on Dec. 26 on NBCSN. Scarborough in the first episode looks at the "heady competition between Manchester United and Manchester City, while examining the city of Manchester and its history and traditions." Scarborough said that three episodes "are planned at present ... with one slated for Super Bowl weekend" (VARIETY.com, 12/13).
PSYCHO'S BACK: In Boston, Chad Finn notes Steve Lyons has "resumed his role" as a NESN analyst and was "reporting from the winter meetings this week" for the net. He will "again serve as a studio analyst and occasionally as a color analyst" during Red Sox game broadcasts during the '18 season. Lyons "disappeared from NESN airwaves" after being charged with domestic battery, but those charges were dropped in August (BOSTON GLOBE, 12/15).
POSITION OF POWER: SI's Mark Bechtel profiles ESPN's Doris Burke, who as the "first woman to be a network analyst for NBA games" has earned "much respect from viewers, coaches and players." Burke has "worked her way up" the broadcast ranks, from "doing women's games on TV, to the occasional men's NCAA game, to the WNBA, to NBA sideline assignments." However, she "doesn't like the word 'trailblazer' because she feels like there were women before her who faced much harsher circumstances" (SI, 12/18 issue).
NOTES: The Cubs have signed a multiyear extension with radio analyst Ron Coomer. He joined WGN-AM's broadcast team prior to the '14 season (Cubs)....Alex Corddry "won't be back" for Rays broadcasts this season on FS Sun. Corddry "completed a one-year contract" in which she served as the pre-, post- and in-game reporter (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 12/14).
