THE ATHLETIC's Rustin Dodd wrote YES Network analyst David Cone while in the booth presides as N.Y. sports TV's "stat-nerd king," as he will "distill an analytical concept or complex formula into a palatable piece of baseball commentary, often punctuated with a reference to 'Shawshank Redemption' or '50 Shades of Grey.'" Cone said that he "sees his role as a broadcaster in simple terms: He seeks to strike a balance between insight and entertainment, between offering a fan an education in advanced metrics and meaningful anecdotes from his days as a player." Cone, a K.C. native, offers a "blend of Midwestern earnestness and cutting New York humor" (THEATHLETIC.com, 5/22).
STILL LEARNING: In Chicago, Phil Rosenthal wrote ESPN's Alex Rodriguez' inexperience in the booth was "obvious" during Indians-Astros on "Sunday Night Baseball," when Astros P Lance McCullers Jr. "took a no-hit bid into the sixth inning." ESPN's Buster Olney had "just finished talking about how players on an opposing bench will talk about breaking up a no-hitter as it’s going on." Rodriguez "didn’t start talking" until Indians 2B Jason Kipnis made contact with the next pitch, but "rather than acknowledge it, he plowed ahead with his own insight, which was to add nothing more than to agree with what Olney said" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 5/22).
SEASON OF CHANGE? In Raleigh, Luke DeCock notes Hurricanes radio announcer Chuck Kaiton's future with the team is "uncertain with his contract set to expire next month and the team exploring other options." Kaiton moved to North Carolina with the Hurricanes in '97 and has "worked alone in the booth almost that entire time." He "signed a one-year extension last summer." The expiration of that deal and a change in team ownership has "prompted a reevaluation of the team's broadcast strategy." Possible alternatives to the status quo are Kaiton "doing only home games -- or none at all -- while the team's radio affiliates carry a simulcast of the television broadcast" (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 5/23).
LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE: In Tampa, Howard Altman noted Lightning radio announcers Dave Mishkin and Phil Esposito have been paired together for 16 years, and while Mishkin "guides listeners through the ups and downs," Esposito "offers the analysis of a man who scored 717 NHL goals -- complete with groans, moans and table pounding." Both men said that they have "succeeded as a radio duo as a result" of remaining a "fan" of the game. Lightning Dir of Radio Programming Matt Sammon noted this past season brought the team's "highest regular season rating" ever for games on radio. Sammon added that he "expects the post-season ratings to come in even higher" (TAMPABAY.com, 5/21).
