Behind the Mic: Chris Bosh To Appear on TNT’s Players Only; Evander Holyfield, Sugar Ray Leonard Enter the Booth

Behind the Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, including deals, departures, and new assignments compiled from press releases and reports around the industry. In this week’s edition Fox Sports and ESPN add Nick Swisher and Mark Teixeira, respectively, for their MLB coverage; Chris Bosh joins TNT’s Players Only franchise; Evander Holyfield appears on Premier Boxing Champions; Steve Smith joins NFL Network; Dave Strader returns to NBC’s NHL booth; Fox Sports Arizona adds Mark Grace; ESPN re-ups Mark Jones and adds David Ross; and more…

Nick Swisher

…World Series Champion and Major League Baseball All-Star, Nick Swisher, joins FOX Sports as a studio analyst for the 2017 season. Recently retired, Swisher, makes his 2017 debut on FS1’s MLB Whiparound this April and appears regularly as a studio analyst during FOX Sports’ pregame coverage on Saturdays during the regular season. Swisher made his first ever appearance as a studio analyst during FOX’s World Series coverage in 2014. Drafted 16th overall in 2002, Swisher’s successful Major League career spanned across five different franchises: Oakland Athletics (2004-2007), Chicago White Sox (2008), New York Yankees (2009-2012), Cleveland Indians (2013-2015) and Atlanta Braves (2015). Swisher was selected to the American League All-Star team in 2010 as a member of the New York Yankees, where he played an integral part in earning the team’s record 27th World Series title in 2009…

…Mark Teixeira, a World Series Champion and three-time All-Star first baseman, has joined ESPN as a Major League Baseball analyst. In the multi-year agreement, Teixeira will regularly contribute to ESPN’sMLB studio coverage, SportsCenter and additional ESPN platforms, including ESPN Radio. The 14-year MLB veteran is expected to being during ESPN’s 2017 Spring Training coverage. Teixeira, a five-time Gold Glove Award-winner, announced his retirement on Aug. 5, 2016, and played his final game on Oct. 2, 2016. He most recently played for the New York Yankees (2009-2016), where he helped lead the ‘Bronx Bombers’ to the 2009 World Series Championship by leading the American League in home runs and runs batted in. He amassed 409 home runs in his career, playing for the Yankees, Los Angeles Angels, Atlanta Braves and Texas Rangers…

…Boxing Hall of Famer and former undisputed welterweight world champion Sugar Ray Leonard will join the Showtime Championship Boxing on CBS broadcast team on Saturday, March 4 for Garcia vs. Thurman, which is presented by Premier Boxing Champions and will take place at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. The live broadcast will be produced by SHOWTIME Sports and will air live on CBS from 9-11 p.m. ET / 6-8 p.m. PT. With SHOWTIME boxing analyst and active prizefighter Paul Malignaggi scheduled to fight in London that evening, the broadcast seat opened up for Leonard.  He will join SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING host Brian Custer, play-by-play voice Mauro Ranallo, International Boxing Hall of Fame analyst Al Bernstein and Sports Emmy Award-winning reporter Jim Gray on Saturday…

…TNT’s Players Only franchise will include appearances by 11-time NBA All-Star Chris Bosh as part of its studio coverage. The series debuted Monday, Feb. 27, at 7 p.m. ET. Bosh, an 11-time NBA All-Star and two-time NBA Champion with the Miami Heat, will contribute to Players Only during its five consecutive weeks of Monday night doubleheader action on TNT. Bosh will appear alongside Chris Webber, Isiah Thomas and Baron Davis to provide studio commentary for Players Only from Turner Studios in Atlanta…

…Four-time world heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield and current featherweight world champion Abner Mares joined the FOX Sports broadcast team as analysts for PREMIER BOXING CHAMPIONS: WILDER VS. WASHINGTON on Saturday, Feb. 25, from Legacy Arena at the BJCC in Birmingham, AL. Holyfield made a special appearance as a guest analyst, joining blow-by-blow announcer Brian Kenny, fellow analyst and long-time boxing trainer Virgil Hunter, Mares and reporter Kristine Leahy…

…Former All-Pro wide receiver with the Carolina Panthers and Baltimore Ravens, Steve Smith, joined NFL Network earlier this month. Smith signed a multi-year deal to appear as an analyst on various NFL Network shows, including NFL GameDay First. A five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver, Smith played 16 seasons in the NFL and amassed 14,731 career receiving yards (7th all-time) and 81 career touchdown receptions. A third-round pick in 2001 of the Panthers, Smith spent the majority of his career in Carolina and is the franchise’s all-time leader in receiving yards (12,197 yards)…

…Veteran NHL commentator and long-time NHL on NBC play-by-play voice Dave Strader called NBC Sports’ NHL Game of the Week, featuring the Dallas Stars and Boston Bruins from American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX, on Sunday, February 26. In June 2016, Strader revealed he had been diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer (cholangiocarcinoma), which has prevented him from calling games for the Stars this season. Strader’s treatment schedule has allowed him to return to the Stars’ booth for their current five-game homestand, which began last night against Tampa Bay. A member of the NHL on NBC family since 2005, Strader will be joined in the booth by his Stars broadcast partner Daryl Reaugh, as well as ‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst Brian Boucher. Strader, who has also handled play-by-play duties at three Olympic Games for NBC Sports, joined the Dallas Stars as their full-time television play-by-play voice in 2015, and began his NHL broadcasting career as the television voice of the Detroit Red Wings in 1985…

Mark Grace will be joining FOX Sports Arizona as the network’s new “D-backs Live” pre- and post-game analyst. The Diamondbacks first baseman from 2001-03 was a key part of the team’s 2001 World Series title. Grace will team with hosts Todd Walsh and Jody Jackson, analyst Brandon Webb and game announcers Steve Berthiaume and Bob Brenly. Grace was a four-time Gold Glove winner, three-time All-Star and Major League Baseball’s hit leader in the 1990s while playing for the Chicago Cubs. This marks a return to the television side of baseball for Grace. After he retired from a 16-year MLB playing career in 2003, he was hired by the D-backs to be their television analyst from 2004-12, working alongside play-by-play announcers Thom Brennaman and Daron Sutton. From 2007-11, he was also employed by FOX Sports, serving as one of its baseball analysts. For the past three seasons, Grace was a coach in the D-backs organization. In 2014, he was a hitting coach with the Class-A Hillsboro Hops. In 2015 and 2016 he was the D-backs assistant hitting coach. Grace will make his “D-backs Live” debut on Friday, March 31…

…ESPN has resigned veteran play-by-play commentator Mark Jones in a multi-year agreement. Jones, a 27-year veteran of ESPN, became the voice of the popular NBA Sunday Showcase series on ABC this season. His NBA role also includes additional high-profile assignments, including the NBA on ESPN, the NBA Playoffs and the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, which is this Friday, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m. ET, exclusively on ESPN. Jones will also provide play-by-play for ESPN’s extensive coverage of the NBA’s Summer League, while continuing to be a regular contributor to ESPN’s college football and men’s college basketball telecasts. Jones joined ESPN in 1990 and is one of the longest-tenured commentators at the company…

…Two-time World Series Champion David Ross has joined ESPN as a Major League Baseball analyst. In this multi-year deal, the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox Champion catcher will provide analysis for a variety of ESPN platforms, including its MLB studio coverage, SportsCenter and for select games. Ross has previously provided analysis for ESPN in a guest capacity, including during the 2014 and 2015 MLB Postseasons. The 15-year MLB veteran retired this past fall after winning the 2016 World Series with the Chicago Cubs. In 2013, Ross was part of the Boston Red Sox team which went from worst to first and won the World Series…

…NESN and Charlie Moore have agreed to a new multi-year agreement that will ensure that “The Mad Fisherman” will continue to deliver his unique brand of entertainment to NESN viewers. The Emmy Award-winning Charlie Moore Outdoors airs Sunday nights at 7:00 pm on NESN with multiple replays throughout the week. Charlie Moore has been a fixture on NESN since 1996, first as a part of Front Row, a sports magazine show, and since 1999 as host of Charlie Moore Outdoors. During that time, Moore has established himself as the most recognizable outdoor programming host in the region and possibly the country. The success of Charlie Moore Outdoors on NESN has earned the show five New England Emmy Awards and spawned two spin-off programs —Beat Charlie Moore, which aired on ESPN from 2004 until 2010, and Charlie Moore: No Offense, which currently airs in syndication. Moore also serves as host of Bruins Academy, a fast-paced educational program that helps to teach the game of hockey to younger fans and as an executive producer for the Emmy Award winning Bruins program called Behind the B…

…Award-winning sports columnist William C. “Bill” Rhoden, formerly of The New York Times, has joined The Undefeated as a columnist and editor-at-large for the ESPN multiplatform content initiative. He will establish the Rhoden Fellows, a sports journalism internship program that will identify and train aspiring African American journalists from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Rhoden will also pen columns on key topics around sports, race and culture. Rhoden is considered one of the most respected journalists of his generation. His sports journalism career spans nearly four decades, and his work has garnered critical acclaim. Beyond writing, his voice as a social commentator has been among the most sought-after in the genre of sports and race, including on ESPN where he has contributed to The Sports Reporters Sunday morning discussion program since 1989…

…In addition, The Undefeated has named Lisa Wilson its new senior editor for sports. Most recently the executive sports editor at The Buffalo News, Wilson is the nation’s only black female sports editor at a major metropolitan daily. She begins her new role March 13 and will be based in Washington, D.C. Wilson will be responsible for content on The Undefeated’s sports vertical while overseeing a team of seasoned sports writers who produce compelling daily stories and long-form features. She will also spearhead sports-focused multimedia projects at The Undefeated and will work with counterparts across ESPN platforms on other content…

…Award-winning journalist Sam Borden has joined ESPN as a writer and television contributor. Borden, who joins ESPN from The New York Times, will focus on enterprise and investigative work around international sports, largely contributing to coverage surrounding major global football leagues and competitions including FIFA World Cup, UEFA European Championships, the Premier League, Champions League and more. In addition, he will contribute to ESPN coverage of the Olympics and major cricket, rugby, golf and tennis competitions. His written work will appear on ESPNFC and ESPN.com and ESPN app editions globally, and he will also appear on SportsCenter, E:60, Outside The Lines, and various ESPNFC programs. Most recently, Borden was the first foreign correspondent in the sports section of The New York Times, based in Paris.