Behind the Mic: ESPN Snags A-Rod, Matt Vasgersian for SNB; NBC Brings Back Katie Couric in PyeongChang

Behind the Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, including new deals, departures, and assignments compiled from press releases and reports around the industry. In this week’s edition, ESPN’s snaps up Alex Rodriguez (along with Matt Vasgersian) for its Sunday Night Baseball booth, NBC Olympic alum Katie Couric returns to call the PyeongChang Opening Ceremony alongside Mike Tirico, NBC unveils its Super Bowl LII on-air team (not including Peacock stalwart Bob Costas), Rob Riggle will host the NFL Honors ceremony, Dale Earnhardt Jr. revs up his role at NBC Sports at the Super Bowl and Olympics, ESPN re-ups Nicole Briscoe and gives her a new role at the Indy 500, Matt Hasselbeck joins ESPN’s Pro Bowl announce team following Jon Gruden‘s departure, and more. 

ESPN today announced that Alex Rodriguez, World Series Champion and 14-time MLB All-Star, will join Sunday Night Baseball as an analyst in a new multi-year agreement. Rodriguez will be joined by veteran baseball play-by-play broadcaster Matt Vasgersian, who will become the third-ever voice of Sunday Night Baseball, also in a multi-year deal. Rodriguez and Vasgersian will appear alongside returning analyst Jessica Mendoza to form ESPN’s new Sunday Night Baseball booth, with Buster Olney reporting.

The new Sunday Night Baseball team will make its official debut on Opening Day, Thursday, March 29, to call ESPN’s telecast of the Los Angeles Dodgers-San Francisco Giants game, at 7 p.m. ET. The team will then call the first official Sunday Night Baseball telecast of the season on April 1, which also features the Dodgers and Giants at Dodger Stadium at 8:30 p.m.

Rodriguez will continue to exclusively serve as a studio analyst for Fox Sports during the MLB Postseason, while Vasgersian will continue his role as a studio host and announcer for MLB Network. Rodriguez will appear in several upcoming ESPN specials, while also serving as executive producer of them. details of which will be announced in the coming weeks.Vasgersian follows Jon Miller and Dan Shulman as the voice of Sunday Night Baseball, which is entering its 29th season in 2018. Sunday Night Baseball generally airs at 8 p.m. throughout the season, and is also available via the ESPN App…

…Award-winning journalist Katie Couric is returning to NBC to co-host the Opening Ceremony for the XXIII Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, NBC announced last week. She will join host Mike Tirico in the booth at PyeongChang Olympic Stadium for the Opening Ceremony, which will air in primetime, Friday, Feb. 9 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on NBC. Also joining NBC’s Opening Ceremony coverage will be Joshua Cooper Ramo, Co-CEO of Kissinger Associates, who discussed culture and geo-political issues for NBC during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Tirico works his first Opening Ceremony. He served as host for the Closing Ceremony of the 2016 Rio Olympics, following his role as a Rio daytime host. In the days following the Opening Ceremony, Couric will contribute to NBC’s coverage, offering commentary and interviewing select Olympians. Previously at NBC, Couric had a decorated 15-year run as co-anchor of TODAY (1991-2006) after serving as NBC News’ deputy Pentagon correspondent for three years…

…NBC announced it’s on-air team for Super Bowl LII, headlined by Al Michaels (in his 10th Super Bowl) and Cris Collinsworth (in his fourth) in the booth, with two-time Emmy Award-winning reporter Michele Tafoya (also her fourth) on the sideline. Dan Patrick will host the Super Bowl LII pre-game show alongside co-host Liam McHugh, who will be joined by NBC Football Night in America teammates Tony DungyRodney HarrisonMike Florio and Chris SimmsPaul BurmeisterKathryn Tappen and Randy Moss also will appear on the pre-game coverage. In a surprising move, Bob Costas will not be part of NBC’s Super Bowl plans despite also not working the Olympics this year…

…Emmy-nominated actor and comedian Rob Riggle will take the stage as host of NFL Honors on Saturday, Feb. 3 at Northrop at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. The two-hour primetime awards special recognizing the NFL’s best players, performances and plays from the 2017 season will air nationally at 9 PM ET/PT on NBC. Riggle, who recently retired from the Marine Corps Reserve after 23 years of service, has been a staple in comedic film for more than 15 years. Widely known for his memorable roles in films such as The HangoverStep Brothers, and The Other Guys, Riggle can currently be seen in Warner Bros.’ 12 Strong…

…Motorsports icon and two-time Daytona 500 winning driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. will make his NBC debuts as a contributor for the network’s coverage of Super Bowl LII on Sunday, February 4, and the XXIII Olympic Winter Games, beginning Thursday, February 8.In July of 2017, Earnhardt and NBC Sports announced the 26-time NASCAR Cup Series winner would be joining NBCUniversal as an on-air analyst and contributor. Earnhardt will make his first trip to the Super Bowl with NBC Sports, and participate in NBC’s Super Bowl Pre-Game Show leading up to the big game. Later in February, Earnhardt will travel to PyeongChang, where he will explore the culture, people, and traditions in South Korea, and experience Olympic competitions first hand…

…ESPN has signed SportsCenter anchor Nicole Briscoe to a new contract and given her some extra duty: hosting ABC’s telecast of the Indianapolis 500. Briscoe’s new multi-year deal will see her continuing as an anchor for SportsCenter, a position she’s been in since January of 2015. She recently moved from late night to daytime and weekend editions of ESPN’s signature news and information program. Prior to becoming a SportsCenter anchor, Briscoe was part of ESPN’s coverage of NASCAR as a host and reporter from when she joined the network in 2008. And on May 27, she’ll return to motorsports, although a different form, from atop the iconic Pagoda at Indianapolis Motor Speedway as ABC televises the Indianapolis 500 for the 54th consecutive year. As the telecast host, she’ll anchor the one-hour pre-race show and bring viewers back from breaks during the race itself…

…ESPN’s Matt Hasselbeck will serve as the analyst alongside Monday Night Football’s Sean McDonough and reporter Lisa Salters for the 2018 NFL Pro Bowl telecast on January 28. The 2018 Pro Bowl will air Sunday, January 28 at 2:50 p.m. ET on ESPN and be simulcast on ABC. Hasselbeck, McDonough and Salters will also call the second annual Pro Bowl Skills Showdown earlier in the week from ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex…

…More than 20 members of Golf Channel and NBC Sports’ golf teams – both in front of and behind the camera – will contribute to NBC Olympics’ coverage of the XXIII Olympic Winter Games from PyeongChang, South Korea. Golf Channel’s David Feherty, Damon Hack and Rich Lerner will be making their NBC Sports’ Winter Games debuts, joining fellow Golf Channel personalities Heather Cox,Terry GannonDan HicksJimmy Roberts, and Steve Sands in PyeongChang. NBC Olympics primetime host Mike Tirico also serves as a host for Golf Channel coverage of The Open and The Ryder Cup among the game’s biggest events. Feherty will serve as an Olympics correspondent, exploring the culture, people and traditions in South Korea, while telling stories about the athletes and competition. Hack will make his NBC Olympics debut as a reporter at the biathlon competition. Lerner will serve as a reporter in South Korea… 

…ESPN is welcoming a pair of guest NFL analysts to its Bristol, Conn. campus this week – Cleveland Browns 10-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman Joe Thomas and New York Giants Super Bowl XLVI champion wide receiver Victor Cruz. Thomas, who did not miss a single play in his career until the 2017 season – an NFL-record 10,363 consecutive snaps, will appear on NFL Live (1:30 p.m. ET), editions of SportsCenter and First Take on Tuesday and Wednesday, Jan. 23-24. Cruz, who played seven NFL season (2010-16) with the Giants and was a Pro Bowler in 2012, will appear on NFL LiveSportsCenter and more on Thursday, Jan. 25

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