Behind the Mic: Buck, Norman To Anchor U.S. Open on FOX; Ray Lewis Joins ESPN NFL Draft Coverage
Fox Sports lead MLB and NFL play-by-play man Joe Buck will join World Golf Hall of Famer Greg Norman to anchor FOX Sports’ coverage of the USGA Championships – including the U.S. Open – beginning in 2015, when Fox begins it’s 12-year rights deal. Buck, an avid golfer currently playing at a 3 handicap, joined FOX Sports in 1994 and has held lead MLB on FOX play-by-play duties since 1996, and has been lead voice of the NFL on FOX since 2002. New to the broadcasting world, Norman won 91 professional events in his career, including 20 PGA TOUR titles and wo British Open Championships in 1986 and 1993. Norman also serves as Chairman and CEO of Great White Shark Enterprises, a multinational corporation that comprises several companies, including Greg Norman Golf Course Design. Norman’s business portfolio also includes his production company that manages three PGA TOUR events…
…ESPN’s live presentation of the 2014 NFL Draft (May 8-10) will have newcomer this year, as Ray Lewis joins Draft stalwarts Chris Berman (covering his 34th Draft), and analysts Jon Gruden and Mel Kiper Jr. (covering his 31st draft). The ESPN team at Radio City for round 1 will also include NFL Insiders Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter and reporter Suzy Kolber. On Friday and Saturday (May 9-10), Kiper will remain on ESPN’s main set for rounds 2-7. He will be joined by host Trey Wingo and analysts Trent Dilfer and Todd McShay. Mortensen and Schefter, along with ESPN Front Office Insider Bill Polian, will also contribute to the telecast from Radio City.
…Olympic figure skaters Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinksi, who served as figure skating analysts on NBCSN’s coverage of the 2014 Sochi Games, will join NBC Sports Group for its coverage of the 2014 Kentucky Derby, it was announced today. Weir and Lipinski will work as fashion experts for the Kentucky Derby on May 3 and the Kentucky Oaks on May 2. Most recently, Weir, a three-time U.S. figure skating champion, and Lipinksi, the 1998 Olympic figure skating gold medalist, were also fashion critics for Access Hollywood’s coverage of the 2014 Academy Awards…
…Mike Tirico and Bob Ley will again serve as hosts of ESPN’s FIFA World Cup coverage. Veterans of ESPN’s 2010 coverage in South Africa, Tirico and Ley will be joined by UK-based sports presenter Lynsey Hipgrave of BT Sport as hosts of ESPN’s English-language studio coverage during FIFA World Cup Brazil, June 12-July 13. The trio will anchor ESPN studio shows – SportsCenter, World Cup Tonight, pre-match, halftime and post-match shows, and other FIFA World Cup-related news and information programs – throughout the month-long tournament from ESPN’s production headquarters at Rio de Janeiro’s Clube dos Marimbás. Hipgrave, who joined BT Sport as a studio host in August 2013, will make her ESPN debut during the World Cup, having covered the Premier League and other top-flight football in Europe for the London-based sports network, and the UEFA Champions League for Al Jazeera Sport.
Tirico, Ley and Hipgrave will work with ESPN’s 11-member analyst team that features a global roster of international football experts. Collectively, the analysts have been on 15 World Cup rosters and played in 43 matches: Steve McManaman, Stewart Robson (England); Alexi Lalas, Taylor Twellman, Kasey Keller (USA); Michael Ballack (Germany); Efan Ekoku (Nigeria); Alejandro Moreno (Venezuela); Gilberto Silva (Brazil); Santiago Solari (Argentina); and Ruud van Nistelrooy (Netherlands)…
…NESN has hired Red Sox player Steve Lyons as a Red Sox studio analyst. Lyons, a three-time national Emmy award-winning broadcaster, joins MLB Hall of Famers Dennis Eckersley and Jim Rice along with Red Sox legend Tim Wakefield as studio analysts on NESN’s Red Sox pre and post-game shows, plus NESN Sports Today and other original programming. Lyons played nine seasons in the major leagues with four different teams (including four stints in Boston) before beginning his broadcasting career in 1996 with FOX Sports, working for both the FOX national and regional networks as a game analyst, studio analyst and studio host. He just finished a nine-year affiliation with the Los Angeles Dodgers as a pre and post-game host and game announcer…
…MLB Network has added veteran MLB pitcher Ryan Dempster as an analyst. A frequent guest on MLB Tonight and Intentional Talk, Dempster will appear across MLB Network’s studio programming. A two-time National League All-Star, Dempster won 132 games and saved 87 games during 16 seasons as a starter and a reliever…
…ESPN’s soon-to-launch SEC Network has hired LSU legends Anthony “Booger” McFarland and Marcus Spears as college football analysts. McFarland, a two-time Super Bowl champion, and Spears, a BCS National Champion, join Greg McElroy, Jesse Palmer and Tim Tebow, Brent Musburger and Joe Tessitore in the SEC Network lineup. McFarland joins ESPN after hosting a popular sports radio show in Tampa Bay, Florida since 2012. He spent three years in the SEC (1995-98) and was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft. Spears played for LSU under Nick Saban (2001-04) and was drafted in the first-round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. He retired this month after an eight-year NFL career…
…Veteran college football journalist and New York Times best-selling author Bruce Feldman has joined FOX Sports as senior college football reporter and columnist. Feldman’s contributions to FOX Sports’ college football coverage include reporting and writing columns regularly for FOXSports.com, a robust presence on social media, as well as appearing on FOX and FOX Sports 1 college football related programming. Feldman joins FOX Sports after covering college football for CBSSports.com for the past two years. Prior to that, he spent 17 years at ESPN.com reporting on college football, covering breaking news, as well as major events…
..FOX Deportes has added Mexican soccer star Luis “El Matador” Hernandez as an analyst to its leading soccer talk show, La Última Palabra, and as a guest commentator across several of the network’s media platforms. The announcement was made by Esteban Creste, News Director & Executive Producer, FOX Deportes. The legendary Hernandez is the all-time leading goal scorer for the Mexican National team in World Cup competition and the fourth-ranked goal scorer for El Tri…
…Susie Wargin, 9News (KUSA in Denver) weekday morning sports anchor since 2004, will leave the station when her contract expires in August. She’s getting out of the TV business to devote herself to real estate fulltime but will continue to freelance for 9News on occasion.Wargin said the Pro Challenge, which ends Aug. 24, will likely be her final assignment as a fulltime 9News staffer. She worked at Denver radio outlets KBPI and KOA before becoming getting the weekend prep sports job at KUSA. When Drew Soicher moved to nights, she got the morning gig in 2004…
…SiriusXM has announced All-American college lacrosse stars Paul Rabil and Paul Carcaterra will host a new weekly show exclusively on SiriusXM College Sports Nation, channel 91. The Lacrosse Show with Paul Rabil and Paul Carcaterra will debut April 15 (7:00-8:00 pm ET) and air Tuesdays throughout the year. Rabil, one of the world’s best players, and Carcaterra, a former Syracuse star turned broadcaster, will take calls from lacrosse fans around the country and discuss the game’s headline stories, training, recruiting news, equipment and more.