You ask, we answer. The Post is fielding questions from readers about New York’s biggest pro sports teams and getting our beat writers & columnists to answer them in a series of regularly published mailbags. In today’s installment: sports media. Looks like Joe Tessitore is returning to CFB on ESPN with Greg McElroy and Holly …
You ask, we answer. The Post is fielding questions from readers about New York’s biggest pro sports teams and getting our beat writers & columnists to answer them in a series of regularly published mailbags. In today’s installment: sports media.
Looks like Joe Tessitore is returning to CFB on ESPN with Greg McElroy and Holly Rowe leaving Dave Pasch without a partner for the moment. Is that where Mike Golic slides in? — @msilvers1979
Pasch will work with Golic Sr., which could be a fun team, according to sources. However, it is bittersweet for Pasch, as ESPN values him less than it should. Pasch and Golic Sr., I’m told, won’t travel to their games due to the pandemic. With ESPN limiting who will be on the road, this is a big deal to announcers.
After his “Monday Night Football” flameout, Tessitore will travel with McElroy. This team will be scrutinized, as Tessitore was tarnished by his two years in the NFL. He had been a good college play-by-play man and now will have a chance to rebuild himself with McElroy.
While, at the moment, ESPN’s takeover of CBS’ SEC top football package is four years away, you could see ESPN testing how Tessitore and McElroy sound to see if they could eventually be their top team on that package.
Realistically how long do you think [ESPN NY] radio will stick with this new lineup? — @CraigSimiensyk
First a bit of news, Dave Rothenberg and ESPN have agreed to a new two-year deal, according to sources. Meanwhile, Chris Canty is moving toward an extension.
“Chris is very happy at ESPN and hopes to increase his presence,” Canty’s agent, Mark Lepselter said.
With ESPN NY’s new lineup, “Humpty, Canty & Rothenberg,” despite starting to really click, was cut an hour to 9-11 a.m., meaning they now have more hosts than hours of a show. The third member of its team, Rick DiPietro, is not receiving a new contract right now as he has another year left. ESPN likes him.
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ESPN added an hour each of Mike Greenberg’s and Max Kellerman’s new national programs, making 98.7 FM’s daily schedule an overstuffed mess with six separate shows jammed from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. The status quo is probably unsustainable for an extended period, but contracts are being inked, so for the time being nothing is changing.
Is an overhaul of NBC Sports hockey coverage in the works? Given the recent controversies surrounding Jeremy Roenick, Pierre McGuire and now Mike Milbury, the negative PR certainly isn’t helping. A change is long overdue. — @MikeInNewHaven
Roenick is already out for good. Milbury just went into the penalty box for the rest of the playoffs. So, yeah, change is brewing.
In the Milbury case, I’ll use an analogy from my baseball reporting days. First, a starting position player moves down in the order, then he platoons, then he is benched and, finally, he is cut. Milbury has been benched so …
Will Thom Brennaman ever call another NFL game? — @Mitch3363
I’d say no. Brennaman’s homophobic comments were awful, but I do side with the people who would rather have him try to make good instead of canceling him.
The issue for him on the national level is that he wasn’t that valuable. He was moving down the Fox depth chart, not up.
Fox already has Joe Buck and Kevin Burkhardt at the top of its play-by-play list. Kenny Albert is a pro’s pro, while Fox brought in Adam Amin from ESPN because it viewed him as on the way up.
