ESPN Releases Their Sunday Night Baseball Schedule

Today, ESPN released the first half of their Sunday Night Baseball schedule for the 2013 season.

March 31: Texas Rangers at Houston Astros
April 7: Los Angeles Angels at Texas Rangers
April 14: Baltimore Orioles at New York Yankees
April 21: St. Louis Cardinals at Philadelphia Phillies
April 28: Atlanta Braves at Detroit Tigers
May 5: Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants
May 12: Los Angeles Angels at Chicago White Sox
May 19: Detroit Tigers at Texas Rangers
May 26: Atlanta Braves at New York Mets
July 14: St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs
July 21: New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox

I personally don't like the ESPN broadcasts so the less games the Yankees have, the better.

YES Network's Bob Lorenz Arrested For DUI

From the AP:

YES Network television host Bob Lorenz has been charged with drunken driving in Connecticut where police say he was found passed out in his car in his hometown of Westport.

The 48-year-old Lorenz was arrested early Wednesday morning. Police say they found him slumped over the wheel of his car and when they woke him up he drove away slowly and nearly hit a utility pole. Officers say his speech was slurred and he smelled of alcohol.

Luckily nobody was hurt. Bob, I'm sure you make good money, next time, call a damn cab.

Piniella on Verge of Signing on with YES

From the NY Daily News:

Sweet Luigi is headed back to the Yankees.

Lou Piniella, a fan favorite as both player and manager, is deep in negotiations and close to signing a deal to return to the Bombers as an analyst for the Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network. He also will likely serve as a spring training instructor.

According to industry sources, Piniella will do a limited number of appearances for YES in the broadcast booth and studio.

Piniella would join YES’ cast of analysts that includes Ken Singleton, John Flaherty, Paul O’Neill, David Cone, Al Leiter and play-by-play man Michael Kay.

Piniella is no stranger to the Yankees broadcast booth. After being fired — for the second time — as Bombers manager by George Steinbrenner in 1988, Piniella still had a year left on his contract. He spent the 1989 season in the Madison Square Garden Network’s Yankees booth.

Welcome back!

Sterling's Call & More DJ3K Video

First, here is the audio of the calls of the HR, Sterling's begins @ 49 seconds.



I also noticed this great 25-minute video on Jeter's career on MLB.com this morning, check it out if you have the time.

ESPN's (Poor) Coverage of Last Night's Roll Call

It's a shame they couldn't figure out what order the Creatures go in and missed the Swisher salute. Here it is for future reference: Center-Left-Right-First-Second-Short-Third.

Coney Returning to the YES Booth

After an embarrassing story earlier, YES did something good this time:

First Half of ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball Schedule

This was released earlier today:

April 3: San Francisco at Los Angeles Dodgers (ESPN2)
April 10: N.Y. Yankees at Boston
April 17: Texas at N.Y. Yankees
April 24: Cincinnati at St. Louis
May 1: N.Y. Mets at Philadelphia
May 8: Atlanta at Philadelphia
May 15: Boston at N.Y. Yankees
May 22: Chicago Cubs at Boston
May 29: Cincinnati at Atlanta (ESPN2)
June 5-July 3 TBD
July 10: N.Y. Mets at San Francisco
July 17: Boston at Tampa Bay

I've never been a fan of ESPN broadcasts so I'm happy to see the Yankees on here just three times. That's more than enough.

That said, on June 5th the Yankees play in Anaheim against the Angels and on July 3rd they play the Mets in Queens, so don't be surprised to see one or both of those games added.

ESPN's New Sunday Night Baseball Broadcast Team Announced

From Michael Hiestand:

ESPN on Wednesday made it official: Announcers on its MLB Sunday night games were darn great, but its new ones will be even greater!

Yes, ESPN had dropped Joe Morgan and Jon Miller. But, says ESPN executive Norby Williamson, only after they'd had a "spectacular 21-year run."

So why end that spectacle by replacing them with Dan Shulman on play-by-play and analyst Bobby Valentine to go with returning analyst Orel Hershiser? Well, says Williamson, they have "spectacular credentials. ... The time was right to innovate, and we have spectacular people."

I'm not too impressed by the new team, then again I wasn't a fan of the old crew either, so we'll see how it works out.

What do you think of the new broadcast team?

It is high, it is far, it is..... coming to an end?

From Bob Raissman:

Is the curtain falling on Ma and Pa Pinstripe? Will next season be John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman's last in the Yankees radio booth?

Right now their future is up in the air. The Yankees contract with WCBS-AM, worth about $12 million per year, expires at the end of the 2011 season, so do Sterling and Waldman's pacts. Sterling has been the radio voice of the Yankees since 1989. Waldman joined him in 2005.

There has yet to be any serious negotiations between the Yankees and WCBS. The job status of Ma and Pa cannot be resolved until a new radio-rights deal is cut. Industry moles say other outlets have chatted informally with Bombers brass. These potential suitors are looking to get a sense of which direction the club wants to go with its radio rights.

Outside of WCBS, which probably wants to keep the Yankees, it's highly likely ESPN will - if it hasn't already - stick its beak into the mix. For ESPN-1050, the process of trying to chip away at WFAN, longtime Mets rights holder, has not been easy.

Adding Yankees radiocasts to the mix of Jets, Knicks and Rangers would help change the equation - drastically. But how much would ESPN be willing to pay for the radio rights to Yankees baseball? And would pinstripe honchos be satisfied having their games go out over ESPN-1050's weak signal? That situation could be corrected if ESPN ever purchases another station with stronger reach.

There also has been talk about the Yankees buying a radio station. With the radio biz in the toilet, and in the current lousy economic climate, that is not likely to happen.

I have never really had a problem with Sterling and Waldman. Sure, Sterling screws up about 10% of his calls and the two talk about Broadways shows far too often, but still, I don't mind them at all.

As for 1050, and its weak signal, the Yankees should do what they can to avoid that situation.

What do you guys think? Are you hoping the curtain closes on "Ma and Pa Pinstripe"?

No More Miller and Morgan on Sunday Night Baseball

From Richard Sandomir:

ESPN ended its 20-year association with Jon Miller and Joe Morgan as the voices of “Sunday Night Baseball” on Monday. They declined to renew Morgan’s contract and have asked Miller if he wants to stay on as the radio voice of the Sunday night games. Discussions are ongoing.

“We’ve decided to make a change and introduce new voices and new perspective,” said Norby Williamson, an executive vice president of ESPN. He added: “Twenty one years is an eternity in this business. And today is about acknowledging the contributions they made to the franchise.”

Each announcer is a Hall of Famer. Morgan entered as a player in 1990 and Miller received the Ford C. Frick Award from the hall earlier this year in recognition of broadcasting excellence.

It is nearly certain that Miller will be replaced by Dan Shulman, who will be joined by Orel Hershiser, whom ESPN added to “Sunday Night” last season. Bobby Valentine might be the third voice if he does not get a managing job. Williamson declined to talk about the new team.

So, who's happy about the news?

Patrick Talks With John Flaherty

(The audio has now been fixed... Sorry)

This interview is from Patrick Stapleton, a Sliding Into Home contributor:

"I was fortunate to have John Flaherty, former Yankee catcher and current YES Network analyst, on my sports radio show ("Sports Talk with Justin and Pat" at Catholic University) last Friday. The 14-year big league catcher, who also played for Boston, Detroit, San Diego, and Tampa, was most well known in pinstripes for his walk-off single in the 13th inning of the Jeter "Dive" game on July 1, 2004. He discusses that game, his time as Randy Johnson's personal catcher, his World Series prediction, and much more. Enjoy!"

Sterling's New Granderson HR Call - The Grandy Man

The guys over at It Is High, It Is Far, It Is...Caught! put together this video of Sterling's call from last night mixed in with Sammy David Jr.'s version of "The Candy Man". (hat-tip to Subway Squawkers.)........ Enjoy.

Jack Curry To Join YES

From YES:

Jack Curry, who covered the New York Yankees and Major League Baseball at The New York Times for nearly 20 years as its Yankees beat writer and most recently as its national baseball writer, has joined the YES Network as a Yankees studio analyst, program contributor, and a columnist on the Emmy Award-winning YESNetwork.com.

...

"I look forward to this new chapter of my career, and am eager to contribute to YES on air and online," said Curry. "Through my work on Yankees Hot Stove and its pre-game shows, I am already very familiar with YES' high quality of work. I'm eager to provide insight and information to our television viewers and Web readers."

Here's what John Filippelli, president of production and programming at YES, had to say:

"He boasts a superb knowledge of the game, has tremendous sources throughout the league, and has earned the respect of everyone in the game. He will be a tremendous addition to our Emmy Award-winning multi-platform Yankees coverage, and will complement Bob Lorenz, our pre- and post-game host, extremely well in the studio."

Curry always did a good job on the Hot Stove shows, and did a great job while writing for the Times. He clearly knows his stuff and should be a nice addition to YES.

Spring Training TV Schedule

The Yankees have released their Spring Training TV schedule (hat-tip to RAB) and 15 of their 32 games will be televised, compared to just 12 games last year. I always thought they should televise more spring training game since fans are dying for some baseball and it's good to see the Yankees going in that direction. Here's the schedule:

Wednesday, March 3rd: 1:05pm vs. Pirates - YES
Friday, March 5th: 1:05pm vs. Rays - YES
Saturday, March 6th: 1:05pm vs. Blue Jays - My9
Monday, March 8th: 1:05pm vs. Phillies (SS) - YES
Tuesday, March 9th: 1:05pm vs. Pirates - YES
Thursday, March 11th: 7:05pm vs. Braves - YES
Saturday, March 13th: 1:05pm vs. Orioles (SS) - My9
Thursday, March 18th: 7:05pm vs. Rays - YES
Friday, March 19th: 1:05pm vs. Tigers (SS) - YES
Sunday, March 21st: 1:05pm vs. Tigers - YES
Monday, March 22nd: 1:05pm @ Phillies - YES/ESPN
Sunday, March 28th: 1:05pm vs. Tigers - YES
Tuesday, March 30th: 7:05pm vs. Blue Jays (SS) - YES
Wednesday, March 31st: 1:05pm vs. Twins - YES/ESPN
Friday, April 2nd: 1:05pm vs. Orioles - YES/ESPN

(SS = split squad)

Harold Reynolds Answers Questions About Yanks

From the NY Post:

Q: How much will the Yankees miss Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon?

A: I didn't like letting either of them go. Matsui really mastered the DH role, not everyone can sit around all game and excel in four at-bats. And It's hard to imagine the Yankees without Damon. He brought so much thunder to that team at the top of the order with his coolness, calmness and experience.

Q: Are they still the World Series favorites?

A: Yes, because they added Curtis Granderson and Randy Winn. Watching Granderson in Detroit -- his potential is off the charts. ... And Winn is a tremendous professional player. . . . If you are not going to bring back Damon, they brought two complementary guys who will do a nice job.

Q: The biggest spring training competition for the Yankees is for the fifth starter's spot with Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes as the top candidates. Who do you think is better off in the rotation?

A: Neither, both should be in the bullpen. If you look at Hughes, Chamberlain, (Damaso) Marte, (Mariano) Rivera at the end of games, you are now asking your starters to go six innings. That's a tremend-ous lift and takes a major burden off the starting pitcher. I think that's a formula that can win them another World Series

I agree with the his answers to the first two, but not the third. I do think one of them should start this year, and both should probably be in the rotation next year. The Yankees can still have their starters go six without either Joba or Hughes in the pen and still put themselves in a great position to win most games, especially when you consider that Hughes or Joba could be two-inning setup guys if they need to be.

What are your thoughts?

FOX Released Their 2010 Baseball Schedule

As the title says, FOX released their 2010 baseball schedule today. As you will see below some games will be in prime time while others will start at 3 or 4 PM. The Yankees have seven games on FOX this season, and those games are listed below:

4/10 @ 3:00 PM - New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays

4/23 @ 4:00 PM - New York Yankees at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

5/8 @ 3:00 PM - New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox

5/22 @ 7:00 PM - New York Yankees at New York Mets

6/26 @ 7:00 PM - New York Yankees at Los Angeles Dodgers

7/17 @ 4:00 PM - Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees

8/7 @ 4:00 PM - Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees

The rest of their schedule can be found here.

YES Propaganda Led To Cone's Departure

From Joel Sherman:

I continue to hear that Cone’s departure after one season in the booth for YES was hardly pleasant. He had a personality conflict with one executive in particular, feeling this executive was intrusive and disrespectful all year. However, there were two incidents, in particular, that made Cone flip out.

Early in the season, with the Yankees struggling, Cone remarked on the air that if the Yankees did not start performing better than they could fall out of the race. The YES executive told the broadcasters that this remark aggravated Hank Steinbrenner and needed to be avoided in the future (so much for a firewall between the team and what is said on the air). Cone felt this was a true statement – and rather innocuous – and should not have been discussed.

Late in the season, Cone remarked that one of the important, behind-the-scenes workers involved in daily coverage of the Yankees was a free agent at the end of the year. This made the top YES executive flip out because the plan was not to retain this particular employee. Cone was confronted by the YES executive and there was a heated exchange during which Cone explained that he had made a lot of money playing (nearly $67 million) and took the YES job as a way to get back into baseball, but that he would not take such verbal abuse from anyone because he did not need the job.

At that point it became apparent that Cone would not be back in 2010. Instead, YES plans on bringing in Tino Martinez to do about 40 games.

The idea that an announcer shouldn't speak the truth even if that truth is that the team isn't playing well is ridiculous and I can't blame Coney for being upset. I used to laugh every time I'd read Bob Raissman's column when he'd call YES Al-Yankzera, but maybe he was on to something. YES needs to understand that Yankees fans are smart enough to realize when the team is in trouble or not, and that no statement any announcer makes about the state of the Yankees should be against the rules as long as it's true.

Sherman also said that Cone has been approached by ESPN, but is more likely to take an advisory role with the Players Association.

YES The Most Watched RSN

From Anthony Crupi:

On the way to claiming their 27th Major League Baseball title, the New York Yankees helped set another milestone in 2009, as the ballclub’s dedicated cable channel was the most-watched regional sports network in the U.S.

YES Network closed out the broadcast year with an average prime time draw of 82,000 households in the New York DMA, up 14 percent from the 72,000 HHs it averaged in the previous year. Despite sharing the DMA with the Mets and SportsNet New York and the Cablevision-owned MSG, YES outdistanced its crosstown rivals, which together averaged 80,000 HHs in prime.

Boston’s NESN, which faces no local competition, averaged 76,000 HHs in the nation’s seventh-largest DMA. YES out-delivered NESN by a 7 percent margin.

YES finished the 2009 Major League Baseball season with a 4.62 average TV HH rating for its Yankees telecasts, a 10 percent increase over its 2008 average. The Yanks enjoyed their second highest-rated campaign since 2007, when YES posted a 4.69 average.

YES does a great job, so this is much deserved. Congrats YES!

Cone To Leave YES

From Bob Klapisch (hat-tip to Zell's Pinstripe Blog):

Say YES. It appears Cone’s short but brilliant run in the YES broadcast booth may be over. Sources say Cone is out after a heated disagreement with network executives.

A spokesman confirmed via e-mail: “David’s contract is up. We’d love to have him back, but he’s in the process of evaluating his various options. … He may not be back based on what he decides.”

Cone’s skill and confidence grew appreciably in the past year. Like former-Met teammate Ron Darling, he had a graceful way of explaining baseball to casual fans, but also was immersed in cutting edge sabermetrics.

Michael Kay said, “I’d come into the booth five hours before a game and Coney would already be there, buried in the computer, looking up stats. He took it very seriously.”

That stinks. I enjoyed listening to Cone in the booth.

Gammons Talks About His Time With ESPN

Peter Gammons wrote an article for ESPN (hat-tip to Zell's Pinstripe Blog) talking about his 20 years with the network. In it he talks about a few Yankee-related topics:

ESPN had me at Yankee Stadium for Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS. Charlie Moynihan and I were walking onto the field to do interviews moments after Aaron Boone's home run. "Charlie," I said to my great friend, "We just got paid to watch the greatest game in the history of the greatest sports venue in the world."

We had finished our live shots and interviews and were getting ready to go to the Red Sox clubhouse to do the story about Grady Little's leaving Pedro Martinez in the game, when Charlie noticed a Yankee coming up the steps of the dugout and toward us. It was Mariano Rivera. "I knew you wanted to talk to me, no reason to go get soaked in the clubhouse," Mariano said, and prepared to be interviewed. In the past 15 years, Rivera is the sport's MVP and Cy Young, and in my 20 years at ESPN, he might be the most distinctive person.

I know a lot of Yankees fans like to hate on the guy for being a Red Sox fan, but we can clearly see his objectivity in these two paragraphs. The guy really is just covering the game of baseball, and he does it better than most. Like I said the other day, this move is great for the MLB network.