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Mike Patrick Has Signed Off at ESPN

Brandon Contes

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Legendary broadcaster Mike Patrick made his final appearance on ESPN last night, joining Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas and Maria Taylor for a segment during the Duke-Louisville broadcast.

During the postgame press conference Coach K paid homage to Patrick who was standing in the room. Krzyzewski thanked the broadcaster for his contributions to college sports and stated he never turned off the sound when showing his team tape of a game called by Patrick.

“It’s wonderful to reflect on how I’ve done exactly what I wanted to do with my life,” Patrick told ESPN Front Row. “At the same time, I’ve had the great pleasure of working with some of the very best people I’ve ever known, both on the air and behind the scenes. While I’m not sure exactly what’s next for me, I’m looking forward to continuing my journey with new life experiences.”

Patrick’s final call for ESPN was the 2017 Autozone Liberty Bowl on December 30th, between Iowa State and Memphis. He joined ESPN three years after its launch. During his 36 year tenure with the network, Patrick was a versatile broadcaster providing play-by-play for the NFL, college football, college basketball and others.

From 1986-2005 Patrick was the voice of Sunday Night Football on ESPN. Patrick was also a staple in college football, as part of ESPN’s Thursday Night Football and Saturday Night Football broadcasts.

From 1996-2009 Patrick provided play-by-play for Women’s Final Four games on ESPN. His men’s college basketball coverage for the network began in 1982 and continued to see Patrick call more than 30 ACC Men’s Basketball Championships.

“No play-by-play commentator in ESPN history has accomplished more than Mike Patrick,” said Lee Fitting, ESPN VP of Production. “He is not only a gifted professional who skillfully captures the moments and makes others around him better; he brings a genuine sports fan’s excitement to the telecasts. It was a truly incredible run.”

It’s not unreasonable to think we could hear Patrick resurface on another network or platform. At the age of 73, there was no mention of retirement for Patrick in the ESPN Front Row story, only that the announcer’s ESPN tenure is coming to an end.

Brandon Contes is a freelance writer for BSM. He can be found on Twitter @BrandonContes. To reach him by email click here.

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Sports TV News

Cory Provus: Moving From Minnesota Twins Radio to TV ‘Ultimate Challenge’ of Career

“I’m just excited for the opportunity, I really am, to be able to challenge myself in a way I haven’t before.”

Jordan Bondurant

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Cory Provus

The Minnesota Twins have found their new TV play-by-play announcer. They didn’t have to look far to tap Cory Provus for the role.

Provus has been the Twins radio play-by-play voice for 12 years. Following the exit of longtime announcer Dick Bremer, Cory will become the guide for Twins fans on television.

“It’s an exciting day, a humbling day, an emotional day on many fronts,” Provus told TwinCities.com. “I’m just excited for the opportunity, I really am, to be able to challenge myself in a way I haven’t before.”

A radio guy the vast majority of his career, Provus begins the transition into television. Though it requires making a few adjustments, the thought of reaching additional fans now that local blackout restrictions are being lifted was a big selling point to Provus.

“I’ve always thought of myself as being ambitious and challenging myself, and this, to me, is the ultimate challenge by far,” he said. “And the idea of joining this group in this way now, I think I would regret at least not trying.”

Provus will hand over the reins on the radio side to Kris Atteberry. Kris has been with the team since 2007 as the team’s radio color commentator. Now he finally earns his chance to be on the call.

“Let’s be honest: I’ve been calling big-league games for 17 years, not as the lead guy,” Atteberry said. “There is a difference. I’ve called a billion games in my life. But to be the lead guy, that’s what everybody wants. That’s what I’ve wanted to be since I was a 6-year-old kid.”

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Marquee Sports Network GM Mike McCarthy Stepping Down

McCarthy joined Marquee Sports Network upon its launch after previously leading MSG Networks.

Jordan Bondurant

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Marquee logo

Marquee Sports Network will soon need a new general manager. Longtime GM Mike McCarthy announced over the weekend he is stepping down.

McCarthy helped oversee the launch of the Chicago Cubs-owned regional sports network in 2019, but Chicago Sun-Times media columnist Jeff Agrest shared on X on Friday that McCarthy needed time to focus on his health.

McCarthy was tapped to work on Marquee given his track record at MSG. He rose from coordinating producer in 1982 to the network president in 2000, overseeing the merging of MSG Network and SportsChannel New York.

Between 2005 and 2019, McCarthy enjoyed stints with the St. Louis Blues as the team’s vice chairman and CEO and with the Milwaukee Bucks as chief operating officer. The Blues won the Stanley Cup in 2019.

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Sports Media Reacts to Final SEC on CBS Broadcast

The network began airing SEC broadcasts in 1996.

Jordan Bondurant

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SEC on CBS logo

Saturday marked the final SEC broadcast for CBS, as Brad Nessler and Gary Danielson called Alabama’s upset victory over Georgia for the conference championship.

CBS is moving on to become a media partner for the Big Ten for the next decade, but not before Nessler and Danielson could offer their final thoughts on Saturday’s broadcast.

“It’s been quite a ride for us, our entire crew, Gary and I,” Nessler said. “The people that have come before us, all the places we get to see and the people we get to meet and the coaches we get to be around. Some roads have to end somewhere and our road comes to an end tonight with the SEC.”

Danielson credited CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus for developing the concept of a national college football game of the week for a conference and having the vision to make sure the best people were in place. He also complimented McManus for developing the now iconic theme song. The longtime analyst was appreciative of the opportunity to succeed Todd Blackledge, and shared that though CBS’s run deserved to be celebrated and recognized, all he did was his job.

“What we really did is nothing new, and I’m going to steal another line from another network. But I think it’s going to have a pass here,” Danielson said. “What we did was follow the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.”

“Whether you were in your favorite bar having a beer or in your easy chair at home or watching us on your streaming devices, whatever, we want to thank you, the fans, the viewers, everybody that’s been with us every Saturday at 3:30 for the SEC on CBS,” Nessler concluded.

Several across sports media had their own reactions to the network’s final broadcast, which included using former play-by-play voice Verne Lundquist in the opening element.

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