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‘The Darren Smith Show’ Asks Who Could Replace Joe Buck on Fox’s MLB Telecasts

Buck has been Fox’s lead MLB play-by-play voice for 26 years. Who could possibly take his place behind the mic if circumstances came to that?

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The current NFL broadcasting carousel could end up affecting Major League Baseball coverage as well. (Insert disclaimer about whether or not MLB has any games to broadcast this coming season.)

One of the footnotes to news of Troy Aikman possibly going to ESPN was that the network might also pursue Aikman’s play-by-play partner at Fox, Joe Buck. Buck has one year remaining on his deal with Fox and ESPN is hoping Buck could be pried away if the contract terms are larger than Fox is willing to pay.

In that scenario, most of the discussion has centered on who would replace Buck on Fox’s No. 1 NFL broadcast team. But Buck has another significant role for the network. He’s the No. 1 voice for Fox’s MLB coverage as well. He’ll call the All-Star Game and World Series, in addition to a few regular season match-ups. And if Buck were to leave for ESPN, that position needs to be filled as well.

On XTRA 1360’s The Darren Smith Show, the crew pondered that question. Buck has been Fox’s lead MLB play-by-play voice for 26 years. Who could possibly take his place behind the mic if circumstances came to that?

Jonathan Rifkind suggested that a regional broadcaster would get the call up to Fox’s No. 1 chair, though didn’t give a specific name. That seems like an improbable move for the lead play-by-play role. As Rifkind mentioned, Brian Anderson made the jump from Milwaukee Brewers broadcasts to Turner national postseason telecasts. But that’s also a different network.

Marty Caswell gave the name that Andrew Marchand also mentioned in his Sports Clicker newsletter for the New York Post: Joe Davis. Davis seems like the natural move as Fox’s No. 2 broadcaster and the TV play-by-play voice for the Los Angeles Dodgers. And having succeeded Vin Scully, he’d surely have no difficulties taking over for Buck.

Adam Amin was another name Marchand cited, someone who’s regarded very highly by Fox. Amin has already called MLB for the network, broadcasts NFL games, and is the TV voice of for the Chicago Bulls. But for the All-Star Game, World Series, and a handful of national broadcasts, there probably wouldn’t be many scheduling conflicts.

So replacing Buck on MLB telecasts probably won’t be as much of a dilemma for Fox. But it still presents an intriguing question. That role becomes an important one every October during the MLB postseason, which potentially leaves a big headset to fill.

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KNBR’s Brian Murphy Speaks for First Time After Paul McCaffrey Laid Off

“Paulie Mac is my guy, will forever be my guy. The best thing I could ever wish anyone is that you get to work with someone as loyal, energetic, funny, consistent as the guy his Jersey buddies call ‘Smack’.”

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A photo of Paul McCaffrey and Brian Murphy
(Photo: KNBR)

Earlier this week, KNBR underwent a round of layoffs, affecting a pair of programs on the Bay Area sports station, including the departure of longtime morning host Paul McCaffrey. His longtime partner — Brian Murphy — has taken to X to share his thoughts.

In a thread to X, Murphy shared his admiration for McCaffrey, whom he hosted Murph and Mac with for 18 years.

“Paulie Mac is my guy, will forever be my guy. The best thing I could ever wish anyone is that you get to work with someone as loyal, energetic, funny, consistent as the guy his Jersey buddies call ‘Smack’,” wrote Murphy. “So much love.”

He then shared that everything listeners and fans of the program have shared on social media has been read by the duo, and thanked them for the outpouring of love and support.

Finally, Murphy addressed his future. Fill-in host Dieter Kurtenbach shared on Thursday he did not have a definitive answer about Murphy’s future with the Cumulus-owned station.

However, Brian Murphy has shared he will return to the airwaves on Monday morning.

“I’ll be back Monday morning on KNBR with our guy Markus (Waterboy) Boucher,” Murphy wrote. “Come on. It’s Niners-Eagles. Wouldn’t miss it. As Paulie Mac’s board itself would say: The show goes on.”

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Mike Mulligan: Sports Radio is More Difficult Than Other Formats Think

He shared that he has worked with people on morning shows that he has seen come to a station fully hungover who play music and proceed to sit on the couch.

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Mike Mulligan
Courtesy: Illinois Entertainer

On Friday morning’s edition of Mully & Haugh on 670 The Score in Chicago, co-host Mike Mulligan outlined the difference with music radio that hosts are not continuously talking to the audience, instead taking mic breaks and then interspersing commentary with different songs.

Filling in for David Haugh on Friday’s edition of the program was Gabe Ramirez, who used to work in the format with B96 as the host of its morning show. Mulligan’s assertion about the differences between the two formats resulted in a conversation about the differences between the grenres, with Ramirez explaining the difficulties that music radio hosts face on the air.

“The music station’s still creating content,” Ramirez said. “You get to have a guest – since I am going to defend my music stations – you get to have a guest and toss them a softball question and listen to them rant for five minutes.”

Mulligan disagreed with this perspective, conveying that he does not feel their program provides guests with easy questions. Additionally, he shared that he has worked with people on morning shows that he has seen come to a station fully hungover who play music and proceed to sit on the couch.

“As a former sportswriter, we sit around and we talk about sports,” Mulligan said. “We talk about the sports we cover and we talk about other sports.”

“You have to talk about Justin Fields seven days in a row,” Ramirez replied. “As a morning show for music, you have to come up with new content every day.”

Rather than taking umbrage towards the response, Mike Mulligan explained that the key to effectively performing his job is being able to discuss important stories of the day even when they are not the headlines. Furthermore, he expounded on the commitment that it takes to watch the amount of sporting events and to be properly informed on the action so he is able to take the air.

“That I will agree with,” Ramirez said. “I’ve told people this – they ask me, ‘What’s the biggest difference?’ The prep, without question, is way more difficult in sports radio because everyone that’s listening to you already knows the answers and you have to be equally if not more informed in all of those things.”

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Minnesota Twins Set to Tab Cory Provus as New TV Voice, Kris Atteberry as Lead Radio Announcer

Provus has been the radio voice of the Minnesota Twins since 2012.

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Minnesota Twins

After Dick Bremer exited the Minnesota Twins TV booth in October, the search began for his replacement. The MLB franchise didn’t have to look far, though.

Twins radio voice Cory Provus is reportedly set to become the new TV play-by-play broadcaster for the club, according to a report from Dan Hayes of The Athletic.

Provus has been the radio voice of the Minnesota Twins since 2012. Many immediately tabbed him as the club’s replacement for Bremer, who retired after 40 seasons as the lead television voice of the American League club. Before joining the team in 2012, Provus worked for the Milwaukee Brewers as the number two broadcaster after spending two seasons as the radio pregame host for the Chicago Cubs.

Meanwhile, Kris Atteberry has been signaled as the person set to replace Provus inside the franchise’s radio booth. He has served as the pregame and postgame host for the Minnesota Twins Radio Network since 2007. Atteberry joined the club after spending five years calling games for the then-Independent St. Paul Saints from 2002-2006.

While the television and radio broadcast crews appear set, questions remain about where the team will televise its games in 2024. The club’s contract with Bally Sports North has reportedly expired, and it has yet to sign an agreement with the bankruptcy-laden RSN, or with a local over-the-air television station.

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