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Michael Kay: Vin Scully Was ‘A Gift From The Gods’

“No one can come close to his talent and his ability to communicate so easily with his audience.”

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As sports media figures continue to mourn the passing of Vin Scully, Yankees television play-by-play announcer Michael Kay penned a special op-ed to Scully in The New York Post.

Kay noted the sheer length of Scully’s career — pointing out he announced games for Jackie Robinson and Gil Hodges just as he did for Clayton Kershaw — and how his style “transcended generations”.

“If you listen to how some called a game in the 50s, you can question if they would even be hired by today’s execs or, more importantly, accepted by today’s audience,” Kay said. “Scully was just as good and relevant in 2016 as he was in 1950. There is an incredible genius to that accomplishment.”

The two baseball broadcasters both graduated from Fordham University, which Kay said bonded them after they were introduced to one another in 1999 by Scully’s friend Keith Olbermann.

Kay also echoed a sentiment shared by many the day following Scully’s passing: that he was the greatest sports broadcaster of all time.

“In an era of hot takes where debate shows argue about the greatest this and the greatest that, there is no debate that Scully is simply the greatest sports broadcaster who ever lived,” Kay definitively said. “No one can come close to his talent and his ability to communicate so easily with his audience.”

He later added Scully’s ability “was a gift from the Gods. A lovely, soft, easy voice and a disarming manner that made him sound like a friend and not an authority figure giving you the score.”

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Report: Roku Poised to Become New Home of ‘MLB Sunday Leadoff’

Last season, the package of games started on Peacock in late April and ran until early September.

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Major League Baseball has been looking for a new partner for Sunday morning baseball and according to Andrew Marchand of The Athletic, they may have found it in Roku. ‘MLB Sunday Leadoff’ aired previously on Peacock and while the report says they were interested in retaining the programming, they were only willing to do so at 1/3 of the $30 million per year they had been paying.

Should a deal happen, Marchand says the games would be produced by MLB Network. Last season, the package of games started on Peacock in late April and ran until early September.

Roku currently offers live Formula E racing, but a deal with MLB would be its first live sports agreement with a top league in the United States.

Roku is a free streaming platform which relies on ad revenues to make money.

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Road Trippin’ Podcast Joining Wondery, ThreeFourTwo Productions

“Our goal is to record on Tuesday and drop Wednesday mornings.”

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Road Trippin' Logo
Courtesy: Road Trippin'

Richard Jefferson, Channing Frye and Allie Clifton have announced that they are bringing their Road Trippin’ podcast to Wondery and ThreeFourTwo Productions, posting weekly episodes to the platform beginning next week. JJ Redick, who is the co-founder of ThreeFourTwo Productions and hosts both The Old Man and the Three and Mind the Game podcasts, and also serves as a color commentator on ESPN, will appear as a guest on next week’s debut episode with the new business setup.

“Road Trippin’ is officially partnering up with Wondery and ThreeFourTwo Productions to bring you the next chapter of our podcast,” Clifton said in a video revealing the news. “We are coming on board with your team and your crew, JJ, and we are super, super excited to be a part of your family.”

The program first came into existence during the 2017 NBA season and previously signed a deal with Uninterrupted, an athlete empowerment brand co-founded by LeBron James and Maverick Carter. Jefferson and Frye were previously teammates on the Cavaliers while Clifton was the sideline reporter for FOX Sports Ohio.

In the early episodes of the program, players from the team would often appear as guests, including the aforementioned James, Kyrie Irving and Kyle Korver, along with NBA legends such as Bill Walton and Tim Duncan. What initially began as a way to pass time while traveling on the road has turned into a media venture that continues to grow.

“We will be publishing weekly,” Clifton said. “It’ll still be the Road Trippin’ show as it has gotten us from Day 1 as the first-ever player-driven podcast.”

In response to Clifton’s statement, Redick explained that repeating something does not make it true. He thought that everyone will be happy if they acknowledge that he, Clifton, Jefferson and Frye were all “pioneers in the athlete podcasting space.”

Frye revealed that he was okay with it, but it was preceded earlier in their conversation by Jefferson saying that he perceived their show as the first of its kind to take flight. Nonetheless, everyone involved expressed their excitement to forge ahead with the new partnership and continue the expansion of the program.

“Our goal is to record on Tuesday and drop Wednesday mornings,” Clifton said. “You can still catch us on YouTube – obviously follow us on X, on Instagram [and] on TikTok. That was our announcement.”

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Jessica Casano-Antonellis Named Senior VP of Communications for New Sports Streaming Service

“It’s rare to get the opportunity to come in at the ground floor, and I can’t wait to get to work bringing the new streaming service to market this fall.”

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Photo of Jessica Casano-Antonellis and logos of ESPN, Fox Sports and WBD

The newly formed sports streaming service, created by a partnership between ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery, has announced Jessica Casano-Antonellis as their Senior Vice President of Communications. In her new position, Jessica will oversee all communication efforts for the upcoming platform and will be a vital member of the joint venture’s executive leadership team, reporting directly to CEO Pete Distad.

“Jessica’s extensive experience in the direct-to-consumer streaming space makes her the perfect fit for this role,” said Pete Distad, CEO. “Her track record of navigating complex global launches and leading transformational narratives for notable brands positions her as a trusted advisor as we embark on this exciting journey.”

“It’s a privilege to join Pete at this stage in the joint venture’s development and to be part of building something destined to delight sports fans,” said Jessica Casano-Antonellis. “It’s rare to get the opportunity to come in at the ground floor, and I can’t wait to get to work bringing the new streaming service to market this fall.”

Jessica is now part of the joint venture, having previously worked at SiriusXM as the Senior Vice President of Communications. During a time of significant change for the audio company, she was in charge of their corporate communications and publicity efforts. Before her time at SiriusXM, Jessica held the position of Vice President of Communications for Disney+ and Hulu at The Walt Disney Company, where she oversaw communication strategies for their streaming initiatives worldwide. She also has experience leading global communications for Vimeo, an online video platform owned by IAC.

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