Yahoo Sports NBA reporter Marc Spears is leaving the website for ESPN's The Undefeated after six years, and The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski took to Facebook to thank him for being one of the "founding fathers" of the site. Wojnarowski wrote, "It felt like we spent a thousand days and nights together chasing big and small stories, all of them -- all together -- putting Yahoo Sports on the map for NBA coverage." He continued, "Whatever we became covering the league at Yahoo, we became an immense part because of Marc Spears. Marc gave me so much credibility with players in the league. Because I worked with him, a lot of guys were more apt to trust me. That was true with agents, coaches, executives too" (FACEBOOK.com, 3/17).
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| Mackenzie is not expected to make another comeback attempt on the LPGA Tour |
TURNING THE PAIGE: In Seattle, Scott Hanson notes Golf Channel's Paige Mackenzie's profile at the net has "steadily risen," as she is a co-host of "Morning Drive" and a studio analyst for "Golf Central." Mackenzie last year "continued her work with Golf Channel even as she made" a comeback attempt on the LPGA tour. However, that made it "impossible for her to prepare for competition the way she wanted." Mackenzie: "It was hard to be competitive when I had another full-time job." Mackenzie has not "officially retired and still has playing status" on the tour, but "don't expect another comeback" (SEATTLE TIMES, 3/18).
THE VOICE: In N.Y., Daniel O'Leary noted a health scare in the '00s "nearly robbed" Dick Vitale of his "trademark voice." Appearing on the syndicated show "In Depth with Graham Bensinger," Vitale said, "I went through a tough period. Only a couple people knew about it, really. ... There came a point where I came very close, very close, I thought maybe it was over." Vitale was referred to Dr. Steven Zeitels, who also has worked with Adele. After surgery, Vitale "couldn't speak for about a month." He said due to that, he "no longer calls doubleheaders or does games on back-to-back nights" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 3/17).
RANK & FILE: In Phoenix, Jay Dieffenbach ranked announcers from Arizona's "four major professional sports teams." Suns TV play-by-play man Steve Albert was first on the list for his "wealth of broadcasting experience" that has given him "wit wisdom and a good dose of self-awareness." Albert has "no ego" and "works solely for the education" of his audience. D-backs TV analyst Bob Brenly took the No. 2 spot for his "ability to communicate baseball's nuances in a credible, conversational way." Coyotes TV analyst Tyson Nash was third because he is "eager to share his on-ice -- and his off-ice -- experiences." Nash also "retains a somewhat old-school-hockey mentality" that helps him explain some of the sport's unwritten rules (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 3/16).
NOTES: SI.com's Richard Deitsch cited TV execs as saying that former NFLer Peyton Manning likely "will not go into sports broadcasting full-time." However, CBS "remains the favorite to land Manning should he decide to enter the profession" (SI.com, 3/16)....Miami-based WAXY-AM host Eric Reed resigned Wednesday "citing family reasons." Reed: "After eight years, it just seemed like the time was right for me to move on" (MIAMIHERALD.com, 3/16).
