1. NBC announced on Wednesday that Jason Benetti will be the play-by-play caller for Sunday Night Baseball this season.
That's a great choice and kudos to NBC for being able to bring Benetti over from Fox.
What's more interesting to me about NBC's play for Sunday nights, is that Benetti will not have a regular partner. NBC has chosen to pass on hiring a full-time analyst and instead, according to NBC, "will be paired with analysts with connections to each participating team."
I have the coldest take ever regarding this development: I don't know how I feel about this move.
I like the idea of having a regular broadcast crew that fans can develop a connection with over the year. Whether you liked them or not, baseball has had some memorable national crews over the years, including Joe Buck and Tim McCarver, Jon Miller and Joe Morgan, and Vin Scully and Joe Garagiola if you want to go way back.
Fans want to build a connection with a broadcast crew, no matter the sport. Sports fans also like consistency.
I'm not a fan of playing "guess the announcer" every week. If you miss the opening segment of Sunday Night Baseball this season, more often than not, you're going to have no idea who the analysts are unless you recognize the voice of your local broadcaster.
The flip side is that fans like to hear their local broadcasters. This is especially true in the postseason. National guys come in and just don't know the team nearly as well as the analyst who has been there all year calling more than a hundred games.
This isn't a knock on NBC. I give the network credit for getting creative. And I know it's unrealistic to say I want one national analyst for the regular season and local analysts in the postseason. But that's my take.
I would love to know how you guys feel about NBC's plan.
2. CBS and TNT Sports have announced their men's NCAA tournament broadcast crews:
• Ian Eagle, Bill Raftery and Grant Hill
• Kevin Harlan, Robbie Hummel and Stan Van Gundy
• Brian Anderson and Jim Jackson
• Andrew Catalon and Steve Lappas
• Brandon Gaudin and Chris Webber
• Spero Dedes and Jim Spanarkel
• Tom McCarthy and Candace Parker and Dan Bonner
• Brad Nessler and Wally Szczerbiak
The most noteworthy piece of news is that Brian Anderson, Charles Barkley and Dick Vitale will call TruTV's second game of the "First Four" on Tuesday, March 17.
3. Whoever handles social media for the New Orleans Pelicans should take a bow. After Stephen A. Smith got on Zion Williamson for having a weight issue during a recent edition of First Take, the team's social media department decided to return the favor, which angered Smith.
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