Making the rounds as the NBA and the networks continue to pray for Miami to beat Indiana:
Reload: Don’t look for ESPN to fret about losing Michelle Beadle or anyone else for that matter. I found this comment from ESPN president John Skipper in USA Today to be very telling:
Getting excited about people leaving is very overrated — whether it be executives or on-air. Mostly it gives somebody else a chance to shine. I can’t think of a single instance where losing a talent has been significantly debilitating to a specific program. I don’t think we’ve ever canceled a program because we couldn’t find somebody to do it.
In other words, ESPN plans on finding another Michelle Beadle.
Redhead return: SportsbyBrooks is reporting that Bill Walton will return to the analyst’s chair. Reportedly, the former UCLA great will lend his expertise for ESPN’s coverage of the Pac 12. Walton had cut back on his broadcast duties because of chronic back problems.
I know Walton’s style irritates a lot of people, but I like him. It’ll be good to have him back.
Golf Channel shift: Erik Kuselias is gone as a co-host of the Golf Channel’s Morning Drive? He did a tweet over the weekend saying he is moving up to Connecticut to work for the NBC Sports Network.
As for Kuselias’ replacement, Jimmy Roberts is handling the duties this week. I’d be a big fan of him getting the job on a permanent basis. Great guy, and he knows golf.
Skipper prevaricates.
While it is quite true that Disney does whatever it can to commoditize talent and that it is effective in so doing, there was no replacing Jim Rome (I can not abide the dude). That they even welcomed him back was incredibly telling. I’d also love to see how they would replace Bob Ley on OTL.