YAHOO - After bursting onto the major-league
broadcasting scene in 2015, Jessica Mendoza is about to become a fixture on
ESPN's flagship baseball broadcast.
ESPN is making some significant changes
to its announcing teams for the 2016 season and the biggest news is
that Mendoza is joining Sunday Night Baseball on a permanent
basis. Aaron Boone is also a new addition to the Sunday Night team, while
Dan Shulman remains as the play-by-play voice.
Mendoza, a longtime softball star
for the U.S. national team, had worked the Women's College World
Series (a role she'll
continue to fill, at her request) and received a few other
assignments on the network before getting the opportunity to be the first woman
to sit in as an analyst for a major-league game broadcast on ESPN last
August. She then stepped in
for Curt Schilling on Sunday Night Baseball for the final month
of the 2015 season when he was suspended. She was also on the call for the AL
wild-card game.
The rest of ESPN's reshuffle goes as
follows: Schilling takes Boone's spot on the Monday Night broadcast and former
Sunday Night running mate John Kruk returns to Baseball Tonight.
John Wildhack, ESPN's executive vice
president for programming and production, said of Mendoza in a statement:
"Jessica made history in 2015, and most importantly, showed she
belonged in a prominent role on ESPN’s MLB coverage. Her stellar analysis and
undisputed credibility, combined with the instant chemistry she formed with
booth-mates, made it clear she has earned this spot on Sunday Night
Baseball going forward."
Mendoza impressed us with her knowledge
and passion for baseball during her handful of appearances in the booth last
season and it only stands to reason that she'll get more comfortable as she
calls more games. She's still going to have to deal
with unwarranted negativity because she's a woman – just take a
look at Twitter or remember the Atlanta radio host who ranted
against her in the postseason.
But she's already proven she can handle
that.
I don't think this is a big deal but I'm sure there are plenty of assholes who do so I just want to say this - if you can't handle the Sunday Night Baseball package because a chick is in the booth then you're a fucking moron and you're probably not even that into baseball to begin with.
The Sunday Night broadcast team STINKS. Curt Schilling mumbles and babbles the whole time. John Kruk look like he doesn't even want to be there. Half the time I'm pretty sure he cuts out after the 7th inning and nobody even notices. She's not a former player (no matter what ESPN tries to tell you) so her insight is limited but that doesn't mean she's going to ruin the broadcast. She clearly eats and sleeps baseball and despite what you bozos at home think, she knows more than you do. Also the bar is set really low throughout baseball for broadcast teams. Pretty much every booth stinks outside of SNY. Just don't be annoying and I'm onboard. If I can watch the game without being distracted by how awful you are then you're doing your job in my book.
I have hardly any experience working in the media so you should take my opinion with a grain of salt but if I had one piece of advice to offer females breaking into the sports broadcasting world it's to just have a sense of humor. Girls make guys nervous and for guys sports is about relaxing, being entertained and participating in vaguely sexist commentary. I listen to the Around the NFL podcast every week and they have chicks on all the time talking about football and it works because they're knowledgable and they aren't afraid to laugh at themselves. If she can do that it should be a good booth to listen to.
The real story here is Aaron Boone making his way to the booth on a permanent basis. I don't even know if he's any good or not. I'm so drunk in nostalgia every time I see his face or hear him talk my mind turns into mush.
PS - This is Aaron Boone imitating Joe Torre's walk. Sneaky one of the funniest things I've ever seen.
Spot on.
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