The current NFL broadcasting carousel could end up affecting Major League Baseball coverage as well. (Insert disclaimer about whether or not MLB has any games to broadcast this coming season.)
One of the footnotes to news of Troy Aikman possibly going to ESPN was that the network might also pursue Aikman’s play-by-play partner at Fox, Joe Buck. Buck has one year remaining on his deal with Fox and ESPN is hoping Buck could be pried away if the contract terms are larger than Fox is willing to pay.
In that scenario, most of the discussion has centered on who would replace Buck on Fox’s No. 1 NFL broadcast team. But Buck has another significant role for the network. He’s the No. 1 voice for Fox’s MLB coverage as well. He’ll call the All-Star Game and World Series, in addition to a few regular season match-ups. And if Buck were to leave for ESPN, that position needs to be filled as well.
On XTRA 1360’s The Darren Smith Show, the crew pondered that question. Buck has been Fox’s lead MLB play-by-play voice for 26 years. Who could possibly take his place behind the mic if circumstances came to that?
Jonathan Rifkind suggested that a regional broadcaster would get the call up to Fox’s No. 1 chair, though didn’t give a specific name. That seems like an improbable move for the lead play-by-play role. As Rifkind mentioned, Brian Anderson made the jump from Milwaukee Brewers broadcasts to Turner national postseason telecasts. But that’s also a different network.
Marty Caswell gave the name that Andrew Marchand also mentioned in his Sports Clicker newsletter for the New York Post: Joe Davis. Davis seems like the natural move as Fox’s No. 2 broadcaster and the TV play-by-play voice for the Los Angeles Dodgers. And having succeeded Vin Scully, he’d surely have no difficulties taking over for Buck.
Adam Amin was another name Marchand cited, someone who’s regarded very highly by Fox. Amin has already called MLB for the network, broadcasts NFL games, and is the TV voice of for the Chicago Bulls. But for the All-Star Game, World Series, and a handful of national broadcasts, there probably wouldn’t be many scheduling conflicts.
So replacing Buck on MLB telecasts probably won’t be as much of a dilemma for Fox. But it still presents an intriguing question. That role becomes an important one every October during the MLB postseason, which potentially leaves a big headset to fill.
Ian Casselberry is a sports media columnist for BSM. He has previously written and edited for Awful Announcing, The Comeback, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, MLive, Bleacher Report, and SB Nation. You can find him on Twitter @iancass or reach him by email at iancass@gmail.com.
