There is a bright comet of style, sass, and substance shooting through the sports media sky, and her name is Siera Santos. The co-host of MLB Network’s Intentional Talk (IT) has carved a niche for herself in the national sports media landscape – unafraid to use humor, sarcasm, and creativity, in presenting highlights, analysis, and information.
The Arizona native has risen above the crowd of talented reporters and hosts at MLB Network and its sister station, NHL Network. Santos has a zest for chiding her IT co-hosts Kevin Millar and Ryan Dempster thereby bringing out their own unique senses of humor.
Intentional Talk is the longest-running program on MLB Network and offers a casual, fan-based slant on the national pastime. With interviews, interactive insight, and regular segments, the show is a unique entree on the MLB Network menu.
Santos has detonated the traditional moderator/host role, bringing a fresh and fun attitude to Intentional Talk. She can trade jabs toe to toe with Millar and Dempster, two of baseball’s biggest personalities as players and now in media. In short, she takes no BS from either of them. She runs the show and sets the tone for the program’s philosophy and attitude.
That last word is key. Santos is all about attitude. She brings confidence to all of her work, shining brightly, boisterously, and boldly. Santos came to the national forefront as one of the rotating hosts of MLB Network’s Quick Pitch. When host Heidi Watney left the program, Santos took the reins along with the talented likes of Kelly Nash and Keiana Martin, creating a TV version of the film A League of Their Own.
These prepared and diligent ladies showed that not only is there no crying in baseball, but no gender gap as well. They have dominated while presenting highlights and analysis in an entertaining and informative way.
Santos led this charge bringing originality and even comedy to the role. In a couple of editions of Quick Pitch, she donned a white medical coat and eyeglasses, taking on the character of Dr. Santos and counseling fans of losing baseball teams. She has proven herself to be completely fearless in breaking free from the established intro/highlight/analysis mode.
And one thing is for sure, it’s not easy to stand out in the crowd when one of your co-hosts is Kevin Millar. Going back to his days as a player, Millar has always been as much about banter as baseball. While David Ortiz became a legend, it was Millar who truly was the leader of the 2004 Red Sox, the team that ended an 86-year World Series championship drought.
The chemistry between Santos and Millar is palpable. You can tell that they truly like each other and enjoy working together, and Dempster provides the perfect happy medium between the two of them.
Santos brings verve and straight up guts to the show. In addition, she has shown great versatility. During hockey season, she makes an absolutely smooth transition to NHL Network’s On the Fly morning show. Similarly, she is able to go back-and-forth with a bevy of experienced hockey experts.
Santos is a sports media chameleon. Whether it is MLB, NHL, or her frequent hosting stints on Apple TV Plus, she has developed into a dynamic television personality, dominating the screen and entertaining a diverse audience.
One of the fun parts of Intentional Talk is when Millar or Dempster goes off on a rant. With all three hosts on screen, you can see Santos’s facial expressions begin to form and you know she is working on some clever or snide retort. She is quick-witted and always ready to pounce on any outlandish statement.
Santos knows her stuff and has skyrocketed to success with her style, fashion, and on-camera appeal. She has become one of the foundation personalities for MLB Network, an example of the much-welcomed trend toward a more diverse and contemporary group of talents.
Like many of today’s sports media personalities, Santos has shrewdly used social media to promote herself and her work. She has a growing number of followers on Instagram and uses the platform to promote her work and opinions. She also gives followers a glimpse of her off camera life with photos attending games and social events.
This has actually seeped into the IT on-air exchange with Millar often humorously referencing Santos’ busy social life and travel schedule. It may be a broad comparison, but Santos is a throwback to an earlier time in broadcasting when stories were broken and shared over dinner and drinks, not iPads and analytics.
With Santos, Millar, and Dempster, Intentional Talk is like the Rat Pack of sports TV, a bunch of talented and skilled gabbers who enjoy life, have the occasional beverage, and embrace the fun aspects of the game.
Santos absolutely leads that charge. She is part ringleader and part lion tamer, controlling the dialogue and direction of the show. There is a power to her performance, taking studio hosting to a new level of panache and pizzazz. In the process, Santos has become baseball’s true leader in RBI: Riveting, Beguiling, and Inventive.
John Molori is a weekly columnist for Barrett Sports Media. He has previously contributed to ESPNW, Patriots Football Weekly, Golf Content Network, Methuen Life Magazine, and wrote a syndicated Media Blitz column in the New England region, which was published by numerous outlets including The Boston Metro, Providence Journal, Lowell Sun, and the Eagle-Tribune. His career also includes fourteen years in television as a News and Sports Reporter, Host, Producer working for Continental Cablevision, MediaOne, and AT&T. He can be reached on Twitter @MoloriMedia.
