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Kirk Herbstreit Didn’t Feel ‘Growing Pains’ During Thursday Night Football

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It has been a busy few months for Kirk Herbstreit with his new role as the analyst on Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime in addition to being on College GameDay and being the lead analyst for college football on ESPN/ABC. It has led to a lot of travel and not a lot of sleep most weeks. However, one addition to College Gameday this year has provided Herbstreit with an extra boost.

Herbstreit was a guest on Pardon My Take this week and he mentioned that the timing couldn’t have been better for Pat McAfee to join College GameDay this season.

“The timing for me personally could not have come at a better time than having Pat McAfee join the show this year. His energy for me personally on the show and even more importantly off the show was huge for me this year as far as kind of keeping my juice going when you are sleeping 2 hours a night or flying wherever you are flying. You know how he has that infectious personality and energy. That was a big win for me this year personally.”

For some who are not normal viewers of college football, Herbstreit was a new voice for people watching the NFL. With that being said, Herbstreit did not feel that he had any growing pains this year and he felt comfortable from the very first game that him and Al Michaels did between the Chiefs and Chargers.

“We started with Mahomes vs. Herbert. I felt like Al and I hit the ground running. Probably the craziest thing when we were done with that game was I think people that communicated with me were like ‘You guys sound like you have been working together for 10-15 years’ just because it was a good game number one and there was comfort there.

“I didn’t feel like there were growing pains for me personally. Maybe the audience had growing pains…I do think that’s very apparent to me.”

When Herbstreit would go to a bigger city to do a TNF football game, he could feel that the audience was not yet used to hearing his voice on an NFL game.

“You get it in New York and a lot of the bigger cities where it’s just NFL, NHL, NBA, and MLB. They look at college football the way we might look at middle school football, not even high school football. Until the draft comes around, they don’t know anything about it. I don’t know how people live not watching both personally. I don’t know how my life would exist if I didn’t watch both. I can’t imagine having a black hole towards the NFL. There are people that do that.” 

Herbstreit will wrap up his busy schedule when he is on the call along with Chris Fowler for the CFP National Championship Game between TCU and Georgia on Monday (7:30 PM ET, ESPN). Holly Rowe and Molly McGrath will be on the sidelines for the game. 

Joe Shasky Mocks John Gambadoro For Talking PAC-12 Basketball On 95.7 The Game

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Joe Shasky Mocks John Gambadoro For Talking PAC-12 Basketball On 95.7 The Game

The Bay Area is not North Carolina, Kentucky or Indiana. It has never been accused of being a college basketball hot bed. That is why Joe Shasky had to put a stop to the conversation his partner Bona Hill and John Gambadoro were having Friday morning on 95.7 The Game.

Gambadoro, who can be heard in afternoon drive on Arizona Sports 98.7 in Phoenix, joined the San Francisco station to discuss the season finale between the 49ers and Arizona Cardinals. In introducing Gambo, Hill noted that given the state of sports in Arizona, Gambo would likely be looking for a reason to talk about Arizona Wildcat basketball.

That prospect excited Gambadoro, who could not resist declaring his love for the fifth-ranked team in the country.

“They’re loaded with Tubelis and Kriisa and Ballo,” the Arizona Sports host said. “They lost three kids to the NBA Draft last year. Three first rounders and they are still one of the top teams in the country.”

Hill responded by recapping some of the Wildcats’ most impressive wins of the season. It was enough for Joe Shasky. He had to step in.

“John, John, John. You’re tanking our ratings right now talking PAC-12 basketball.”

While the San Francisco 49ers will head into the playoffs as one of the favorites in the NFC despite losing two quarterbacks to season-ending injuries, things have not gone so well in Arizona. Bona Hill noted that maybe Gambodoro needed a relief from the NFL season.

“Listen, I started it. It’s better than talking Arizona Cardinals football.”

Taylor Twellman Announces ESPN Exit

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Taylor Twellman Announces ESPN Exit

Taylor Twellman has announced he will depart ESPN after a 13 year stint with the company.

The 42-year-old joined ESPN after a storied MLS career with the New England Revolution that saw him score more goals than any other player in the league during his tenure.

“I have learned from the best and enjoyed every second of our soccer coverage: World Cup, UEFA, MLS, US Soccer, FA, Cups, Open Cups, you name it,” Twellman tweeted. “Hosting @SportsCenter and other programs as a former pro athlete has been a dream come true. The constructive criticism was vital and so important. I’ve met so many people that are great at their craft in front and behind the camera. However, the best part is I’ve met friends for life and for that I’m grateful. We will see each other again down the road but for now, thank you.”

Twellman contributed to ESPN studio shows like Get Up and SportsNation in addition to his work as the network’s lead soccer analyst. His work as the lead game analyst during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil received acclaim, as did his analysis after the United States failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. He did not cover the 2022 World Cup from Qatar, noting that Disney Security advised him against travelling to the nation due to its record on human rights.

Comments made in 2021 surrounding the collapse of Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen brought shouts of criticism towards Twellman. After Eriksen collapsed, Twellman asserted — correctly — that his collapse was due to a cardiac event. Many observers were critical of Twellman’s speculation about the event, and were angered by his criticism of medical personnel’s lackadaisical approach to the situation. He defended himself from those critics by pointing out urgency is one of the biggest factors in preventing further damage during a cardiac arrest.

Max Media Flips 1310 AM in Virginia Beach to FOX Sports

BSM Staff
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Max Media Flips 1310 AM in Virginia Beach to FOX Sports

FOX Sports Radio has a new home in the Tidewater. The network can now be heard on Max Media’s 1310 AM signal. It is a sister station on ESPN Radio 94.1.

“Max Media is proud to bring the two biggest brands in sports broadcasting together with the addition of Fox Sports Radio to the existing powerhouse ESPN Radio 94.1,” VP/GM Keith Barton said in a press release.

Sinclair Media Group’s WTAR previously held the affiliation in the market. FOX Sports programming was heard on 850 AM and its corresponding translators. The signal dropped sports and rebranded as Lucy FM in September.

The 1310 signal had previously carried a business news format and was branded as Money Talk 1310. Now, it will carry the entire FOX Sports Radio national lineup. Dino Franza will serve as the new station’s brand manager.

Todd Blackledge Leaving ESPN, Paired with Noah Eagle For Big Ten on NBC Booth

BSM Staff
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Todd Blackledge Leaving ESPN, Paired with Noah Eagle For Big Ten on NBC Booth

According to a report from Andrew Marchand of The New York Post, NBC has added Todd Blackledge to pair with Noah Eagle for its upcoming Big Ten on NBC broadcast booth.

Blackledge has worked as a college football game analyst for ESPN since 2006, ascending to become the company’s defacto number two game analyst behind Kirk Herbstreit. Before working for ESPN, Blackledge served as the lead analyst for CBS Sports’ coverage of college football. The former Penn State and NFL quarterback will work as the color commentator for ESPN Radio’s coverage of the College Football Playoff National Championship Game as his final assignment for the network on Monday.

Eagle is the 26-year-old son of broadcasting legend Ian Eagle. He currently serves as the radio play-by-play announcer of the Los Angeles Clippers. He also has worked as the announcer for NFL games airing on Nickelodeon, and worked as a play-by-play announcer for college football games airing on FOX Sports and FS1.

The Big Ten on NBC will air in primetime, with the network opting to broaden its college football horizons outside of its traditional offerings of strictly Notre Dame broadcasts. 2023 will begin the first of a seven-year deal for the Big Ten that sees its television rights move away from ESPN for the first time in the network’s history.

It has been previously reported that Maria Taylor would lead NBC’s college football studio coverage of its new property.

Suzanne Malveaux Leaving CNN

BNM Staff
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After 20 years, Suzanne Malveaux is leaving CNN.

Malveaux worked as both a national correspondent and White House correspondent during her career with the network, interviewing five sitting U.S. Presidents in the process.

“After 20 years of delivering groundbreaking stories for the audiences of CNN, I’ve made the heartfelt decision to put myself and my family first and to pursue my long-desired professional passions: using storytelling to promote wellness, resiliency and social justice,” Malveaux wrote in an email to staffers. “I will forever be grateful for the opportunities CNN afforded me.”

In addition to her reporting roles, Malveaux also served as the primary fill-in host for The Situation Room when Wolf Blitzer was on assignment. She also anchored CNN NewsRoom during her tenure.

A CNN spokesperson told The Washington Post “We are excited for her and her next chapter and wish her all the best.”

Malveaux has waded through charges of a conflict of interest during recent times. She is in a relationship with current White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. The couple are parents to an eight-year daughter.

Her departure is not related to CNN’s downsizing, which began in late November.

The Michael Kay Show, DiPietro & Rothenberg Trade Barbs Over Athleticism

BSM Staff
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The Michael Kay Show, DiPietro & Rothenberg Trade Barbs Over Athleticism

98.7 ESPN New York launched a revamped daily lineup earlier this week that is more locally focused. However, the animosity between the station’s afternoon show — The Michael Kay Show — and the morning show — DiPietro & Rothenberg — remains as strong as ever.

“Have you heard the savages on The Kay Show, who can’t get through a show without mentioning our new burgeoning show, by the way,” Dave Rothenberg before airing a clip from the previous day of Kay, Peter Rosenberg, and Don La Greca talking about the lack of athleticism from the morning show.

Rosenberg called DiPietro & Rothenberg listeners “lunatic fringe”, adding that once he saw Rothenberg throw a baseball, it’s something he “can’t unsee”. Kay later quipped that “other than Rick (DiPietro), that whole morning show isn’t athletic”.

“Yeah, they’re the pillar of athleticism,” Rothenberg said. “I don’t understand. Who cares? What’s the difference? Even if I’m the worst athlete in the world, it doesn’t change the fact that Peter Rosenberg is a fraud fan. He’s a fraud! That’s what the man is. He took shots at me for not wearing an Islanders jersey? He doesn’t even know what team he’s rooting for. You can buy Peter! You could so easily buy his allegiance.”

“Just for brevity, we had to cut some out, but Kay took a shot saying I could shop at the same place as my unborn son for clothing,” producer R.J. Santillo added.

“Michael said that about you? I’ll speak to him,” DiPietro said.

Santillo then said he had booked La Greca to join the program next week. DiPietro joked the afternoon show co-host “has no guts” and won’t actually appear on the program. In the past, La Greca has said he’d fight DiPietro, which the former NHL goalie said he’d “slap the beard right off his face”.

Dana White Incident Shelves Power Slap League TV Debut

BSM Staff
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The television debut of the Power Slap League has been delayed after the recent public domestic violence incident between UFC President Dana White and his wife.

In a New Years Eve altercation, White’s wife slapped him at a club. The 53-year-old retaliated by striking her back twice. The video was subsequently released by TMZ. White — as well as his wife — has since apologized for his actions, blaming it on his alcohol consumption.

The Power Slap League debut was scheduled to air on TBS on January 11th, but has since been rescheduled for January 18th.

In November, Power Slap and TBS announced a deal that would see the cable channel air eight one-hour episodes of contestants forcefully slapping each other once at a time before one of the participants relented. The upstar league bills itself as the “world’s premier slap fighting promotion”.

TBS — as of publication — has yet to comment publicly on the matter.

Joe Rogan Doesn’t Have Any ‘Dream Guests’

BNM Staff
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Joe Rogan has the world’s most popular podcast, with millions of dedicated listeners. However, he admitted in a recent episode he doesn’t have a list of traditional “dream guests” to eventually have a conversation with.

Rogan discussed the topic with Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, who asked him about any potential dream guests. Rogan immediately shot down the idea, which caught Portnoy off guard.

“None?,” Portnoy asked.

“None,” Rogan said before explaining his reasoning.

“I like talking to people. I don’t care who they are. I like talking to my friends, I like talking to — I had a lady in who was a beekeeper, I had a guy the other day who has a giant piece of land in Alaska and they’re finding wooly mammoth bones, I like that. That’s the stuff I like. I like talking to fighters, I like talking to you, I like talking to whoever, I just like talking to people. I like seeing how different people see this world. It enhances my perspective.

“I’ve gotten — through this podcast — a very unexpected and accidental education. That’s what I think. So because of that, I don’t have any desire to effectively communicate in any way that makes me feel bad. Read a bunch of mean things people say about you and then go back and forth with them? Saying things that’s not true? You’re welcome to have your thoughts. I’m not going to engage in that.”

Chris Wallace Jokes About Downfall Of CNN+

BNM Staff
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The demise of the CNN+ streaming platform was one of the biggest stories in news media in 2022, with its downfall serving as cannon fodder for the cable outlet’s opponents as a case-in-point that the network has fallen from its previous heights. Nearly every conservative pundit mocked the streaming service’s death, and on Thursday, Chris Wallace joked about the cancellation.

During an interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Wallace poked fun about the platform’s “lone viewer”. Wallace mentioned to Colbert the last time he appeared on the CBS program was on March 27th, the day before his show — Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace? — debuted on CNN+, with Colbert quipping “CNN+ still existed then”.

“CNN+ still existed,” Wallace jokingly replied. “And it was the day before our show… (clap from an audience member) thank you. There was the one viewer of CNN+! And it was the day before the show was going to debut. And you and I had a conversation because I was talking about booking and how important that is on air.”

Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace? has since found a home on both linear television and a streaming platform. The longform show airs on HBO Max, while the best portions of individual interviews air during CNN’s weekend lineup, which returns this weekend.

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