Scarlets v Gloucester (LV= Cup RU) - Rick O'Shea (host from ground) with commentary from him, Paul Williams (Rugby World) and Dafydd James (All frequuencies)
Commentators - Russell Fuller, David Law, Alistair Bruce-Ball, Alison Mitchell, Kelli Underwood and Kheredine Idessane.
Summarisers - Jeremy Bates, Pat Cash, David Felgate, Dominic Inglot, Goran Ivanisevic, Patrick Mouratoglou, Judy Murray, Courtney Nguyen Leon Smith and Mark Woodforde *
Finals
Li v Cibulkova (Sports Extra)- Russell Fuller, Patrick Mouratoglou & David Law
Nasal v Wawrinka (5 Live)- Russell Fuller, Pat Cash & David Law. Kelli Underwood reporting from the grounds.
* These are the ones I heard, may well have been more.
Commentators: Alison Mitchell (1, 3-5), Charles Dagnall (2-5), Alastair Bruce-Ball (1&2), Tim Lane (1, 4&5) and Jim Maxwell (2&3)
Summarisers: Dirk Nannes (1-3, 5), Damien Fleming (1, 3, 5), John Embrury (1-3), Brad Hogg (4&5), Micky Arthur (4), Terry Alderman (4), Isa Guha (2) and Dean Jones (2)
Eclectic mix of summarisers used, I personally enjoyed Fleming and Jones, who I had never heard on TMS before but hope to again, and thought John Embrury to be slightly boring (similar to when they used Steve James on the India ODIs).
Alison Mitchell presented all the games except the 2nd, when she did not commentate as she was at the Australian Open, which was presented by Charles Dagnall. I really enjoyed hearing her as always and hope very much she gets a chance at one of the tests this summer.
The Jacqui Oatley commentating experiment on football, as brave as it was (& not her fault), was unsuccessful. She's much better at reporting/presenting.
But Alison Mitchell is an excellent commentator - always enjoy listening to her.
Cricket: Fifth Ashes Test Match
Australia v England - Jack Bannister
Friday 3rd January
Rugby Union: Premiership
Northampton Saints v Harlequins - Simon Ward
Saturday 11th January
Rugby Union: Heineken Cup Pool 4
Harlequins v Clermont Auvergne - Russell Hargreaves
Sunday 12th to Sunday 26th January
Cricket: One-Day International Series
Australia v England - Jack Bannister (all five games)
Monday 13th to Sunday 26th January
Tennis: Australian Open
Melbourne Park - Dave Luddy*
Friday 17th January
Rugby Union: Heineken Cup Pool 1
Northampton Saints v Castres - Simon Ward
Saturday 18th January
Rugby Union: Heineken Cup Pool 3
Saracens v Connacht - Nick Heath
Saturday 25th January
Rugby Union: LV= Cup Pool Stage
Harlequins v Leicester Tigers - Russell Hargreaves
Wednesday 29th January to Sunday 2nd February
Cricket: Twenty20 International Series
Australia v England - Jack Bannister (all three matches)**
*talkSPORT's coverage of Australian Open was interesting. They called upon Dave Luddy throughout the tournament (he was at Melbourne Park primarily for the agency bearing his name) but took his syndicated updates infrequently rather than in a regular hourly timeslot as they do with updates from snooker and darts tournaments provided by DLI Radio Sport. For instance I don't think they carried any updates on the women's final, but they called upon him regularly during Andy Murray's matches and the men's final. During overnight show Extra Time, Dave provided them with bespoke previews to each day's play.
**The final T20 international is yet to take place, but I think we'd all be stunned if anyone other than Jack Bannister was reporting on it for talkSPORT.
Although talkSPORT didn't take live updates from the competition as they have done in previous years, Extra Time did carry round-ups of each day's play from golf's Qatar Masters with Nigel Bidmead - a regular newsreader and co-host on that show - reporting from the Doha Golf Club between Wednesday 22nd and Saturday 25th January. In recent years European Tour Radio have produced online and RSL commentaries on this tournament with Nigel and Rupert Bell, but this year they didn't provide such a service with Nigel alone reporting from Doha.
Sunday 2nd February - Absolute Radio and Absolute Radio 90s
The Super Bowl on Absolute Radio with Will Gavin and Dan Louw
American Football: Super Bowl XLVIII
Seattle Seahawks v Denver Broncos - Darren Fletcher and Rocky Boiman (11.30pm GMT commentary)
Despite what was said to the contrary during their live coverage of Championship Sunday, Will and Dan were called upon as Absolute's studio presentation team for the Super Bowl after all. If this was a U-turn on Absolute's part, then it was a sensible one given the potential for them losing the line to MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. I'm not sure if any guests joined Darren and Rocky in the commentary box, but according to the listing on the Absolute Radio website Vernon Kay and actor Harry Shearer were due to join them during their build-up from 10pm. The game was simulcast across both Absolute Radio and the regular home of their NFL coverage in Absolute Radio 90s. I caught a bit of the end of their coverage, which ended just after 3am before the trophy presentation. Will namechecked everyone involved in their Super Bowl broadcast at the end of their coverage, which included Phil Spooner and Rob Jones producing from MetLife Stadium. Well done to all involved in Absolute's NFL coverage during 2013/14.
Elsewhere on UK national radio, it was the first time BBC Radio 5 Live hadn't provided live commentary on the Super Bowl for more than ten years. Instead they broadcast the Stephen Nolan show and Up All Night with Dotun Adebayo as usual, with sports newsreader Andy Barwell updating the score during his bulletins and "NFL guru" Greg Brady providing a full-time report during the latter programme. talkSPORT had newsreader Lisa O'Sullivan providing regular off-tube updates on the Super Bowl during overnight show Extra Time with Russell Hargreaves and James Gibson from midnight. They also discussed the match with their US correspondent John Kreger.
I'm not sure if any guests joined Darren and Rocky in the commentary box, but according to the listing on the Absolute Radio website Vernon Kay and actor Harry Shearer were due to join them during their build-up from 10pm.
The first half hour came from the studio and had interviews with Harry Shearer and Matt Stafford. Gavin then said Louw was leaving and handed over to Fletcher and Boiman at 10:30pm. Gavin then returned at half time and full time, including giving a recap of the first half whilst waiting for the half time show to begin oddly using the NFL on Fox theme as a bed.
Alistair Kirkwood joined Fletcher and Boiman for the third quarter, noting that the Denver MVP was the cheerleaders, because they were still enthusiastically dancing despite the team's performance.
Rick O'Shea (hosting) with Adrian Hadley (at their Llandaf(f) HQ)
Ireland U20 v Wales U20 - Rick O'Shea (at ground) (updates)
Ulster v Ospreys (RaboDirect Pro12 RU) - Nick Webb and Willie Anderson (All frequencies commentary)
5 Live Sports Extra's rugby league coverage has changed. Matches are being interrupted by pre-recorded interviews with players who are on the pitch. They wouldn't dare do that during a Premier League match or the rugby union tomorrow. I've had to switch to Radio Leeds.
5 Live Sports Extra's rugby league coverage has changed. Matches are being interrupted by pre-recorded interviews with players who are on the pitch. They wouldn't dare do that during a Premier League match or the rugby union tomorrow. I've had to switch to Radio Leeds.
I'm not a particular fan of Rugby League, but thought I'd give the game last night a listen. Agree that interrupting the commentary for pre-recorded segments is dreadful. I'm all for trying new things with sports broadcasting, but it needs to be well thought out.
Marc Kestecher presented The NBA on ESPN Radio from the Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana alongside P.J. Carlesimo
Basketball: 63rd NBA All-Star Game
Eastern Conference @ Western Conference - Kevin Calabro and Jon Barry (commentary), with Marc Stein and Shelley Smith at courtside
The same team was used in their same roles for ESPN Radio's coverage of Friday's Rising Stars Challenge and the All-Star Saturday Night activities over the course of NBA All-Star weekend.
ABC Radio Grandstand Test Cricket Second Test: South Africa v Australia (Port Elizabeth) Jim Maxwell, Gerald Du Coq, Neil Manthorp: Peter Kirsten and barry Richards (commentary)
ABC Radio Grandstand Test Cricket Second Test: South Africa v Australia (Port Elizabeth) Jim Maxwell, Gerald Du Coq, Neil Manthorp: Peter Kirsten and barry Richards (commentary)
Jarrod Kimber is there too. Gerald de Kock is an odd one, he works for Supersport, but they seem to never use him on the cricket yet he ends up doing commentary for overseas radio broadcasts (he worked for TMS on the last tour). Seems a bit of a waste not to use him on Supersport's part, he has TV commentary experience and he is at the ground and employed by them.
Rugby Union: Six Nations
Wales v Italy - Hamish Stuart
France v England - Andrew McKenna
Sunday 2nd February
Rugby Union: Six Nations
Ireland v Scotland - David Brady
Cricket: Third Twenty20 International
Australia v England - Jack Bannister
Friday 7th February
Rugby Union: Premiership
Worcester Warriors v Leicester Tigers - Russell Hargreaves
Friday 7th to Sunday 23rd February
Winter Olympics: Sochi 2014
Games Updates - Toby Gilles, Pete Abbott, Ben Fletcher, Lisa O'Sullivan, Lynsey Hooper and Elliot Cook*
Saturday 8th February
Rugby Union: Six Nations
Ireland v Wales - David Brady
Scotland v England - Simon Ward
Sunday 9th February
Rugby Union: Six Nations
France v Italy - Simon Ward
Friday 14th February
Rugby League: Super League
Hull FC v Catalan Dragons - Mark Wilson
Friday 21st February
Rugby Union: Six Nations
Wales v France - Hamish Stuart
Rugby League: Super League
Leeds Rhinos v Warrington Wolves - Mark Wilson
Saturday 22nd February
Rugby Union: Six Nations
Italy v Scotland - Tom Macleod
England v Ireland - Mike Bovill
Friday 28th February
Cricket: First One-Day International
West Indies v England - Jack Bannister
Rugby Union: Premiership
Bath v Saracens - Simon Ward
*talkSPORT's coverage of the Winter Olympics consisted of hourly studio-based bulletins, usually airing at some point between 40 and 50 minutes past each hour, by a dedicated reporter separate from the on-duty news and sports newsreading team. Lisa O'Sullivan in the morning (5am-1pm) and Lynsey Hooper in the afternoon and early evening (1-8pm) were responsible for these Games Updates during most weekdays of Sochi 2014, with the four other reporters mostly called upon at weekends and towards the end of the week.
England U20 v Wales U20 (RBS Six Nations) - Rick O'Shea (studio host) with Paul Williams and Garin Jenkins. Commentary from Nick Webb and John Devereux (All frequencies & Online)
England v Wales (Women's Six Nations) - Dafydd Pritchard
Chris Mitchell, Eleanor Oldroyd and Will Perry reported on the Winter Olympics
Alistair Bruce-Ball reported on the World Track Cycling Championships. I don't think he was there though.
Josh Chetwynd has tweeted that there are no plans for regular season MLB commentaries this year but there are plans to be onsite for the World Series. Seems strange to me but I'm sure there's some logic there.
As last year the Indian Wells tennis tournament is providing a full radio service using BBC commentators. This year Russell Fuller, Nick Lester, Philip Studd and Gigi Salmon are there with various summarisers. Sports Extra will be taking a lot of the coverage this week.
Josh Chetwynd has tweeted that there are no plans for regular season MLB commentaries this year but there are plans to be onsite for the World Series. Seems strange to me but I'm sure there's some logic there.
Very disappointing news (the bit I've emboldened rather than the bit about them planning to cover the World Series on-site), thanks for posting about it along with the rest of the information you have provided. Josh has also tweeted that USP Content and Radio 5 Live are "discussing ways for some coverage during the regular season" so it will be interesting to see if they can work something out.
I think if BBC Radio Sport needs to make cutbacks then something that is not UK-based and of minority interest like their Major League Baseball coverage will always be an obvious target to cut back on. As a regular listener over the past four years, I've come to accept that 5 Live Baseball will always (almost always rightly so) take a back seat to coverage of other sports, with it being off-air for weeks on end when Radio 5 Live Sports Extra is needed for things like Olympic Games and Wimbledon. In many ways I think fans of NFL radio coverage in the UK were fortunate that a commercial broadcaster in Absolute Radio 90s arrived with the intention to give the NFL a similar level of weekly coverage as 5LSE did at the time they did, you cannot blame the BBC for stepping aside given the circumstances, but when this happened things did not look good for the future of 5 Live Baseball. In the current climate I suppose I should be grateful that the BBC have at least committed to covering the World Series this year.
Given that Josh mentions the regular season in his tweets, I'm hoping that they are not just planning to cover the World Series in 2014 but also the earlier rounds of the MLB Playoffs, which have received really extensive coverage on 5LSE during the past two years. But I'd hope they can come to some kind of arrangement to continue 5 Live Baseball in the months prior to October too, even if it doesn't take a weekly Thursday/Sunday evening slot during the weeks when 5LSE is free. And if you gave me the choice between having on-site World Series commentaries and little else or relays of US radio commentaries on the Fall Classic with studio presentation, but with considerably more coverage of MLB games prior to the World Series, I personally would opt for the latter.
Comments
Scarlets v Gloucester (LV= Cup RU) - Rick O'Shea (host from ground) with commentary from him, Paul Williams (Rugby World) and Dafydd James (All frequuencies)
Commentators: Alison Mitchell, Charles Dagnall and Tim Lane
Summarisers: Micky Arthur, Terry Alderman and Brad Hogg
He did both, the 2nd and 3rd womens ODI were at the MCG so he was able to commentate on the tennis and cricket.
Commentators - Russell Fuller, David Law, Alistair Bruce-Ball, Alison Mitchell, Kelli Underwood and Kheredine Idessane.
Summarisers - Jeremy Bates, Pat Cash, David Felgate, Dominic Inglot, Goran Ivanisevic, Patrick Mouratoglou, Judy Murray, Courtney Nguyen Leon Smith and Mark Woodforde *
Finals
Li v Cibulkova (Sports Extra)- Russell Fuller, Patrick Mouratoglou & David Law
Nasal v Wawrinka (5 Live)- Russell Fuller, Pat Cash & David Law. Kelli Underwood reporting from the grounds.
* These are the ones I heard, may well have been more.
Commentators: Alison Mitchell (1, 3-5), Charles Dagnall (2-5), Alastair Bruce-Ball (1&2), Tim Lane (1, 4&5) and Jim Maxwell (2&3)
Summarisers: Dirk Nannes (1-3, 5), Damien Fleming (1, 3, 5), John Embrury (1-3), Brad Hogg (4&5), Micky Arthur (4), Terry Alderman (4), Isa Guha (2) and Dean Jones (2)
Eclectic mix of summarisers used, I personally enjoyed Fleming and Jones, who I had never heard on TMS before but hope to again, and thought John Embrury to be slightly boring (similar to when they used Steve James on the India ODIs).
Alison Mitchell presented all the games except the 2nd, when she did not commentate as she was at the Australian Open, which was presented by Charles Dagnall. I really enjoyed hearing her as always and hope very much she gets a chance at one of the tests this summer.
But Alison Mitchell is an excellent commentator - always enjoy listening to her.
Friday 3rd to Monday 5th January
Cricket: Fifth Ashes Test Match
Australia v England - Jack Bannister
Friday 3rd January
Rugby Union: Premiership
Northampton Saints v Harlequins - Simon Ward
Saturday 11th January
Rugby Union: Heineken Cup Pool 4
Harlequins v Clermont Auvergne - Russell Hargreaves
Sunday 12th to Sunday 26th January
Cricket: One-Day International Series
Australia v England - Jack Bannister (all five games)
Monday 13th to Sunday 26th January
Tennis: Australian Open
Melbourne Park - Dave Luddy*
Friday 17th January
Rugby Union: Heineken Cup Pool 1
Northampton Saints v Castres - Simon Ward
Saturday 18th January
Rugby Union: Heineken Cup Pool 3
Saracens v Connacht - Nick Heath
Saturday 25th January
Rugby Union: LV= Cup Pool Stage
Harlequins v Leicester Tigers - Russell Hargreaves
Wednesday 29th January to Sunday 2nd February
Cricket: Twenty20 International Series
Australia v England - Jack Bannister (all three matches)**
*talkSPORT's coverage of Australian Open was interesting. They called upon Dave Luddy throughout the tournament (he was at Melbourne Park primarily for the agency bearing his name) but took his syndicated updates infrequently rather than in a regular hourly timeslot as they do with updates from snooker and darts tournaments provided by DLI Radio Sport. For instance I don't think they carried any updates on the women's final, but they called upon him regularly during Andy Murray's matches and the men's final. During overnight show Extra Time, Dave provided them with bespoke previews to each day's play.
**The final T20 international is yet to take place, but I think we'd all be stunned if anyone other than Jack Bannister was reporting on it for talkSPORT.
Although talkSPORT didn't take live updates from the competition as they have done in previous years, Extra Time did carry round-ups of each day's play from golf's Qatar Masters with Nigel Bidmead - a regular newsreader and co-host on that show - reporting from the Doha Golf Club between Wednesday 22nd and Saturday 25th January. In recent years European Tour Radio have produced online and RSL commentaries on this tournament with Nigel and Rupert Bell, but this year they didn't provide such a service with Nigel alone reporting from Doha.
Dan Albutt (studio host)
Leicester Tigers v Bath (LV= Cup RU) - Ian Randall and Nick Blofeld (94.9FM / 95.5FM / 104.6FM / 1548MW / DAB / Online*)
* Or to put it simply, only 1566MW (Somerset) gets the networked Mark Forrest english regions show.
In a shock...
Wales v Italy - Hamish Stuart
France v England - Simon Ward
Ireland v Scotland - David Brady
Stuart Cameron once again will be at Murrayfield for the two Scottish home games.
The Super Bowl on Absolute Radio with Will Gavin and Dan Louw
American Football: Super Bowl XLVIII
Seattle Seahawks v Denver Broncos - Darren Fletcher and Rocky Boiman (11.30pm GMT commentary)
Despite what was said to the contrary during their live coverage of Championship Sunday, Will and Dan were called upon as Absolute's studio presentation team for the Super Bowl after all. If this was a U-turn on Absolute's part, then it was a sensible one given the potential for them losing the line to MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. I'm not sure if any guests joined Darren and Rocky in the commentary box, but according to the listing on the Absolute Radio website Vernon Kay and actor Harry Shearer were due to join them during their build-up from 10pm. The game was simulcast across both Absolute Radio and the regular home of their NFL coverage in Absolute Radio 90s. I caught a bit of the end of their coverage, which ended just after 3am before the trophy presentation. Will namechecked everyone involved in their Super Bowl broadcast at the end of their coverage, which included Phil Spooner and Rob Jones producing from MetLife Stadium. Well done to all involved in Absolute's NFL coverage during 2013/14.
Elsewhere on UK national radio, it was the first time BBC Radio 5 Live hadn't provided live commentary on the Super Bowl for more than ten years. Instead they broadcast the Stephen Nolan show and Up All Night with Dotun Adebayo as usual, with sports newsreader Andy Barwell updating the score during his bulletins and "NFL guru" Greg Brady providing a full-time report during the latter programme. talkSPORT had newsreader Lisa O'Sullivan providing regular off-tube updates on the Super Bowl during overnight show Extra Time with Russell Hargreaves and James Gibson from midnight. They also discussed the match with their US correspondent John Kreger.
The first half hour came from the studio and had interviews with Harry Shearer and Matt Stafford. Gavin then said Louw was leaving and handed over to Fletcher and Boiman at 10:30pm. Gavin then returned at half time and full time, including giving a recap of the first half whilst waiting for the half time show to begin oddly using the NFL on Fox theme as a bed.
Alistair Kirkwood joined Fletcher and Boiman for the third quarter, noting that the Denver MVP was the cheerleaders, because they were still enthusiastically dancing despite the team's performance.
USA v Great Britain
Commentary on all 4 matches from Russell Fuller, Philip Studd and Jeff Tarango.
All 4 matches were on Sports Extra with 5 Live simulcasting the majority of Sundays singles match.
BBC Radio - Rugby Union - Six Nations
Sat - Sports Extra - Wales v Italy - Iain Carter, Rob Jones & Gareth Lewis
Sat - 5 Live - France v England - Alastair Eykyn, Ben Kay & Ian Robertson
Sun - Sports Extra - Ireland v Scotland - Conor McNamara & Denis Hickie (Andy Gillies for 5 Live)
Rick O'Shea (hosting) with Adrian Hadley (at their Llandaf(f) HQ)
Ireland U20 v Wales U20 - Rick O'Shea (at ground) (updates)
Ulster v Ospreys (RaboDirect Pro12 RU) - Nick Webb and Willie Anderson (All frequencies commentary)
PREMIERSHIP RUGBY
Worcester v Leicester Tigers - Charles Dagnall presenting from Sixways, with Martin Ballard and George Chuter (19.45 commentary)
I'm not a particular fan of Rugby League, but thought I'd give the game last night a listen. Agree that interrupting the commentary for pre-recorded segments is dreadful. I'm all for trying new things with sports broadcasting, but it needs to be well thought out.
Marc Kestecher presented The NBA on ESPN Radio from the Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana alongside P.J. Carlesimo
Basketball: 63rd NBA All-Star Game
Eastern Conference @ Western Conference - Kevin Calabro and Jon Barry (commentary), with Marc Stein and Shelley Smith at courtside
The same team was used in their same roles for ESPN Radio's coverage of Friday's Rising Stars Challenge and the All-Star Saturday Night activities over the course of NBA All-Star weekend.
Second Test: South Africa v Australia (Port Elizabeth) Jim Maxwell, Gerald Du Coq, Neil Manthorp: Peter Kirsten and barry Richards (commentary)
Jarrod Kimber is there too. Gerald de Kock is an odd one, he works for Supersport, but they seem to never use him on the cricket yet he ends up doing commentary for overseas radio broadcasts (he worked for TMS on the last tour). Seems a bit of a waste not to use him on Supersport's part, he has TV commentary experience and he is at the ground and employed by them.
Bristol v Plymouth Albion (RFU Championship) - Andy Champion and James Merriman (1548MW / DAB / Online)
Alan Richardson Presented Devon Sport from the Plymouth Studio
Aviva Premiership
Saracens v Exeter Chiefs - Nigel Walrond & John Lockyer - All frequencies and Online (1515)
Saturday 1st February
Rugby Union: Six Nations
Wales v Italy - Hamish Stuart
France v England - Andrew McKenna
Sunday 2nd February
Rugby Union: Six Nations
Ireland v Scotland - David Brady
Cricket: Third Twenty20 International
Australia v England - Jack Bannister
Friday 7th February
Rugby Union: Premiership
Worcester Warriors v Leicester Tigers - Russell Hargreaves
Friday 7th to Sunday 23rd February
Winter Olympics: Sochi 2014
Games Updates - Toby Gilles, Pete Abbott, Ben Fletcher, Lisa O'Sullivan, Lynsey Hooper and Elliot Cook*
Saturday 8th February
Rugby Union: Six Nations
Ireland v Wales - David Brady
Scotland v England - Simon Ward
Sunday 9th February
Rugby Union: Six Nations
France v Italy - Simon Ward
Friday 14th February
Rugby League: Super League
Hull FC v Catalan Dragons - Mark Wilson
Friday 21st February
Rugby Union: Six Nations
Wales v France - Hamish Stuart
Rugby League: Super League
Leeds Rhinos v Warrington Wolves - Mark Wilson
Saturday 22nd February
Rugby Union: Six Nations
Italy v Scotland - Tom Macleod
England v Ireland - Mike Bovill
Friday 28th February
Cricket: First One-Day International
West Indies v England - Jack Bannister
Rugby Union: Premiership
Bath v Saracens - Simon Ward
*talkSPORT's coverage of the Winter Olympics consisted of hourly studio-based bulletins, usually airing at some point between 40 and 50 minutes past each hour, by a dedicated reporter separate from the on-duty news and sports newsreading team. Lisa O'Sullivan in the morning (5am-1pm) and Lynsey Hooper in the afternoon and early evening (1-8pm) were responsible for these Games Updates during most weekdays of Sochi 2014, with the four other reporters mostly called upon at weekends and towards the end of the week.
BBC Bristol / Somerset
Dan Albutt (studio host)
Bath v Saracens (Aviva Premiership RU) - Andrew Sheridan and Carl Fearns (95.5FM / 104.6FM / 1548MW / DAB / Online)
England U20 v Wales U20 (RBS Six Nations) - Rick O'Shea (studio host) with Paul Williams and Garin Jenkins. Commentary from Nick Webb and John Devereux (All frequencies & Online)
England v Wales (Women's Six Nations) - Dafydd Pritchard
Chris Mitchell, Eleanor Oldroyd and Will Perry reported on the Winter Olympics
Alistair Bruce-Ball reported on the World Track Cycling Championships. I don't think he was there though.
Josh Chetwynd has tweeted that there are no plans for regular season MLB commentaries this year but there are plans to be onsite for the World Series. Seems strange to me but I'm sure there's some logic there.
As last year the Indian Wells tennis tournament is providing a full radio service using BBC commentators. This year Russell Fuller, Nick Lester, Philip Studd and Gigi Salmon are there with various summarisers. Sports Extra will be taking a lot of the coverage this week.
Very disappointing news (the bit I've emboldened rather than the bit about them planning to cover the World Series on-site), thanks for posting about it along with the rest of the information you have provided. Josh has also tweeted that USP Content and Radio 5 Live are "discussing ways for some coverage during the regular season" so it will be interesting to see if they can work something out.
I think if BBC Radio Sport needs to make cutbacks then something that is not UK-based and of minority interest like their Major League Baseball coverage will always be an obvious target to cut back on. As a regular listener over the past four years, I've come to accept that 5 Live Baseball will always (almost always rightly so) take a back seat to coverage of other sports, with it being off-air for weeks on end when Radio 5 Live Sports Extra is needed for things like Olympic Games and Wimbledon. In many ways I think fans of NFL radio coverage in the UK were fortunate that a commercial broadcaster in Absolute Radio 90s arrived with the intention to give the NFL a similar level of weekly coverage as 5LSE did at the time they did, you cannot blame the BBC for stepping aside given the circumstances, but when this happened things did not look good for the future of 5 Live Baseball. In the current climate I suppose I should be grateful that the BBC have at least committed to covering the World Series this year.
Given that Josh mentions the regular season in his tweets, I'm hoping that they are not just planning to cover the World Series in 2014 but also the earlier rounds of the MLB Playoffs, which have received really extensive coverage on 5LSE during the past two years. But I'd hope they can come to some kind of arrangement to continue 5 Live Baseball in the months prior to October too, even if it doesn't take a weekly Thursday/Sunday evening slot during the weeks when 5LSE is free. And if you gave me the choice between having on-site World Series commentaries and little else or relays of US radio commentaries on the Fall Classic with studio presentation, but with considerably more coverage of MLB games prior to the World Series, I personally would opt for the latter.