Pool - Mosconi Cup XX - USA v Europe (Sky Sports)
Commentators: Jim Wych, Jay Helfert, Jerry Forsyth and Ted Lerner

No Goldstein presenting this year, so Jim Wych took over as host, and yet another year goes by with Helfert and Forsyth commentating but never actually getting shown on screen. And another year resisting the temptation to Google them to see what they look like!

and that only lasted 2 and a half days.. John Mcdonald was the MC
he had a busy couple of days.. friday to sunday at butlins for the darts then monday to wednesday in LA... and Barry Hearn was in LA too he gave a good interview to Jim Wych

McDonald wasn't there in LV for the Monday

World Darts Championships @ Alexandra Palace - Sky Sports 1 HD

DAY 1

Part vs. Michels : Stuart Pyke & Wayne Mardle
Szabo vs. Moss : Rod Studd & Stuart Pyke
Wright vs. Cullen : Rod Studd & Rod Harrington
Taylor vs. Szabo : Stuart Pyke & Wayne Mardle
Burnett vs. Winstanley : Rod Studd & Wayne Mardle

I hope to see more variety in the commentators. John Gwynne is a huge miss for me because he was passionate and really brought the tournament to life. He was knowledgeable and had a very entertaining turn of phrase and was hilarious when he got excited. Why Sky let him leave is baffling- I still don't know why they started taking him off the big finals. Him and the excellent Stuart Pyke were the dream team IMO.
Personally, I'm not a fan of Rod Studd at all. Mardle is fine, Pearson is boring and doesn't really add anything to the coverage and I like Harrington as well.
Dave Clark said that John Part will be doing commentary work for them which is good and perhaps David Croft will make a few appearances along with the sporadic celebrity appearances in the commentary box. That time with Waddell, Freddie Flintoff and Gwynne was legendary.

I think there is weakness in the Darts line up. I've warmed to Mardle in the studio, but he is a nightmare in the commentary box. Studd is a bit boring. Pyke is great, for me I think Nigel Pearson is the best, always liked Pearson and especially on the Darts.

I love Crofty too despite a long F1 season, Sky should be making him part of their Darts coverage outwith F1 coverage. Not wanting to sound harsh/bad or anything about Dave Clark's Illness, but in long term Crofty could quite easily be a David Gower and present coverage as well as commentating.

Sky won't be laughing if John Part gets to the Final! (He probably won't of course but still, if they are relying on him!) Eric Bristow may do a turn too in the box.

There is definitely a weakness. The days of Waddell, Lanning and Gwynne leading the coverage are gone and without all three of them, the coverage isn't as special. Yes, Mardle is good in the studio but is like an excitable child in the box. Calm down, man!
I just find Studd very smug or something and I don't like the intonation in his voice or his style. Pearson's ok- he can carry it along well but for me, Stuart Pyke is the best by far. Him and John Gwynne should have been the No.1 team doing all the finals but we're stuck with Studd and Mardle.
Part barely got through his match today so I'd say he'll be available after Christmas.

The person assigning the commentators needs to take a good look at themselves. i still can't get over the fact that they had Gwynne, Pyke and the one-off return of the legend Dave Lanning on the 3D COVERAGE !!! I mean, come on....

Is it maybe because Pyke and Gwynne were/are freelancers whilst people like Rod Studd, Mardle etc are all Sky boys ?

Stuart Pyke is the best for me but I would like to see Crofty in the box. He loves his arrows too

Pearson is freelance too. I think Gwynne was starting to wind down, but it was fast tracked by the quick shuffle down the pack.

I don't think Crofty will appear sadly any time soon. He is on holiday in Australia seeing the third Ashes test.

Yeah that's why I didn't mention Pearson but Studd and Mardle are definitely top two in Skys eyes

Is Ian Ward still in Aus? Noticed Athers was doing the interviews after play today. Ward has basically got a free holiday.

there is no build up programme on this test match either so maybe they sent him home and he will return for the Boxing Day test

Ian Ward is still there. Carried out interviews on days 1 and 3. Athers did day 2 interviews also mentioned that Clyde (Sky cart) had broken down asking Michael Carberry, who is also and electrician, if he could repair it.

Brilliant

I enjoy Studd, Mardle, Part and Pyke who I think are the best four. Agree with comments re Croft. I'm not a massive Pearson fan, bit too loud for me

What's happening TV wise with the BDO Darts world championship at the start of 2014?

Are BT taking up ESPN's rights or is it going back fully to the BBC (and if so will they pick up all the coverage again? I presume with DSQ plenty of space on BBC2 during the day)

Perhaps only of interest to Li4m and myself on here (at least of those who regularly post on, rather than readers of, this thread), but there have already been a number of significant moves in Major League Baseball broadcasting so far this offseason.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are due to launch a new regional sports network called SportsNet LA to carry coverage of their regular season games from the 2014 season onwards, and have reportedly picked up a number of big names from the national baseball broadcasters to work on it: ESPN analysts Orel Hershiser and Nomar Garciaparra and MLB Network reporter Alanna Rizzo.

With 86-year-old doyen of baseball commentary Vin Scully calling the local telecasts of Dodgers home games (and away games played in California) solo, Hershiser will most probably be their colour commentator on road matches plus a pre- and post-game pundit, which is what Garciaparra is expected to be doing. Eric Collins and Steve Lyons, who called Dodgers away games regionally last season, are not going to have their contracts renewed and be moving to the new Dodgers network.

As for what this means for ESPN, the network has already named Hershiser's successor in their flagship Sunday Night Baseball commentary team - it'll be Curt Schilling, another Baseball Tonight studio regular like John Kruk, to team up with him and Dan Shulman in a three-man booth. It'll be interesting to see how Orel's TV departure affects ESPN Radio's postseason coverage; he and Shulman were their lead pairing in the Playoffs and have commentated on the last three World Series together. With regional networks only broadcasting live games during the regular season, may it be possible for Hershiser to return to ESPN in the postseason?

I suspect they'll be no hard-and-fast replacement for Garciaparra. He was tentatively ESPN's primary colour commentator on Wednesday Night Baseball, but last season they used a variety of commentary combos that differed from week to week. I imagine this will carry on into the new season although I would favour the regular weekend ESPN Radio MLB duo of Jon Sciambi and Chris Singleton to get their fair share of WNB games.

Elsewhere, following on from his retirement from national television MLB broadcasts for Fox, Tim McCarver is understood to be close to sealing a deal that would see him be an occasional colour guy on the St. Louis Cardinals' regional television channel, Fox Sports Midwest. He is reported to be in line to do 20-25 games per year for them, with this believed to have been prompted in part by their long-serving radio announcer Mike Shannon wanting to cut back on his schedule, which would see the existing TV analysts fill in for him on the Cardinals radio network as has been the case from time to time in recent years.

It's going to be fully on the BBC this year

http://bdodarts.com/uploads/news/0/L...e%20Report.pdf

be interesting to see who hosts it, and if Jim P comms this year too...

Pearson still thinks hes at Speedway i think sometimes

Thanks, never noticed that (or seen anything on BBC site).

cuz i dont think its been on there ...

I haven't seen it anywhere else either I only came across it via a tweet by @SportontheBox

It's surprising how little publicity there's been around the event

That is the most unprofessional-looking press release I think I've ever seen.

Friday 20th December - BBC Two Wales and BBC Red Button

Scrum V Live: Cardiff Blues v Ospreys

Ross Harries presenting from the Cardiff Arms Park alongside Robert Jones, with Sean Holley in the analysis truck

Commentators: Gareth Charles, Jonathan Davies and Martyn Williams

Red Button commentators: Cennydd Davies (?) and Nicky Robinson (sylwebaeth yn Gymraeg)

Reporter: Phil Steele

Nag ydw, Mae'n Alun Jenkins.