I saw a longer form version of the advert for BT Sport's coverage of the Premiership and Top 14 finals in a break while watching Baseball Tonight on ESPN earlier today (the one you may have seen the shorter version of, which shows Dallaglio, Elgan, Kay, Clare Balding and Jill Douglas all in a pre-match huddle with the Rugby Tonight production staff talking up their coverage). In this version of the ad, after the bit where Sarra Elgan says they've got a great commentary team for the Premiership Final, Alastair Eykyn pops up in the huddle and starts talking about the game. Which would suggest that he'll be commentating from Twickenham on Saturday 31st May.

Just going back to my post rounding up the various national Major League Baseball commentary teams from back in March, with us now being around two months into the 2014 season, it's now clear that ESPN have decided upon two fairly settled line-ups for their Monday and Wednesday Night Baseball telecasts, having made changes to each night's crews from last year.

ESPN have taken the decision to dispense with having a three man booth as a matter of course on Monday nights, with Rick Sutcliffe moving back to Wednesday nights. Typically this year they've used the pairing of Dave O'Brien and Aaron Boone on MNB, with Baseball Tonight host and ESPN Radio commentator Jon Sciambi usually working with Sutcliffe on WNB, although there has been the odd change to those pairings over the past few months, with Boone and/or Doug Glanville popping up to make up a three man team on a few of the Wednesday broadcasts.

Having watched a number of the ESPN live games and Baseball Tonight on many occasions on ESPN UK over the past few months, the one pundit who I wasn't so familiar with before this season who has really impressed me thus far is Eduardo Perez. He's very confident and clear in his analysis in the Baseball Tonight studio and I enjoyed hearing him in the booth with O'Brien on the Detroit Tigers @ Cleveland Indians MNB game this week. Given the large proportion of Hispanic players in MLB today, it's good to see ESPN making an effort to reflect this in their team of pundits by using bilingual analysts like Perez, Manny Acta and Alex Cora across both their English and Spanish language broadcasts rather than limiting them to ESPN Deportes.

Live First Utility Super League: Salford Red Devils v Wigan Warriors - 7.30pm, Sky Sports 3

Presenters/Commentators: Eddie Hemmings, Mike Stephenson, Phil Clarke, Brian Carney & Jon Wells

Friday May 23

Live First Utility Super League: St Helens v Huddersfield Giants - 7.30pm, Sky Sports 3

Presenters/Commentators: Eddie Hemmings, Mike Stephenson, Phil Clarke, Barrie McDermott & Jon Wells

Saturday May 24

Live First Utility Super League: Catalan Dragons v Bradford Bulls - 1.55pm, Sky Sports 3

Presenters: Brian Carney & Tony Rea

Commentators: Rod Studd, Barrie McDermott & Terry O'Connor

A change in role for John Inverdale at Wimbledon, following his comments about Marion Bartoli last year.

http://www.theguardian.com/media/201...marion-bartoli

I like the way he blames hay fever for his remarks about her being "not much of a looker". Probably just better to acknowledge it was a silly thing to say and leave it at that.

But anyway, this has a happy ending as Inverdale and Bartoli herself will be commentating for ITV at the French Open.

It's not a change in role at all- it's exactly the same job he has done for the last few years.
He only presented on R5 last year because Balding was unavailable.

Amlin Challenge Cup - Friday 23 May (Sky Sports 1)

Bath v Northampton Saints - Final

James Gemmell presenting from Cardiff Arms Park alongside Pat Lam and Lewis Moody.

Commentators: Mark Robson & Ieuan Evans

Reporter: Bill Latham

BBC Two Wales are now scheduled to be broadcasting the Wales Probables v Possibles game at the Liberty Stadium on Friday night from 7pm, as well as the Pro12 Grand Final between Leinster and Glasgow Warriors the following day from 6pm. Ross Harries will present coverage of both matches, with Gareth Charles being joined in the commentary box by Jonathan Davies in Swansea and Stuart Davies at the RDS.

European Rugby Champions Cup - Saturday 24 May (Sky Sports 2)

Stade Français v London Wasps - Playoff 2nd Leg

Alex Payne presenting from the Millennium Stadium alongside Will Greenwood and Hugo Southwell.

Commentators: Johnnie Hammond & Dewi Morris

Coverage is being presented from the Millennium Stadium, where the Heineken Cup final is taking place later on, rather than the Stade Jean Bouin where the match is being played.

Heineken Cup - Saturday 24 May (Sky Sports 2 & Sky 3D)

Toulon v Saracens - Final

Alex Payne presenting from the Millennium Stadium alongside Sir Clive Woodward, Michael Lynagh, Paul Wallace, Will Greenwood, Ieuan Evans and Scott Quinnell.

Commentators (Sky Sports 2): Miles Harrison & Stuart Barnes

Commentators (Sky 3D): Mark Robson & Ieuan Evans

Reporter: Graham Simmonds

IAAF World Relays (Nassau, Bahamas)

Martin Gillingham and John Rawling for British Eurosport 2 / British Eurosport (HD)

Good news for Barry Davies fans, he will be back on the BBC for Wimbledon again this year

Greene King Championship Rugby - Wednesday 28 May (Sky Sports 3)

London Welsh v Bristol - Playoff Final 1st Leg

Alex Payne presenting from the Kassam Stadium alongside Rory Lawson and Pat Sanderson.

Commentators: Johnnie Hammond, Dewi Morris & Pat Sanderson

Reporter: Bill Latham

Confirmed that Ali Eykyn, Ben Kay and Austin Healey will be commentating on the Premiership Final

Craig Doyle presenting alongside Lawrence Dallaglio, Matt Dawson and Shaun Edwards with Sarra Elgan and Martin Bayfield reporting

http://www.premiershiprugby.com/news...p#.U4dWjWfQfIU

Beat me to it!

Not a hard choice for Nick Mullins, a domestic final on a subscription channel or a being the lead commentator on a Grand Slam with the final on ITV1 (with the slim, but possible chance that Andy Murray might be in and generate huge ratings).

I doubt that that choice is actually his.

You think he is contracted for all years of the French Open on ITV?

I would have thought he is contracted primarily to BT Sport, with potentially another with ITV to cover the French Open. BT Sport presumably had the first option on him, but allowed ITV use of him on the tennis comfortable that they had Eykyn who could do the rugby just as well. (There doesn't seem to be a hierarchy - Mullins and Eykyn share the matches virtually equally.)

Mullins ITV contract may well of been done and sealed before his BT one was written up. He may have had a multi-year 2 week deal with ITV.

Friday 30th May - BBC Two Wales

Scrum V Live: Wales Probables v Wales Possibles

Ross Harries presenting from the Liberty Stadium alongside Dafydd James and Martyn Williams

Commentators: Gareth Charles and Jonathan Davies

Red Button commentators: Alun Jenkins (I think) and Emyr Lewis (sylwebaeth yn Gymraeg)

Reporter: Phil Steele

Sky are really going massive on the Hockey World Cup.

Have they shown this before? I can't remember.

Aviva Premiership Rugby - Saturday 31 May (BT Sport 1)

Saracens v Northampton Saints - Final

Craig Doyle presenting from Twickenham alongside Lawrence Dallaglio, Matt Dawson and Shaun Edwards.

Commentators: Alastair Eykyn, Ben Kay & Austin Healey

Reporters: Martin Bayfield & Sarra Elgan

Saturday 31st May - BBC Two Wales

Scrum V Live: Leinster v Glasgow Warriors

Ross Harries presenting from the Royal Dublin Society alongside Paul Wallace, Andy Nicol and Martyn Williams

Commentators: Gareth Charles, Stuart Davies and Andy Nicol

Reporter: Kate Morgan

I can confirm that Alun Jenkins was BBC Two Wales' Red Button commentator on the Probables v Possibles match last night. They are not providing a Welsh language commentary audio option on today's Pro12 Grand Final.

Rabo Direct Pro 12 Final (RDS, Dublin): Leinster v Glasgow
RTE2 Ryle Nugent and Donal Lenihan (commentators) with Daire O'Brien (host)
BBC Alba and BBC2 Scotland Hugh Dan MacLellan and John Beattie (commentators) with Matt Taylor (interviewer) and Calum McCauley (host on-site)
BBC2 Wales Gareth Charles and Stuart Davies (commentators) with Kate Morgan (interviewer) and Ross Harries (host on-site)
Also coverage in Ireland on TG4.

Absoloute piss poor situation. Bring it over onto BBC2 Sco with just a mirror of Alba. Beattie just chipping in every 5 minutes. Bloody awful. BBC Wales for me.