One for the baseball fans on here, ESPN have announced their successor to Terry Francona (who left the broadcaster to manage the Cleveland Indians) who will join Dan Shulman and Orel Hershiser in their three-man Sunday Night Baseball commentary booth. They have recruited from within, as long-time Baseball Tonight pundit John Kruk moves from the studio to the booth.
Quote:
“ESPN’s John Kruk Joins Sunday Night Baseball
ESPN’s John Kruk will join Sunday Night Baseball – the exclusive national Major League Baseball game of the week – as an analyst beginning in the 2013 season. Kruk, who has served as a Baseball Tonight studio analyst since joining ESPN in 2004, will team up with NSSA Sportscaster of the Year Dan Shulman and analyst Orel Hershiser to form the new Sunday Night booth. The trio is also joined by reporter Buster Olney.
“It’s a real honor to work with Dan and Orel, and to be front and center on baseball’s biggest game of the week,” said Kruk. “When I was asked to join the team, I couldn’t have been happier.”
Kruk has served as a guest analyst for ESPN’s MLB game telecasts over the years, including Sunday Night Baseball. Additionally, he’s contributed to the network’s coverage of the State Farm Home Run Derby, Little League World Series and Rawlings Gold Glove Awards Show.
Mike McQuade, ESPN Vice President, Production, added, “Kruk has every attribute that makes an analyst great. He’s intelligent, he’s opinionated, he brings a ton of personality and his track record at ESPN speaks for itself.”
Kruk played 10 MLB seasons (1986-1995) as a first baseman and outfielder with the San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago White Sox. He was a three-time All-Star and finished his career with a .300 batting average and 100 home runs.
“I always admired the way John competed on the field, and every time I’ve been on Baseball Tonight with him, I’ve been impressed with his depth of knowledge about the game,” said Sunday Night’s Orel Hershiser. “Now I’m looking forward to sitting next to him every Sunday Night.”
“Krukkie is funny, knowledgeable and passionate about baseball,” said Dan Shulman. “I think he and Orel will make a terrific analyst combo in the booth, and I can’t wait for the three of us getting started.”
Sunday Night Baseball airs at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes and via WatchESPN during the MLB season.”
The above is ESPN's official press release, which I would provide a link to but for some reason Digital Spy starred out part of the web address when I tried doing so.
In other baseball commentary news, Jim Deshaies has left the Houston Astros to become the Chicago Cubs' colour commentator on WGN-TV. He replaces Bob Brenly, who left the Cubs at the end of the season to become colour commentator at the team he managed to the 2001 World Series, the Arizona Diamondbacks. This week, the late Tom Cheek won the Ford C. Frick Award (which places an outstanding commentator into Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame) for his work on the Toronto Blue Jays radio broadcasts between 1976 and 2004.