Bigger news than Newton to MSU.....

DawgatAuburn

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Apr 25, 2006
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Peter Gammons to the MLB network. If Kruk would go with him, there would officially be no reason to watch baseball highlights on ESPN.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iW6k6sh60zF_lK6I-GJ-EtP-6L2gD9CFGCAO0

<div id="hn-headline"> Peter Gammons leaving ESPN for MLB Network </div> <p class="hn-byline">By RONALD BLUM (AP) - <span class="hn-date">50 minutes ago</span></p>

INDIANAPOLIS - Peter Gammons is leaving ESPN after 20 years to become an analyst for MLB Network.</p>

Gammons will offer commentary for breaking news and big events such as the postseason, winter meetings, amateur draft and the trade deadline. He will appear on the network's news shows as well as develop short documentary-style pieces. He also will write regularly for MLB.com, becoming part of its new columnist Web site.</p>

"To be involved with people whose network is devoted to baseball, and baseball only, is something I look forward to with excitement," Gammons said in a statement Tuesday.</p>

Gammons joins Bob Costas as a major presence at MLB Network. In addition, Gammons will become an analyst and reporter for NESN, the regional sports network in New England affiliated with the owners of the Boston Red Sox.</p>

"It's hard to imagine a reporter who is more deeply associated with a sport than Peter is with Major League Baseball," MLB president Tony Petitti said. "Having Peter associated with MLB Network is an incredible opportunity and another great step for MLB Network as we head into our second year on Jan. 1."</p>

Gammons joined ESPN in 1989 and has been an integral part of its baseball coverage. He wrote for the Boston Globe starting in 1969 and also worked for Sports Illustrated (1976-78, 1986-90).</p>

"Peter was the best and the brightest in making the transition from print to video," ESPN executive vice president John Walsh said.</p>

The 64-year-old Gammons received the 2004 J.G. Taylor Spink Award for outstanding baseball writing and was honored during the 2005 Hall of Fame induction ceremony. He signed in October with Creative Artists Agency.</p>

"My decision to leave ESPN and move on at this point in my life has been conflicted," Gammons said. "ESPN gave me a great deal more than I gave it, and will always be a huge part of who I am."</p>

Gammons interviewed Alex Rodriguez on camera in February when the New York Yankees slugger admitted using steroids from 2001-03 with the Texas Rangers.</p>

In June 2006, Gammons was stricken with a brain aneurysm while driving near his Cape Cod home. He returned to broadcasting three months later.</p>
 

Todd4State

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Mar 3, 2008
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Peter Gammons is one of my heroes. If anyone has ever influenced me as a writer, it's him.

And I actually got to meet him one time and talk to him a little bit about baseball. It was definately one of the top five moments in my life.

Very humble person and very nice.

He sat a few seats down from me at a Kansas City Royals/Florida Marlins spring training game in 1999. There weren't very many people there- as you might imagine. We talked for about an inning or so- mainly about the Cardinals. I know that's a shock to people on here.
 

birdZdawg

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Jul 16, 2008
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Also, Kruk with Mitch Williams would be great entertainment. Maybe that will happen somewhere down the road.
 

hatfieldms

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Feb 20, 2008
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That fat %%!* needs to stay as far away as possible. I am happy with Gammons going though. Now all they need is Olney and they will be set
 
Dec 3, 2008
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Kruk is awful. I always liked Brantley a lot. I hope that wasn't just because I was watching tv with a maroon colored screen.
 

wbc40

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Feb 25, 2008
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Why do you think, at his age, Gammons would leave ESPN after being so successful there? Does the MLB Network have that much capital to hire away ESPN\'s number one baseball analyst? I would almost equate it to the NFL Network hiring away Mort or John Clayton.
 

wbc40

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Feb 25, 2008
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Wouldn\'t that be like the NFL Network luring John Clayton away from ESPN? Props to the MLB Network, that is a huge steal.
 

DawgatAuburn

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Apr 25, 2006
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I have two guesses.

One is that Gammons is a baseball man, pure and simple. He's written more about baseball than Bruiser has about Ole Miss. He invented the column of basball facts that eventually turned into Diamond Notes on ESPN (RIP Diamond Notes). Yeah, deep down he's a Red Sox guy but he does a great job of being unbiased. He's got connections all over the game and loves baseball like it's his child. He took a look at ESPN, with their incessant sponsored segments, their useless studio format that is more entertainment (attempted) than analysis, and decided he didn't want to be a part of it. He's a journalist after all, not a TV star. So he jumped to the MLB network where the game is the star, not the television hosts.

The second guess is they paid him a ton of money and he told ESPN to 17 off.