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In a change from last year, the Toronto Blue Jays’ radio rights-holder will not resume in-person broadcasts of road games as the team enters the playoff stretch drive.
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Blue Jays radio broadcasters won’t be returning to road this season – Toronto Sun
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The decision was confirmed by a Sportsnet spokesperson via email.
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The network used remote coverage in 2022 before shifting back to traditional in-person road broadcasts for most of the second half of last season.
In 2023, radio broadcasters went back to a pandemic-style setup of calling road games while watching the action on a screen at Sportsnet’s studio in Toronto.
“We will continue with our current approach for the regular season,” Sportsnet’s senior communications manager Jason Jackson said. “We have not yet finalized our plans for the post-season.”
The Blue Jays are in the thick of the playoff race in the American League. Toronto entered play Friday with a 77-63 record and a half-game lead on Texas for the final wild-card spot.
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Remote radio broadcasts were the norm in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic due to health concerns and travel restrictions. The Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Angels are the only Major League Baseball teams that still use remote calls.
It wasn’t clear why Sportsnet decided to stick with remote broadcasts this season. Interview requests for primary play-by-play man Ben Wagner and Sportsnet brass were declined by the network.
In an age of shrinking newsrooms and tighter budgets, many Canadian media outlets have cut down on road coverage of sports teams to varying degrees.
“The easiest thing to trim is travel,” said Mike Naraine, an assistant professor of sports management at Brock University. “We’ll stop sending people on the road, we’ll cut coverage here and there. It sacrifices the end experience for the consumer.”
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Sportsnet is part of Rogers Sports & Media, a subsidiary of Rogers Communications Inc. The Toronto-based telecom giant also owns the Blue Jays and Rogers Centre.
An earlier request to speak with senior vice-president Greg Sansone about a variety of sport and broadcasting topics — including Blue Jays coverage — was also declined.
“Greg simply wants the work done across the Sportsnet network to speak for itself,” network spokesperson Meghann Cox said in an email.
Naraine said proper analysis can be more challenging without an on-site presence at games, along with the ability to read between the lines and survey body language.
“Being there and being able to capture the environment and capture all the variables as much as possible, that’s what’s lost at the end of the day,” he said.
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“Regardless of the medium, it’s about the ability to critically analyze the key pivotal moments that shift and change.”
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In addition to audio streaming options, Blue Jays radio broadcasts are heard across Canada on Sportsnet Radio Network affiliates and the Toronto-based flagship Fan590 all-sports station.
Remote radio broadcasts can come with a roll of the dice. Unforeseen audio difficulties or television feed issues can sometimes impact the call of the action.
Last April, a studio fire alarm was to blame for 10 minutes of beeping noises that were heard during a remote call of a Blue Jays’ road game against the St. Louis Cardinals.
The regular season continues through Oct. 1.
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TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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Champions Trophy host Pakistan says it’s not been told India wants to play cricket games elsewhere
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Pakistan hosted last year’s Asia Cup but all India games were played in Sri Lanka under a hybrid model for the tournament. Only months later Pakistan did travel to India for the 50-over World Cup.
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
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AP cricket:
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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