CJ GUNTHER/EPA
If Bobby Valentine wants to keep his face in baseball, New York and SNY is the place to do it.
Will Bobby Valentine have a TV alliance with the Mets this season?
The possibility exists. MLB sources say SportsNet New York brass has reached out to Valentine to discuss a possible studio role on Mets telecasts.
Valentine, who managed the Mets (1996-2002), would be featured on about 20 games, mostly marquee matchups like the Subway Series. He would be seen on SNY’s new pre-pregame show. Valentine would also fill in for Bobby Ojeda, SNY’s No. 1 studio analyst, on his off days.
Sources said the fact SNY execs have already contacted Valentine means the Mets organization has approved the idea of giving their controversial former manager a TV platform.
As with any of these deals it could come down to economics, how much dough Valentine wants for his services. It’s also not clear at all if Valentine, who had a successful “Sunday Night Baseball†career (booth and studio) at ESPN, even wants to return.
If he does, his TV career is at a crossroads. If Valentine is looking to keep his face out front, New York is the place to do it. When Harold Reynolds was making a TV comeback he signed with SNY to work a schedule of Mets pre/post game shows (similar to the schedule Valentine would work) and ended up landing a gig at “MLB Network,†where he is the featured studio analyst.
Since he was dumped by the Red Sox, Valentine, who had a regular weekly spot on ESPN 98.7 last season, signed a deal with NBC Sports Radio to become a part-time co-host and regular baseball contributor. Valentine is also involved in a variety of fund raising activities, his restaurant, as well as projects for his production company, Makuhari Media.
There is no doubt Valentine would produce more than a few sparks analyzing the Mets from the studio. He would also enlighten and entertain.
Stay tuned.
PRIME TIME PRIORITY
When NFL suits see something they say something.
So when the honchos saw viewership (44.9 million) for last Sunday’s AFC/NFC championship games slip to its lowest levels since 2009 (39.6) they likely didn’t shrug their collective shoulders and call it an aberration. They started looking for a way to prevent further eyeball erosion.
Still, if they are looking for a plan, we got one. In case you forgot, the NFL’s new TV contract gives the league the right (beginning in 2014) to expand flexible scheduling by moving games between CBS and Fox to bring regional games to a wider audience. NFL suits and their TV counterparts are figuring out how this will work.
In order to maximize viewership for Championship Sunday, they should use the same concept. Each postseason, the prime time championship game rotates between Fox and CBS. This year CBS had Ravens-Patriots in prime time while Fox aired 49ers-Falcons, a game with less sizzle, in the afternoon.
Starting in 2014, the NFL should assign what it considers its marquee title matchup to prime time, no matter what network has that slot. It makes sense. From an economic standpoint, the network that will have the prime slot the following year would sell advertising based on the previous “primetime†championship game rating. So, it would seek the highest possible rating.
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