Just mere hours after we learned that Peter Gammons was leaving ESPN, we learn that he joined MLB Network. That was expected. But was not expected was the announcement this evening that Gammons was joining NESN and NESN.com. This is a big coup for NESN which gets him from ESPN and the ESPN Boston site. Peter will not only be seen on NESN and MLB Network, he’ll write for NESN.com and MLB.com.
Here’s part of the press release that was issued by NESN this evening:
Gammons will serve as a studio analyst, reporter and offer commentary for over 50 of the network’s hour-long pre and post game shows and as co-host of Red Sox Hot Stove and Red Sox Spring Break LIVE. He will also make regular contributions to NESN.com.
“I’m a New Englander who wanted to be Jackie Jensen,” said Peter Gammons. “I started out at the Boston Globe and wrote about Jerry Remy when he was at Somerset High School. I was lucky enough to be there for the Munson-Fisk fight in 1973 and The Sixth Game and the ’78 playoff, and when my local cable company wouldn’t put NESN on our system I signed the override petitions.”
“NESN has given me the opportunity to come back to my roots and once again be part of my neighborhood, and I am truly excited about it. During the 2007 World Series, Matt Holliday said that what differentiated Fenway Park from any other stadium is that fans don’t react, they anticipated, and that creates a tension unlike any other audience in sports. It is a great feeling to be back with that audience.”
And not to be outdone, MLB Network and MLB.com had a release of its own:
MLB Network and MLB Advanced Media today announced that Hall of Fame baseball writer Peter Gammons has joined MLB Network and MLB.com as an on-air and online analyst. As part of a multi-year deal, Gammons will offer analysis and commentary on MLB Network for breaking news and special events like the Trade Deadline, First-Year Player Draft, Winter Meetings and Postseason. Gammons will also serve as a signature and regularly featured writer for MLB.com’s new columnist initiative, writing commentary on breaking news and posting several articles online each week.
During the 2009-2010 offseason, Gammons will appear on Hot Stove, MLB Network’s nightly offseason studio show featuring updates and analysis of the moves all 30 clubs are making and planning in preparation for the upcoming season. He will also contribute to MLB Network’s Spring Training program 30 Clubs in 30 Days and do studio work on short documentary-style pieces and other select programming. Gammons will also be a regular analyst on MLB Tonight, MLB Network’s signature nightly studio show.
So the baseball winter meetings have gone from very quiet to very busy with this news about Peter Gammons.
Popularity: 9% [?]
THIS GUY is replacing Pesky as the drooling showpiece for Red Sox Nation.
THIS GUY was deep up Theo’s ass before, now he tastes Theo’s coffee before Theo does.
THIS GUY is waiting to hear from Bud Selig to know what he can say about steroids.
THIS GUY is getting paid in creamed spinach and Depends.
Peter Gammons,
You’re unquestionable expertise and knowledge will be missed.
Also the fact that you always reported your news unbiased went a long way with me.
I can’t tell how much I prayed for your recovery,but I can tell you how happy I was to see you back in front of the camera.
In conclusion..You’re about the only thing I like about Boston.
Good luck in your knew job.
A die hard Yankees fan.
Mike B.
East Haven,CT.
how in the heck does the news of an over-the-hill baseball writer leaving espn make the winter meetings very busy?
I’ll repost in this thread what I posted in the older Gammons thread:
Is this an inappropriate time for me to declare that I’ve always believed Gammons to be incredibly overrated?
Granted, I was probably a bit too young to be reading him back when he was supposedly “revolutionizing” newspaper baseball coverage, so maybe I missed his best years.
But since he’s been on TV (this goes back a good 20 years or so now), he’s just always struck me as an apologist for the players, the players union, the steroid users, and for certain ownership groups with whom he’s personally friendly. Moreover, his predictions–especially about prospects’ potential–are usually way off; his “inside information” often turns out to be erroneous; and I also have found him to be a below-average writer (”Beyond the Sixth Game” was full of interesting facts and tidbits, but it was brutally hard to get through because the writing style was so clunky and disjointed).
This “Gammons for Commissioner” talk has always cracked me up, too. Yeah, just what baseball needs–a Commissioner who will make the MLBPA even MORE powerful than it already is.
Wait, Toe Nash isn’t going to be a Hall of Famer?
Gammons best years WERE prior to 1989 on ESPN.
HE DID revolutionize game acounts in the boston globe and a Sunday note column in the globe through the 70s. To all of you who enjoy reading baseball trade rumors on mlbtr.com or from Rosenthal, Olney, et al. Never forget PETER GAMMONS started this practice with the globe.
And his trade rumors were much more accurate and his prospect projections (admittedly a weak point).
I am THRILLED to see Peter gone from the 4 letter pay per view sportssite and ,look forward to following him on NESN and MLB.com
Fair enough. Like I said, I wasn’t really into reading newspapers when I was growing up as a pre-teen and following the Sox in the late 1970s. If Gammons truly was revolutionizing coverage at that time, then kudos to him.
His TV career, however, has left me largely unimpressed (and I still think “Beyond the Sixth Game,” while full of interesting stuff, is a poorly written book).
I’ve feared his move to MLB for some time, now. I don’t get it. MLB has a stable of guys who played the game and played it well for many years. Why wouldn’t anyone prefer to listen to Al Leiter, Harold Reynolds, Barry Larkin, Dan Plesac, et al instead of Gammons? Tom Verducci fills the role of know-it-all media guy as well, if not better than PG.