Behind the Mic: Fox Sports Slates Voices of 2018 MLB Postseason, 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup Qualifiers; Matt Millen Steps Away From Big Ten Network

Behind the Mic: Fox Sports Slates Voices of 2018 MLB Postseason, 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup Qualifiers; Matt Millen Steps Away From Big Ten Network By Kristian Hernandez, Assistant Editor

Friday, October 5, 2018 - 9:00 am

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Behind the Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, including new deals, departures, and assignments compiled from press releases and reports around the industry. In this week's edition, Fox Sports announces the voices of the 2018 MLB Postseason and the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup Qualifiers, Matt Millen steps away from the Big Ten Netowrk due to health concerns, Bob Stoops and Vince Young join the college football production on Fox, Stan Van Gundy signs to ESPN as an NBA analyst while Mina Kimes receives an extension, UFC 229:Khabib vs. McGregor is spiced up with a cast of characters, Don Van Natta Jr. will spearhead a new ESPN docuseries and podcasts, and Bob Cole returns for his 50th and final season on Sportsnet's Hockey Night in Canada.

Fox Sports set the stage for the league's best teams and greatest matchups this October. The network announced its full on-air broadcaster lineup for coverage of the MLB Postseason, including the National League Division Series presented by Doosan (NLDS), National League Championship Series (NLCS), and World Series presented by YouTube TV, with Postseason coverage beginning Thursday, Oct. 4, on FS1 and Fox Deportes. The announcement was made by John Entz, Fox Sports' President of Production & Executive Producer.

For the 21st time, the Fox broadcast network is the exclusive home of the World Series, this year streaming live via the Fox Sports App and airing exclusively in Spanish on Fox Deportes.

FS1's Postseason coverage officially led off with the MLB on FS1 pregame show followed by NLDS Game 1 coverage between the Colorado Rockies and the Milwaukee Brewers at 5:00 PM ET. Veteran play-by-play announcer Kenny Albert, Cy-Young award winner, five-time World Series Champion David Cone, two-time MLB All-Star and World Series Champion AJ Pierzynski and MLB insider Jon Paul Morosi call the series for FS1.

The Atlanta Braves versus Los Angeles Dodgers series is called on FS1 by highly acclaimed play-by-play announcer Joe Davis, alongside first-ballot Hall of Famer and 1995 World Series Champion John Smoltz. Veteran Emmy Award-winning reporter Ken Rosenthal and three-time Emmy Award-winner Tom Verducci join the broadcast booth from the field, bringing viewers exclusive inside information. NLDS Game 2 coverage of Braves at Dodgers airs on FS1 Friday, Oct. 5 at 9:30 PM ET.

For the National League Championship Series and World Series, Smoltz reunites with multi-Emmy Award-winning announcer Joe Buck in the booth, as well as Rosenthal and Verducci.

In the studio, pregame and postgame coverage returns with a two-time Emmy-Award winning group of familiar faces. Host Kevin Burkhardt anchors a desk inundated with larger-than-life personalities, including Hall of Famer Frank Thomas and World Series Champions David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez as analysts. World Series Champion and two-time MLB All-Star Dontrelle Willis joins the group throughout the Postseason as a pitching analyst

JP Dellacamera, recently honored with the National Soccer Hall of Fame's 2018 Colin Jose Media Award, and former U.S. Women's National Team member and two-time Olympic gold medalist Aly Wagner have been named Fox Sports' lead announce team for the 2018 Concacaf Championship. The announcement was made by David Neal, Executive Producer, FIFA World Cup on Fox.

The duo is set to call all USA Group Stage matches live from Cary, N.C., and the Semifinals and Final from Frisco, Texas. Alex Curry reports from the sideline. Fox Sports' presentation of the regional qualifying tournament to the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup kicked off Thursday, Oct. 4 at 5:00 PM ET on FS2 as Trinidad & Tobago faced Panama to begin Group A.

Fox Sports also announced a star-studded roster of on-air talent that will call matches throughout the event. Play-by-play announcers will include Derek Rae, the decorated commentator fresh off his stint calling FIFA World Cup 2018 matches for Fox Sports; Fox Sports FIFA World Cup veterans Jenn Hildreth (2015 FIFA Women's World Cup) and Mark Followill (2018 FIFA Men's World Cup); and regular Fox Sports contributor Keith Costigan.

Analysts will include Cat Whitehill, who called the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup final; Kyndra de St. Aubin, also a veteran of the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup on Fox Sports and the first full-time female color commentator in Major League Soccer (Minnesota United on Fox Sports North); and former U.S. WNT member Danielle Slaton, who was recently part of the first all-female announce team to call a Major League Soccer match

According to Awful Announcing, Matt Millen has been battling a rare disease called amyloidosis since 2011, but was only diagnosed last summer. Despite his heart operating at 30% capacity, undergoing chemotherapy, and needing a heart transplant, Millen has done his best to keep a full work schedule as an analyst for the Big Ten Network.

On Wednesday, BTN announced in a statement that Millen will be stepping away from the broadcast booth for the rest of this season in order to tend to his health. Millen had been in the booth for the first five games this season, but will not be calling any more games this season

A pair of Big 12 Conference icons - former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops and former Texas quarterback Vince Young - join Fox Sports' expanded coverage of the Red River Showdown between Texas and Oklahoma on Saturday, Oct. 6. The network announced that Stoops and Young are part of a two-hour edition of Fox College Football Pregame live from the State Fair of Texas beginning at 10:00

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2018/10/05/behind-the-mic-fox-sports-posts...
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