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ESPN could lose Dan Patrick
July 4, 2007
ESPN could be on the verge of losing one of its signature personalities.
Unfortunately, it's not Chris Berman.
Dan Patrick, the multitalented 18-year vet who has hinted recently of a major upcoming announcement, is strongly considering leaving the network.
An industry source said there was a "90 percent chance" he would announce his farewell during his Thursday radio show, which airs locally from noon-3 p.m. on WMVP-AM 1000.
ESPN does not want to lose Patrick, and spokesman Josh Krulewitz indicated Tuesday the situation has yet to be resolved.
"Dan is under contract through next year and we are in discussion with him about his future," Krulewitz said. "Any speculation is premature."
If he leaves, the 51-year-old Patrick is expected to take time off before considering TV and nationally syndicated radio offers.
Producers from "The Price is Right" recently contacted Patrick to ask if he would like to succeed Bob Barker. The L.A. Daily News reported that Patrick's only response to the report was whimsical: "Len Barker was always one of my favorite pitchers."
Patrick has spawned a generation of wannabe sportscasters with his wry demeanor and clever catch phrases, such as "the whiff," "en fuego" and "you can't stop him, you can only hope to contain him."
Patrick teamed with Keith Olbermann for the wildly popular Sunday night "SportsCenter," which became known as "The Big Show."
He widened his scope in the '90s, anchoring NBA pregame shows, guest-hosting "Good Morning America" and debuting "The Dan Patrick Show," which feeds more than 600 affiliates on ESPN Radio.
Blogs such as sportsatrandom.com and thebiglead.com were buzzing Tuesday about Patrick's upcoming announcement, which he has been teasing on his radio show.
Bob Valvano sat in on Tuesday for Patrick, who's also off Wednesday.
If Patrick wants to go and ESPN releases him from his contract, he would become the hottest broadcasting free agent since Tiki Barber. But you wonder whether Patrick is really ready to leave ESPN for the great unknown.
<SNIP>
tgreenstein@tribune.com
LINK
July 4, 2007
ESPN could be on the verge of losing one of its signature personalities.
Unfortunately, it's not Chris Berman.
Dan Patrick, the multitalented 18-year vet who has hinted recently of a major upcoming announcement, is strongly considering leaving the network.
An industry source said there was a "90 percent chance" he would announce his farewell during his Thursday radio show, which airs locally from noon-3 p.m. on WMVP-AM 1000.
ESPN does not want to lose Patrick, and spokesman Josh Krulewitz indicated Tuesday the situation has yet to be resolved.
"Dan is under contract through next year and we are in discussion with him about his future," Krulewitz said. "Any speculation is premature."
If he leaves, the 51-year-old Patrick is expected to take time off before considering TV and nationally syndicated radio offers.
Producers from "The Price is Right" recently contacted Patrick to ask if he would like to succeed Bob Barker. The L.A. Daily News reported that Patrick's only response to the report was whimsical: "Len Barker was always one of my favorite pitchers."
Patrick has spawned a generation of wannabe sportscasters with his wry demeanor and clever catch phrases, such as "the whiff," "en fuego" and "you can't stop him, you can only hope to contain him."
Patrick teamed with Keith Olbermann for the wildly popular Sunday night "SportsCenter," which became known as "The Big Show."
He widened his scope in the '90s, anchoring NBA pregame shows, guest-hosting "Good Morning America" and debuting "The Dan Patrick Show," which feeds more than 600 affiliates on ESPN Radio.
Blogs such as sportsatrandom.com and thebiglead.com were buzzing Tuesday about Patrick's upcoming announcement, which he has been teasing on his radio show.
Bob Valvano sat in on Tuesday for Patrick, who's also off Wednesday.
If Patrick wants to go and ESPN releases him from his contract, he would become the hottest broadcasting free agent since Tiki Barber. But you wonder whether Patrick is really ready to leave ESPN for the great unknown.
<SNIP>
tgreenstein@tribune.com
LINK
