The BayBears are the AA affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Shackil replaces fellow STAA client Wayne Randazzo, who recently resigned to accept a similar position with the Kane County Cougars.

A 2009 graduate of Fordham University, Shackil was a member of STAA’s inaugural class of All-American’s, finishing as the second ranked collegiate sports broadcaster in the country and runner up for the Jim Nantz Award. After spending the past two summers as a broadcasting and media assistant at the AA level with the Trenton Thunder and Tennessee Smokies, Shackil was determined to land a No.1 job. “It was very important. I’m not sure if it’s all for the right reasons but some of it is for perception purposes. I honestly think it’s a big factor. I don’t think I would be able to rise to a higher level of baseball [broadcasting] without lead experience.

“I love the Smokies and loved going there every day. I had a lot of fun and I know I’ll have a lot of fun in Mobile as well.”

Shackil’s decision to accept the Mobile position was not easy. He had another opportunity in minor league baseball, and a good sportscasting job with SiriusXM in New York City. To help make the decision, Shackil the advice of colleagues. “I had to ask myself ‘does taking a pretty big pay cut and leaving New York City feel right,’ and it does feel right,” he says. “I’m a person who goes a lot on what they’re feeling. That is why I reached out to [others]. I wanted to hear more people say it was okay.”

STAA CEO Jon Chelesnik is among those from whom Shackil sought council. “By itself, the career planning and consulting is really worth being a part of something special like [STAA],” Shackil says. “Jon Chelesnik is there, and especially for younger people, is like a guidance counselor, which is especially nice. Jon has really helped clear my head many times. Based on where I’m from (New York) it’s tough to leave here and tough to convince yourself you have to get out of here. To just be reassured by certain people, including Jon, that you are making the right decision is something many people can benefit from by being part of STAA.

“I want to prove to myself more than anybody that I can succeed in a lead job.”

(Visit Justin’s STAA Talent Page).

ESPN fired a headline writer for using the phrase, which carries obvious racial overtones when used in reference to a person of Asian descent, on the Knicks game story on its website and suspended an anchor for putting the phrase in a question he asked about Lin’s weaknesses during an interview with Hall of Fame Knicks guard Walt Frazier.

“The term Spero Dedes unintentionally and inadvertently used during a recent live radio broadcast was inappropriate and inconsistent with the high regard we have for Jeremy Lin as a member of our MSG Family, as well as the Asian community,” MSG said in a statement.

“Spero deeply regrets the error and never intended to offend anyone, most particularly Jeremy, whom he holds in high esteem. We took appropriate disciplinary action in dealing with this matter, but will keep details internal to the organization.”

Dedes released his own comment through the Knicks, which said, “I am deeply sorry that my unfortunate choice of words offended anyone, it was completely inadvertent. I have apologized to Jeremy and I apologize to the Asian community if others were offended. I will be much more sensitive to my choice of words moving forward.”

It was the second strike for Dedes, the former Los Angeles Lakers broadcaster in his first season with the Knicks. He was arrested on a DWI charge on July 4 after it was reported he had agreed to terms to join the Knicks.

A person familiar with the situation said Dedes will not miss any games.

This story is already being discussed in the STAA FORUMS.

Read more at Fox Sports where this story was originally published.

Hasse, inducted into the Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame in 1981 and the West Texas A&M Hall of Champions in 1993, spent 45 years behind a microphone in the Texas Panhandle.

It happened almost by accident.

Hasse, a veteran of the Army Air Corps in World War II, while working in his native Wisconsin, saw an advertisement in Editor & Publisher magazine for a sports editor for the Pampa News, which also owned radio station KPDN. He called and got the job in 1948, and his broadcast career began inauspiciously on Labor Day in 1949.

“I was covering a baseball doubleheader for the Pampa News,” Hasse recalled in the book “Pride of the Plains: 50 years of the Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame.” The first game ended, and the broadcasters went to get something to drink.

“When they came back, they shoved the microphone in front of me and said, ‘Now to do play-by-play is Warren Hasse.’ And they left, but did come back to pester me.”

Hasse never realized his first dream, broadcasting his beloved Chicago Cubs, but found another dream in calling WT and Pampa athletics. He also was lead broadcaster for the Diamond Shamrock Network, which for 28 years held the statewide rights to the Class 5A state playoffs.

“He was just a true professional in every sense of the word,” said Mike Fox, who worked with Hasse on WT football and high school playoff games. “It didn’t matter if it were a high school game and we didn’t know the kids, or a WT game and we were very familiar with them. He treated them all the same.
He was totally prepared and presented the game as a true professional, plus he was so talented. I loved the man.”

Hasse estimated he broadcast approximately 1,200 football games and more than 1,000 basketball games. He was voice of the Buffs from 1953 to 1985. After serving as sports editor and managing editor of the Pampa News, Hasse and Coy Palmer bought KPDN from the newspaper in 1952. In 1960, Hasse became sole owner until he sold the station in 1981. He broadcast Pampa sports for 37 years.

For decades, Hasse served on the Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame selection committee until he resigned in December 2011. He was primarily responsible for gathering inductee nominations.

“Warren was in touch with athletes from the Panhandle for what seemed like forever,” said David Jones, PSHOF chairman. “He was a tremendous resource, just invaluable to us.”

Hasse also had 41 years of perfect attendance in Pampa’s Kiwanis Club, serving as president and lieutenant governor, was a Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch lifetime partner, a member of the Pampa ISD school board for six years, including serving as president, and member and president of the Pampa Chamber of Commerce. He was a member of First Presbyterian Church.

He married Romelle (Peg) Johnson in 1944. She died in 2005. For more than six years, he fed birds and squirrels daily at the cemetery in honor of his wife’s love of animals.

Survivors include his son, John Hasse of Canyon; his daughter, Mary Schwab and husband Robert of Pampa, two granddaughters, Linda Schwab of Pampa and Sarah Schwab of Houston. He was preceded in death by an infant daughter, Jeri Ann Hasse; his parents, Louis and Bertha Hasse, and a sister, Florence Bakken.

Memorials can be sent to PAWS, P.O. Box 2095, Pampa, TX 79066-2095, or Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch and Affiliates, 600 S.W. 11th Ave., Amarillo, TX 79101. An online register can be signed at www.carmichael-whatley.com.

Read more at the Amarillo Globe News where this story was originally published.

The Nuts are the advanced Class-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. Margulies joins the team after spending the past two seasons broadcasting for the Fort Myers Miracle.

“I grew up on the West Coast in Lake Tahoe until I was 12,” Margulies says. “The majority of my family is on the West Coast so it’s an area I’ve been trying to get back to. I decided after getting a couple years of experience in Fort Myers – I can’t say enough about the ownership group, which has been phenomenal – but it was time to make the move out west.

“I felt confident enough to move out there and know that things would work out. I was especially interested in the San Francisco area because of family ties and because I enjoy the area.”

Modesto is just 90 minutes from San Francisco. In addition, Margulies’ girlfriend recently accepted a job on the West Coast.

Margulies learned of the Nuts vacancy in an email from STAA. “Their GM eventually got back to me and said they were interested in talking to me.”

Getting an early lead on job openings is one aspect of STAA’s services that Margulies values most.

“Having the job leads emailed directly is great. To be among the first people to get a look at certain jobs is certainly advantageous. Also, when I’ve sought [STAA CEO] Jon Chelesnik’s advice, it’s been nice to have someone to reach out to. That has been very helpful as well.”

In Fort Myers, Margulies is being replaced by last year’s No.2, Brice Zimmerman.

As for the risk he took leaving Fort Myers, Margulies grins, “It certainly worked out as well as could be expected.”

(Visit Alex’s STAA Talent Page.)

The newspaper has published the “Top Ten” list annually for 20 years, ranking the top 10 sports announcers in Southern California.

With more than 15 years of producing, broadcasting and writing experience in Santa Clarita Valley sports, Caldwell has been named one of the top play-by-play sportscasters in Southern California in each of the last eight years.

“It’s always an honor to be named on this list,” Caldwell said. “I have always considered it a privilege to cover the games I announce and still get a thrill out of the amazing athletes I see on the field and on the court week in and week out.”

“Dave is the real deal,” said SCVTV President Leon Worden. “His enthusiasm for the players comes through in every telecast.”

“We know Dave is a sports legend in this valley,” Worden said, “but even more importantly to us, he is one heck of a team player.”

Known as the “Voice of Santa Clarita Sports,” Caldwell is a veteran of SCVTV where he continues to announce high school sports games, report the latest sports news and produce other sports shows including the weekly “SCV Sports Show,” an hour-long program that focuses on youth sports in the Santa Clarita Valley. Caldwell has produced more than 165 episodes over the past 12 years of the show, which gives youngsters ages five to 12 their “moment on TV.”

In the past, Caldwell was sports editor for The Signal newspaper and sports director for AM-1220 KHTS.

Also, over the last 15 years he has traveled the country calling NCAA Division 1 basketball on radio; provided play-by-play on CIF swimming and track-and-field championships; and produced material for ABC Sports and ESPN. Before that he was a sitcom writer on shows that appeared on ABC and CBS.

Read more at SCVNews.com where this story was originally published.

CBS Sports Network’s James Bates falls off his stool on live TV. To his credit, his recovery is very smooth.

As we reported in today’s print edition, Citadel, which now operates under the name of parent company Cumulus Media Inc. – following a buyout last year – is countersuing the radio host.

The countersuit alleges Finebaum broke contract by conducting secret negotiations to move his show to a competing network as early as 2009 and that he shared confidential information about Citadel in the process.

But that’s not the only news in the case.

In an order Thursday, Jefferson County Circuit Judge Helen Lee Shores approved an October motion from Citadel to move Finebaum’s initial lawsuit against the company for a third time since its July 2011 filing.

The order reassigns the suit to the county’s commercial litigation docket, where it will be heard by Circuit Judge Robert Vance or Circuit Judge Joseph Boohaker – though early motions in the case suggested it would be assigned to Presiding Judge Scott Vowell.

The order comes less than three weeks after Shores had a temporary seal on the case file lifted Jan. 31 at the request of Citadel. The Business Journal also filed a motion in December to have the case unsealed.

Court records show Finebaum is suing Citadel – his employer since 2007 – alleging the company coerced him into signing an unfavorable amendment to his employment contract by threatening to pull his popular radio show from the air if he refused.

The suit also alleges breach of contract against Citadel over a recent bankruptcy and claims that company executives worked intentionally to suppress Finebaum’s pay.

At the request of Citadel, the suit was removed in August from Jefferson County Circuit Court to federal court.

It was eventually remanded back to circuit court though, where it remained under a temporary seal requested by Finebaum until last month.

Read more at the Birmingham Business Journal where this story was originally published.

Greyhounds Director of Public Relations and Communications Gerry Liscumb Jr. took to the broadcast booth just like any other night prior to the Greyhounds game against the Saginaw Spirit.

The only difference is that this was game number 500.

What’s even more remarkable is that those 500 games were consecutive.

In his time with the Greyhounds, Liscumb has not missed a broadcast.

Prior to Friday night’s game, Greyhounds staff surprised Liscumb with an on-ice ceremony in which he was presented with a framed team jersey following this short video put together by the team and run on the videoboard prior to gametime:

In a statement, Greyhounds GM Kyle Dubas said: “Especially over this season, I have been able to witness firsthand the passion and energy which Gerry has for the Soo Greyhounds. In order for a major junior franchise to be as successful as possible, you need to have people on your bus that have a tremendous positive energy and an unabated fire to do everything within his or her power to help the organization become world-class. Gerry, no doubt, possesses both. With Gerry, everything that he does is done only with the best interests of the team in mind. No exceptions. To be able to work with someone that selfless is truly a pleasure.”

On top of his duties with the Greyhounds, Liscumb is well known around local racing circles.

He was heavily involved at Kinross Speedpark in Kinross, Michigan before getting involved at Laird International Raceway last summer.

Read more at SooToday.com where this story was originally published.

An STAA client since 2009, Morse was the team’s Media Relations Coordinator in 2011 and contributed to all the radio broadcasts as well. His new title is Manager of Broadcasting and Media Relations.

“I’m excited for this opportunity,” Morse said. “I will bring a high level of energy and accuracy to every broadcast. Baseball is what I eat, sleep and breathe. My knowledge of the game both past and present should go a long way towards making every broadcast, no matter the score, entertaining. This is going to be a fun season at Silver Cross Field and on the road in the Frontier League.”

“Aaron is a very talented young man as evidenced by his selection as a Northwestern University Senior to Watch after his graduation,” Slammers President Bill Waliewski said. “I think our fans will enjoy his passion and enthusiasm for the game of baseball.”

Morse will broadcast all 96 regular season games on AM 1340 WJOL and www.wjol.com. The team’s radio broadcasts in 2012 are presented by Illinois Climate Controls.

Morse served as a broadcaster in the Southern League for the Huntsville Stars Radio Network in 2010 and spent two seasons broadcasting in the Alaska Baseball League as well. He is a proud graduate of Northwestern University where he majored in broadcast journalism. Morse spent countless hours broadcasting Northwestern sports during his time in Evanston. He is originally from Seattle, WA and is a long-suffering Mariners fan.

(Visit Aaron’s STAA Talent Page).

The network said Myers will not be part of Fox’s coverage of the season-opening Daytona 500.

Christopher Myers was killed Thursday in Southern California, where the family resides.

Speed studio host John Roberts will replace Myers at Daytona International Speedway.

Roberts will assume Myers’ responsibilities as host of Saturday night’s studio show before the Budweiser Shootout during Sunday’s qualifying, and the pre-race show for the Feb. 26 season-opening Daytona 500.

Fox said Myers would be given as much time off as he needs.

Read more at WWL-TV where this story was originally published.