The Monday Night Football booth will need a new play-by-play voice.
Mike Tirico is leaving ESPN for NBC, according to Sports Business Journal.
Tirico has been the play-by-play broadcaster for Monday Night Football since 2006. He has been with ESPN since 1991 and has been part of the network's NBA, college basketball, football, golf and tennis coverage.
Sports Business Journal reported Monday that Tirico is expected to be the lead play-by-play broadcaster for NBC's new Thursday Night Football package of five late-season games. Al Michaels is currently the play-by-play broadcaster for NBC's Sunday Night Football games. Michaels has two more years left on his contract at NBC.
It is unclear what Tirico's other roles will be at NBC besides the NFL, but the network has deals with the PGA Tour and British Open, which could lead to the Syracuse University graduate working on those broadcasts.
Who will replace Tirico on Monday Night Football? Sean McDonough, who is currently a college football announcer at ESPN, is rumored to take over for Tirico, Sports Business Journal reported.
In the rafters?
Mark Story of the Lexington Herald-Leader made his case for which John Calipari-recruited Kentucky basketball players should have their jerseys retired at Rupp Arena.
Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart started the UK Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005, and since the hall of fame's opening, there is a five-year waiting period after leaving Kentucky before a player can have his or her jersey retired.
Story's top three picks for jersey retirements for Kentucky? Anthony Davis, John Wall and Tyler Ulis.
When it comes to Davis, Story wrote that Davis was the best player on a team that won the 2012 national championship.
"He swept every major national player of the year honor, including the Wooden Award," Story wrote. "In the summer after his stellar Kentucky freshman year, he was the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft and won a gold medal at the London Olympics as part of Team USA."
Rounding out Story's list was Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Brandon Knight, Terrence Jones, DeMarcus Cousins, Willie Cauley-Stein, Julius Randle and Jamal Murray.
Story also pointed out that the school's criteria for retiring jerseys included what one does after he or she leaves the school.
"How Kentucky ultimately honors so many star players whose stays in Lexington were big on achievements but short on longevity will be fascinating," Story wrote.
He said it
From Brad Dickson of the Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald:
• "According to a report, the NHL feared the impact of fighting. Instead, maybe the NHL should fear the impact of a lack of fighting -- arenas that look like crowd shots at the Vegas 16."
• "New York has banned smokeless tobacco at sporting events. That's OK. It's still mandatory at all sporting events in North Carolina."
• "Mississippi State Coach Dan Mullen ran the Boston Marathon. This is the fastest any college coach has covered 26.2 miles since Bo Pelini left Lincoln."
• "A high school basketball player in Windsor, Canada, whose age was listed as 17 may actually be 30. The 30-year-old is no longer on the team. The good news is he's still eligible to compete in the Little League World Series."
• "A fan in a gorilla costume attended the Angels-White Sox game. 'Fred, are you sure this is the right line for Let's Make a Deal tickets?' "
SPORTS QUIZ
How many Division I schools has John Calipari coached?
ANSWER
Three: Massachusetts, Memphis and Kentucky
Sports on 04/26/2016