March is International Women’s Month. This year it is also the month within which the baseball season starts. The Sox played in Cincinnati and I have lots of new things to cover and I am sure I will bring some of them up here on Coffeespoons. (Looking at NESN’s new scorebug in particular.) One thing that can change for a new year is broadcast booths—new play-by-play callers and colour commentators. Nothing new with the main callers for my Boston boys, but the Red Sox social media space circulated this graphic from Fox Sports, talking up their full roster of announcers. And I am all for that. Promote your talent. Good on you. But then I looked at said graphic.
Notice anything?
No? Well, first, this is baseball. And so understandably booths will want former ballplayers in there to provide their personal experience from the batter’s box or the mound or the dugout or the clubhouse. So, if we exclude former ballplayers, let’s take a look at who remains.
Notice anything?
The year is 2026 and it is hard to believe that Fox, of all places, could not find a single woman for either play-by-play or analysis. On the other hand, it’s Fox, and I can totally believe they could not “find” a single woman for play-by-play or analysis.
Last year, Boston’s broadcaster—NESN for the unfamiliar—produced I believe the first all-women broadcast of a Major League game. The Portland Sea Dog’s play-by-play caller Emma Tiedemann led the team with Alanna Rizzo—a former field reporter for both the Rockies and Dodgers and an on-air studio talent in the baseball space for NESN—on colour and Kasey Hudson reported from the field. Pre- and post-game were handled by Natalie Noury of NESN and Jen McCaffrey of the Athletic. Notably, the broadcast was truly all-women as the behind the scenes production staff was also all-women.
The year prior, the Red Sox had their team’s first all-women booth, featuring the aforementioned Emma Tiedemann and colour commentator Rylee Pay, now play-by-play for the Tacoma Rainiers—the Seattle Mariners’ AAA affiliate. Initially they were set to call one or two innings—at least that was how it was advertised—but ended up calling most of the whole game while the regular booth guys remained largely quiet.
Hopefully the Sox/NESN will run something back again this year.
I know the Sox system well and cannot speak for the rest of the league, but I know Jenny Cavnar does play-by-play for the Sacramento Athletics. If the Sox have and have had women play-by-play and colour commentators for their minor league affiliates, I imagine other MLB club’s have similar setups.
And whilst I exempted the former players, to be clear, that does not make them good announcers to be kept on those merits alone. Some are quite…not so great. (Looking at you, Smoltz and your forgettable Red Sox career.) Journalism and media and social media have women who can comment on baseball far more competently than some former ballplayers. (See McCaffrey on the NESN broadcast). Just because you were a good ballplayer does not mean you would be a good announcer. Personally, I enjoy having both the pitching and hitting/fielding perspectives represented on a broadcast—my favourite was the O’Brien–Remy–Eck Sox booth—but that a woman could do the play-by-play. An analyst could join a good play-by-play and former player.
That is all to say, hopefully in the years to come we will see more women calling MLB games.
Maybe even on Fox.
Just do not touch Big Papi. He is a national treasure.
Credit for the piece goes to somebody at Fox’s graphics team.