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Hank McDowell Won’t Return To Grizzlies Broadcast

“The Grizzlies shared a video featuring radio play-by-play voice Eric Hasseltine interviewing McDowell to announce the retirement.”

Brandon Contes

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The Memphis Grizzlies announced longtime analyst, Hank McDowell is retiring from their radio team after a 13-year tenure on the call.

“Hank has gone through so much last few months, and he has done so with grace and courage and strength,” said Grizzlies Team President Jason Wexler in a statement. “Fans all over Grizz Nation routinely tuned in to hear Hank’s game analysis the past 13 years. He is special not only to Grizzlies basketball and Tigers basketball, but to Memphis as a whole. We will miss having him as a part of our broadcast team.”

Approximately two months ago, McDowell nearly lost his life, needing to undergo brain surgery. He planned on returning to his analyst role, but ultimately decided to step away, noting “I’ve got a lot of living to do.” The Grizzlies shared a video featuring radio play-by-play voice Eric Hasseltine interviewing McDowell to announce the retirement.

“After 13 seasons, I have decided to hang up my head set and retire from broadcasting,” McDowell added in a statement. “It was not an easy decision. After my recent surgery and the realization that I have spent 50 years in basketball as a player, coach and as TV/radio analyst for the Tigers and Grizzlies, I’ve decided that now is a good time to smell those roses. It’s been a great run and the last 13 seasons alongside Eric Hasseltine and the crew have been some of the best moments in my life. I’d like to thank the Memphis Grizzlies for the honor of being an NBA broadcaster in the city that I grew up in. Thank you Memphis for listening.”

McDowell’s half-century in basketball includes a six-year NBA career from 1981-87. The Memphis native also played four years at the University of Memphis where he’s since worked 13-years as a TV and radio analyst for  the Tigers men’s basketball team.

McDowell has been partnered with Hasseltine since 2006 on The Memphis Grizzlies Radio Network, sharing analyst duties with Elliot Perry for the last 11 years. Perry, along with Michael Wallace will continue to fill the color commentator role alongside Hasseltine on the Grizzlies Radio Network.

Brandon Contes is a freelance writer for BSM. He can be found on Twitter @BrandonContes. To reach him by email click here.

Sports Radio News

Charles Barkley: ‘I Want to Be on TV Less’

“His contract with Warner Bros. Discovery runs through 2024-25.”

Jordan Bondurant

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Charles Barkley

It’s possible you could see Charles Barkley appearing occasionally on CNN.

Reports from The Wall Street Journal and Variety this week indicate the cable news network is close to finishing a deal that would have Gayle King on the network. Rumors have said that the network would like to have Barkley join her, but Barkley says nothing is decided on his end.

In an appearance on Bickley & Marotta on Arizona Sports on Tuesday, the Suns legend and NBA on TNT analyst said he and King are friends so this wouldn’t be a situation where the duo would be coming in green.

“I’ve gotten to know her well through the years through my relationship with Oprah (Winfrey) and she’s just cool,” Barkley said. “I said, ‘I would consider doing a show with Gayle, one day a week starting in the fall.'”

But Barkley, 60, reiterated what he’s made known for a while now: he doesn’t plan on sticking around in the TV business for too much longer. His contract with Warner Bros. Discovery runs through 2024-25. So this CNN opportunity could be pretty limited in scope, which is what Charles desired.

“It’ll only be one day a week if I decide to do it,” Barkley said. “I said, ‘No, I don’t want to be on TV more. I want to be on TV less.'”

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Sports Radio News

John Kincade: Thursday Night Football Flex Vote About ‘Licking Jeff Bezos’s Boots’

“For these billionaires to be licking his boots? Embarrassing. They can’t do this. It’s obnoxious.”

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John Kincade

A report claims that at the NFL owners meetings, a proposal to give the league the ability to implement flex scheduling for Thursday Night Football was proposed. 97.5 The Fanatic’s John Kincade was flabbergasted at the idea.

The proposal would allow the NFL to move scheduled games in the final weeks of the season from Sunday to Thursday. The league would also have to change the rule that teams could only play one Thursday Night Football game per season to accommodate the change.

During The John Kincade Show Tuesday, the host claimed that even considering the idea was simply a matter of the owners kowtowing to Amazon owner Jeff Bezos, whose company — Prime Video — broadcasts the package.

“They’re licking Jeff Bezos’s boots,” Kincade said. “I can only imagine buddies running trips and fans go ‘Ok, I’m going to the Eagles game on Sunday. I’m flying in Friday, spend two nights in a hotel, and fly out Monday’. Oh no you’re not, the game’s been moved to Thursday night. This is freaking ridiculous, and shining Bezos’s shoes is freaking embarrassing. For these billionaires to be licking his boots? Embarrassing. They can’t do this. It’s obnoxious.”

Kincade continued by marvelling at the idea even being floated to the public.

“To me, it’s just such a dumb idea. But sometimes those things happen in sports.”

The 97.5 The Fanatic host is not the only sports media member who has shared their displeasure with the proposal this week. Monday Morning Quarterback’s Peter King aired similar sentiments, saying “We can all agree this seems insane.”

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Sports Radio News

Mike Francesa: BetRivers Podcast Is Enough For Me Right Now

“I’ve had a couple offers in the last couple of months. I’ve turned them all down. Anybody that’s asked me for steady work or to do something Monday through Friday I’ve said no.”

Jordan Bondurant

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Mike Francesa

If you were hoping to catch Mike Francesa hosting a daily TV or radio show in the future, that ship has likely sailed.

Asked by a listener on his Mike Francesa Podcast if he would go back to doing a show on television similar to his Mike’d Up program on NBC New York, Francesa said it’s not in his future.

“I would doubt it,” he said on his Monday episode. “At this point, I’m not as visible. So it wouldn’t make as much sense as having me now as it would then. And frankly, I’m doing what I do now, and I love doing it.”

Francesa reunited with his former WFAN co-host Chris “Mad Dog” Russo on ESPN’s First Take back in January, but Mike said the podcast he’s doing for the BetRivers Network checks all the boxes of what he’s looking for work-wise at the moment.

“It’s actually enough,” he said. “I’ve had a couple offers in the last couple of months. I’ve turned them all down. Anybody that’s asked me for steady work or to do something Monday through Friday I’ve said no.”

“It would have to be something very unusual for me to do on a regular basis,” he added.

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