FORMER RED SOX AND FRAMINGHAM NATIVE LOU MERLONI JOINS COMCAST SPORTSNET AS ANALYST AND REPORTER
Merloni To Be Featured During Spring Training Coverage and Throughout Regular Season
BURLINGTON, MA – Nine-year Major League Baseball veteran and New England media personality Lou Merloni joins Comcast SportsNet as an analyst and reporter. Merloni, a Framingham native and former Red Sox infielder, will be featured prominently during Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight’s coverage of Red Sox Spring Training and throughout the regular season.
Comcast SportsNet’s coverage of pitchers and catchers begins on Thursday, February 12, with live reports by Merloni from Fort Myers. Full squad coverage begins on Monday, February 16, and features two live shows per night that look unlike any other local or national coverage from Fort Myers. Red Sox fans can catch Merloni, hosts Gary Tanguay and Michael Felger, and Red Sox players, coaches and executives each night at 6:30 and 10 p.m. (9:30 p.m. on Thursday), live from the Pink Shell Resort on Fort Myers Beach.
Since retiring from baseball in 2007, Merloni has been a regular contributor on Sports Radio WEEI. Last season, Merloni worked as a baseball analyst on NESN.
“I am tremendously excited about joining Gary Tanguay and Michael Felger on Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight. Sports Tonight is unique in this market and the show provides the perfect opportunity for me to show my versatility,” said Merloni. “My role will extend beyond just analyzing the Red Sox performance on the field. They have offered me the chance to do interviews and shoot feature stories.”
Throughout the 2009 season, Merloni will appear at least twice a week during Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight live from Fenway Park or Comcast SportsNet’s Burlington studios.
“We view Lou Merloni as an up-and-coming star in the New England sports market with skills far beyond his Red Sox roots, and we are delighted to add Lou to our talent roster. With baseball season right around the corner, we will start by leveraging Lou’s baseball knowledge and solid contacts within the Red Sox clubhouse,” said Bill Bridgen, Comcast SportsNet executive vice president and general manager. “We are also working on additional ways to increase his presence on the network beyond Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight as Lou Merloni is one of the rare ex-athletes who can deliver expert analysis, wit and criticisms with impact on TV.”
Merloni’s nine-year career included a six-year stint with the Red Sox from 1998-2003. The Red Sox drafted Merloni in 10th round of the 1993 amateur draft out of Providence College. His career included stops with the Cleveland Indians, San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
COMCAST SPORTSNET TO PROVIDE ALTERNATIVE TO SHRINKING NETWORK COVERAGE OF SPRING TRAINING WITH SEVEN HOURS LIVE FROM FORT MYERS BEACH
Former Red Sox Lou Merloni Joins Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight Hosts Gary Tanguay & Michael Felger For Player, Coach and Executive Interviews In Front of Live Audience
BURLINGTON, MA – While the network affiliates are scaling back on their spring training coverage, Comcast SportsNet will once again provide the most unique coverage of the opening week of Red Sox Spring Training with twice-a-night, live Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight shows from the Pink Shell Resort on Fort Myers Beach.
At 6:30 and 10 p.m. (9:30 p.m. on Thursday), hosts Gary Tanguay and Michael Felger will interview Red Sox players, coaches and executives in front of a live audience of rabid Red Sox fans. Joining CSN on the beach and at the ballpark for analysis and feature coverage will be former Red Sox and Framingham native Lou Merloni. Comcast SportsNet’s coverage will include seven hours of live programming.
Each show will feature live interviews, e.g. Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon (currently scheduled for Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.); taped interviews from the Red Sox training facility; and nightly feature stories from Merloni, Tanguay and Felger. Throughout the week, Merloni will provide an insider’s take on the clubhouse and the news of the day.
Mon, Feb. 16 & Tue, Feb 17
6:30 p.m. – One-hour Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight Live from Pink Shell
10 p.m. – 30-minute Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight Live from Pink Shell
Wed, Feb. 18
6:30 p.m. – 30-minute Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight Live from Pink Shell
10 p.m. – 30-minute Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight Live from Pink Shell
Thu, Feb 19
6:30 p.m. – One-hour Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight Live from Pink Shell
9:30 p.m. – 30-minute Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight Live from Pink Shell
Fri, Feb 20
6:30 p.m. – One-hour Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight Live from Pink Shell
10 p.m. – 30-minute Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight Live from Pink Shell
All guest appearances are TBD. For nightly details, check www.newengland.comcastsportsnet.com.
Comcast SportsNet reaches more than 4 million households in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. Comcast SportsNet’s programming includes the Boston Celtics, Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight, Celtics Now, New England Tailgate, and Net Impact. Comcast SportsNet’s partnership with the 17-time NBA Champion Boston Celtics is the longest team-regional sports network relationship in New England and the fourth longest in professional sports. Comcast SportsNet New England is owned and managed by Comcast Sports Group. Visit www.comcastsportsnet.com for more information.
