Buzzfeed: The Killer Feature of MLB.tv.

Turns out you can watch video with the radio announcer overlaid. I just tried it. Seems to work.

NY Times: Modern Stats Bring WAR to Broadcast Booth (B.A.B.I.P., Too)

As players, managers and front office executives embrace the esoteric statistics, teams increasingly want their radio announcers just as fluent in the language of WAR, VORP and B.A.B.I.P. (Those stand for wins above replacement, value over replacement player and batting average on balls in play, for those of you dusting off your radios as the season begins.)

“They wanted a broadcaster who is at least comfortable with exploring the idea of discussing advanced statistics and what they mean,” said Robert Ford, 33, who was hired by the Houston Astros in the off-season, along with Steve Sparks, 48, a former pitcher, to call the team’s games. The advent of advanced statistical analysis, Mr. Ford said, has “changed the way we think about baseball.”

Now, as the two settle into the Astros’ broadcast booth, they and their colleagues across the country face a balancing act. How much do listeners want to know about these advanced numbers? How much is informative? And how much would prompt the audience, a group that spans all generations, to tune out?

Listeners and announcers alike say that striking the right balance will be a challenge.

Bobby Valentine is moving back to the media… but not with ESPN

Hello, caller, you’re on Candid Slam-era.

But he’s not returning to ESPN.  Instead, Bobby V will take on a much lower profile role as a contributor to the NBC Sports Radio network.  Via NBC release:

“Dial Global and the NBC Sports Group announced today that Bobby Valentine will join the NBC Sports Radio lineup as a Major League Baseball contributor, starting this month.

“Valentine, a former Major League Baseball player and manager, most recently of the Boston Red Sox, as well as former analyst for ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball, will call in weekly to affiliated stations and NBC Sports Radio talk hosts with his candid thoughts and observations on baseball. In addition, Valentine will become a part-time co-host of a soon-to-be-announced daily Monday-Friday talk show that will debut in April, 2013, as the network expands its programming lineup.”