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Boston Herald Inside Track column: Hazel Mae officially ensnared in MLB's new 'net'
Nov 13, 2008 (Boston Herald - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
Erstwhile NESN vixen Hazel Mae said it took a special opportunity to convince her to leave Boston where we "live, eat and breathe baseball" -- but she found it at the new MLB Network.
"I am over the moon to be part of the inaugural on-air talent," Hazel said in a conference call to introduce the network's lineup. "I am beyond thrilled."
Hazel and Trenni Kusnierek, out of Fox Sports Net in Wisconsin, will be the first two reporters to hit the ballparks for the new network, which debuts in January.
They will join Padres play-by-play guy Matt Vasgersian, ex-Seattle Mariner and ESPN baseball analyst Harold Reynolds and ex-Yankee and current YES network commentator Al Leiter to round out the network's on-air talent.
"I'll be doing a little bit of everything, live updates, helping on the desk, being in the field, helping out with training camps for our '30 Teams In 30 Days,' " Hazel told the Track. "The great thing about this job is that I'll have my hand in a little bit of everything."
Mae, who hosted NESN's "Ultimate Red Sox Show," "The Buzz" and "SportsDesk," departed the station in June after four years delivering scores and more to Red Sox Nation.
Although her new gig at the MLB Network has been an open secret for months, yesterday was the first time the baseball bigwigs officially acknowledged she'd been hired.
Mae, who will work out of the net's headquarters in Secaucus, N.J., said the thing she'll miss most about New England is "those crazy Red Sox fans" and, of course, the never-ending Sox-Yankees rivalry.
"We are still going to be a part of that, but I will be a little bit more objective," she said. "Every time the Yankees and the Red Sox get together, it's always a big event.
"Say hi to everyone in New England for me," Mae added.
The MLB Network will launch Jan. 1 in approximately 50 million homes and will be the largest debut in cable history. Network prez Tony Petitti said the baseball channel will feature 26 regular-season games and the World Baseball Classic in March, in addition to original programming, highlights, coverage of baseball events and classic games.
Speaking of which, does that mean Boston fans can look forward to reliving the horror that was Game 6 of the 1986 World Series?
"That is a game that gets a lot of attention," said Petitti. "So I'm sure that it will somehow find its way onto the network. Sorry."
Oh, joy . . .
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