Jeanne Zelasko tried all offseason to become the Dodgers play-by-player, but in the end, wasn't even invited to a tryout. Well the Dodgers have decided to bring her on, but there's a catch. Well three catches actually. She'll only be working one day a week, the broadcast is online, and it's part of the Dodgers' new venture to target women listeners. DodgersWIN (Women's Initiatives Network) will debut on May 20th, and Zelasko will be paired with former Dodger, Mark Sweeney, in the booth....

The Los Angeles Dodgers will debut their DodgersWIN broadcast on May 20, with former FOX baseball anchor Jeanne Zelasko handling the play-by-play duties alongside former Dodger Mark Sweeney, who will serve as the analyst. The program, believed to be the first of its kind in Major League Baseball, will continue for each Wednesday home game for the remainder of the season, with the live audio feed available for free at www.dodgers.com/win.

DodgersWIN is a network of initiatives to bring women closer to the game and to bring the game closer to their lifestyles. The program, created by Dodger Chief Executive Officer Jamie McCourt, is a fundamental component of the Dodgers' active participation in the community.

"We are thrilled to welcome Jeanne to the Dodger family," said McCourt. "Her track record and knowledge of the game speaks for itself, and as a mother, she'll be able to bring a unique perspective to our WIN broadcasts and help spread her love of baseball to fans around the world."

I honestly don't know how you would make a broadcast more appealing to women, but I guess it's worth a shot. The only rub is what direction do you take? If you are trying to attract women who don't watch Baseball regularly, you'll almost certainly alienate those who are well-versed in the Sport.

Dodgers WIN (Dodgers.com)

A month or so ago, I posted an article on Jeanne Zelasko wanting the Dodgers road play-by-play gig. Well today, the LA Daily News is reporting that not only is she not getting the job, she wasn't even a finalist for a tryout....

Former Fox MLB studio host Jeanne Zelasko was inexcusably left out of the group of six broadcasters who the Dodgers invited to a play-by-play tryout during March, their attempt to find someone for a package of 40 TV road games. A forward- thinking organization couldn't figure out that by including her in the mix, they'd elicit some positive reaction? Listening to a couple of games this week showcase 28-year-old Ben Wagner, a poor man's Matt Vasgersian currently with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, any recognizable voice in the So Cal market who missed this cut must really reassess his or her future. What are the Dodgers trying to achieve here, if not a search to replace Vin Scully someday?

Well that's a shame. You'd think that with the good PR that would come from at least a look at Zelasko, would be enough to bring her in right? I'm not saying she would be good or bad, but she definitely deserved a shot.

What Chokes (LA Daily News)

I personally thought that the MLB on FOX pregame show was just about the biggest waste of time on television, and was extremely happy when they decided to drop it for this year. It wasn't because of any one person, but rather all parties involved were just not right for a Studio show.

With that said, it comes as a huge surprise now that the Dodgers are actually considering hiring host, Jeanne Zelasko as their play-by-play voice. Zelasko has been "beating down their door" following the move of Charley Steiner to radio, and there seems her hiring could become a reality soon. Via The Arizona Republic....

Zelasko said it is understandable that the Dodgers asked her if she ever had done baseball play-by-play - the answer is no - but she had that role for ice-skating and gymnastics competitions.

"But I've been around baseball for a very long time, and Kevin Kennedy, who should be managing somewhere, taught me more about that the game than I think most people could even consider. I was blessed to be next to him for eight years. So I'm excited. I don't know if they'll bite."

She knows the experience and gender factors are not in her favor, but she has conquered the odds before. She was the first female reporter to walk the NASCAR pits, and she has handled other "firsts" with relative ease.

"Honestly, I have walked on this thin ice before with anything I've ever done in my broadcasting career," she said. "As I was telling the Dodgers, I would never ask for something I thought I would fail at. I think it's gonna take the right woman at the right time, and if I may be so bold, I believe that person's me."

I don't know if she's the best option out there at the moment, but it would be interesting to hear a female voice in Baseball. I say the Dodgers try her out for a bit, and if it works great, if not....no harm done.

Zelasko also says she is winning her battle with thyroid Cancer, which is definitely a great thing.

Zelasko seeks Dodgers' play-by-play gig (Arizona Republic)
Jeanne Zelasko Looking To Become MLB's First Female Play-By-Play Announcer (Vent About Sports)

Not in that way, silly.

By now you've likely read that Jeanne Zelasko, the former host of Fox's MLB pre-game show (which got the ax earlier this year) would like to bring her voice to play-by-play. Zelasko has thrown her name into the hat to call the package of 40 L.A. Dodgers' road games that Vin Scully doesn't. (For those of you unfamiliar with the arrangement, Scully scaled back his broadcast work a couple years back; he doesn't call road games outside the NL West, with the exception of Angels interleague games. Basically, he doesn't travel further east than Colorado.) Charley Steiner held this role for a few years, but the Dodgers decided to have him handle all of the radio broadcasts with Rick Monday (he had been replaced by Jerry Reuss when called on to do TV.)

Despite a lack of experience (she's never done PBP for the sport before, only handling such duties for gymnastics and figure skating), she obviously believes she's a strong candidate for the gig. As someone who watches a lot of Dodger games, I probably wouldn't mind her. I don't find her as annoying as some folks do, but the "no experience with calling a game" thing is a bit of a bother.

Zelasko seeks Dodgers' play-by-play gig [Arizona Republic]
Zelasko interested in Dodgers' play-by-play gig [Sports Media Watch]
Charley Steiner will do radio only for the Dodgers [L.A. Times]

I have no idea what will happen to the likes of Jeanne Zelasko and Kevin Kennedy, but FOX is cutting out it's Sunday pregame show for the upcoming 2009 season. According to LA Daily News' Tom Hoffarth, the network's losses over the past few years are more than likely the main cause....

Fox sources have confirmed that the network will drop its Los Angeles-based Major League Baseball pregame show for next season as part of a network-wide cost-cutting move, and Fox Sports chief Ed Goren informed all the talent about the decision just before Thanksgiving.

Some of it has to do with the fact that the network lost up to $50 million on its MLB coverage in '07, no doubt helped along by the less-than-attractive World Series, and that the pregame show hosted by Jeanne Zelasko and including Kevin Kennedy, Eric Karros and Mark Grace, never made money with national ad sales (they were sold by the local affiliates, rather than the national ads that are seen on the Fox NFL pregame show).

I'm not one to pile on, but if there was ever a pregame show to be cut, it was this one. No one ever watched it, and the personalities were just downright annoying at times. It looks like Zelasko and Kennedy will be absent next year while Karros goes back in the booth.

The other great thing that comes out of this decision is now FOX can possible just start World Series games at 8pm, instead of jerking us around for a half an hour. Let's hope they don't bring it back for the Playoffs.

Fox cuts MLB pregame show in '09 (Farther Off The Wall)

This is beginning to turn into an epidemic and not something you ever want to see. Another Sportscaster is going to have to battle the big C and it's the second woman in recent months to be diagnosed with the disease.

Fox Sports anchor/reporter Jeanne Zelasko learned this week she has a form of thyroid cancer and will have surgery after her assignments covering the Cotton and Orange bowls for the network next week.

"I'm fine, I'm in great spirits," Zelasko, who lives in Valencia, said Friday. She says she still has not explained what's going on to her 5-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter.

"I have had knowledge of my thyroid disorder for three years. Thyroid disorders are not uncommon. I get my blood levels checked twice a year. Ironically, I just had my blood checked and it looks great. I guess they have to look for a tumor marker in the blood. And who knew to look for that on a routine test."

That's a testament to all of us who skip out on physicals (including myself). Zelasko follows Erine Johnson, Stuart Scott, and Robin Roberts who have all been diagnosed with the disease recently. Best of luck Jeanne, our thoughts are with you.

Someone tell "Real Life" to quit making it's way into all of our Sports.

Zelasko Waiting ‘Till After Bowls To Tackle Cancer (Sports by Brooks)
Fox's Zelasko to undergo thyroid cancer treatment (Farther Off the Wall)