Chad Finn of the Boston Globe broke the news last week and ESPN helped to confirm the story by deleting all of her videos from its website. Now, NESN has made the announcement official by unveiling that Jenny Dell, a UMass grad, will be the new on-field reporter for Red Sox games, replacing Heidi Watney who left after last season. Heidi will become the Lakers sideline reporter for Time Warner new regional sports network.
Dell who has been seen mostly on ESPN.com and on the X Games, will join in February.
NESN also announces that former designated hitter/first baseman and outfielder Matt Stairs will be a part-time studio analyst for the 2012 season.
Here’s the press release.
NESN ADDS JENNY DELL AND MATT STAIRS TO RED SOX BROADCAST TEAM
January 30, 2012 – NESN, New England’s most watched sports network, announced today that Jenny Dell will join the network as its Red Sox field reporter and Matt Stairs will join as a Red Sox studio analyst. Dell and Stairs will join NESN’s popular and talented Red Sox broadcast team that includes play-by-play voice Don Orsillo, color commentator Jerry Remy, studio host Tom Caron, and the network’s trio of Hall of Famers Dennis Eckersley, Jim Rice and Peter Gammons, who all serve as studio analysts.
Jenny Dell
Dell comes to NESN from ESPN where she served in several different roles, including on-air reporter. The University of Massachusetts graduate has reported from the last two Super Bowls and delivered AccuScore reports for ESPN.com. She also has experience behind the camera, working since 2008 at several different high profile events and programs for ESPN, including Major League Baseball (MLB), Monday Night Football, National Basketball Association (NBA) and NASCAR coverage. Dell, a Connecticut native, will begin working for NESN in February.
“Jenny is smart, resourceful and displays a professional approach to reporting,” said Sean McGrail, NESN’s President and CEO. “Her ability to connect with viewers makes her the ideal choice to join Don and Jerry as part of our Red Sox coverage this season.”
Matt Stairs
Stairs retired in 2011 after a 19-year MLB career with a record 12 teams, including one year with the Red Sox (1995). He finished with a .262 career batting average while slugging 265 home runs and 899 RBIs. He holds the major league record for pinch-hit home runs in a career with 23. A native of Frederickson, New Brunswick, Canada, Stairs played for Canada in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. He currently resides in Bangor, Maine, where he serves as an assistant coach for the local high school hockey team.
“Matt brings incredible passion for the game of baseball and a great sense of humor,” said McGrail. “He adds a unique perspective since he has played with or against most of the current major league players, including one year with Adrian Gonzalez in San Diego.”
Red Sox on NESN
On February 19th NESN begins 46 days of live coverage from the Red Sox new Spring Training home JetBlue Park in Ft. Myers, Florida. In addition, this Thursday, February 2nd at 10:00 pm, NESN will broadcast the Red Sox Town Hall, which is being held on February 1st in Worcester, Massachusetts. NESN’s Tom Caron will host new Red Sox Manager Bobby Valentine and Red Sox General Manager Ben Cherington for an interactive conversation in front of approximately 800 fans at Worcester Technical High School. Fans not at the event can submit questions in advance at NESN.com/TownHall or via Twitter by sending a tweet to @NESN and including the hashtag #TownHall.
That’s it.
