As the lead producer for NBC Sports’ “MLB Sunday Leadoff,” Matt Borzello is on the road every weekend. But considering the package gives Peacock, NBC’s streaming service, the first game of the day, Borzello’s travels are limited.
“I’d love to be able to go out west,” he said, “but nobody on the West Coast wants an 8:30 or 9 a.m. start.”
That’s about when the first pitch is thrown in Pacific time for most of the games, which is why the schedule is heavy with East Coast hosts. But “Sunday Leadoff” will make a rare stop in the Central Time Zone, and its first at Wrigley Field, this week when the Cubs host the Orioles at 12:05 p.m.
The point of the package is to give Peacock exclusivity until the rest of the schedule begins, which can be no earlier than 12:35 p.m. The half-hour window Sunday isn’t much. That’s why Peacock will air only two other games originating in Central time, also scheduled for 12:05. Its last six were set for 10:35 a.m., giving it maximum exclusivity. The remaining games are scheduled for 11:05 a.m.
Borzello said those early starts present challenges, the biggest being limited time before games. For a night game, teams will arrive at the ballpark four to five hours early. For an early Sunday game, they’ll arrive 2½ to three hours before first pitch. And they might’ve played a night game Saturday.
“A lot of times we don’t get lineups until 90 minutes before the game,” Borzello said. “We do wind up with a couple guys here and there, bigger names, who don’t wind up playing. It’s just a matter of getting some information later than you would like.”
But that hasn’t prevented Borzello from putting on a good show. The other unique aspect of the package is its broadcast booth. Each week, play-by-play voice Brendan Burke (who replaced the White Sox’ Jason Benetti after Benetti joined Fox Sports) is joined by different analysts, one from each team’s regional sports network. For Orioles-Cubs, MASN’s Jim Palmer and Marquee’s Joe Girardi will be in the booth.
“Working with different guys and getting their perspective has been a lot of fun,” Borzello said. “The best part of the day for me is meeting up with both of them in the morning and just talking baseball. I’m really looking forward to Jim Palmer and Joe Girardi. The fact that you have a pitcher and a catcher, I think it’s only the second time we’ve had that combination. It’s going to be a very enjoyable listen.”
Since “Sunday Leadoff” began last season, Borzello has adhered to what baseball fans are accustomed to hearing, the opposite of what Apple TV+ did with its streaming broadcasts last season before coming back to the pack. And he says having a broadcaster from each team helps.
“Fans seem to enjoy it because they’re able to listen to one of ‘their guys,’ ” Borzello said. “You often see plenty of national games – not that Twitter is the best source of information – but people complaining, ‘Oh, they’re biased against us.’ That’s not really an excuse now.
“Baseball fan bases are very regionalized. They know everything about their team and want to make sure that who’s calling the game knows everything about their team. It’s bringing that knowledge, that unique local flavor on teams’ broadcasts.”
Leading the conversation is Burke, who will broadcast his fifth game since coming over from calling the Stanley Cup playoffs for TNT. He’s the regular voice of the Islanders on MSG Networks. Borzello said Burke has the hardest job on the crew having to acclimate to different analysts every week.
“He’s gotta meet the guys for the first time the day before or morning of and incorporate them right away into a broadcast,” Borzello said. “No rehearsal game. Now with the shorter games, if it takes two or three innings for somebody to get loose, well, about a third of the show is done. So right away he has to get them engaged, and he has been excellent with that.”
Burke doesn’t have an extensive baseball background, but he called Yankees games on WFAN last season and minor-league baseball earlier in his career. He has old-school pipes and a strong game call, and he knows baseball. He and Borzello worked together when NBC carried the NHL and Premier Lacrosse League.
“Knowing his work ethic, he’d be able to handle this challenge every week,” said Borzello, who joined NBC Sports in 2013. “Myself and [NBC Sports executive producer and president of production] Sam Flood knew that he was the guy for it.”
Asked if he learned anything from last season that he has applied to this season, Borzello gave an honest assessment.
“We’ve definitely learned that it’s very early in the morning on some of these games,” he said.
Remote patrol
- The “MLB Sunday Leadoff” pregame show begins at 11:30 a.m. Ahmed Fareed hosts and serves as the in-game reporter. Former Cubs outfielder Cameron Maybin will make his debut as the show analyst.
- Patrick Sharp won’t return to the Blackhawks’ TV booth after joining the Flyers as a special adviser in hockey operations. The Flyers drafted Sharp in 2001.
- The White Sox-Mariners game Friday night will air on Apple TV+. Wayne Randazzo, analyst Dontrelle Willis and reporter Heidi Watney will have the call.
