2008 New York Yankees Broadcasters

KEN SINGLETON (YES Network)
"Former major leaguer Ken Singleton enters his seventh season as a game analyst and announcer for YES Network broadcasts of the New York Yankees. Known on the diamond as a consistent power hitter, Singleton has proven to be equally as reliable since joining the radio and television broadcast booths.
Prior to joining YES, Singleton divided his time calling play-by-play and providing commentary at the MSG Network. In 1998, he was part of MSG's production team that won four New York Emmys for its Yankees coverage.
Singleton joined the MSG Network in 1997 from The Sports Network (TSN), where he served as an analyst for the Montreal Expos from 1985-96. From 1991-96, he also called play-by-play and served as an analyst for CIQ Radio, the Expos' flagship radio network. In 1996 and '97, he was named by FOX Sports as a lead analyst for Saturday afternoon baseball broadcasts. In 1997 and '98, he worked as an analyst for Major League Baseball International.
Singleton enjoyed a 15-year major league career with the New York Mets, Montreal Expos and Baltimore Orioles, batting .282 with 317 doubles and 246 home runs. He is one of only six players in baseball history to hit 35 or more home runs in a season as a switch-hitter. He also ranks among the all-time leaders in most Baltimore offensive categories, including homers, RBI and total bases. During his career, Singleton was named to the American League All-Star team in 1977, '79 and '81. He was named Most Valuable Oriole in 1975, '77 and '79 and was a member of the Orioles' 1983 World Championship team. In 1982, he was the recipient of Major League Baseball's Roberto Clemente Award, honoring him for his contributions both on and off the field.
A native New Yorker, Singleton played both baseball and basketball in high school, and also played baseball in the Bronx Federation League at Macombs Dam Park, right across the street from Yankee Stadium. After getting a basketball scholarship to Hofstra University and also playing baseball for one year, Singleton was drafted by the Mets in 1967.
He enjoys golf and reading historical novels and lives with his wife Suzanne in Sparks, Maryland. He also has three sons and a daughter."

-New York Yankees 2008 Media Guide


JOHN FLAHERTY (YES Network)
"Former Yankees catcher John Flaherty enters his third season as a field reporter, studio analyst and game analyst for YES Network telecasts in 2008.
Drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 1988, Flaherty progressed through the Red Sox farm system before joining their major league squad in 1992. He played 14 seasons in the majors with Boston (1992-93), Detroit (1994-96), San Diego (1996-97), Tampa Bay (1998-2002) and the Yankees (2003-05), compiling a .252 average with 80 home runs in 1,047 career games.
Flaherty brought his knowledge of the game and his veteran style of leadership to the Yankees clubhouse when he signed as a free agent in 2003. He played in 134 games with the Yankees across three seasons and will be long-remembered for his dramatic pinch-hit, walk-off single that defeated the Red Sox in the 13th inning of a 5-4 victory on July 1, 2004.
Flaherty is a New York City native and a graduate of George Washington University."

-New York Yankees 2008 Media Guide


KIMBERLY JONES (YES Network)
"Kimberly Jones returns for her fourth season as a Yankees pregame and postgame clubhouse reporter. She also occasionally hosts talk shows on WFAN-AM 660 in New York.
Jones previously spent four and a half years at the Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ), where she covered the New York Giants for three seasons and was the NFL columnist for one. For the 2005 NFL season, she continued to contribute as the Star-Ledger's Sunday NFL notes columnist and also appeared as an NFL contributor on 'Out of Bounds' on CN8, the Comcast Network.
Prior to moving to New Jersey, Jones worked at the Centre Daily Times (State College, Pennsylvania), where she was the beat writer for Penn State football and men's basketball.
Jones graduated from Penn State with a B.A. in journalism and an M.S. in exercise and sports science. Following graduation, she completed an internship in the communications department of the Big Ten Conference in suburban Chicago. A native of Dallastown, PA, she currently resides in Bergen County, NJ."

-New York Yankees 2008 Media Guide


AL LEITER (YES Network)
"Entering his third year with the YES Network, former Yankees pitcher Al Leiter has established himself as an outstanding color commentator, providing viewers with insight gained from his 19 years as a player in the major leagues. Prior to signing with YES, Leiter had worked as a postseason game analyst for FOX Sports and ESPN.
Originally drafted by the Yankees in 1984, Leiter played parts of 19 professional seasons with the New York Yankees (1987-89, 2005), Toronto Blue Jays (1989-95), Florida Marlins (1996-97, 2005) and New York Mets (1998-2004). He was a two-time All-Star (1996, 2000) and was a part of three World Championship teams (Toronto in 1992 and 1993 and Florida in 1997). On May 11, 1996, Leiter tossed the first no-hitter in Marlins history in an 11-0 win against Colorado.
Leiter returned to the Yankees in a trade in July 2005. His start against the Boston Red Sox on July 17 at Fenway Park marked a span of 16 years and 82 days between Yankees starts (first since April 26, 1989, against Kansas City), the longest gap between starts by a Yankee in franchise history.
A native of Bayville, New Jersey, Leiter has been nearly as busy off the field as he was on it. Since 1996 he has donated more than $1.5 million to various charities in the New York area and South Florida. In 2000 he was honored by Major League Baseball with the Roberto Clemente Award for his contributions to the community With his wife, Lori, he created Leiter's Landing, a charitable organization committed to the betterment of youth through education, health care and social and community service. Leiter has also been the recipient of numerous other awards and honors as a result of his charity work."

-New York Yankees 2008 Media Guide


BOBBY MURCER (YES Network)
"Bobby Murcer embodies the tradition and history of the New York Yankees from his playing days patrolling center field to his current role as game analyst for the YES Network. For five decades, Murcer has continued to exude class, charisma and professionalism both on and off the field. This season will mark his 24th in the Yankees broadcasting booth and 40th overall season in the Yankees organization.
Over his 17-year baseball career, Murcer played in 1,908 games, hitting .277 with 252 home runs and 1,043 RBI. He joined Lou Gehrig, Johnny Blanchard and Mickey Mantle as the only Yankees to hit home runs in four consecutive at-bats. He appeared in the 1980 and 1981 American League Championship Series and the 1981 World Series. A five-time All-Star from 1971-75, Murcer is the only player to have played alongside both Mickey Mantle and Don Mattingly.
In 1983, Bobby traded his glove and bat for a microphone and began broadcasting Yankees baseball, serving as color analyst for WABC radio until 1985. After serving one season as assistant general manager for the Yankees, he returned to the booth as a color analyst for Yankees games on SportsChannel New York. In 1989, the first year Yankees games appeared on MSG, Murcer served as color commentator alongside Tommy Hutton. In 1990, he joined the WPIX broadcast team and served in that capacity through the end of the 1998 season. Throughout his career, he has been recognized for his broadcasting excellence, winning three Emmy Awards.
Murcer resides in Oklahoma City with his wife, Kay. They have a daughter, Tori, and a son, Todd. He also takes time to speak to groups on a variety of topics and has served chairman, fundraiser and speaker for the Baseball Assistance Team. In January 2008, he was honored with the Milton Richman 'You Gotta Have Heart' Award at the annual BBWAA banquet."

-New York Yankees 2008 Media Guide


PAUL O'NEILL (YES Network)
"Paul O'Neill returns for his seventh consecutive season in broadcast television in 2008, serving as a pre- and post-game analyst for the YES Network.
The gritty and revered five-time All-Star outfielder played 17 years in the majors, spending his final nine seasons in pinstripes. He appeared in six World Series, winning five titles including four with the Yankees (1996, 1998-2000).
Affectionately known as a warrior to most Yankees followers, O'Neill began his major league career in 1985 with the Cincinnati Reds and earned the first of his five World Championships in 1990. He joined the Yankees in 1993 after eight seasons with the Reds, and in 1994 claimed the American League batting title with a .359 average. From July 1995 to May 1997, he played in 235 consecutive games in right field without making an error. In 2001, at 38, O'Neill became the oldest player in major league history to steal 20 bases and hit 20 home runs in the same season.
He lives in his native Cincinnati with his wife, Nevalee, and their three children: Andrew, Aaron and Alexandria."

-New York Yankees 2008 Media Guide


KEVIN SMOLLON (Senior Producer, YES Network)
"Kevin Smollon begins his seventh season as Senior Producer of New York Yankees baseball on the YES Network.
The five-time National Sports Emmy Award winner joined YES after nearly two decades of network sports television experience. Smollon previously served as producer of ABC Sports College Football, including the 2002 Orange Bowl. He joined ABC after a long and distinguished career at NBC Sports.
He has accrued production credits for five Super Bowls, two World Series, two League Championship Series, Rose, Orange, Fiesta and Gator Bowls, five NBA finals, nine NBA All-Star Games, six Wimbledon Tournaments, two French Open Tennis Championships, five Breeders Cups and Summer Olympic Games in Seoul, Barcelona, Atlanta and Sydney.
In addition to Yankees baseball, Smollon also produced the first two seasons of New Jersey Nets basketball on the YES Network.
The Brooklyn, New York native now resides in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey. He is a graduate of St. John's University."

-New York Yankees 2008 Media Guide


JOHN MOORE (Director, YES Network)
"John Moore enters his seventh season as Director of New York Yankees baseball games on the YES Network. He began his current role in 2002, the first year of the network.
Moore began working on Yankees telecasts in 1980 as a graphics coordinator with WPIX, taking over as assistant director in 1981. He assumed the role of producer and director in 1988, then assumed the role of executive producer in 1990 before serving in his current role. In addition to his work with the Yankees, Moore directed the New York Mets on SportsChannel/FSNY from 1996-2001 and has worked as a director with Major League Baseball International since 1995 and FOX's Saturday baseball broadcasts since 1996.
He has been a part of 10 Emmy Award-winning broadcasts, as he has won two Emmys for Outstanding Director. Moore has acted as Director of Major League Baseball's All-Star Game as well as League Championship and World Series games.
Born in Mount Vernon, New York, Moore lives in the Bronx and has two children, Erin and Cris."

-New York Yankees 2008 Media Guide


CARLOS SILVA (Producer, WCBS)
Carlos Silva, a native of Caracas, Venezuela, will serve his eighth year as the major producer for Spanish and English broadcasts on WCBS radio. Carlos has also worked on occasion as a color commentator and has been in the rightsholder negotiations for WCBS.
Silva provides the play-by-play announcer with important information throughout the broadcast and is very knowledgeable about the game of baseball."

-New York Yankees 2008 Media Guide


BETO VILLA (WADO)
"The Venezuelan-born Beto Villa has been broadcasting the Yankees since the beginning of the network in 1997 and is one of the most recognized voices in the world of baseball. Beto begins his 12th season in the radio booth as the 'Spanish Voice of the Yankees.' His famous home run call, 'La Bola va atras, se va, se va, se va, se vaaaaaaaaa ... se fue de cuadrangular ... jonron de!' has made him very popular in the tri-state area and around the world.
Beto provides Spanish listeners with wall-to-wall coverage of the Yankees. He treasures his pages and pages of statistics of Latin American ballplayers, which he uses during his radiocasts.
He became a broadcaster in 1981 and has covered both the [Major League] World Series and the Caribbean World Series over the Spanish airwaves. He is currently the editor of Latinobaseball.com, a website that covers Latin American ballplayers' stats. Beto has a daughter, Margarita."

-New York Yankees 2008 Media Guide


FRANCISCO RIVERA (WADO)
"A native of Morovis, Puerto Rico, Francisco Rivera is in his fourth year as a color commentator and play-by-play announcer for the Yankees.
Rivera received his Bachelor's degree in Spanish literature from Rutgers University. He graduated in 1978 from the Miguel A. Torres School of Communications in New York.
He began his career as a sportscaster in 1992 and from 1996-2003 was a co-host of the sports talk show WADO Deportivo. He was also a play-by-play and color commentator for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1994-1998.
Francisco is married to Yvette Rodriguez and has two daughters, Melissa and Lorraine."

-New York Yankees 2008 Media Guide


FELIX DEJESUS (WADO)
"Felix DeJesus, a native New Yorker, enters his third season as a color commentator for the New York Yankees. He currently writes for Latinobaseball.com and is one of the co-hosts of El Mundo de Las Grandes Ligas, an internet show on MLB Radio.
DeJesus has been involved with the Hispanic market since 1993 when he became the color commentator for the NHL's Florida Panthers. He has worked in all areas of broadcasting- television, radio and the internet. From 1998 to 2004 he covered major league baseball on television for XTRA Innings in New York. He covered the Caribbean World Series in 2002 for New York's Radio Unica 1660 AM and served as one of the play-by-play voices for the international broadcast of the 2007 Caribbean Series. He has also worked for FOX Sports, ESPN International and CNN. In 1999, he became the first announcer to broadcast in SAP for NBC News. DeJesus has also served the last three years as the Spanish language translator for Showtime Championship Boxing.
DeJesus graduated for Fordham University in 1988 with a degree in economics and currently resides in the tri-state area. He and his wife, Melissa, have two sons, Christopher and Brendan."

-New York Yankees 2008 Media Guide