The first time I wrote about Doris Burke was in 2002, as a young reporter at Sports Illustrated filling in on a media column. It was a short blurb in the May 13, 2002, issue of the magazine, which featured Trevor Hoffman on the front and a cover line that declared “Why Trevor Hoffman of the Padres is the best closer (ever).”
Mariano Rivera ultimately had something to say about that.
Part of the column discussed Fox’s new No. 1 NFL team (Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Cris Collinsworth!) and pondered whether the price of $54.95 for Mike Tyson-Lennox Lewis was worth it. Here is what I wrote about Burke:
“Over the next few weeks, ESPN will assemble its announcing teams for the 2002-03 NBA season, and the usual suspects (Brent Musberger, Marv Albert) will likely be paraded out like Thanksgiving Day floats. Here’s a vote for a name that lacks cachet but not credibility: Doris Burke. The 36-year-old ESPN hoops analyst and play-by-play voice for the WNBA’s New York Liberty is a superbly prepared broadcaster blessed with an innate feel for the game. In February 2000 she shone as an analyst on a Knicks game and has been excellent on both men’s and women’s college basketball telecasts. ESPN would be wise to find room on its roster for her.”
ESPN ultimately did.
I’ve written…
