The epic September collapse of the Boston Red Sox continues to claim victims. This time it’s the loyal fans of Red Sox Nation who will be without the bubbly, behind-the-scenes reporting talents of NESN (New England Sports Network) TV personality Heidi Watney. When the team takes the field in 2012, someone else will be handling the on-field reporting duties. Watney has accepted a position with Time Warner Cable to cover – dare I say it – the Los Angeles Lakers! The new, exclusive cable TV venture with the Lakers is expected to launch in time for the 2012-13 NBA season. What she’ll be doing in the interim remains to be seen.
YOU DON'T SAY: During her time at NESN, Watney interviewed everybody including Sox Captain Jason Varitek.
A native Californian who was the first runner-up in the 2002 Miss California Pageant, Watney is easy on the eyes for sure. But she’s no bubble-headed blonde; she’s knowledgeable and informed about her subject matter. She graduated with honors from the University of California at San Diego in 2003 and worked as the sports anchor in local radio and TV in Fresno, Calif., prior to joining NESN.
In fours seasons of reporting on the Red Sox, Watney established herself as a smart, personable reporter who understood the game and did her homework. Her rapport with the Red Sox players and coaches, as well as her colleagues in the booth, namely Jerry Remy and Don Orsillo, will sorely be missed. In 2008, she replaced another well-liked Red Sox sideline reporter, Tina Cervasio, who took her talents to the MSG (Madison Square Garden) Network.
THAT'S A GOOD ONE: I got a chance to bend Tina Cervasio's ear when the Sox played the Padres in 2007.
Let’s just hope the NBA figures things out shortly so Watney still has a job when she’s supposed to start reporting from the sidelines about Kobe and company.
Terry Melia is the former longtime Public Relations Manager for the Upper Deck Company and a freelance writer living in San Diego. His prose will be filling this Blog as often as he can spin them.
About Terry Melia