Ex-Met GM Steve Phillips has been offered a weekend talk show at 1050-ESPN Radio, NYP TV Sports has learned.
Currently, Phillips freelances for 1050, occasionally guest-hosting and appearing on special events.
Phillips, who worked the GM meetings for ESPN TV, has examined sportscasting as a full-time job.
“It is a lot more fun being on this side of the microphone than on the other side of the microphone,” Phillips said during dinner at the Sports Emmys earlier this week.
“I can talk about baseball all day long, and I enjoy doing it. I really enjoy the business part of my job, so I have to really find my career balance for what the next step is going to be.”
While Phillips has mostly teamed with Don LaGreca, he would work solo on the weekend show, talking more than just baseball.
“I have been impressed when he’s been on,” said 1050 program director Mike Thompson, who offered Phillips the weekend gig.
“I think the possibility for him to do more here and other places exists. I think he is a natural at it.”
Phillips, though, may want to return to the front office if another GM job presents itself.
“Possibly,” said Phillips, displaying the same evasiveness he did at Shea. “We’ll see how it all unfolds. There aren’t any jobs available now. I’m not really looking to go out and become a special assistant scout to get back in it.”
* On Sunday, after the Yankees’ postgame show, the YES Network will have a This Week in Football Draft Special. Tiki Barber will be on it. One of the scheduled guests is Giant GM Ernie Accorsi.
Can you see it now? “Uhh, Ernie, why did you take that running back in the second round?”
During the season, look for Giant players to do TV and radio shows on Monday and Tuesdays, but not later in the week. Team spokesman Pat Hanlon said new coach Tom Coughlin has no problem with players working on radio or TV, but starting Wednesday he wants them just focused on the next game.
* Steve Cohen is making an impact as the head of Sirius radio’s NFL coverage. Cohen, the longtime WFAN producer/reporter, has brought in CBS’ Phil Simms to co-host the NFL draft (Saturday, noon) for the satellite radio’s NFL network.
* With Athens’ facilities behind schedule for the August Olympics, NBC is keeping its cool. NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol and host Bob Costas visited Greece to see the progress first-hand.
“We’ll be fine,” NBC Sports spokesman Mike McCarley said.