Bob Costas closed NBC's coverage of Major League Baseball in 2000 when the New York Yankees beat the Oakland Athletics in the AL Championship Series.
When NBC returns to covering baseball this season, Costas will be the first voice welcoming the sport back after the network announced Thursday that the 29-time Sports Emmy winner will host its “Sunday Night Baseball” pregame show.
He will anchor NBC's coverage when the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers open the season hosting Arizona on Thursday, March 26.
“We're trying to make ‘Sunday Night Baseball’ feel big. There's no bigger name associated with baseball than Bob and also great to have him back in the NBC fold,” NBC Sports President Rick Cordella said to The Associated Press. “Bob was the face of NBC Sports and maybe the network for a period of time. To bring him back as he sort of winds down his career is the right thing to do. And when we got baseball back it made a lot of sense.”
NBC, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, carried baseball from 1939-89. It was part of the short-lived Baseball Network with ABC in 1994 and ’95 and then aired playoff games from 1996 through 2000.
“I think a step forward is that baseball was back at one of its natural homes, which is NBC. There’s a lot of baseball history here,” Costas said.
Costas was with NBC for 39 years before leaving in 2019. He hosted 12 Olympics, including 11 as the primetime host, and seven Super Bowls while having a role in 10 NBA Finals and seven World Series.
He has been an emeritus announcer at NBC since 2016, but the return of baseball and the NBA made this a perfect time for a more active role.
“While I’ve been gone from NBC since 2019, we have been in nearly constant contact since shortly after that and just waiting for the right time and the lineup of the right circumstances to come together for me to return. And now those circumstances have perfectly come together,” Costas said during a conference call. “Nothing that I will do will overlap with what others are doing. Others are in the primes of their careers and I’m an icing on the cake guy now, a contributor, a role player, and I look forward to it, especially just because it’s under the NBC umbrella.”
Baseball has always been Costas’ favorite sport. He called games on NBC from 1982-89 and again from 1994-2000. He was one of the announcers for the 1995 World Series and then the main play-by-play voice for the Fall Classic in 1997 and ’99.
He also called games for TBS and MLB Network, but announced after the 2024 American League Division Series between the Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees that he was retiring from play by play.
Costas has been a voice of MLB Network since its start in 2009 and was part of its coverage of Tuesday's Hall of Fame announcement.
In 2018, he received the Hall's Ford C. Frick Award for broadcast excellence.
“There’s no one more associated with baseball who hasn’t played the game than Bob," NBC Sports executive producer Sam Flood said. “Others who have played the game might be more associated, but for a non-player. Bob has impacted baseball for generations and will continue to do so now that he’s partnered back with us.”
Costas has had some role with NBC with its return to NBA coverage this season, narrating some opening teases. The 29-time Sports Emmy winner was either a host or play by play announcer during the network’s first NBA coverage stint from 1990 through 2002.
NBC said Costas will continue to contribute to NBA games this season, with additional details to be announced.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
FILE - Bob Costas and Jill Costas arrive on the red carpet at the State Department for the Kennedy Center Honors gala dinner, Dec. 2, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf, File)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Four-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou on Friday was ordered to pay McLaren Racing more than $12 million in the breach of contract suit the team filed when the Spaniard backed out of two different deals with the racing team.
The Friday ruling from London's High Court came after a five-week trial last year. McLaren initially sought almost $30 million in damages, but that number was reduced to $20.7 million as the racing juggernaut sought to reclaim money allegedly lost in sponsorship, driver salaries and performance earnings.
“This is an entirely appropriate result for McLaren Racing. As the ruling shows, we clearly demonstrated that we fulfilled every single contractual obligation towards Alex and fully honored what had been agreed,” said McLaren Racing boss Zak Brown. "We thank the court for recognizing the very significant commercial impact and disruption our business suffered as a result of Alex’s breach of contract with the team.”
McLaren added it is still seeking interest and reimbursement of its legal expenses.
Palou was not ordered to pay anything related to Formula 1 losses McLaren said it suffered when Palou decided to remain with Chip Ganassi Racing rather than move to McLaren's IndyCar team in 2024. All the damages awarded to McLaren were tied to losses the IndyCar team suffered by Palou's change of mind.
“The court has dismissed in their entirety McLaren’s Formula 1 claims against me which once stood at almost $15 million," Palou said in a statement. "The court’s decision shows the claims against me were completely overblown. It’s disappointing that so much time and cost was spent fighting these claims, some of which the Court found had no value, simply because I chose not to drive for McLaren after I learned they wouldn’t be able to give me an F1 drive.
“I’m disappointed that any damages have been awarded to McLaren. They have not suffered any loss because of what they have gained from the driver who replaced me. I am considering my options with my advisors and have no further comments to make at this stage.”
Palou has won three consecutive IndyCar titles and the Indianapolis 500 since this saga began midway through the 2022 season. He has four IndyCar titles in the last five seasons.
The bulk of the damages awarded to McLaren were tied to loss of sponsorship. Palou was ordered to pay $5.3 million to cover the losses in the team's agreement with NTT Data, $2.5 million in “other IndyCar sponsorship revenue” and $2 million in performance-based revenue.
IndyCar team owner Chip Ganassi said Palou has his backing.
“Alex has our full support, now and always. We know the character of our driver and the strength of our team, and nothing changes that," Ganassi said. "While we respect the legal process, our focus is exactly where it should be: on racing, on winning, and on doing what this organization has always done best, competing at the highest level.
"We’re locked in on chasing another championship and defending our 2025 Indianapolis 500 victory. That’s where our energy is, and that’s where Alex’s focus is, on the track, doing what he does best: winning.”
McLaren has won the last two constructor championships in F1 and Lando Norris last season won the driver championship.
Palou first signed with McLaren in 2022 to drive for its IndyCar team in 2023, but Ganassi pushed back and exercised an option on Palou for the 2023 season. The matter was decided through mediation, with McLaren covering Palou’s legal costs. Palou could not join McLaren until 2024 but was permitted to be the reserve and test driver for the F1 team in 2023.
When McLaren signed Oscar Piastri for its F1 team, and Palou’s performance with Ganassi in IndyCar was so dominant, the driver decided he did not want to move to McLaren’s IndyCar team and reneged on his contract.
Palou argued his contracts with McLaren were “based on lies,” and he’d never have a chance to race in F1. His counsel also accused Brown of destroying evidence by deleting WhatsApp messages related to the case.
McLaren contended it lost revenue when Palou backed out ahead of the 2024 season and the team had to scramble to find another driver. McLaren wanted Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson, who had already committed to Andretti Global, so it instead used four different drivers that season.
Because none were as accomplished as Palou, McLaren argued both NTT Data and General Motors reduced their payouts to the team because McLaren did not field a driver of the caliber it had promised.
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
FILE - McLaren chief Zak Brown listens to radio during a first practice for the he Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic, file)
FILE - Alex Palou celebrates after winning the IndyCar championship Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025, at Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, file)
