Hazel Mae

Hazel Mae Barker (born April 7, 1970) is a Canadian sportscaster. She was the former lead anchor for the New England Sports Network's SportsDesk news program and most recently the anchor on MLB Network. Mae worked for Sportsnet until 2004, when she left to work for NESN SportsDesk. Mae returned on November 14, 2011.^[2] Mae grew up in Toronto and began her sports broadcasting career hosting a sports update show on campus at York University.

Broadcast career

Rogers Sportsnet

Hazel Mae anchored the morning edition of Sportsnetnews on Rogers Sportsnet, one of Canada’s all-sports networks. In addition to her duties on Sportsnetnews, Mae was the host of JZone, a weekly magazine show dedicated to the world of Major League Baseball's Toronto Blue Jays, also owned by Rogers. Mae began her tenure at Rogers Sportsnet providing sports updates to Rogers Sportsnet radio affiliates throughout Ontario. in 2002, she posed in lingerie in Urban Male Magazine, with two of her Sportsnet co-workers.

NESN

Mae subsequently moved to Boston, where she became the lead anchor for NESN's SportsDesk. She held this position from December 2004. Mae also served as host of NESN’s Red Sox week-in-review program, The Ultimate Red Sox Show, and the Boston Bruins top-ten in-season show, The Buzz. On June 2, 2008 NESN announced that Mae would be leaving the network at the end of the month. On June 28, Mae appeared in her final Sportsdesk broadcast.^[3] During her tenure at NESN, Mae's popularity was reflected by her nomination to be considered for the first president of Red Sox Nation.^[4] The position eventually went to Jerry Remy.^[5]

MLB Network

In August 2008, it was announced that Mae would become a reporter on MLB Network.^[6] Since 2009, she has appeared on Hot Stove, MLB Tonight, 30 Clubs in 30 Days, and Quick Pitch for the channel. In 2011, she became host of a new program, The Rundown, along with Matt Yaloff.

Return to Sportsnet

On September 19, 2011 it was announced that Hazel will leave MLB Network and return to Sportsnet.^[7][8] It was announced on-air during the Toronto Maple Leafs game on November 3 that she will debut on November 14, as anchor of the 6pm edition of Sportsnet Connected. Mae anchored the 6pm edition of the show until July 1, 2015, when the 6pm edition was replaced by Tim & Sid. She currently works on Sportsnet broadcasts of Toronto Blue Jays games.

Personal life

She is married to former Major League Baseball first baseman Kevin Barker.^[9]

On April 26, 2013, former Toronto Maple Leafs President and GM Brian Burke filed a lawsuit against eighteen individuals who anonymously posted on websites claims that the actual reason he was fired from the Leafs was for allegedly having an affair with female sportscaster Mae and fathering her child. Burke said the claims were false and defamatory and, despite the costs which deter most victims of false statements on the internet, he would seek court orders to disclose the names of those involved.^[10]

References