Leslie Gudel leaving the anchor desk
She's becoming SportsNet's Phillies reporter.
After 12½ years, Leslie Gudel will leave the Comcast SportsNet anchor desk to become Phillies reporter.
Gudel, one of SportsNet's original anchors and the first full-time female sports anchor in town (she predated Jenna Wolfe on WPHL by two years), will make her last desk appearance Tuesday.
This new role comes as her current contract ends. Both Gudel and SportsNet call the move a win-win, and it might be a win-win-win.
Gudel, 43, says she's been juggling two other full-time jobs besides CSN: raising kids ages 6 and 4 and running her company, Nap Nanny, which makes and sells a reclining seat for babies. (New owner of a Nap Nanny seat is Caleb Hamels, the 5½-month-old son of Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels and wife Heidi, whom Gudel interviewed for the Phillies Focus show on at 10:30 p.m. Sunday.)
"This will put more balance into my life, and allow me to put more focus into the things that need to get focus," says Gudel, who -- backing new hire Jim Salisbury -- will work most home games, the All-Star Game, and opening day in Washington.
In fact, she's scheduled Nap Nanny visits to stores in the D.C. area around then.