Mary Carillo Back in the Fold

Mary Carillo's ranting and raving will be a part of Tennis Channel's coverage when their French Open coverage begins in just over a week.

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I'm not sure how the heck I stumbled across this crazy vid of Mary Carillo losing her mind re: badminton, but I am sure that I'm excited about the fact that Mary has been added to Tennis Channel's French Open and US Open telecast teams.

Tennis Channel has done a fantastic job with the Slams, and Bill Macatee is an absolute keeper at the interview desk (to me he is an absolute god), but I think that Carillo's addition will help TTC's broadcast team be a little more diverse and a little less "tennis geeky."

I've always appreciated Carillo's candor, and her ability to call a spade a spade while broadcasting. I definitely haven't agreed with a lot of points she's made, and I've even found myself miffed at some of the others, but there is no denying that Carillo's forthright character and willingness to mix it up and say exactly what she feels will make for more compelling viewing for tennis geeks and casual tennis viewers alike.

Most of the insiders on TTC's coverage aren't really interested in ruffling any feathers or saying anything critical about the sport, but Carillo has always found a way to avoid being kept in a network's pocket while doing her work.

She can be overly bombastic at times, overly critical at others, but in the end, Carillo will ultimately add an unbiased energy to TTC's broadcasts, and I think this will give it more crossover appeal. She'll incite, she'll color, she'll ruffle a few feathers, and at the very least -- whether we agree or disagree -- we'll have some interesting talking points to discuss come French Open time.