NZ Herald - The Diary

As Sky TV chief executive John Fellet waits for the results of a Commerce Commission review into Igloo TV - a joint-venture between Sky and TVNZ - he can reflect on his win at the national baseball championships.

Fellet, 59, coaches the Howick-Pakuranga [Baseball Club men's team] Diamondblacks - winners of the premier league for the second straight year.

"They've won the national title three times in five years," Fellet boasted proudly to The Diary.

The Sky-owned, Prime TV show The Crowd Goes Wild ran a clip from the tournament, featuring their boss making animated secret hand-signs to his team, which Fellet's son Jono belongs to.

"They just wanted to show me in tight-knit pants," Fellet joked.

The Arizona-raised TV boss, who arrived on an 18-month assignment to Sky and has been here 20 years, is on the board of Baseball New Zealand and helped develop the sport in this country. Baseball was a big part of his life in the States, where he coached professionally while running pay-TV operations. One of the attractions for his wife in moving to New Zealand "was that there was no baseball," he said with a laugh. But he credits the sport with keeping him grounded. "It's fun to get some balance."

Fellet will head to Australia at Easter with New Zealand's under-23 team to coach them "in the most competitive championship". There's no slowing down for this media man. He scotched rumours he is stepping down from the helm at Sky TV in 18 months. He says he has no plans to go anywhere for the next 4-5 years.

By Rachel Glucina

Rachel Glucina is the Herald on Sunday gossip queen. Follow her on Twitter @Rachel_Glucina
This story was not subject to the approval of Baseball New Zealand or its affiliates.