Fighting in the booth

[Moderator1]

Anyone know any more about this? Sounds interesting, that's for sure

Tigers announcers suspended after alleged fight

 

[HanSenSE]

I posted something about the incident in the MLB topic, but looks like it could be a separate topic now.

 

[Scout]

Seventeen years and now a fight?

My initial thought would be something in the personal lives happened.

 

[Slacker]

Seventeen years and now a fight?

My initial thought would be something in the personal lives happened.

Coulda been a long-simmering argument over Morris vs. Buehrle.

 

[Vombatus]

Coulda been a long-simmering argument over Morris vs. Buehrle.

****, be careful man.

 

[Jake from State Farm]

Country strong, padner:

It's official: Mario Impemba and Rod Allen won't be back in Tigers' TV booth

 

[User 149557]

Impemba’s contract, which ran through 2018 and is estimated to have paid him more than $500,000 annually

Those nightmare flashbacks about that time when I was 18 and the sports guy at the local ABC station saw me do a play-by-play broadcast and told me I should go into that instead of news editing in college are going to come back tonight.

 

[ChrisLong]

Country strong, padner:

It's official: Mario Impemba and Rod Allen won't be back in Tigers' TV booth

I covered some of Rod Allen's games when he was in high school. The team was led by former Met-Brewer-Dodger-Red-Yankee-Mariner-Ranger pitcher Tim Leary. They lost a playoff game on a ball hit by ex-Bengals superstar Anthony Munoz that was lost in the sun. The team went on to win the American Legion World Series that summer.

 

[UPChip]

Oh, Mario and Rod.

In the event anyone wants to hear more background on the topic, here's what's worth knowing. Apparently, Rod has some back issues and Mario took the sturdier press box chair first, which led to something of a scuffle and all the things you've already read about. The fact that the two of them had a relationship that ranged from "not friends" to "openly hostile" was a frequent topic in some of the more salacious corners of Detroit sports media, particularly once Fox Sports Detroit started shuffling the proverbial deck from time to time (Mario switching booths with the eminently talented radio guy Dan Dickerson, a rotation of color guys including Kirk Gibson and Jack Morris, etc.) A college friend who is in radio down that way claims that Mario was a fastidious prep guy and Rod was, well, not. When Rod started out in the Tigers booth, he just filled air with folksiness and minimal actual knowledge, attempting to get by on the street cred acquired by his 27 April ABs for the 1984 Tigers. During the high times for the Tigers in the early part of this decade, Rod had gotten good to the point of being downright watchable, but I suspect that as the team's fortune's dipped, so did his motivation. (I've been a Tigers fan all my life and I don't think I've watched two consecutive innings of a Tigers game since the World Cup started in June, which was right about when regression kicked in for that truly abysmal roster).

For all I know, Mario could have been a prick too, but I was rather surprised to see them take both parties, so to speak, especially since Mario is local (grew up in the suburbs, went to MSU, etc.) There are a few guys floating around in the bullpen. I hope they don't move Dickerson because he's excellent on the radio. Wouldn't mind if they just took someone fresh and paired him with, I dunno, one of the recently retired folks from that 2000s-2010s era. There are several overachieving white guys who could fill that role, the Andy Dirkses and Don Kellys of the world. Hell, if Granderson hangs them up, they'd take him to the booth in a palanquin.

We'll always have this moment, though:

 

[X-Hack]

Too bad George Kell is dead and Al Kaline is in his 80s. THAT's Tiger baseball to me (though when I was a kid, I remember them shuffling guys like Larry Osterman and Joe Pellegrino in and out until finally settling on George and Al).

 

[User 149557]

If they want a booth that will continue the tradition of fighting in the press box, Bobby Higginson should be the color analyst.

 

[Jake from State Farm]

I remember when Mike Sweeney charged the mound after he was hit by Jeff Weaver
The Royals bench cleared
The only Tiger who came out to help Weaver was Robert Fick

 

[mpcincal]

Bump, as Rod Allen has now commented on the fracas. He said it was just a 'baseball brawl.' Yeah, except it happened in the freakin' press box, not on the field.

Former Tigers broadcaster Rod Allen downplays incident with Mario Impemba as 'baseball brawl'

 

[UPChip]

Bump, as Rod Allen has now commented on the fracas. He said it was just a 'baseball brawl.' Yeah, except it happened in the freakin' press box, not on the field.

Former Tigers broadcaster Rod Allen downplays incident with Mario Impemba as 'baseball brawl'

Riiiiiiiiight.

 

[Jake from State Farm]

TigerFest is on Jan. 26, less than two weeks
They need to have a TV team by then

 

[maumann]

TigerFest is on Jan. 26, less than two weeks
They need to have a radio team by then

The 40th anniversary of the last World Series champion is in 2024. The Tigers need to have a team by then.

 

[HanSenSE]

TigerFest is on Jan. 26, less than two weeks
They need to have a radio team by then

The Battling Bickersons were the TV team. Dan Dickerson and Jim Price on radio.

 

[Starman]

TigerFest is on Jan. 26, less than two weeks
They need to have a radio team by then

Impemba/Allen were the Fox Detroit TV team.

Matt Shepard will handle PBP.
Kirk Gibson and Jack Morris will split color commentary. Dan Petry and Craig Monroe will do pregame and postgame shows.

 

[maumann]

The Battling Bickersons were the TV team. Dan Dickerson and Jim Price on radio.

Price is to the 1968 Tigers as what Allen was to the 1984 version: useless as a seatless unicycle. With that in mind, Brent Clevlen and his .282 batting average over 42 plate appearances in 2006 ought to give him a leg up.

 

[Starman]

Price is to the 1968 Tigers as what Allen was to the 1984 version: useless as a seatless unicycle. With that in mind, Brent Clevlen and his .282 batting average over 42 plate appearances in 2006 ought to give him a leg up.

Price is ok for his age (pushing 80). There aren't many of the '68s still around and able to talk on the radio.

They ought to see if they can get Todd Jones to do commentary. Curtis Granderson would be a natural, but he's (apparently) not done playing yet.