Detroit Tigers: FSD announces replacements for Mario & Rod

In September 2018, in their 17th season together, the voices of the Detroit Tigers on Fox Sports Detroit were no longer on the air.

Then, in October after a thorough investigation, Mario Impemba and Rod Allen were released from their contracts as TV booth announcers for the Detroit Tigers.

According to several sources, including The Detroit News, the pair had a physical altercation during the game on September 4, 2018 in the booth at Guaranteed Rate Field. The pair had long been rumored to dislike working together and the rumors appeared to come true with the fight in the booth that day.

The remaining 2018 games were covered by Matt Shepard and Kirk Gibson. Prior to September 5, “Shep” and “Gibby” were occasional announcers, with Shepard neatly covering the game’s play-by-play while Gibson peppered his color commentary with a plethora of wise words and stories from his years with the Tigers, Dodgers, and D-backs.

Tigers fans are accustomed to excellence in the booth, both on TV and radio. Fans still remember the legendary Ernie Harwell whose statue greets them as they enter Comerica Park. I remember regularly listening to Al Kaline and George Kell as a kid. And, in my opinion, Dan Dickerson – the current radio play-by-play voice – is the best on the air. Impemba and Allen were fan favorites, too.

Fans have been speculating who would replace Mario and Rod. Some predicted that Dan Hasty – who calls games for the West Michigan Whitecaps, the Tigers Single-A affiliate in Grand Rapids -would get the nod. So, there was some surprise when FSD made their official announcement.

According to FSD, Matt Shepard will take over for Impemba and Gibson will replace Allen. Since Gibson has Parkinson’s Disease, it is difficult for him to be on air every day. So, he will split the duties with recent Tigers Hall of Fame inductee, Jack Morris.

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FSD also shared that former Tigers pitcher Dan Petry will join Craig Monroe for pre- and post-game shows.

Monroe has been on the air for eight years and has been a favorite with fans for his stories and for his fabulous suits and ties. In fact, Monroe, affectionately known as C-mo, can often be seen walking around Comerica Park during the games and is usually up for a high-five and occasional autograph. Petry, who seems to be perpetually smiling, will be a good partner for Monroe who also seems to thoroughly enjoy his job.

Reactions are mixed about Shepard taking over such an important role for the long-time AL team. Shepard has been a fixture with FSD covering all of the professional sports in Detroit over the years. Despite the mixed reviews, Shepard is a good choice for the role and will be a good straight man to Gibby’s dry playfulness. Shep knows the game and will do a fine job covering plays. He will also do well with Morris, who has a more serious demeanor on air compared to Gibson.

Of course, if fans aren’t happy about the decision to put Shepard in the booth for 162 games, they can always listen to Dickerson and Jim Price on the radio. But, since Shepard will have Gibby by his side there are bound to be a few on-air surprises throughout the season.