It has come to blows between Impemba and Allen
There have been rumors about these two not getting along for some time. Now we know why Gibby and Shep had to fill in Wednesday night.
September 6th, 2018 at 10:27 AM ^
Did Rod chase him around the outfield?
September 6th, 2018 at 10:40 AM ^
yes yelling "meet your impembing dooooooooom!!!1!"
September 6th, 2018 at 10:44 AM ^
Cue the footage of Rod chasing Mario around the parking lot while the Benny Hill sax is playing. This is hilarious!!!!
September 6th, 2018 at 11:27 AM ^
I hope Rod yelled “Country Strong!” as Mario socked him repeatedly in the jaw.
September 6th, 2018 at 1:37 PM ^
I think it was Tuesday when Rod mentioned that his old buddy, Marcus Thames, was the origin of Country Strong, and he is the only guy that he ever used that term to describe. Mario called him out and said, "C'mon, you used it on Jim Thome". Rod laughed but disagreed. I think I agree with Mario.
September 6th, 2018 at 2:09 PM ^
Lol. I’m 99% sure he used it for Chris Davis and Adam Dunn too.
September 6th, 2018 at 3:38 PM ^
Wildly underrated comment right here
September 6th, 2018 at 7:47 PM ^
I'll just drop this "Rod Allen Outfield Chase" footage here:
...for everyone's viewing pleasure. (I'm on my phone so can't embed it for the board)
September 6th, 2018 at 10:33 AM ^
Honestly having the two broadcasters fighting on air would be a boon to the Tigers. I'd watch the hell out of that.
September 6th, 2018 at 10:43 AM ^
These guys are living out my fantasies. There are more than a few coworkers I'd like to throat punch.
September 6th, 2018 at 10:49 AM ^
Well, this is interesting. Sad, but if I had bothered to shell out for the MLB streaming package I'd be watching when they (or at least one of them) came back on the air.
I know that there are people in broadcasting to dislike each other personally but put on friendly airs on the job, and I guess that's part of being a professional. It's hard for me to understand it, but we know it happens. Must be miserable.
September 6th, 2018 at 10:49 AM ^
Mario, I see ya big fella. Get on witch yo bad self. I wonder if Rod buggy whipped him with a right with late action and sent him into a wirling dervish. No? Wrong guys?
September 6th, 2018 at 10:57 AM ^
Since you brought up the "buggy whip" catch phrase, what's the local feeling regarding the Tigers' radio crew? I listened to a few games earlier this year (I'm not local, but caught them on Sirius XM) and was personally sick of Price's constant "buggy whips" by the 3rd inning in each game I caught. I really didn't care for his analysis - just a lot of positive spin without much substance. I fully get that he's a '68 Tigers legend, but did not enjoy listening to his banter. I was fine with Dickerson as PBP.
I'm terribly biased, though, as I grew up listening to Harwell and Carey. I also understand that everyone has a love/hate relationship with announcers. It's a very personal taste.
September 6th, 2018 at 11:00 AM ^
I've never heard someone say they like the job Jim Price does analyzing games. I personally can't stand it. Catchers are brilliant. Tigers can't hardly make a mistake. He's horrible.
September 6th, 2018 at 11:06 AM ^
Well you'll hear it here. I listen to nearly every game on the radio. Most times I love Jim Price's down-home corniness, although at times it does get a little repetitious. I grew up with Ernie Harwell. No one can replace him, so I try not to make comparisons.
I can't stand Rod and don't watch any games that he's calling. When I watch Twitter footage of any big plays, I stop it right when he starts talking. He's one of the biggest boobs in broadcasting.
September 6th, 2018 at 11:35 AM ^
I also grew up listening to Ernie Harwell and feel extremely fortunate to have someone like Dan Dickerson follow in Ernie's footsteps. I'm not sure many fan-bases have been so lucky.
However, we'll have to agree to disagree on Price. That's all I've got to say about that.
September 7th, 2018 at 1:51 PM ^
I like both Rod and Mario (though I haven't watched them in recent years, as I've avoided the Tigers since their competitiveness slipped).
I always found that Rod was remarkably accurate in his technical commentary. He'd say something like, "watch for the hit and run", and the hit and run would follow shortly thereafter. Really knows his baseball, and I found him found to listen to. Good sense of humor. Funny thing, I like Mario also.
September 6th, 2018 at 11:45 AM ^
Price is the best.
"That's a helluva Yellowhammer he's throwing there"
September 6th, 2018 at 11:09 AM ^
Dickerson is among the best PBP guys you'll hear. He's passionate about the game, well prepared, and has a great conversational style. While Price is no Bob Uecker, I don't mind him. But I agree, the "buggy-whip" thing is waaaaaaaay overdone. It reminds of the first couple years Brandstatter did PBP and kept saying "caught and complete."
September 6th, 2018 at 12:51 PM ^
I've always thought there should be a Jim Price drinking game. You have to do a shot every time he replies, "Well, you're absolutely right, Dan ..."
You'd be yellow-hammered by the third inning.
September 6th, 2018 at 12:59 PM ^
Well, you're absolutely right, Sam.
September 6th, 2018 at 1:44 PM ^
"Nice area!"
September 6th, 2018 at 1:49 PM ^
Nice area is the main thing that keeps me coming back for Jim Price.
September 6th, 2018 at 11:18 AM ^
I love Dickerson. He's a treasure, magnificent at the job, a worthy successor to Ernie. I wish I got to hear him more. I can take or leave Price, but they generally work well together, so I'm fine with him as long as Dickerson is the guy.
September 6th, 2018 at 11:19 AM ^
Dickerson is top notch and I love Jim Price. One of the tragedies of the Tigers being terrible is that I don't get to spend as much time listening to those two. I've never understood people's frustrations with running jokes and catch phrases. It's 162 game season.
I wouldn't be surprised if they sometimes don't get along 100%, there have been times when I've heard them get frustrated with each other but I very much doubt anything like will happen.
September 6th, 2018 at 11:26 AM ^
I think you are the first person to call Jim Price a legend. LOL.
I like Dickerson, not a fan of Price. I can't hardly hear him when he talks. Maybe I'm old and need hearing aids.
Not a fan of Rod and Mario either. I like the Shepard/Gibby combo.
September 6th, 2018 at 12:02 PM ^
I think all '68 Tigers get honorary "legend" status. I was not alive to witness their title, but that was an amazing crew that performed Herculean tasks amidst some socially crazy times. Kaline, McClain, Lolich, Cash, Horton, etc. are the All-Star legends, but every team member gets a legendary participation trophy in my mind.
Price was definitely not a star, but being part of that team is something special to most Tiger fans. I *really* want to like him as a color analyst, but it just doesn't agree with my tastes.
September 6th, 2018 at 12:18 PM ^
The "buggy whips" and the "yellowhammers" make me cringe. Those two phrases seem to ruin the game for me on the radio. The play on the field doesn't help much, but I could really do without those phrases being dropped in every other batter.
September 6th, 2018 at 12:34 PM ^
NB, not a price fan, agree 100% with your take on that.
you did leave george kell and larry osterbaan (sp?) off of your list. those guys were very good, easy to listen to also. can't you hear kell in that southern drawl, 'it's a bright sun-shiney day here at tiger stadium!'
September 6th, 2018 at 12:59 PM ^
Osterman - and you're right, they were a good combo. Larry's professional delivery was a good mix with George's Arkansas twang. ("Liiiiive, from Tiger Stadium ...")
Got to meet Kell once. Nicest guy in the world: polite, soft-spoken, took a real interest in what you were saying (even though you knew he'd heard it all before). Ernie Harwell was famous for his personality, but George was right up there with him.
September 6th, 2018 at 2:50 PM ^
I can still here Kell yelling out "baaaaase hit!" back in the day. He and Osterman did a great job and were very professional. However, it's pretty awful for two announcers to get into a fight, even if it's off camera. Geez, act like adults and work things out.
September 6th, 2018 at 1:04 PM ^
Kell and Kaline defined a big part of my childhood on the old Tigers TV Network. We didn't have cable so we only got one or two Tigers games a week, and they were all appointment viewing (at least until they fell 20 games out of first by mid-August ... just like now).
September 6th, 2018 at 1:21 PM ^
George Kell and Al Kaline were surrogate fathers for my childhood.
September 6th, 2018 at 1:38 PM ^
ppfff. your fathers were karl marx and josef stalin!
actually, i loved kaline as a player but thought he was only okay as an announcer. not bad, just okay. i dislike price and am not a big rod fan, either.
September 7th, 2018 at 9:12 AM ^
Kaline was a bit awkward and said some cringe-worthy things on the air. Totally agree that he was an okay announcer. He gets a hard pass, though, for being Mr. Tiger. And Kell smoothed over any Kaline rough patches - he was phenomenal.
September 6th, 2018 at 3:57 PM ^
Kell always managed to convey a sense of (controlled) enthusiasm, no matter how bleak the game was. The Tigers could be down 5 runs in the 8th inning, but then -"There's a base hit into left!" and you felt like the rally was on.
September 6th, 2018 at 12:45 PM ^
Price isn't a '68 legend. He hit .174 that season.
September 6th, 2018 at 12:55 PM ^
I listen to a ton of baseball on the radio for a variety of teams, and Dan is easily a top five PBP guy in the entire MLB.
September 6th, 2018 at 5:19 PM ^
Jim Price gives the exact same commentary for every game. He's extremely repetitive, and a total homer. I've certainly heard worse, but I'm not a big fan.
September 6th, 2018 at 7:48 PM ^
Price a legend on the 68 team. No, just no. He was a bench player/backup catcher. Bill Freehan was the catcher/Star/MVP of that series. Okay, him and Mickey Lolich shared those honors. Jim price didn’t get significant playing time until Freehan’s knees were crap; like most catchers of that era — mine Included.
Ps. Bill Freehan went to which university?
September 6th, 2018 at 10:58 AM ^
Feel bad for Mario going against someone as country strong as Rod.
September 6th, 2018 at 11:05 AM ^
Mario tried to sneak a piece of cheese past him, thus the ensuing brouhaha.
September 6th, 2018 at 12:49 PM ^
Rod threw a fastball at Mario that missed, but came back and got him with the change piece.
September 6th, 2018 at 10:54 AM ^
It's like being married and spending hours each day for years in the same small room. Eventually you just beat the shit out of each other.....
September 6th, 2018 at 10:58 AM ^
Yeah, no, it's nothing like being married. I spend hours with my wife every day and never think about putting a hand on her in that way.
September 6th, 2018 at 11:16 AM ^
What if your wife was your husband?
September 6th, 2018 at 11:57 AM ^
"In that way" what way do you think to put your hand to her. Inquiring minds need to know.
September 6th, 2018 at 10:59 AM ^
Eventually? That's foreplay.
September 6th, 2018 at 11:05 AM ^
Timely.