Matt Shepard Out as Tigers PBP, Jason Benetti In.

[mtutiger]

I still cannot believe they pulled this off. I suspect there's a bit of "right place/right time" with his deteriorating relationship with his old employer and that made this possible.

They have more work to do upgrading the roster this offseason, but man, the vibes around this franchise seem much better than they did 365 days ago.

[1984Echoes]

Good, straight-forward voice and delivery.

Competence will be great for this team (yes... including the booth...).

[CMRivdogs]

Hopefully the Tigers will add/subtract the second person in the booth so that Jason can develop a similar relationship that he has with Steve Stone

[chasfh]

1 hour ago, Toddwert said:

hmmm our we getting a new detroit sports network?

God, please, no

[Edman85]

1 minute ago, CMRivdogs said:

Hopefully the Tigers will add/subtract the second person in the booth so that Jason can develop a similar relationship that he has with Steve Stone

Frankly, I was glad to see Robbie Hummel left ESPN so they can work together again on Fox.

[Edman85]

The Padres and DBacks with MLB worked out direct distribution after their Bally's went belly-up. I anticipate the same thing will happen eventually here. Not their own RSN, just licensing the games to local affiliates and producing it for streaming. I'm not really sure the ins-and-outs.

[chasfh]

Reply of the morning. 

 

[Edman85]

Don't get your hopes up on Monroe being replaced. Do get your hopes up JB can get more out of him.

[CMRivdogs]

I need to start saving my pennies to get MLBTV next season. I have a feeling the T-Mobile agreement won't be renewed

[gehringer_2]

20 minutes ago, mtutiger said:

I still cannot believe they pulled this off. I suspect there's a bit of "right place/right time" with his deteriorating relationship with his old employer and that made this possible.

They have more work to do upgrading the roster this offseason, but man, the vibes around this franchise seem much better than they did 365 days ago.

White Sox tend to be a cheap org don't they? 

[CMRivdogs]

1 minute ago, Edman85 said:

Don't get your hopes up on Monroe being replaced. Do get your hopes up JB can get more out of him.

TBH it will probably continue to be a rotating booth. The mark of a good PBP announcer is get the most out of his/her partner. That was Shepard's biggest flaw IMO

[ben9753]

5 minutes ago, CMRivdogs said:

I need to start saving my pennies to get MLBTV next season. I have a feeling the T-Mobile agreement won't be renewed

That would suck. Why do you think it won't?

[Edman85]

4 minutes ago, CMRivdogs said:

TBH it will probably continue to be a rotating booth. The mark of a good PBP announcer is get the most out of his/her partner. That was Shepard's biggest flaw IMO

I've got some inside info here. It will be full time.

[Edman85]

FYI, he is on Washington/Utah this weekend.

[Edman85]

Also, expect Greg Gania to backfill Dan on days he is doing TV.

[Toddwert]

30 minutes ago, Edman85 said:

The Padres and DBacks with MLB worked out direct distribution after their Bally's went belly-up. I anticipate the same thing will happen eventually here. Not their own RSN, just licensing the games to local affiliates and producing it for streaming. I'm not really sure the ins-and-outs.

I dont like the sound of this the local channels up here dont seem to know the Tigers exist

[SoCalTiger]

13 minutes ago, Edman85 said:

FYI, he is on Washington/Utah this weekend.

Go Huskies !!

[SoCalTiger]

Great Hire Detroit !!

[Edman85]

https://nolayingup.com/videos/strapped/strapped-spring-training/strapped-spring-training-part-3-the-boys-of-spring

Benetti guests here, plays putt putt with some golfers.

[chasfh]

Didn't see this one coming. I was kind of hoping for Len Casper, but Benetti will certainly do.

I've heard a good deal of Jason Benetti over the past eight years and people here will like him, and not just because Shep (may I call him Shep?) set such a low bar. Besides his great voice, Benetti does have a love of the game he conveys in his local broadcasts, although to be clear, he did grow up a White Sox fan, so that may have contributed some to that.

You have already learned that Benetti will not be around for every game, since he has national commitments. It was always my expectation he would leave the Sox and go 100% national, and he may still end up 100% national, but at least he'll be in Detroit for a couple of years along the way. I know his contract calls for “at least” 127 games, but if they were taking money on it, I would put my bet on exactly 127 games.

Benetti has a sly, arch sense of humor that's not too grating, although on occasion it overstays its welcome. Some here may remember the game he did with Bill Walton a few years ago. That was nationally-reported, and it was exactly the joke you would expect it to be. (I'm not sure whether I should be surprised that Walton knows as little about baseball as he showed.) But the next game Benetti had Michael Schur, aka Ken Tremendous, in the booth with him, and that was an absolute joy to experience. Try to find some of it online if you can.

Benetti is not a stats guy, but he's not unfamiliar with stats, either. He's not a stories guy, either, probably because he doesn't have that depth of experience in the game for so many stories. What he does have is a pretty quick wit and the ability to play off a more experienced or inside guy, like Steve Stone, in the booth with him. That's why I'm interested in seeing whom they pair with Benetti. I would be shocked if Kirk Gibson were to come back, as that would be like oil and water even if Kirk were at the top of his broadcast game. But I would not be surprised to see Craig Monroe get a lot of time on the air with Benetti, since Monroe is relatively young (and black, which counts for something in Detroit). If I had my way, I'd have Cameron Maybin as the main analyst, but he's probably too national for a regular local gig as well. Although, who knows, maybe they'll surprise me there, too.

I've never liked the idea of a team’s broadcaster regarding his gig as a second priority (Boog Sciambi does, too, although I actually like it when he's gone from the Cubs booth). I guess I’m OK with Dan doing the replacement games when Benetti is out, and it makes sense, I guess, although I like Dan far more on radio. I’m guessing we’ll be hearing a lot more of Greg Gania in the booth this coming season.

[CMRivdogs]

29 minutes ago, ben9753 said:

That would suck. Why do you think it won't?

Just a gut feeling. They did an agreement with ML Soccer this season. Maybe me misreading tea leaves 

[CMRivdogs]

21 minutes ago, Edman85 said:

Also, expect Greg Gania to backfill Dan on days he is doing TV.

That makes sense

[Edman85]

From one of the Peacock games that Benetti worked with Morris.

 

[mtutiger]

1 hour ago, gehringer_2 said:

White Sox tend to be a cheap org don't they? 

Partially this, partially the fact that Benetti's national portfolio has grown.

I think he found a good landing spot here for where he is at in his career.... he may go completely national some day, but in the meantime, it's good the Tigers are willing to accommodate him

[Edman85]

Benetti worked 20 MLB games this past season for Fox. 18 on Saturdays, 2 on Thursdays. He also works CFB for Fox. So your Dickerson TV games will likely be Saturdays and then Thursday-Saturday once football starts up.

(In 2021 while still with ESPN, he only worked six games for them.)

Edited November 9, 2023 by Edman85