4/21/25 6:40PM Padres @ Tigers

[chasfh]

1 minute ago, Tiger337 said:

Impemba had no style, but I don't watch games to hear an announcer promote himself or try to be funny.  Like you said, I didn't know he was there and that was fine.  The radio guy needs some style.  The TV guy needs to stay out of the way of the action.  

I prefer a TV guy who adds to the broadcast, but a guy like Mario who adds nothing to a broadcast is preferable to a guy like John Schriffen who subtracts from the broadcast.

[chasfh]

42 minutes ago, CMRivdogs said:

I dug up an article in the DETNEWS with Impemba shortly after Shepherd's firing. Mario still lives in Metro Detroit and has bounced around in recent years, most recently with the Red Sox.

That said he considers himself retired, he made some good real estate investments and at 62 (?) now has no desire to get back into the business.

He's a good broadcaster, a bit vanilla for my tastes. He did mention that there mentions of "baggage" from some areas in his persuit of a new job. I did get a bit of that vibe when I watched. I just thought it was a bit of bad chemistry with Allen toward the end.

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2023/10/04/what-does-mario-impemba-think-about-tigers-fans-calling-for-return-to-tv-booth/71054740007/

 

I can't remember whether I read this at the time, but even in a feature sympathetic to its subject, Mario still comes off as the problem in that pairing.

[CMRivdogs]

24 minutes ago, oblong said:

Rick Rizz could have succeeded here but the Tigers and WJR botched the whole thing.  He's very well liked in Seattle.  I was watching one of their games years ago during a free preview and thought "I like this guy...." then I realized it was him.  So that means something for me.

I wasn't in Detroit then. However sometimes I wonder if anyone who succeeded Ernie under the circumstances of his "firing" could succeed. 
 

Both guys are good broadcasters. I know Rathbun from his days in Norfolk. He did Tides (AAA) play by play as well as ODU basketball. (He may have some hockey as well, that was 45 plusyears ago)  worked with his wife Marybeth a short time doing traffic reports. Culturally Detroit is a different animal from SE Virginia and the NC Tidewater region. Bob has had success doing Hawks basketball, probably his best sports. He's been there a long time.

[gehringer_2]

1 hour ago, CMRivdogs said:

I wasn't in Detroit then. However sometimes I wonder if anyone who succeeded Ernie under the circumstances of his "firing" could succeed. 
 

Both guys are good broadcasters. I know Rathbun from his days in Norfolk. He did Tides (AAA) play by play as well as ODU basketball. (He may have some hockey as well, that was 45 plusyears ago)  worked with his wife Marybeth a short time doing traffic reports. Culturally Detroit is a different animal from SE Virginia and the NC Tidewater region. Bob has had success doing Hawks basketball, probably his best sports. He's been there a long time.

I think one mistake with Rizz and Rathbun was just teaming up two guys that most people couldn't easily tell apart. You just instinctively want to know who you are listening to at any point in time and there was always that sort of subliminal audio tension with those two when you didn't. Ermie and Paul, Al and George, Ernie and Oosterman, even Mario and Rod. All those pairings had instant recognition.

I think it's generally true that too often people responsible for audio production don't pay enough attention or just don't have a good enough ear for the absolute audio properties or what they are producting. It's something that does have an impact on the hearer's comfort over a long listen even if it's things that can be quite subtle or hardly noticeable on a short exposure. 

And that is one of Benetti's real strong points - he has a great voice - lots of body and depth to it, very easy to hear over a long period of time.

Edited Tuesday at 04:18 PM by gehringer_2

[Tenacious D]

3 hours ago, Tiger337 said:

Impemba had no style, but I don't watch games to hear an announcer promote himself or try to be funny.  Like you said, I didn't know he was there and that was fine.  The radio guy needs some style.  The TV guy needs to stay out of the way of the action.  

Totally agree with this. The announcer doesn’t need to be overly entertaining for me.  Mario had that down—it was never about him.  I get that Benetti might have appeal in bringing in more/younger fans, but I don’t need that in a baseball broadcast.  

Having said that, I’m thankful daily that he’s not Shep.

[Tigeraholic1]

1 hour ago, Tenacious D said:

Totally agree with this. The announcer doesn’t need to be overly entertaining for me.  Mario had that down—it was never about him.  I get that Benetti might have appeal in bringing in more/younger fans, but I don’t need that in a baseball broadcast.  

Having said that, I’m thankful daily that he’s not Shep.

Give him the chair!