TBS' Announcing Teams for the MLB League Division Series
TMC
TBS has released the announcing teams for its coverage of the League
Division Series next week. No real surprises here. Chip Caray and Ron
Darling will team for the Yankees-Tigers series. I would think Don
Orsillo and Buck Martinez would be on the Red Sox-Angels series, but
you never know. Here's the TBS press release which I didn't know was
in my inbox since about noon time today. TBS Hot Corner returns, but
again without a studio host. I have to say I miss Heather Catlin and
Kelly Cross, but it appears they ain't coming back.
TBS Announces MLB Postseason Broadcast Teams for Exclusive Coverage of
League Division Series and National League Championship Series
TBS Hot Corner on MLB.com Returns with a New Look
With the MLB Postseason set to take the mound on TBS beginning Oct. 7,
the network today announced broadcast teams for exclusive coverage of
all four MLB League Division Series (LDS) and the National League
Championship Series (NLCS). Calling the action for this year’s ALDS
and NLDS will be play-by-play announcer Chip Caray, paired with Sunday
MLB on TBS partner Ron Darling; Boston Red Sox play-by-play man Don
Orsillo, who will be joined in the booth by Sunday MLB on TBS analyst
Buck Martinez; legendary broadcaster Dick Stockton, who will team up
with World Series championship manager Bob Brenly, who called TBS’s
Postseason action in 2007; and Milwaukee Brewers announcer Brian
Anderson, alongside 24-year veteran analyst Joe Simpson.
In the studio, two-time Emmy award winning host Ernie Johnson will be
joined by Hall of Famers Dennis Eckersley and Cal Ripken, as well as
two-time World Champion David Wells, who will break down all of the
action and offer insight throughout each evening. Also contributing to
ALDS and NLDS postseason coverage will be TBS MLB insider and Sports
Illustrated baseball senior writer Tom Verducci, along with field
reporters Craig Sager, Marc Fein and David Aldridge.
TBS’s exclusive NLCS coverage will be called by Caray (play-by-play),
Darling (analyst) and Martinez (analyst), with an on-site studio team
featuring Johnson (host), Eckersley (analyst), Ripken (analyst) and
Wells (analyst). Sager will serve as a reporter for the NLCS, with
Verducci assigned to cover the American League Championship Series
(ALCS).
“We are thrilled to once again put together a team of announcers with
so much experience covering the MLB Postseason on TBS,” said Jeff
Behnke, Turner Sports executive producer. “They will provide unique
perspectives from all facets of the game, giving fans unparalleled
insights.”
Also returning this season is a redesigned version of TBS Hot Corner
on MLB.com (http://www.mlb.com/tbshotcorner). This year, fans will
have access to video highlights and interviews from the LDS and NLCS,
as well as exclusive, behind-the-scenes footage from TBS’s studio
show. In addition, TBS Hot Corner on MLB.com will run exclusive
expanded versions of The Pride of October series featuring Reggie
Jackson, which will debut Wednesday, Oct. 7, during TBS’s pregame show
MLB on Deck. Also, the network’s television announcers will use the
Twitter social networking platform to provide additional commentary
and analysis of all the Postseason action. The Turner Sports’ PR
Twitter feed at twitter.com/TurnerSportsPR will retweet all TBS Hot
Corner Twitter updates.
TBS’s roster of play-by-play announcers has extensive baseball
broadcasting experience. Longtime Turner broadcaster Dick Stockton
currently serves as an MLB play-by-play announcer for Fox and has
called NBA games on TNT for more than 10 years. Brian Anderson, who
worked with TBS during the 2008 Postseason, became the play-by-play
voice of the Milwaukee Brewers in 2007. Prior to that, Anderson served
as a host on The Golf Channel for its Nationwide events. Announcer Don
Orsillo also makes his return to TBS Postseason coverage for the third
year and has been a Boston Red Sox broadcaster for NESN (New England
Sports Network) for nine years. Chip Caray continues his role as an
MLB on TBS announcer, where he has spent six total years as a
broadcaster; prior to TBS, Caray spent seven years as a Chicago Cubs
announcer for WGN.
The network’s top-notch team of analysts brings more than a century’s
worth of Major League experience to the network. Sunday MLB on TBS
analyst Ron Darling won a World Championship with the New York Mets in
1986 and serves as a game and studio analyst for SportsNet New York
(SNY) coverage of the Mets, following a 13-year MLB career. Buck
Martinez has an extensive resume, including more than 30 years as an
MLB player and manager and more than 23 years of experience in
baseball broadcasting on television and radio. Bob Brenly, WGN
announcer and 2001 World Series Championship manager, spent the
majority of his career with the San Francisco Giants, followed by
stints as a coach, Arizona Diamondbacks manager and, most recently, as
a Chicago Cubs analyst. He previously worked the 2007 Postseason for
TBS. Joe Simpson also returns to the network’s Postseason coverage. He
has spent 24 years with TBS and locally with Peachtree TV in Atlanta
covering the Braves, along with five years as a Seattle Mariners
announcer, on the heels of his 11-year playing career.
In the studio, Hall of Famer Cal Ripken returns to the MLB Postseason
on TBS for his third consecutive year. He was nicknamed “Iron Man” for
playing in a record 2,632 consecutive games during his 21-year career
with the Baltimore Orioles. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004,
Dennis Eckersley was the AL MVP and Cy Young Award winner in 1992. He
also serves as an analyst for select Sunday MLB on TBS and Boston Red
Sox games for NESN. He worked with TBS during the 2008 MLB Postseason.
Two-time World Series champion David Wells joins the network’s studio
show following a 21-year MLB career. He was a studio analyst for the
2009 All-Star Selection Show on TBS and also served as a game analyst
for select Sunday MLB on TBS telecasts during the 2009 regular season.
We should get the full assignments soon.