JIm Williams » TBS, FOX ready for playoff push
By: Jim Williams
Examiner Sports Columnist
October 14, 2009
Well, Major League Baseball's final four has been set. TBS will have the Phillies-Dodgers National League Championship Series starting Thursday. Then FOX follows on Friday with the Yankees hosting the Angels in the American League Championship Series.
TBS will have the broadcast team of Chip Caray, Ron Darling and our friend Buck Martinez handling the NL action. There have been cheap shots from the critics and the bloggers about the duo of Caray and Darling, I think unfairly. However, one thing is for certain; having Martinez in the booth will help because Darling is better when he works in a three-man booth, something he is used to doing with the Mets.
Also, a fine job has been done thus far by the studio crew of Ernie Johnson, Dennis Eckersley, Cal Ripken and David Wells. They are very entertaining and informative.
It seems that TBS has found a baseball version of TNT's NBA studio show. Wells and Eckersley have supplied the comic relieve along with strong knowledge. Ripken has given very nice analysis.
Chris Rose, Eric Karros and Mark Grace will handle FOX pregame starting at a special time Friday at 7:30 p.m. The gang at FOX also has put together a solid team of analysts who bring the right touch of personality.
Joe Buck, Tim McCarver, Ken Rosenthal and Chris Myers will be on hand at Yankee Stadium for the telecast.
Radio fans will be covered on ESPN with MLB's longest-running national duo of Jon Miller and Hall of Famer Joe Morgan, who have been together for 20 years on TV and 10 on the radio. They'll call the ALCS. Meanwhile, down I-95, the Phillies-Dodgers series will have the popular combo of Dan Shulman and Dave Campbell.
The whole day gets coverage on Sirius-XM Home Plate -- on "Power Alley" with Seth Everett and Jim Duquette mornings from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., followed by "Inside Pitch" with Jeff Joyce and Kevin Kennedy from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Nats broadcaster and Sirius-XM host Rob Dibble pairs with Jody MacDonald in New York on Friday to do a two-hour pregame show live from Yankees Stadium.
Broadband-wise, TBS' "Hot Corner" and MLB interactive media have some very cool options for viewers to play with.
Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. Check out his blog, Watch this! on washingtonexaminer.com.
