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However, for the 2017 season, Morris is going to be a one-team broadcaster. As reported by the Detroit News‘ Tony Paul, the 254-game winner will work exclusively for the Twins during the upcoming campaign. He’ll be one of five analysts rotating on Fox Sports North’s broadcasts with play-by-play man Dick Bremer, along with Bert Blyleven, Torii Hunter, LaTroy Hawkins and Roy Smalley.
Morris has been part of the Twins’ broadcast team for nine seasons, going back to 2005. Hunter and Hawkins are joining the booth for the first time this year.
According to the Twins, Morris had essentially been “on loan” to Fox Sports Detroit during the past two seasons, wanting to change up the pairing of play-by-play man Mario Impemba and analyst Rod Allen, notably by bringing a pitcher into the booth. With Morris now out of the mix on Tigers telecasts, FSD will rotate Allen with Kirk Gibson. Gibson is expected to call 60 games, with Allen doing the rest.
(Impemba will not swap occasional broadcasts with Tigers radio play-by-play man Dan Dickerson, as happened last year.)
Craig Monroe had also been a part of the rotation last year, but he will return to a studio analyst and occasional sideline reporter during the network’s Tigers coverage.
But there will be one special edition in the FSD broadcast booth during the 2017 season. Dick Enberg, who recently retired as the San Diego Padres’ TV play-by-play voice, will call the Tigers’ series with the Los Angeles Dodgers at Comerica Park on Aug. 18-20. No word yet on who will be paired with Enberg, though he called one Tigers telecast with Gibson last season.
FSD general manager Greg Hammaren admitted to the Detroit Free Press that the network tinkered too much with the Tigers’ TV broadcast team, which was unpopular with viewers. FSD’s Tigers telecasts have been among the highest rated local broadcasts in recent years. Impemba and Allen have been a popular team with Tigers fans, together on the air for the past 14 seasons.
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