As I originally speculated on Twitter earlier this summer, Ernie Johnson will be the lead announcer for TBS on its postseason coverage. He’ll replace Chip Caray who was absolutely awful last season. The other play-by-play men will remain the same, Don Orsillo of NESN, Dick Stockton of Fox/TBS and Brian Anderson of Fox Sports Wisconsin will be the men who have been with TBS since it began its postseason coverage in 2007.
To replace EJ in the studio, NBA TV host Matt Winer will be the host and that is a very good move as Matt is quite competent.
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Here’s the official press release from TBS.
TBS Announces MLB Postseason Broadcasters for Exclusive Coverage of League Division Series and the American League Championship SeriesEmmy® Winner Ernie Johnson to Serve as Lead Play-by-Play Announcer, Alongside Analysts Ron Darling and John SmoltzTBS today announced the network’s broadcasting teams for exclusive coverage of all four MLB League Division Series (LDS) and the American League Championship Series (ALCS). For the ALCS, TBS’s team will be led by Emmy® winner Ernie Johnson, paired with analysts and World Series Champions Ron Darling and John Smoltz.TBS’s coverage of the American League Division Series (ALDS) and National League Division Series (NLDS) will be handled by a quartet of play-by-play announcers: Johnson, Brian Anderson, Dick Stockton and Don Orsillo. These announcers will work with a team of veteran analysts, including regular Sunday MLB on TBS announcers Darling, Smoltz and Buck Martinez, along with Bob Brenly and Joe Simpson, who are both returning to TBS this postseason.David Levy, President of Sales, Distribution and Sports Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. announcing the team said “We’ve assembled a great group of talented, experienced announcers for our MLB Postseason coverage. This versatile team will be fully prepared to deliver insightful and engaging analysis that will complement all of the excitement and drama that will unfold on the field in October. I am also thrilled Ernie will take on the lead role of play-by-play during the LDS and ALCS. He is one of the preeminent announcers in sports today and his experience and presence in the booth during the postseason will clearly enrich our game telecasts.”The 2010 MLB Postseason on TBS kicks off on Wednesday, Oct. 6 with a LDS tripleheader (times TBD). The network’s exclusive coverage of the ALCS will get underway on Friday, Oct. 15.Following are the announcer pairings for TBS’ exclusive coverage of the LDS and ALCS (play-by-play/analyst):
- Ernie Johnson (play-by-play), Ron Darling (analyst) and John Smoltz (analyst)
- Brian Anderson (play-by-play) and Joe Simpson (analyst)
- Dick Stockton (play-by-play) and Bob Brenly (analyst)
- Don Orsillo (play-by-play) and Buck Martinez (analyst)
In the studio, host Matt Winer will be joined by Hall of Famers Dennis Eckersley and Cal Ripken, as well as two-time World Series Champion David Wells. The team will offer insights and break-down all the action throughout TBS’s postseason coverage. MLB insider and Sports Illustrated senior baseball writer for the magazine and SI.com Tom Verducci, along with Craig Sager, Marc Fein and David Aldridge, will serve as TBS reporters during the ALDS and NLDS.“The MLB Postseason is one of the crown jewels in sports and must-see programming for TBS,” said Jeff Behnke, Turner Sports executive producer. “We look forward to maximizing our productions resources, including the varied unique perspectives of our on-air talent, to provide baseball fans across the country with informative and entertaining telecasts throughout our Postseason schedule.”This season, versatile Ernie Johnson has called games on Sunday MLB on TBS, as well as on Turner-owned Peachtree TV in Atlanta. Johnson is the longtime host of TNT’s Emmy-winning NBA on TNT studio team and has called NBA games on TNT and NBA TV. Johnson also serves as the main play-by-play announcer for TNT’s coverage of the PGA Championship. Sunday MLB on TBS announcer Brian Anderson has covered the Postseason on TBS since 2008 and has served as play-by-play voice of the Milwaukee Brewers since 2007. Longtime Turner broadcaster Dick Stockton, a 35-year veteran announcer of MLB, has also called NBA games on TNT for more than 10 years. Announcer Don Orsillo, who returns to TBS Postseason coverage for the fourth year, and has been a Boston Red Sox broadcaster for NESN (New England Sports Network) for 10 years.TBS’s expert team of analysts brings more than a century’s worth of major league experience to the network. Analyst Ron Darling returns to the MLB Postseason on TBS for the fourth consecutive season. Darling, a 13-year major leaguer and former All-Star, also serves as a game and studio analyst for SportsNet New York’s (SNY) coverage of the New York Mets. John Smoltz serves a game analyst for select Sunday MLB on TBS games, the MLB Network and Braves games on Peachtree TV. The eight-time All-Star and former Cy Young award winner was also an in-studio guest analyst during the 2007 MLB Postseason on TBS and served as an analyst during the network’s coverage of the 2008 LDS. Buck Martinez has been a part of TBS’s Postseason coverage since 2007. He has more than 30 years of experience as an MLB player and manager and more than 24 years experience in baseball broadcasting on television and radio. Bob Brenly, a full-time Chicago Cubs announcer on WGN and 2001 World Series Championship manager, spent the majority of his career with the San Francisco Giants. He previously worked the 2007 and 2009 Postseason for TBS. Joe Simpson, who returns to TBS’s Postseason coverage, has spent 25 years with TBS as a broadcaster and currently serves as an analyst Peachtree TV. Simpson played 11 years in the majors as a catcher.In the studio, Matt Winer joins TBS as host for the MLB Postseason for the first time. He currently serves as a studio host for NBA TV, anchoring NBA GameTime. Prior to joining Turner, Winer spent nine years at ESPN, where he regularly anchored the network’s flagship SportsCenter and hosted a wide range of other shows, including Baseball Tonight and NFL Live. Hall of Famer Cal Ripken returns to the MLB Postseason on TBS for the fourth 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. Eckersley also serves as an analyst for select Sunday MLB on TBS and Boston Red Sox games for NESN. He has worked with TBS during the MLB Postseason since 2008. David Wells, a 21-year MLB veteran, has been a studio analyst for the MLB All-Star Selection Show on TBS since 2009 and a game analyst for select Sunday MLB on TBS for the past two seasons.
I’ve liked TBS’ coverage as it’s been understated and allows the game to come to them, not the other way around. I do hope it continues with the MLB playoffs for a long time to come.
