09/18/2008 1:30 PM ET
TBS unveils announcers for postseason
Network will have exclusive coverage of Division Series, ALCS
By Jim Molony / MLB.com
Veteran play-by-play men Chip Caray, Don Orsillo and Dick Stockton, two-time Emmy Award-winner Ernie Johnson and Hall of Famers Cal Ripken and Dennis Eckersley will comprise part of the broadcasting roster for the TBS network's exclusive coverage of the four Division Series and the American League Championship Series, the network announced Thursday.
Caray, the announcer for "Sunday MLB on TBS," Boston play-by-play man Orsillo, Milwaukee's Brian Anderson and Stockton will handle the ALDS and National League Division Series alongside a team of expert analysts including "Sunday MLB on TBS" analysts Ron Darling and Buck Martinez, Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, 16-year veteran broadcaster Joe Simpson, pitcher John Smoltz and two-time AL All-Star/MLB.com host Harold Reynolds.
Johnson will be in the studio for each of the first-round series, where he will be breaking down each night's action with Ripken, Eckersley and Detroit Tigers center fielder Curtis Granderson.
Also contributing to the ALDS and NLDS postseason coverage will be Major League Baseball insider for TBS and Sports Illustrated baseball senior writer Tom Verducci, along with field reporters Craig Sager, Marc Fein and David Aldridge.
"We are excited to have a team of announcers with such well-regarded and respected credentials for the MLB Postseason on TBS," Turner Sports executive producer Jeff Behnke said. "Their extensive knowledge and experience from all aspects of the game will provide fans with in-depth analysis of the MLB Postseason on TBS."
TBS' exclusive coverage of the ALCS will be called by Caray (play-by-play), Darling (analyst) and Martinez (analyst), with an on-site studio team featuring Johnson (host), Ripken (analyst), Eckersley (analyst) and Reynolds (analyst).
Sager will serve as a reporter for the ALCS, with an additional reporter assigned to cover the National League Championship Series to be announced at a later time.
Also returning this season is an enhanced version of TBS Hot Corner on MLB.com (
http://www.mlb.com/tbshotcorner). Each game featured during TBS' exclusive Division Series and ALCS coverage will provide fans with four distinct camera angles to choose from, or the option to view them simultaneously in a four-screen mosaic. This year's media player will be leveraging Microsoft Silverlight technology, allowing fans more interactivity as they choose between multiple game feeds. The four distinct camera angles include dugout cam, PitchTrax cam, pitcher cam and batter cam. With this year's live game streaming application, fans will have the option to switch between live games, submit questions to the booth to be answered on air, interact with other fans around the country in live chat rooms, and vote in live polls. An on-site reporter will bring fans live reports and exclusive interviews throughout the game as well.