Last month, Fox Sports Detroit broadcasters Mario Impemba and Rod Allen got into a physical altercation. The two had a disagreement over a chair in the broadcast booth. Impemba left the booth and Allen went after him, choking him from behind.
Both Impemba and Allen were flown home separately after the incident and neither was allowed to return to the broadcast booth for the remainder of the regular season. We have now learned, per Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press, that Fox Sports Detroit will not bring them back next year.
Impemba had been calling Tigers games as the play-by-play man since 2002. Allen served as the color commentator since 2003.
Matt Shepard and Kirk Gibson got the call-up, so to speak, when Impemba and Allen were eschewed and figure to be the favorites to handle the post next season.