Cal Ripken Jr. "won't be returning" to TBS' MLB playoff coverage this season, according to a source cited by Bob Raissman of the N.Y. DAILY NEWS. TBS called the move a "mutual decision," as Ripken is "actively involved with his foundation and other business ventures." Ripken last October was "positioned outside the broadcast booth at field level" with Ernie Johnson and Ron Darling in the booth. He had been with the net since '12, during which time he also "worked the studio." While Ripken "didn’t create many memories behind the microphone," he was a "solid, albeit vanilla, voice." TBS likely "will use Darling and Johnson in a two-man booth and not add a third voice" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 9/10).
KEEP ON LOVING YOU: MLB Network today is rolling out a new promo for “MLB Tonight” that takes a humorous look at the studio show’s analysts and their passion for pennant chases. The spot, created in-house with the help of The Collective @ Lair, N.Y., is set to REO Speedwagon’s “Can’t Fight This Feeling” and uses slo-mo photos. MLB Net’s Mark DeRosa, Cliff Floyd, Al Leiter, Kevin Millar, Dan Plesac, Harold Reynolds and Bill Ripken are featured in the spot, which shares a name with the REO Speedwagon song (Austin Karp, Assistant Managing Editor).
