After a Free Press column about the Detroit Tigers announcer Jason Benetti (“Detroit Tigers don’t have perfect TV broadcast — but it sure is fun to watch,” Aug. 31), we published a letter from a fan who wasn’t so high on Benetti.(“Tigers broadcaster Jason Benetti should ‘focus on the game’,” Sept. 6.) And then the floodgates opened. Few fans seem ambivalent about the unconventional announcer and his crew. Got thoughts on Benetti, the Tigers, the Lions or anything else? Tell us all about it in a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters, and we may publish it online and in print.
I miss Benetti when he’s not there
I couldn’t disagree more with Judy Roy’s recent letter about Jason Benetti’s broadcast style. (“Tigers broadcaster Jason Benetti should ‘focus on the game,'” Detroit Free Press, Sept. 6.)
He and whomever is his boothmate at the time are supremely entertaining, without getting in the way of the game. Because the game is being televised, I don’t need my broadcaster to tell me what I’m seeing. Instead, he brings us inside the game, in an often humorous way, with whichever former player is his broadcast partner. In my opinion,
Ernie Harwell was the best ever on radio because of his ability to describe the game so that it felt you were seeing it with your own eyes. That’s not necessary on a TV broadcast. I miss Benetti when he’s not in the broadcast.
Jeffrey Foreman
Miami, Florida
Matt Shepard got a raw deal
I just want to give a shout out to Matt Shepard.
I thought he got a raw deal from the higher-ups in the office. He did a good job calling the games. He was informative and entertaining, and being a homegrown guy, was able to connect with all us Tiger-lifers and the rest of the Michigan sport scene. He was thrown in the booth with about a half dozen ex-jocks, that can’t be easy, yet he made it work.
Jason Benetti is pretty good, too, but Matt Shepherd should’ve kept the gig.
Rick Covert
Grand Blanc
Jason Benetti is a treasure
My family has enjoyed this season with the Detroit Tigers more than any since Ernie Harwell. “He was always a joy,” my wife declared, and her cousins played college baseball, inspired by the world of fandom created by the Tigers.
This year is different from the previous three decades of following the Tigers. We rarely miss a game this year because Jason Benetti, Daniella Bruce, Andy Dirks and the broadcast team have an upbeat positive cadence that transforms our living room into a den of commentary interrupted by laughter.
Thanks to the producers and staff. Best wishes, and go Tigers!
Mark Macdonald
Lowell
I want a full-time announcer
Tiger fans have had to listen to Jason Benetti for almost two years (when he’s in town). High praise nationally preceded his first game with the Tigers. I couldn’t wait for the second coming of Ernie Harwell (also highly praised when he came to the Tigers, a lifetime ago).
“Jason Benetti is no Ernie Harwell.” I expected someone who connected with the fans. For me, this has not occurred. When he’s broadcasting, the game is the least important emphasis that he presents. Sometimes he plays the innocent, “Andy, could you explain why this is happening?” or “Daniella, what’s the last food that you’ve eaten?” or “Dan, what’s the finger location for a split-finger pitch?” or …
He sometimes presents himself as the uninformed fan when everyone knows that he knows the game.
I have enjoyed his player interviews with (Dirks, Petry and Bruce). The rain-delay Q&A has been refreshing, but I want a full-time announcer.
Craig Thomson
Clinton Township
Can they stop talking for 1 minute?
Could not agree more with article bemoaning the current Tiger broadcast team of Benetti, Andy Dirks, Dan Petry, et al. I cannot listen to this broadcast, and mute or play music during the game.
I miss Ernie Harwell. The non-stop chatter about everything but the game is tiring in the extreme. I find myself yelling at the TV, “Give it a rest! How about one minute of silence!”
James Scribner
Wausau, Wisconsin
Not the Benetti talk show
I don’t care for his broadcast. Y’all are right. He never seems to shut up and really pay attention to the game. You miss plays because he’s just talking away about nothing.
When he first started, I didn’t like him and couldn’t put my finger on it, but now I get it. He really gets on my nerves, and my husband feels the same way. We need a new and better announcer, so we can get play-by-play results. That’s what he’s supposed to be doing. It’s not the Jason Benetti talk show!
Tammy Jones
Ann Arbor
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers broadcaster Jason Benetti is a ‘treasure’ | Letters
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