by
Matt Shepard (LinkedIn
After five years as the Detroit Tigers play-by-play announcer, Matt Shepard has been shown the door.
Bally Sports Detroit gave him the axe, according to a story Tuesday by Tony Paul of the Detroit News.
Bally will conduct a national search for his replacement.
"Bally Sports Detroit thanks Matt Shepard for his five seasons of dedication in the Tigers television booth, and wishes him the best in his future endeavors," Greg Hammeran, senior vice president and general manager of Bally Sports Detroit, said in a statement to The Detroit News. "He's been a great teammate and has an incredible passion for Detroit sports and bringing compelling storylines to millions of fans every year.
"Change is often difficult, but we feel it's time to head in a new direction and are looking forward to the process of finding our next play-by-play voice of the Tigers."
A broadcast industry observer, who declined to be identified, tells Deadline Detroit that Shepard was not very good, explaining "he came across as pompous and often patronizing and asked inane questions to his partners."
"They work for Bally but they serve at the team's behest," he said of the announcers. "There was too much rah rah and homerism which caused them to lack any modicum of credibility."
