DETROIT -- Like many baseball fans, Tigers television broadcaster Matt Shepard was gearing up for an interesting season in a fun division when the coronavirus pandemic shut the game down in mid-March. He has had plenty to keep him busy in the six weeks since then, from classic Tigers replays on Fox Sports Detroit to his morning sports talk show. But he’s missing baseball, from pregame stories with manager Ron Gardenhire to talks with players to chats with the media.
While we wait in hopes for a 2020 season soon, Shepard gets his chance to talk baseball with fellow broadcasters across the American League Central. "Grillin’ the AL Central" brings together many of the voices of the division for a 30-minute virtual roundtable, discussing the latest developments around baseball as well as the AL Central.
Joining Shepard and Hall of Famer Jack Morris are Indians broadcasters Matt Underwood and Jensen Lewis from Fox Sports Ohio, Royals broadcasters Ryan Lefebvre and Rex Hudler from Fox Sports Kansas City, Twins broadcasters Dick Bremer and Bert Blyleven from Fox Sports North, and former White Sox catcher turned Fox Sports analyst A.J. Pierzynski along with longtime Chicago baseball reporter Bruce Levine.
The show debuts on Fox Sports Detroit on Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET, with re-airs at 10 p.m. that night, 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday, and 5:30 p.m. on Friday. The late-night airings follow classic Tigers broadcasts on FSD.
“What we’ve done is we’ve taken the play-by-play voices and analysts in the division,” Shepard said, “and we’ve gotten the temperature of what they feel fans are missing, players are missing, how this coronavirus has affected organizations in different areas, and then we gave them a little thumbnail sketch of what they can expect when baseball comes back, important additions like Austin Romine, C.J. Cron and Jonathan Schoop for Detroit, Edwin Encarnacion and Dallas Keuchel for the White Sox.
“And what we did, too, is ask, 'What do we miss most about baseball?' And I told them I miss the people. I miss talking baseball. Those are the things that I really miss. Obviously we miss the game and the chance to go in and talk with different players and coaches and Gardy, but I miss the camaraderie with the media, too. And then the analysts were able to express their feelings about the division, how this stoppage of play is affecting players and coaches. We took a part of what people are missing about baseball, and then the analysts are taking their parts of what they’re missing.”
It’s a good look at the division that gets overlooked nationally but has a bevy of young talent -- some already in the big leagues like with the White Sox, others about to arrive with the Tigers and Royals.
It’s a perfect show for Shepard, who is meticulous in his research on the Tigers, their division, AL and Interleague foes, even teams the Tigers aren’t scheduled to face this season. Shepard was neck deep in his prep work when Spring Training was suspended in mid-March.
“The good thing for me is what I’m able to do in the offseason is research,” he said. “I had all of that done except for the [National League] Central, because Detroit wasn’t expected to face the NL Central. I’ve been able to do that now.”
He also has gotten to know more than he ever thought he needed to learn about video conferencing. Between his Fox Sports Detroit work and his Facebook Live sessions with former and current players, his face has been on conferencing screens all over. He talked with Tigers top prospect Casey Mize earlier this week for the one-year anniversary of his no-hitter at Double-A Erie. The "Grillin’ the AL Central" is another example.
“I’ve done it a lot,” Shepard said. “I’ve enjoyed it, actually. I hope people have enjoyed it, too. It’s been fun; it really has. I like the personal interactions. Those are the things I’m missing most [with no games]. I’m missing going into Gardy’s office and hearing the stories, and then going around the clubhouse and talking with the players. That’s a really big part of your job and my job. Part of our jobs is helping viewers with things they may not know.”
If the games return with limited or no media access, that will be something he misses. If the season begins without fans in the stands, he’ll miss that, too.
“Players feed off fan interactions. I think broadcasters do, too,” Shepard said. “I think broadcasters feed off the intensity of a moment, and fans help create that intensity. The best thing to do after a home run is call it and then be quiet and let our talented producers show the reaction.”