Rod and Mario, back together, sort of: FSD, 97.1 plan several rebroadcasts of Tigers games

Tigers fans are going to get hear Rod and Mario again.

With the coronavirus crisis wiping out sports across the globe at least through mid-May, local television and radio stations are gathering up legacy programming to take the place of live games.

Fox Sports Detroit has scheduled multiple Tigers, Red Wings and Pistons replays, and also will be adding in some "classic" broadcasts.

For the Tigers, that starts at 1 p.m. Monday, the day that formally was known as Opening Day, with a broadcast of last year's opener against the Kansas City Royals.

FSD also has plans to air the April 2, 2019, game against the New York Yankees (1 p.m. Sunday); the April 10, 2019, game against the Cleveland Indians (8 p.m. Thursday); and the May 5, 2019, game against the Royals (1 p.m. April 5).

None of those games include longtime broadcasts Rod Allen and Mario Impemba, who were let go late in the 2018 season. That's not the reason for previous years' omission, FSD says.

"Those games and others are coming," said Greg Hammaren, general manager and senior vice president for Fox Sports Detroit. "For a variety of reasons, mostly operational, we are only finalizing our schedule on average about two weeks out. The ‘glory years,' as you call them, are coming in early April.

"Not just Tigers, but Pistons and Red Wings, too."

Hammaren said there are still rights issues the network has to navigate.

Jeff Byle, executive producer for FSD, tweeted Friday that those games should start the week of April 6.

For the time being, scheduled Tigers "classics" include the last game at Tiger Stadium (8 p.m. April 8), the Tiger Stadium farewell show (11:30 p.m. April 8), the first pregame show from Comerica Park (7 p.m. April 11), and the first game at Comerica Park (8 p.m. April 11).

There also are several Pistons and Red Wings replays and classics scheduled. For an up-to-date listing, visit foxsports.com/detroit.

Meanwhile, 97.1 The Ticket, the flagship radio station for the Tigers, also is planning to re-air broadcasts from notable games, starting with the Armando Galarraga near-perfect game, set for 8 p.m. Monday. The station plans occasional 8 p.m. weekday reairs, and 6 p.m. reairs on Saturdays and Sundays.

A complete schedule from 97.1 The Ticket hasn't yet been released.

tpaul@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @tonypaul1984