Ten months ago, Mario Impemba’s 17-year run as the Detroit Tigers television play-by-play voice came to an abrupt ending when both he and his broadcast partner, Rod Allen were let go following an off-air physical altercation. Impemba, who since joined the Red Sox radio broadcast as part of a rotation of play-by-play announcers, returned to Comerica Park over the weekend with Boston in Detroit for a series against the Tigers.
Impemba knew arriving at Comerica as part of the visiting team would be strange, especially the way his relationship with the Tigers ended last summer, but the veteran broadcaster was welcomed back. “It’s been really positive and that’s a cool thing,” he told Tony Paul of The Detroit News. “I’ve tried to flush the negativity out of my life the last nine months. It’s been a good return here. I’ll do two more games after tonight, and then go on with my life.”
Those two games have since been played, completing Impemba’s return to Detroit, but the way it ended last year still doesn’t sit well with the current Red Sox radio voice. “There’s still a lot of negativity surrounding what happened,” Impemba told Paul. “A lot of people ask me, ‘Why aren’t you telling your story?’
“I know what happened that night, he (Allen) knows what happened that night. I just want to move on. Nothing comes from rehashing a bad event in your life.”
After 17-years with the Tigers, his hometown team, Impemba envisioned choosing when he would leave his dream job after a celebrated career.
“I wanted to leave on my terms when I felt I couldn’t do the job anymore and say, ‘It’s been a great ride, thanks, I appreciate the opportunity.’
“And I was robbed of that,” Impemba said in his conversation with The Detroit News. “There’s some bitterness and anger there that you’ve gotta flush out. I think I’m getting there.
“I’m more angry at the situation, and it’s just going to take some time.”
Still, for Impemba, it could be worse than quickly rebounding with a franchise like the Boston Red Sox. Working at Fenway Park, for a team with World Series aspirations every year while the Tigers continue a long rebuild presents a silver-lining for Impemba, who’s enjoying working on radio.
“There’s more freedom, there’s less cooks in the kitchen, you just do what you do,” he said. “And there’s less egos in radio, too. It’s been a lot of fun.”
Brandon Contes is a freelance writer for BSM. He can be found on Twitter @BrandonContes. To reach him by email click here.