They've been a Detroit baseball broadcast team for 16 years – the only TV broadcasters that many Tigers fans have known. But the days when Mario Impemba and Rod Allen called the games side by side may be over.

Impemba and Allen, along with Fox Sports Detroit, are facing the aftermath of a clash after the Tigers-White Sox game Tuesday night in Chicago.

Impemba and Allen had to be separated after an immediate post-match flare in which Allen had imposed Impemba, said a source close to the event at Detroit News. The source required anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the incident.

Allen's agent, Tom Shaer, denied there was a "choke" against Impemba.

"Absolutely, completely, completely wrong," said Shaer.

Allen, himself, posted on Twitter on Thursday night, "I've always behaved like a reputable professional and I'll always do it because it's a matter of staff." I can not comment right away. " Impemba did not comment.

None of the officials sent messages from The News on Thursday, including Greg Hammaren, vice president and station manager at FSD.

The two men traded before the match on the FSD stand at Guaranteed Rate Field with a special chair that Allen was using to solve problems, the source said.

Tensions subsided but then exploded on a separate issue. The confrontation became physical, said the source, and had to be dismantled by an unidentified FSD employee.

TV partners Tigers were suspended Wednesday and replaced for at least one night by Matt Shepard and Kirk Gibson.

This was not the first case of tension between the two, who, far from the stand, have little contact with each other, the source said. Their relationship a few years ago became very icy during periods of silence when one waited for the other to make a comment and fill his time – a constant challenge for a baseball show.

But in recent seasons, the two men have maintained, at least on the stand, an apparently healthier alliance, while new faces and voices – Gibson, Jack Morris and Craig Monroe – joined Impemba at the booth or alternated in the studio . .

The two men returned to Detroit Wednesday, separately, according to The Athletic, which for the first time published reports on Tuesday night's skirmish. Shepard and Gibson were pushed to Chicago for the final of the series.

The spokeswoman, Courtney Welch, said in a statement that FSD would not comment on the "internal matter". She did not answer when she was asked when Impemba or Allen would go back in the air.

Impemba has been the main FSD gaming voice since 2002, with Allen joining him in 2003. Impemba is a Detroit native, a resident of Sterling Heights and a graduate of Michigan State University who has joined the Tigers after working as a radio. play the voice for Los Angeles Angels.

Allen played briefly for the Tigers in 1984 and was an analyst on the Arizona Diamondbacks, before moving on to the Tigers and FSDs. He lives in the off-season with his wife, Adrian, in the suburbs of Phoenix.

The question of the return of Impemba and Allen on the stand is resolved for them and for the audience of FSD.

There are three weeks left for the Tigers and, while Gibson was to be Impemba's partner in the next two rounds, it was unlikely on Thursday that Ampemba and Allen would work together this year – or maybe in the future.

A source familiar with the parties 'discussions said Thursday that Allen was still scheduled to be part of the Tigers' shows, working either from the studio or from the FSD set at Comerica Park in the next six-game season.

Two years ago, the Tigers experimented with Dan Dickerson, the room-by-room radio player, to switch positions with Impemba during a handful of regular season games.

The compromise seemed to be running smoothly for all parties. The question of whether this could potentially be at least an initial solution was unclear on Thursday. It is more likely that the Shepard and Gibson FSD backup team can continue because, during their casual pairings, it seems to be a comfortable fit.

According to the source, all that appeared on Thursday is that Impemba and Allen have probably agreed during the rest of the year 2018.

The contractual relations between Tigers, their networks and broadcasters differ from one radio to the other. Tiger broadcasters are jointly employed by the Tigers and the WXYT radio network.

Impemba and Allen are independent contractors hired by FSD, with the approval of the Tigers.

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