Detroit Tigers television play-by-play man Mario Impemba was named Michigan Sportscaster of the Year on Tuesday by the National Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.
Impemba, who is also the radio and TV play-by-play voice for Oakland University men's basketball, has been calling Tigers games on FOX Sports Detroit for the past 10 years, nine of them with analyst Rod Allen. (Has it really been that long? Wow, time flies.)
His broadcast workload has increased as the Tigers have improved into a playoff contender over the past six years, putting more games on FSD. It's almost hard to remember that every Tigers game wasn't on TV not so long ago.
Detroit Free Press Michigan beat reporter Mark Snyder won Michigan Sportswriter of the Year honors from the NSSA. Snyder and Impemba will receive their awards on June 11 at the organization's banquet in Salisbury, N.C.
Among the national honorees will be Dan Shulman, who will be awarded National Sportscaster of the Year, and Joe Posnanski, who was named National Sportswriter of the Year.
Broadcaster Bob Costas and sportswriter John Feinstein will be inducted into the NSSA Hall of Fame at the event.