Roderick Bernet "Rod" Allen (born October 5, 1959 in Los Angeles, California) is a former professional baseball player and coach. He is currently the television color commentator for the Detroit Tigers on FSN Detroit.

Baseball

Playing career

Allen was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the sixth round of the 1977 Major League Baseball Draft. He enjoyed a brief stint with the Seattle Mariners in 1983. He was 23 years old when he made his major league debut on April 7, 1983. He hit .296 in 27 at bats during a 15 game stint as an outfielder and designated hitter with the World Champion Detroit Tigers in 1984. He enjoyed another brief stint in the majors with the Cleveland Indians in 1988. Allen spent the last three years of his playing career with the Hiroshima Carp in Japan's Central League. He hit a pair of home runs against Seibu Lions in the 1991 Japan Series and set a Japanese regular season record with four home runs in four consecutive at bats during his time in the league. He is infamous for charging the mound after Kazuhiko Daimon from the Yokohama Taiyo Whales hit him in the back with a pitch, and subsequently chasing the pitcher across the entire field with both teams' benches in tow.

Coaching career

Prior to his work as a broadcaster, Allen spent four seasons as a hitting instructor in the Florida Marlins organization from 1992 through 1995. In 1994 and 1995, he was the hitting coach for the Kane County Cougars, the Marlins Single-A affiliate in the Midwest League. Some of the notable players he coached include Mike Redmond, Kevin Millar, and Luis Castillo. During his time in the Marlins organization, Allen worked under Dave Dombrowski, who would later become the Tigers President, CEO, and General Manager.

Broadcasting

Rod Allen is the regular color commentator on Detroit Tigers television telecasts for FSN Detroit. The 2008 baseball season will be Allen's sixth season of broadcasting Tigers games, while Mario Impemba does play-by-play. In addition to his work for the Tigers he has contributed to FOX Saturday Baseball. Rod Allen has won Michigan Emmys in 2006 and 2007 for his analysis of Detroit Tigers baseball.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Before joining the Tigers, he spent five seasons (1998-2002) with the Arizona Diamondbacks as a television (FSN Arizona) and radio analyst. He served as the color commentator on the Diamondbacks radio broadcasts during the 2001 postseason, including the World Series win against the New York Yankees.

Idiosyncrasies

Allen is known to viewers for a variety of idiosyncrasies that liven up his announcing style. For example, he has a very distinctive high-pitched laugh that emerges at exciting moments during games. He also has a group of words and phrases that he uses often, e.g., "special," "nasty," "filthy," "partner," (pronounced "pahdnuh") "stellar," "he buggy-whipped that one", "that's a big league pitch," "elevated", "steady diet," "country strong," "he can play" and "without question." A common type of phrase that he would use during a game might be, "Mario, Bondo's got the filthy stuff today, pahdnuh," "he's serving him a steady diet of nasty breaking balls," or "Baseball is a humbling game pahdnuh." He will also often use his partner's name twice in the same sentence for emphasis. For example, "Mario, I think that Big Red just needs to get some of that fresh air of Tropicana Field, Mario." Another example would be "Mario did you work out today, Mario?" One of Allen's most popular phrases during the 2006 Tigers season was "There you Mr. Shelton!" in reference to Chris Shelton's power. Other favorite phrases include statements such as, "Get down with your bad self," after a home run is hit. Rod also likes to refer to a fastball as "a piece of cheese". He has been known to refer to Jeremy Bonderman's slider as "Mr. Snappy", Justin Verlander's fastball as "High Octane Cheese" and to Craig Monroe as "Baby Boy." When Joel Zumaya is on the mound, Allen may use commentary such as "it's just not fair" or "best arm in baseball." His playful commentary has led to the creation of the "Rod Allen Drinking Game", a tongue-in-cheek phenomenon among Tigers fans.

Family life

Allen and his wife, Ardian, have four children: Rhonda, 31; Rod, Jr., 25; Andrew, 18; and Rachel, 16. The Allens live in the Phoenix, Arizona area. Allen, Jr. was selected by the New York Yankees in the 12th round of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft after a collegiate career at Arizona State University. He played the 2004 season with the Staten Island Yankees in the New York-Penn League, and he is currently on the roster of the Class A Winston-Salem Warthogs. Andrew was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 43rd round of the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft. He attended Desert Vista High School in Phoenix, Arizona.

References

External links

• - Blog dedicated to Rod Allen and Detroit Tigers baseball

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