Bally Sports North to Debut on Twins Opening Day + Other Broadcast Changes

The Minnesota Twins will have a new TV broadcast home on April 1, when they’re hosted by the Milwaukee Brewers on Opening Day. Well, kind of. They will still be found on the same channels and the same providers (sorry cable cutters and dish network customers) but “Fox Sports North” is officially rebranding to “Bally Sports North” in a move that’s been expected for double-digit months.

For those who will have access to Bally Sports North (all cable and DirecTV customers), Twins broadcasts will look very similar… but quite different at the same time. You can read all of the details for yourself at foxsportsnorth.com (yes, that’s still the URL) or you can let Aaron Gleeman (The Athletic) sum things up for you on Twitter. I checked and there wasn’t anything he missed that jumped out at me.

Some other TV-related details from the Twins:

– Just the fourth time in Twins history all 162 games will be on TV

– Pre/postgame hosted by Anthony LaPanta and Annie Sabo, with Tim Laudner and Glen Perkins as analysts

– Marney Gellner and Audra Martin back as sideline reporters

— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) March 17, 2021

Some things of note

So long, Bert Blyleven. We knew he wasn’t going to be around anymore but it still hits different when you see the broadcast set list without him. I grew up with Bert circling fans on my TV during Twins games. Something about his voice was soothing on long summer evenings and cold April afternoons. But, his time had clearly passed and Justin Morneau, Roy Smalley and LaTroy Hawkins are all homerun replacements.

Honestly, I haven’t been impressed with Annie Sabo. She hasn’t improved since she started and still seems to fumble through many broadcasts. I’ll be watching to see if she shows any improvement. Audra has become a staple of Fox Sports North and hopefully sticks around as long as possible. Marney is a legend and LaPanta is quickly on his way there.

So while many things will be different during Minnesota Twins broadcasts this season, many things will still be the same. That includes all of the people crying on Twitter because their favorite streaming service doesn’t carry the games. That’s something I’ve gotten used to. Cable isn’t much different in cost nowadays, than whatever you’re streaming. Stop being stubborn and make the call OR just stop crying.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fans