Keith Olbermann Joins Turner Broadcast Team for MLB Playoff Coverage

Renowned television personality Keith Olbermann is set to join Turner Sports to host its Major League Baseball postseason studio show on TBS in October.

Turner Broadcasting president of sales, distribution and sports David Levy broke the news on Wednesday in a press release on Turner.com.

Olbermann will team up with Hall of Fame pitcher Dennis Eckersley on the set, while MLB legend Cal Ripken Jr. will join play-by-play announcer Ernie Johnson and analyst Ron Darling as part of the broadcast team for playoff games, per USA Today.

Levy expressed excitement in bringing Olbermann on board:

"

It’s well known that Keith is a fan of the game and when you combine that with his studio experience, keen insight and passion for baseball and its history, he’ll add a new dimension to our MLB Postseason studio shows.

We're excited to have him join Dennis in studio, and look forward to Keith sharing his in-depth knowledge of the game, MLB teams and players with our viewers for three great weeks in October.

"

As the Turner press release points out, Olbermann is a longtime, award-winning sports and news anchor, and was an anchor on ESPN's SportsCenter program from 1992 to 1997. This job with TBS will only last about a month, but it should provide the fresh, quirky and blunt commentary that Olbermann has become known for throughout his career. 

CNN is part of the Turner umbrella, and that's where Olbermann began his career as a sports reporter. However, Levy stated that the contract is for Turner exclusively and CNN is not included in the deal. In the interest of full disclosure, it should also be noted that Turner owns Bleacher Report. 

Olbermann also hosted baseball-postseason shows for NBC and FOX in the late 1990s, so he's had this specific type of experience before. The show he anchored for FOX won the 1999 Emmy Award for Best Sports Studio Show.

The last position Olbermann had in the sports industry was a studio-host spot on NBC's Sunday Night Football telecast for the NFL.