Courtesy the Detroit News

(August 16, 2010) After hosting network broadcasts of the World Cup and the British Open this spring and summer, Mike Tirico is working NFL exhibitions and the U.S. Open (tennis) this month before returning to "Monday Night Football" and eventually, the NBA.

Plum assignments for the jack-of-all-trades at ESPN/ABC.

Like his late colleague and friend, Jim McKay, for a previous generation, Tirico describes the action in a multiplicity of sports and provides a sense of gravitas that often transcends games to explain how it all fits in to society.

So, what does he do with his down time?

"Like most people who live down state, whenever we can, we're up north," Tirico said. "I was not born here (in Michigan), but we moved here 11 years ago now.

"My wife, Debbie Gibaratz, is a former all-state softball and basketball player from Trenton, in the late 1980s. We kind of moved back to be near her folks. We are sort of the proudest Syracuse alums in Ann Arbor, and we have a lot of friends here.

"I joke with my daughters, 'You can wear that Syracuse jersey to the Big House anytime you want!' "

He admitted he does occasionally mention the famous -- infamous, around Ann Arbor -- performance by Syracuse quarterback Donovan McNabb against Michigan in 1998. Facing a talented Wolverines team that featured Tom Brady and Drew Henson, McNabb was 21 for 27 for 233 yards and rushed 19 times for 60 yards. The Orangemen led the Wolverines, 38-7, with less then seven minutes remaining before settling for a 38-28 victory.

"But the kids have become big Michigan supporters and fans of all the local teams," Tirico said. "And so have I. I will take in as many home games as I can, when I am here."

During breaks in World Cup play in South Africa this summer, Tirico said he set aside time to watch the Tigers online -- while they were still setting the pace in the Central Division.

"It's been sort of a bummer of a summer since then," he said. "But, I'd see them online when I'd get back to my room, at night. And the kids were keeping me informed."
Spreading his wings

Sinking roots deeply in Michigan is occurring as he becomes a mainstay on major broadcasts for the two major networks, ESPN and ABC, which are owned by Disney.

"I've loved it, starting 20 years ago now at ESPN, back in '91," he said. "The best part of that place has been the opportunity to do a lot of different things. Because there are so many networks now, with broadcasts of individual sports, it's one of the few places with an opportunity to do a variety of things like that. So, I've been able to branch out from football and basketball to golf and, this year, the World Cup soccer, tennis and just a bunch of different sporting events.

"And I'm lucky enough to have been entrusted with a bunch of stuff."

The World Cup was a new gig for him, working in the studio with, among others, Alexi Lalas, a former defender for the U.S. who is from Birmingham.

"He went to Cranbrook; another Michigan guy!" Tirico said. "I had not been to South Africa or covered the World Cup, but I had the knowledge from others, like Lexi, who have, about how phenomenal it is, as an event. It lived up to that and beyond every expectation I had for it. The country did an unbelievable job of hosting, and it's a beautiful country, and a people who are wonderful, and a history that is evolving, as we speak.

"I mean, take the United States. We were 220 years old when we hosted it. And for this significant event to have happened in South Africa 15 years after apartheid, with people front and center still alive having a chance to see where their country had come -- they were amazing. It was a very worthwhile experience."

At the Old Course at St. Andrew's for the British Open, Tirico headed a team of announcers and analysts describing another considerable triumph for South Africa, the victory of Louis Oosthuizen. But Tiger Woods made a lot of news, too, for another one of his subpar performances this season.

"I don't know if he can ever be as dominant as he was," Tirico said. "There have been two dominant phases of his career, and I don't necessarily know that there's a third one. He's 34, on the way to 35. He has time to come back, but I think the fear factor he put in other players is nowhere near where it once was."
Lions on the rise

One local event, a must-see in pro sports in Detroit that Tirico said he has not attended as a fan, is the Lions Thanksgiving Day game. And his travels as the play-by-play man for "Monday Night Football" probably will prevent him from marking that off his list.

But he has an opinion about the franchise, which has mostly foundered for two generations. Tirico said he likes the path the Lions are on.

"I knew Jim Schwartz when he was in Tennessee as a defensive coordinator, and I know people around the league have admired him," said Tirico, who was born in Queens. "I think it's the brand of football that can win here, with an emphasis on defense. I think Matt Stafford is a franchise quarterback. And, time will tell, in a few years; but the people around me are saying the same thing, too.

"They will probably have four or five wins this year. But the schedule is brutal. The Lions have almost no let-ups. But, I think we're two years away from looking at a team that can be thinking about being six-and-six and take charge the last four games, and seeing what happens then."

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