Palmer, diagnosed with myelitis, not in booth
Orioles legend did not say when he will be able to return to broadcasts
BALTIMORE ¨C Hall of Fame pitcher and current MASN broadcaster Jim Palmer has been diagnosed with myelitis, an infection of the spinal column, he said Friday in a tweet. Palmer said the condition was caused by the shingles virus, calling it the reason he was out of the booth for Friday¡¯s Orioles game against the Rangers.
Palmer, 73, did not reveal when he plans to return to broadcasting. He thanked the club¡¯s medical team for suggesting he undergo an MRI, which resulted in the diagnosis. Mike Bordick replaced Palmer on color duty Friday, alongside play-by-play man Gary Thorne.
¡°I¡¯m out of the booth due to a rare infection in my spinal column caused by the Shingles virus,¡± Palmer tweeted. ¡°VERY thankful for O¡¯s team docs and trainers who told me to get MRI ASAP ... showed Myelitis. I¡¯m still watching O¡¯s and tweeting with you!!!!¡±
The winningest pitcher in Orioles history, Palmer is in his 27th season as an analyst on the club¡¯s television broadcasts and 56th as a member of the organization. Prior to joining the Orioles as a broadcaster, he served as an analyst on ABC from 1978-95, calling Monday Night Baseball, All-Star Games, several MLB postseasons and 15 years of the Little League World Series.
Palmer previously provided analysis on Orioles broadcasts for Home Team Sports and WMAR-TV, after his 19-year playing career, spent exclusively in Baltimore.
The Orioles tweeted ¡°Get well soon, Jim!¡± from their official account.