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TBS proved a point Saturday, there is something worse than having to listen to Chip Carey cover the playoffs and that is not being able to listen to him at all. Thanks to a “router failure” TBS was unable to put Game 6 of the ALCS on the air until the middle of the first inning, seven batters into the game, Saturday night. The technical glitch just highlights a dismal postseason effort by baseball and its TV partners.
Yes, the age of playoff baseball being shown in daylight hours is almost extinct, but there is a price baseball pays for its insistence on starting games after 8pm in the East and that is children don’t usually get to stay up and watch the games. Since children are the future fans and financial backers of the sport, this would seem to be an obvious error in judgment by baseball, but they apparently don’t think so. Maybe they haven’t noticed, but the Super Bowl kicks off right around 6:20 every year allowing most kids a chance to see at least the first half.
Apart from the start times, the coverage has been uneven at best. Baseball sold the playoffs to TBS and FOX, cutting ESPN out of the mix two years ago. TBS has some good announcers, but not enough depth to cover the four opening round series. FOX has a solid, if sometimes annoying team in Joe Buck and Tim McCarver, but we have only seen them in the NLCS so far (they will do the World Series when it starts Wednesday). The current TV deal runs through 2013, hopefully TBS can improve the quality of their production by then. Just don’t expect the games to start any earlier.
Photo of The Steve Harvey Show during TBS technical difficulties from Fan IQ
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How about we get all of the post-season games on broadcast television so those of us without cable don't have to listen to the radio every night.
Oh dear, we missed crucial portions of the climactic battle between the Red Sox and the Tampa Whatevers. Our lives are in ruins.
Don't forget about the games taking forever to end. (More so in the American League games)
Yeah. Well. The teams participating in the playoffs equally stink.
Who listens to baseball anyway?.
Go Tampa give the redbeans some gas on
the way home to end this season.
I'm about to lose my job ,who should even
care?
All of the playoffs are boring. Let's talk about pitching match ups until every viewer is asleep. Any close call at any base-quick cut to a stupid fan wearing a baseball cap inside out. Then a prolonged shot of the manager...
ZZZZZZ
Throw in Ron Darling talking like he has a phlegm ball lodged in his throat and you have absolute shit coverage...
Why hasn't the MLB figured out that they can make money from broadcasting the games online for free and running national ads during the breaks? MLB.tv leaves alot to be desired and pales in comparison to the free NBC online football broadcasts.
I couldn't agree more with the time. They should set up first pitch at 7PM, at least. Make all ceremonies conclude by that time, I'm sure they'll get better ratings!
Anyways, I'm listening to the game as well.
>>>Since children are the future fans and financial backers of the sport
They don't buy the products advertised, which is all Fox or TBS care about.
www.forgotten-ny.com
Of the four announce teams in the division serieses only the A team kinda sucked. Stockton/Darling was great... how they managed to get Dick Stockton for a crappy division series by decided to go with Chip Caray for the ALCS is baffling.
Let's say something nice about TBS.
There was no Tim McCarver opening his mouth.
And who is that guy with the ridiculous suit interviewing players after the game? Looks like an escapee from S. Kleins or Alexanders who got stuck in a cheap tanning joint.
There is still baseball going on? I thought the Yankees were done for......
Go Rangers!
"Since children are the future fans and financial backers of the sport"
The same can be said of comic books too. When they priced out the kids with $3-$4 comics all that are left are middle aged virgins in the stores. Most kids these days just play their video games or surf for porn. It's a dying medium.
@famedoc - That's Craig Sager, who's actually known for awful/outlandish clothing.
New Yorker cover in action here..
The 8pm start time isn't to piss off kids on the East Coast. It's to accommodate people who live on the West Coast. Imagine the bitching if the games started at 4pm. (Though I'd certainly agree that the games should start closer to 8 than 8:30)
Is this a new issue? I remember having to go to bed when the Mets won in 86. It didn't have any long-term financial effects to the league, imo.
Having playoffs on a Cable TV station should be illegal
plain and simple