It’s impossible to be clear-sighted when you’re blinded by greed, but MLB showed its generous side and let us watch baseball self-destruct at no extra cost to us.
Last fall, during a crowded postseason that dipped TV audiences below the Mendoza Line, remaining fans were sent on a daily and nightly scavenger hunt to find the games that aired on ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, TBS, MLB Network, FS1 and Fox.
At a time when MLB was struggling the most to make attendance a hassle, Rob Manfred and his loyal team owners made it easier than ever for Americans to live without it.
And while World Series ratings hit record lows, not even a three-hour lecture on John Smoltz’s four-seam fastball could save Fox from the abyss.
This season, MLB has made games even rarer by hiding them behind a pay-to-play streaming hurdle that only lets you get into a team if the check comes through, making local baseball across the U.S. more expensive, harder to find and even easier to live without.
Unless, of course, readers from Los Angeles to Gotham conspire to concoct tales of loathing and unrequited love as MLB continues on its gold-medal path with minimal interest in the game.
Sounds like a great business plan, right?
It used to be easy: a reflex action on the move. The Yankees were on YES, the Mets on SNY, and there was some free over-the-air TV on Channel 11 and Fox.
But progress waits for no one, which is why MLB believes that by marketing every game as if it were a five-star, first-run movie, it can retain its existing fans and actually generate new ones.
As a result, the games are now available on traditional cable TV, new streaming services, or only on pricey add-ons like AppleTV+ and Amazon Prime (check your local listings).
The blackout restrictions specifically apply to Peacock, which quietly let its MLB rights expire after last season after exclusively airing 20 games in late Sunday mornings.
Manfred’s Hall of Fame plaque still reads: “He and the MLB owners took unfair advantage of helping the nation’s baseball fans adjust to life without baseball.”
ESPN frequently has “unclear” issues
During Game 1 of the Panthers-Rangers series, Sean McDonough had just noticed the Rangers’ Filip Chytil, who had missed most of the regular season with an injury, on the ice.
But with the score at 0-0 in the playoffs and the puck in play, ESPN needlessly and pointlessly displayed a bold graphic at the top of the screen that included a picture of Chytil and the same words McDonough spoke.
Why would ESPN continue to do that while play continues in the biggest games, and why show players returning to the bench after substitutions rather than hanging on to the puck?
If I find a good reason, I’ll be the first to let you know.
Meanwhile, the general answer remains the same: ESPN spends a ton of money on live rights, begs people to tune in, and then does everything in their power to stop people from tuning in with a whole bunch of “That’s all we can do!”
It’s not so much that Mike Francesa is always wrong and looking down on you like some authority figure who’s always right, but rather that “Mister Honest” pretends he’s never wrong while frequently making egregious mistakes.
As the @BackAfterThis account of Funhouse’s dedicated X-ChroniclesFrancesa asserted that the Knicks would win Game 7 by a large margin because the Pacers are not a good team and have a terrible record on the road.
“I would never host a podcast.” Francesa didn’t bring it up on the podcast, but the Pacers went from being four-point underdogs to winning by 21 points.
Maybe if MLB managers banned first base coaches from high-fiving runners who jog up to first base when they hit a home run, there would be no more “I thought he was done” home runs and hitters wouldn’t reach base so frequently.
Even if it’s a one-sided high-five, I think the basic message of running first gets across.
And when a batter reaches home plate, the game should be videotaped to let viewers know if the batter attempts to run, which is the quickest route to the next base.
CBS’s coverage of the PGA Championship was cheesy, even though Tiger Woods missed the cut.
Reader David DiStefano: “For a split second, CBS displayed the leaderboard in the correct order, with Justin Rose, who had played the most holes, ranked first among players at 5 under.
“Then someone realized Scottie Scheffler was more famous and he was listed higher than Rose even though he hadn’t even finished one hole.”
Then the say-all Trevor Immelman said, “Brian Harman hates bogeys, especially in majors.” Ah, that’s the man!
Jim Nantz called many of his players by their first names only, making him sound like a day camp counselor.
As for Woods, reader Mike Duncan lamented his premature retirement, saying, “The gap between his game and mine has narrowed considerably.”
Lost a bet? Blame it on the umpire!
This month’s quote comes from the wealthy and attention-grabbing David Portnoy, who blamed “stupid WNBA refs” for losing $25,000 in bets by calling two early fouls on Kaitlyn Clark.
He bet $25,000 on a WNBA game and the referee is an idiot?
Close call! ESPN Bet nearly got it right when it predicted Scottie Scheffler would win the PGA Tour and get arrested before dawn.
Last weekend, Auburn running back Brian Batty was seriously injured, his brother was shot and killed, and three others were injured in a 3:30 a.m. street brawl in Florida.
Once upon a time, a story like this would have been national news. What about now? Next!
The next time a WNBA executive, player, or media altruist takes issue with the sexualization of players, just take a look at the Skims underwear commercial that airs on WNBA telecasts, in which players parade around in seductive, sexy underwear.
True or ridiculous? In the bottom of the ninth inning of last week’s Rays-Red Sox game, replay rules were used to count the total number of mound visits used by the Rays.
It’s true and it’s ridiculous!
Temple University announced in early March that it was investigating the results of four highly questionable men’s basketball games for possible match-fixing.
Considering that this was two months ago, is it safe to assume that Temple University realized the smoke was from a fire? If there wasn’t, surely the university would have been happy to announce it by now?
Reader Richard Monahan says: “I’m waiting for my boss to tell me the secret to success is not to try too hard and to stay within my limits.”
