Monday, January 5, 2009
An Insomniac Thought at 2AM
I loved the first day of the MLB Network. I watched that '56 World Series game twice. However, since then I have watched about a half hour of Hot Stove and flipped away all other times. Is anyone else as repelled by the 2008 World Series Replay as I am? Is it because I just watched the thing live a couple of months ago? Is it because I don't have a dog in that hunt? Is it because of Buck & McCarver? Is it because I was so floored by that old kinetoscope with Mel Allen and Vin Scully announcing that I'm spoiled? More programming is going to pop up this week, so there will be something cool to watch, but am I alone in the desire to see more old games at least 10-15 years old? I don't care if they're even a historic game... I'd love to see a normal regular season game of the Orioles and the A's from 1971 or the Phillies and Reds from 1983. Hell, I'll even take Expos vs. Pirates from 1997. Who else wants more old games? Or at bare minimum a This Week In Baseball Marathon? How bout that?
15 comments:
If they show those old games, don't freak out at how skinny those guys look. I saw a 71 Orioles Pirates game on ESPN Classic a few years ago and was shocked.
I was thinking the same thing. The first night was great. But since then, I flip it there, usually see the Phils-Rays, and then turn it. I'd take about any game on there besides the last five games that I saw. Show me something that I haven't seen. You would think that in the first few days of a new network, they would want to floor you with what to expect in the coming months. They are doing that with the commercials, but their programming makes it feel like we'll be watching this series until Spring Training.
It's almost like they weren't really ready for their launch.
Nope, they are phoning it in.
I was already complaining that I would rather watch ANY regular old baseball game over those goofy All-Star Home Derbies they are threatening to broadcast, but never in a hundred years would I have guessed they were going to show the latest World Series games.
Still... hard to find anything better to watch on tv.
Yes, hopefully all of that is coming. The schedule for the next week or so doesn't look super exciting, but at least they're not showing the 2008 series as much.
http://mlb.mlb.com/network/schedule/
I actually like the MLB Network is rebroadcasting the 2008
World Series - it shows they can pull out the most recent World Series for mass consumption.
However, over the course of a MLB year, fans get fatigued by the storylines we've seen, the boredcasters who do the important games every single year and there is nothing unique about showing the 2008 WS all over again.
Give fans programming with real insight to challenge the average baseball fan, not just something we saw just last October. Show something we haven't seen before in the Internet era.
Does that make sense?
I'd rather see the old games too. I caught a few minutes of Hot Stove over the weekend, but that's it.
I've got SNY and YES, and they're both showing actual "old" games, not reruns from October. So I'm going there to watch my "classic" baseball.
Count me in as someone who would rather watch older stuff. I already have the DVR set to record the 82 Brewer highlights this weekend and the recap of the 86 season when it shows next week. As a kid I always loved it when there was a rain delay during the local broadcast of the Tigers game as they would show World Series and All Star game highlight films.
Definitely looking forward to more "classic" games on MLBN. Hopefully Comcast won't take it away and force you to buy a huge sports package like they did with NFLN.
I love it when MASN shows old Orioles games, especially from the '70s. It's great to see the guys on our favorite vintage sets in action.
Welcome to my world. I have had the MLB Channel on XM Radio for two years. The programing is almost the exact same thing this time of year. I've heard the perfect game and the interviews about a dozen times since the World Series. When you can sniff Spring Training all heck breaks loose with new shows and you will be floored by the content offered. I never knew more than 2% of Yankee fan knew more than "Your team sucks, How many world championships do you have and who doesn't want to be a Yankee?" I now know they can parrot what the hot topic of the day is without stumbling.
Does MLB TV offer Majors in the Minors? Great program about ALL teams minor league prospects each week on Saturday mornings.
I see some rather cool stuff on the horizon. I was actually on the verge of renting Ken Burns' baseball series from my local library until I learned that the library branch that has a copy of the series is about a 30 minute drive away, so I'm thrilled that the series will be reaired on MLB network.
Plus, as a Cardinal fan I'm glad they're going to show a tour of the old Busch Stadium instead of the new one.
I would also like to add that if/when MLB network does air old games they try to include as much of the original graphics, music, and occasional commercials as possible. Seeing the original ABC intro to the 1977 World Series broadcast was one of the unexpected highlights from watching ESPN's series "The Bronx is Burning".
Also try to make as few cuts as possible as opposed to the ESPN classic approach that cut so much it made the broadcasts almost unwatchable.
You're not alone here. I used to love watching old MLB and USFL games on ESPN Classic before they ruined it with poker and the Sklar brothers and what have you. Luckily, MASN's been loading up on Orioles Classics recently. I stayed up til 3 AM Friday night watching the Orioles beat the Phillies 3-2 in Game 3 of the '83 Series. Mike Flanagan, Jim Palmer, and Steve Carlton all pitched in the game. 8 Cy Youngs amongst the three of them. Beautiful game.
Make mine Expos/Pirates from '97
I do think it was too soon for the MLB Network to replay the '08 World Series. I, too, was turned off a bit by this. That said, I think the fact that it was holiday weekend and the first round of the NFL Playoffs may play into this.
As a Phils Phan,I have enjoyed the replays of the 08 Series.
I would also enjoy seeing older regular season games.
Many of the big moments from World Series games have been on via other outlets before.
My viewing of MLBN is almost identical to yours. I watched it for four hours straight the first night and a couple hours on Friday when the ran the MLB film of the 2004 WS. Other than that I haven't watched it much. I'd love to see more old historic games. I'm waiting anxiously for Ken Burns' documentary though.
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