I've been a little off track the last few weeks. But I'm gonna try and right the ship and get back on topic. The baseball season is well underway, and I would much rather talk about that than politics.
I have been very annoyed lately with the media, mainly ESPN. If you've been following my blog, you know of my feelings about ESPN. To say I don't care for them is an understatement. But unfortunately they have a monopoly on the sports market. Fox sports tried to compete, but couldn't quite make it work. Recent events lead me to believe that they are trying to make another run at it. I was watching their Saturday baseball when I saw a commercial where they brag about the events they have. They of course have the baseball all star game and world series. But they also have the new Pac 12 and Big 10 (football) championship games. They Big 12 also recently signed a tv deal with Fox Sports so that every Big XII football and basketball game will be televised. Their current agreement with ESPN expires in a few years and reports are the Fox will get ALL the Big XII games after that. ESPN has become too corporate. They have no real competition, and they know it, so they do whatever they want. Hopefully Fox Sports can "take them down a notch."
My biggest problem with ESPN is they only cover certain teams. All you hear about on Sportscenter and Baseball Tonight is the Philadelphia Phillies and they starting rotation. They are off to a good start, but there are 29 other teams in MLB. Several of which have just as impressive starting rotations as the Phillies. Two of those teams are in the same division. The Florida Marlins are just 2 games behing the Phillies in the very tough NL East. Every time Josh Johnson or Anibal Sanchez take the mound they are flirting with a no-hitter. They talk about this pitcher and that pitcher coming close, but that's only once in a while. Anibal Sanchez is the #4 guy in the rotation. Those two guys do it every time they go out. The Marlins have the second best record in the National League. The other team in their division is the team most famous for awesome starting rotations, the Atlanta Braves. The Braves have Tim Hudson, Derek Lowe, Tommy Hanson, Jair Jurrjens and Brandon Beachy. They are just a few games behind the Marlins. Switching divisions, you have the St Louis Cardinals and the Cincinnati Reds. Let's not forget the defending champs, the San Francisco Giants. The American League has a few rotations worthy of mention, but haven't put up the numbers. Sunday night baseball is an ESPN tradition. They've broadbasted a Sunday night game for as long as I can remember I think. I have noticed this year especially that there are always one of three teams playing. If you want to be on Sunday night baseball, not only do you have to be good or respectable, you have to play either the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, or the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies are on tonight for the second week in a row. Fox Saturday baseball is similar to NFL where they broadcast several games, and give you the game closest to your market. I.e. yesterday's game here was the Reds at the Cubs. I think it's safe to say that people outside of those team's markets could care less to watch the Mets v Phillies, or the Red Sox v Yankees. Those people in those markets that would want to watch them would be able to anyway on their regular networks. I guess I don't see why they can't do what Fox does with Saturday baseball. They have more resources to work with than Fox. Why can't they offer several games and offer the game in your market. Let people out west watch a game they want to see, like the Giants and Rockies, instead of forcing them to watch the same team they could care less about week after week. I've been watching the Braves at Phillies for about 20 minutes and these announcers remind me of watching Dick Vitale call a KU-K-State game. They act like they have a "man crush" on the Phillies. Being a Royals fan in Indiana is tough. Even though I get Fox Sports Midwest and Kansas City, the Royals and Cardinals are blacked out here. As I've said before, the market here will only allow us to watch the Reds, Cubs, and White Sox. This game (Sunday Night Baseball) is nationally televised and the blackout restrictions do not apply. ESPN could broadcast other games, still good teams or competitive games. This weekend alone, you also have the Giants v Rockies for the west market. You have the Cardinals v Brewers for the Midwest, Marlins v Nats for the south, and you could offer the Phillies v Braves for the northeast.
I would love to see an interactive channel where you could pick any one out-of-market game to watch. You would only be allowed to pick one game per day. Once you picked it, that's final and the only game you could watch for that day. So, if the Royals are not playing, or playing someone I could care less to watch, I could watch the Marlins, or the Braves, or the Rays, or the Rockies. I am not the only out of market fan in the country. My brother is a Cardinals fan. My dad likes the Giants. There are Cardinals fans all across the midwest. There are a few teams, like the Braves, Cubs, and Yankees that have fans nationwide who would love the opportunity to watch and follow their teams. I remember growing up, watching the Cubs on WGN and the Braves on TBS. That is probably a big reason these teams have fans all over the country. I remember when the Cubs played the Braves, my brother and I used to fight over watching the game on WGN or TBS. Now the new tv deals have ruined that. If you are an out of market fan and want to follow your team, you are forced to shell out big bucks to get a tv or internet package, just to watch your team. ESPN could help this a little, but they choose not to. But, ESPN is like the government. They think they are bigger and better than anyone else, and don't have to listen to anyone. They simply don't care about the viewer's opinion.
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