Baseball-Related Program Activities

During their football games yesterday, Fox ran "lower third" promos for the upcoming baseball playoffs, naming the teams expected to be participating. And it appears that even they have finally acknowledged the presence of the Rays, even if they did list them last.

Surprisingly, the Yankees weren't mentioned in the promo. I assume this is because Fox hasn't yet been successful at signing up Yankees players to host Fox camera crews in their homes to watch them watch the playoffs, thus giving Fox something else to cut to between (sometimes during) pitches.

Labels: devil rays, tv, yankees

Yes, living on the West Coast makes it slightly easier to stay up until the conclusion of 15-inning baseball games.



Scott Kazmir: winning pitcher. Evan Longoria: hit crucial ground-rule double. Dioner Navarro: probably did some good stuff that I can't remember right now because I'm sleepy.

Labels: all-star game, devil rays, dioner navarro, evan longoria, scott kazmir, tv

FSN has a new series called "Baseball's Golden Age," along the same lines (and produced by the same people) as the HBO "When It Was a Game" documentaries of a few years back. This means it's full of old film from the '30s to the '60s, mostly home movies, much of it in color. It's airing Sunday evenings (here in L.A., at both 5:00 and 8:00 on FSN West). Caution: may contain interviews with Larry King.

Labels: tv

And it's even more exciting when it happens in the bottom of the 11th inning, thus becoming a walk-off hit by pitch, as it did in today's Braves-Cubs game.

I watched this game because Levi e-mailed me this morning to tell me that WGN was doing a "retro" telecast to commemorate their 60th anniversary of broadcasting Cubs games, in time for me to use DirecTV's web site to schedule my DVR to record it.

As it turned out, it was much less elaborate than when Fox gave the "retro" treatment to a Cubs-Dodgers game circa 2000. For the first two innings, WGN presented the game in black and white, with only a couple of camera angles; they also had their character generator on the simplest possible setting (white text only, but with a modern-day drop shadow), which continued through the entire game. And they used a cool "WGN 9 TV" logo that I hadn't seen before -- at least, I didn't recognize it from any of the old Chicago TV Guides I have in my collection.

Also, this was the AT&T poll (which should have been the "Bell System" poll, but I know it can be hard getting sponsors to go along with such things):

Which of these new things are you enjoying the most?
A. Velcro
B. Vinyl 33-1/3 LP
C. Bikini
D. Scrabble
E. NASCAR

"Bikini" won in a landslide.

Labels: braves, cubs, directv, tv

Left to right: Neko Case as "Chrysanthemum" (with salt shaker), John Kruk as himself (with his skin peeled off), Kelly Hogan as "BJ Queen" (with harpoon)

Why so obsessed about this cartoon that makes no sense and airs at 11:45 on Sunday nights? Because it's not even time for pitchers and catchers to report yet. Also, I'm a fan of all three of these people, and I think Levi is, too. I've even met Kelly Hogan, who was fortunately not trying to harpoon me at the time.

Levi and I are both invited to a wedding in Charlotte, North Carolina, the first weekend of April. I'm pretty sure I'll be going; the last I talked to him, Levi was kind of iffy due to various work responsibilities. If we do end up attending, though, there may not be any baseball-related program activities. The Charlotte Knights will be out of town that weekend, and the only other team I'm all that interested in driving to see -- the Durham Bulls -- will also be out of town. The nearest major league team is of course the Braves, who will be in town, but Atlanta is about a 4-hour drive from Charlotte, and that's not particularly exciting me at this point. I can't decide if it's because I'm getting older, or if it's because gas is over 3 bucks a gallon.

In conclusion, now that "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" is being produced in high definition, and DirecTV is carrying the HD version of Cartoon Network, I guess it's time for me to upgrade my TV. I wasn't all that impressed the first time I saw baseball on an actual living-room HDTV, four or five years ago, but it looks pretty good in HD in a window on my computer monitor (courtesy of the TV tuner device I've had for about a year).

Labels: john kruk, tv

Apparently, the "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" episode guest-starring John Kruk actually airs on January 27th, which is not this Sunday. But the good news is that, if you follow the above link, you will see a picture of the animated version of John Kruk.

(For whatever reason, Cartoon Network isn't very good at doing whatever they have to do to get Adult Swim episode titles into my TiVo in advance of their airing, which is why I didn't spot this myself.)

Labels: john kruk, tv

John Kruk will apparently be appearing on this Sunday's episode of "Aqua Teen Hunger Force," the first of a new season. That info comes via Pitchfork, which, being Pitchfork, is more interested in the fact that Neko Case and Kelly Hogan are also appearing. But they're not baseball players!

Labels: john kruk, tv

The MLB Extra Innings pay-per-view package will now be exclusively on DirecTV, because DirecTV offered a lot of money and also agreed to exclusively carry what appears to be MLB's version of NFL Network.

I do have DirecTV, but don't subscribe to Extra Innings (I certainly enjoy watching it on Opening Day via the free preview, but I wouldn't watch enough games during the season to make it worth the cost). I'm a little concerned about MLB limiting its exposure like this, particularly to the all-baseball network.

In the past, DirecTV's version of Extra Innings has only included games airing on regional sports networks carried by DirecTV -- so if, say, a Phillies-Dodgers game were being carried on Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia (not available on DirecTV) and on over-the-air Channel 13 in Los Angeles (not available on DirecTV except as a local channel in the L.A. area), it wouldn't be on Extra Innings on DirecTV. Or a Blue Jays-Devil Rays game that's on whatever weird Canadian network the Blue Jays are on, and only available via Morse code relay in the Tampa Bay area. So I'm wondering if the new exclusive Extra Innings package these types of games -- can't wait to see, or perhaps hear, the Morse code Devil Rays games.

Labels: blue jays, devil rays, directv, dodgers, phillies, tv

Not baseball-related except that it vaguely relates to the previous entry and its video clip: here's an old station ID from a different Channel 44, one with which I am somewhat familiar. I'm pretty sure this ID predates Pac-Man (see, now even if you're not my father, you have to watch the clip just to see why I would need to point that out).

Labels: tv

Before Channel 44 in Chicago was a Spanish-language station, it was the broadcast home of the White Sox, and clearly didn't have as big a budget as the broadcast home of the Cubs across town. (This was edited from a YouTube file -- a commenter on YouTube already noted the small number of people in the Comiskey Park bleachers in the shot where folks are scrambling to pick up a home run ball.)

Labels: advertising, tv, white sox

I had a busy enough weekend that I didn't get around to watching my TiVo recording of this until today. Look who was a member of the mob on NBC's "1 vs. 100" on Friday night...



I think he didn't answer a question incorrectly, so he should be in the mob again at the beginning of this Friday's show. (His presence wasn't acknowledged, or even shown on camera, at any point after this introduction -- it's clear the producers were under a mandate to turn this show into a faster-moving affair than it was when it first aired a couple months ago.)

Labels: david eckstein, tv

Despite Joe Buck assuring us repeatedly that it was "the most anticipated new game show of the year," Fox's "The Rich List" has been canceled after one episode aired. Thus, it now joins Jackie Gleason's "You're in the Picture" as a game show canceled after one episode; and, more on-topic here, it joins "South of Sunset" as a series canceled after one episode due to low ratings despite heavy promotion during the World Series.

Also, Fox Sports president Ed Goren has written a letter to the L.A. Times defending Tim McCarver ("He is the best 'first-guesser' in the business").

Labels: joe buck, los angeles times, tim mccarver, tv

2006 ends as it began...with Chessie on the floor near a TV that's showing a baseball game.

Labels: Cardinals, cats, tigers, tv, world series

Hey, New York City

Wasn't this weekend supposed to be

the start of the big Subway Series?

Guess that's not happening.

Unless there's a subway between St. Louis and Detroit.

[adult swim]

Labels: Cardinals, Mets, tigers, tv, yankees

It's not quite Pat Hughes, Ron Santo, and the official scorer, but Denis Leary and Lenny Clarke were in the TV booth for about an inning of a recent Red Sox game (link to video on YouTube).

Labels: denis leary, lenny clarke, pat hughes, red sox, ron santo, tv

Jim, with whom I failed to see a baseball game last week while I was staying with him in Los Angeles, alerted me to a USA Today story about those hip graphics Fox uses for their football coverage.

Fox, known as the NFL's most flamboyant carrier, is even cutting back on its glitz.

The network surveyed viewers, Fox senior vice president Gary Hartley says, and found that Fox's many sound effects, blinking lights and animated graphics were seen as "pointless and annoying."

So they'll be reduced. However, he says, Fox is bringing back the
on-screen robots that pop up on its coverage: "We found we've lost some
of the attitude we've projected in the past. Robots are sacred ground
for that."

Did they really need to survey more than one person to come up with "pointless and annoying?" Could baseball be next? I can think of a certain talking baseball that I would describe with just those words--if I you limited me to family-friendly language.

And what the hell do they mean by "robots are sacred ground for [attitude]?" These people are very, very strange.

Labels: robots, tv, zombies

Well, TBS might as well be carrying the divisional series and the league championship series, given how often the Braves are featured.

Eight more years of baseball on Fox, and thus, eight more years of Tim McCarver!

Labels: braves, tim mccarver, tv

Lou Piniella is going to be a color commentator on Fox, paired with Thom Brennaman, at least for a month and a half. If I recall correctly, he had some pretty good insights during that one game during last year's playoffs where he was the third man in the booth -- when he could get a word in edgewise between Joe Buck and Tim McCarver, of course.

Labels: devil rays, joe buck, lou piniella, thom brennaman, tim mccarver, tv

Here's some baseball-related nostalgia...



That's from "The Electric Company," original air date April 15, 1977. No, I have no idea what's wrong with the mouths -- perhaps that's why they didn't give one to Spider-Man in his "Electric Company" iteration. Anyway, the villain in this episode is The Wall, who, disguised as a piece of the outfield wall at Shea Stadium, runs forward at a crucial point in the game, giving the other team a home run. Why, yes, that does sound like something from the "Major League Supercrimebusters" segments of "The Complacents."

(You know who the head writer of "The Electric Company" was for most of its run? Joss Whedon's father.)

Labels: joss whedon, Mets, shea stadium, spider-man, tv

Levi was at the Cardinals-Cubs game today. I watched the Comcast SportsNet broadcast from home.

Levi had to watch the Cardinals not score any runs in the top of the 9th inning and lose 3-2, but I saw something else instead of the last two outs...



I remember being impressed back in 1989 that ABC had a slide specifically reading "World Series" at the ready to throw up on screen when they lost their feed from San Francisco. As you can see, Comcast SportsNet is not as classy as ABC. (And no wonder they're experiencing technical difficulties -- their cnntrol room looks blurry and smeared.)

Labels: Cardinals, cubs, tv

Some of the posts below have been updated with illustrative screenshots. Not to be confused with the photographs-of-a-television-screen that have been used here in the past, these are literal screenshots -- each a single frame of broadcast television video, provided through the courtesy of my recently hacked TiVo.

And we do it all to make you smile.

P.S.: Yankees 15, A's 2 (still not as many runs as the Cubs!).

Labels: Opening Day, tv

7:00 -- New York Yankees at Oakland A's (ESPN 2 and YES)
7:10 -- Johnny Damon's visage is filling me with melancholy. I'm out.

Labels: Opening Day, tv

6:09 -- The last instruction on the packet of McCormick taco seasoning is "Serve with toppings, if desired." I'm sure there are people who don't desire toppings on their tacos, but I don't think I want to meet them.
6:10 -- Hey, I got a message from DirecTV: "Stop writing about our negotiations with SportsNet New York."
6:11 -- No, seriously, it's promoting the fact that their phone system is now an interactive voice response system. Good thing I call them so rarely.
6:12 -- Meanwhile, the Astros have the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh.
6:20 -- I forgot -- I generally desire to put in the lettuce first and then the cheese, but I did it backward. These tacos are ruined!
6:21 -- Something must have happened while I was busying myself with taco preparation, because the Astros now have a 1-0 lead.
6:24 -- I swear the announcer says the Giants are putting Jeremy Pardo into the game, and I try to think of a couple good jokes relating to "Saturday Night Live" (as opposed to good "Saturday Night Live" jokes, which are few and far between), but it turns out his name is actually Jeremy Accardo.
6:25 -- One of the Astros announcers says that the Rockies are leading the Diamondbacks 3-2 in the 11th. That game ended two hours ago. Apparently, during the offseason, someone has forgotten what it means if you get a score update showing the home team leading in the ninth inning or later, even if it doesn't expressly say "final."
6:38 -- It ends in a double play in Houston: Astros 1, Marlins 0.
6:39 -- Meanwhile, it's likely Barry Bonds's last at-bat of the day in San Diego, and he's out 4-3 (the second baseman playing very deep). No home runs for Barry today!
6:40 -- Moises Alou drops a double into center field, just out of reach for Dave Roberts.
6:42 -- Pedro Feliz is out 6-3, it's Padres 6, Giants 1, and I've got no baseball to watch for the next 18 minutes! I'll see you on the other side...

Labels: Opening Day, tv

5:03 -- Angels go ahead 5-3 in the top of the ninth.
5:13 -- Roberto Petagine hits a pinch-hit home run for the Mariners, and it's now 5-4 with one out in the bottom of the ninth.
5:18 -- Los Angeles, or perhaps Anaheim, wins: Angels 5, Mariners 4.
5:19 -- I only have two games to watch now. Giants and Padres tied at 1, Marlins and Astros tied at 0. I'm paying more attention to Giants-Padres.
5:21 -- And now both games are in commercial. It would be more fun if there were more Bay Area or Houston-specific commercials, but no such luck.
5:31 -- Vital bottom-of-the-screen ticker as the Padres take the lead 2-1 in the bottom of the fifth: "The Sharks @ Dallas game is airing live right now on FSN Plus on Comcast digital cable channel 410 and on analog channels 11, 14, 27, 32, 33, 69 or 77, 655 on DirecTV and 453 on Dish Network. The Sharks game will also be joined in progr--" and then the ticker disappears at the end of the inning so that they can switch to an exterior shot of American Airlines Center in Dallas (with the light rail going by!) and the announcer essentially saying the same thing as the ticker -- but fortunately for everyone, he doesn't have to read off those channel numbers. This is all because FSN doesn't have a full-time second channel in the Bay Area the way they do in L.A.
5:36 -- No, wait, now the Giants announcer has to read off those channel numbers. Wow.
5:38 -- And the announcers spend two minutes joking about having to read off all those channel numbers (specifically, the fact that the music bed almost ran out).
5:40 -- Barry Bonds flies out to center and is soundly booed.
5:48 -- The honking vehicle is back, but honking from slightly farther away than before.
5:49 -- Khalil Greene hits a 2-run homer to put the Padres up 4-1. The ball is caught by a guy who wore a brown monk's robe to the game. He's not fully dedicated to the Padres, though. He has not cut his hair -- in fact, he has long, luscious, curly locks of the type that I'd probably have if I let my hair grow, ladies.
5:58 -- I think the last few innings of the two games currently in progress would be best enjoyed with tacos. I'll go make some right now!

What, you thought I was making up those channel numbers? I would never joke about something so serious...

Labels: Opening Day, tv

4:00 -- Florida Marlins at Houston Astros (FSN Houston)
4:00 -- San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres (ESPN 2 and FSN Bay Area)
4:01 -- The National League champion Astros are being feted at Enron Field -- I mean Minute Maid Park -- before the game.
4:03 -- Jon Miller and Joe Morgan are back on TV after having stayed up very late last night. I'm not sure if they even know where they are right now (San Diego).
4:11 -- Former Devil Ray Danys Baez is in the game for the Dodgers in the top of the ninth. Vin Scully helpfully spells his name for the benefit of the radio listeners. The "S" is silent, you know. Hmm, how's his belt?
4:16 -- Danys Baez held the Braves scoreless in the top of the ninth, so now the Dodgers need to provide some offense.
4:17 -- Jake Peavy of the Padres retires the Giants in order in the top of the first, so Barry Bonds will lead off the top of the second.
4:19 -- Bonds makes a catch for an out in left field and is soundly booed.
4:21 -- It went final in Colorado: Rockies 3, Diamondbacks 2 (11 innings).
4:22 -- The Dodgers made it up to 11-10 with 2 outs in the bottom of the ninth -- and Olmedo Saenz hit a 5-3 grounder to end the game (a leaping throw by Chipper Jones certainly helped). Braves 11, Dodgers 10.
4:24 -- In Petco Park, where it's hard to hit home runs, Barry Bonds leads off the second inning with a ground-rule double.
4:36 -- They reached the agreement -- no DirecTV logo for Wednesday's Mets game.
4:48 -- I'm posting a little less here because I'm trying to catch up on a message board and watch baseball simultaneously. The Angels and Mariners are still tied at 3 in the top of the ninth, and there was just a loud train whistle to mark Cesar Izturis getting a base on balls -- authentic, unlike any train whistles that may be heard at Enron Field -- I mean Minute Maid Park.

As far as I'm concerned, Texas is a strange and bizarre alternate universe where highways have numbers starting with "FM" (and car dealerships are named after game show producers)...

Labels: Opening Day, tv

3:00 -- No game starting this hour.
3:05 -- What looks like dust is getting in the way of the centerfield camera on the Tigers-Royals game, but it may well be mist from the outfield fountain.
3:10 -- For the last 10 minutes, a vehicle on the street in front of my apartment building has been occasionally honking its horn, as if the driver is waiting for someone who has not arrived at the vehicle yet. Doesn't everyone have cell phones now that they can use instead of a horn?
3:18 -- One of my neighbors yelled, "Lay off the horn!" This is slightly more interesting than the Dodgers game, in which the Braves are now leading 10-5.
3:20 -- The vehicle with the horn is gone. The yelling worked!
3:26 -- Every year about this time, I get some kosher-for-Passover Coca-Cola, and every year I forget that because I'm used to regular Coke sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup, the kosher Coke sweetened with sucrose has what I perceive to be a weird aftertaste. Also, it's foamier than regular Coke.
3:28 -- Oh, yeah, it was Cardinals 13, Phillies 5. 3 runs fewer than the Cubs!
3:34 -- The Angels were leading 3-0 at one point, but now the Mariners have tied things up in the bottom of the 5th.
3:43 -- Attendance at today's Dodgers game is announced as 56,000, which happens to be the exact capacity of Dodger Stadium. Hmm... According to Vin Scully, it's never been that high for a regular-season game before. (But I happen to know it's been higher for postseason games, which is a neat trick.)
3:44 -- Many of those 56,000 have already left, and even more start to stream out after Ryan "Islets of" Langerhans puts the Braves up 11-5 with a solo home run.
3:47 -- I really haven't been paying attention to this one, since it's the other game not available in DirecTV's MLB Extra Innings package today, but I happen to see on the Dodger Stadium out-of-town scoreboard that the Diamondbacks and Rockies are tied at 2 in the 10th inning. Only 2 runs apiece at Coors Field? They must have lowered its altitude during the off-season.
3:49 -- Speaking of which, I take a quick look at this webcam -- looks like the new Busch Stadium is all ready to go for its opening game a week from today.
3:54 -- Wow, the Royals seem to be entirely composed of people I remember from other teams -- one of them, Reggie Sanders, grounds into a 6-3 play, and the game goes final as Tigers 3, Royals 1.
3:57 -- Olmedo Saenz of the Dodgers pretends to have been hit by a pitch. No one is fooled, but the ploy apparently rattles Braves pitcher Blaine Moyer enough that Saenz hits a 2-run single after heading back home. Now the Dodgers are only down 11-7.

Labels: Opening Day, tv

2:00 -- Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Seattle Mariners (FSN West)
2:00 -- Confirmed that FSN West is still FSN West, at least until they decide to rename themselves FSN Z Channel.
2:01 -- The weather looks pretty nice in Seattle, too.
2:02 -- Finally, in Baltimore, the bottom of the fifth comes to an end with the Orioles leading 7-4.
2:03 -- The Dodgers are on the board! It's 4-1.
2:04 -- Vin Scully is being simulcast on the radio, I am reminded when he says "on television, we're looking at...", which continues the old-timey feeling.
2:06 -- I finally see a score for the Cardinals-Phillies game, not being carried by DirecTV's MLB Extra Innings package. The Cards must be trying to outdo the Cubs in runs scored -- it's 13-3 in the sixth.
2:07 -- As the family of rookie Devil Rays pitcher Johnny Childers is being interviewed in the stands, Travis Lee hits a 2-run homer into a different part of the stands, and the Rays have cut the Orioles' lead to 1.
2:10 -- Hmm, I wonder if that Japanese ad for "Nintendo DS Lite" behind home plate at Safeco Field indicates that this game is being shown in Japan. I mean, there must be a few people who speak Japanese in the Seattle area.
2:14 -- It's the bottom of the ninth in Arlington, and the Rangers are keeping it interesting with a couple of hits.
2:15 -- I've been forgetting to watch the Tigers-Royals game. Their Aflac trivia answer was Kenny Rogers, presumably meaning the starting pitcher for the Tigers and not the roasted-chicken impresario.
2:18 -- Another final: Red Sox 7, Rangers 3.
2:19 -- I'm getting the "for ordering information, call..." notice on that channel, so the Pirates-Brewers game must have gone final while I wasn't paying attention to that one. Yes: Brewers 5, Pirates 2.
2:20 -- It's the bottom of the eighth in Cincinnati, and a lot of fans have left the ballpark, even though the Reds are only down by 5.
2:26 -- Vin Scully: "You know how you dress up the house when company's coming? Well, they have dressed up Dodger Stadium -- and the company's here!"
2:27 -- But they obviously haven't installed cell phone jammers at Dodger Stadium, as a quick look at the fans sitting right behind home plate makes all too clear.
2:28 -- They also haven't dressed up the Dodgers enough, as Atlanta gets another run to go up 5-1.
2:29 -- Reds relief pitcher Rick White is wearing number 00. I like him almost as much as Brandon Watson.
2:30 -- And then there's Cubs rookie outfielder Angel Pagan. I wonder which god (or gods) he worships.
2:33 -- The Cubs are up to 13 runs -- same number of runs the Cardinals currently have.
2:34 -- Now the Orioles are ahead 9-6, and the Braves are ahead 8-1.
2:35 -- A Devil Rays promo promises that this season, they will be "bringing endless energy every single game." I'll believe it when I see it.
2:37 -- The Cubs have now equaled their run total from last year's Opening Day, which was a Cubs Opening Day record. It's 16-7.
2:39 -- Now I hear that Albert Pujols had home runs in his first two at-bats -- but he's no Tuffy!
2:40 -- I assume the roof is closed at Safeco Field so the wind doesn't mess up the "2006" spelled out in light-colored dirt on the infield.
2:42 -- The Orioles' costumed mascot has black wings with orange tips on his back, which I guess is semi-accurate, except that they look like the hand-held lights that are used to direct airplane pilots into the proper stopping position.
2:43 -- Joe Maddon has changed from sunglasses to his regular glasses. Now the Rays need to come back to win, so that retro-hipster eyewear is encouraged.
2:46 -- The Dodgers are slowly working their way out of the hole: it's now 8-4.
2:47 -- Okay, there may be lots of people on cell phones at Dodger Stadium, but at least they're blase enough not to wave like an idiot when they're on camera, unlike a certain man in the third row in Cincinnati.
2:48 -- His waving like a maniac didn't help, because the final is Cubs 16, Reds 7.
2:53 -- It's the top of the ninth in Baltimore with the Devil Rays down by 3 runs.
2:56 -- The Rays are unable to come back. Orioles 9, Devil Rays 6. Oh, well, it's still possible for them to finish 161-1.

That Japanese ad at Safeco Field...

Labels: Opening Day, tv

1:00 -- Atlanta Braves at Los Angeles Dodgers (FSN Prime Ticket)
1:00 -- Detroit Tigers at Kansas City Royals (FSN Detroit)
1:00 -- It's final in New York: Mets 3, Nationals 2. That DirecTV logo is still there. And that means it's time to, yes, activate the blackout on ESPN. I'm being forced to watch the Dodgers on FSN Prime Ticket...
1:01 -- ...so let's see if we can get this straight. First there was a local cable movie network called Z Channel. Eventually, they added Dodgers games and became Z Plus. Then they got rid of the movies and became Prime Ticket. I've got a Los Angeles TV Guide from 1995 that calls it "Prime Sports," but that doesn't necessarily mean that was their actual name. Then they became part of the Fox Sports family and became Fox Sports West. Then Fox added a second channel, which they called Fox Sports West 2, and moved the Dodgers to the second channel so they could get both carried by cable operators. Then Fox thought people might not know they were a network, so they became Fox Sports Net West and Fox Sports Net West 2. Then Fox got tired of always saying "Fox Sports Net," so they became FSN West and FSN West 2. And as of today, FSN West is still FSN West, but FSN West 2 has become, yes, FSN Prime Ticket. Fox Sports' web site acknowledges this in that they don't show any listings for today for FSN West 2, but they don't seem to offer listings for FSN Prime Ticket.
1:08 -- While I was typing up that long explanation that probably put everyone but me to sleep, the Devil Rays went up 4-2 in the top of the third. I like them again.
1:13 -- FSN Prime Ticket's audio level is about as low as MASN's, which is making it hard to hear Vin Scully as he talks about the umpires getting a flat tire on the way to the game. But you don't have to hear Vin Scully to see the new pastel color scheme at Dodger Stadium -- it's 1962 all over again!
1:16 -- Also, for some reason, although they've successfully got the FSN Prime Ticket logo at the top of the screen in some of the camera shots, they don't have the score strip at the top of the screen. It's 1962 all over again!
1:18 -- The Milwaukee Braves -- I mean, the Atlanta Braves; I somehow got the impression that it was 1962 -- have a 4-0 lead in the top of the first.
1:20 -- While I was trying to figure out the FSN Prime Ticket situation, the Cubs went up 11-5 in Cincinnati, and they still have the bases loaded with no outs in the top of the sixth. Clearly, part of a plan to outdo their crosstown rivals and the 10 runs in their opener last night.
1:25 -- Alas, a check of my e-mail informs me that friend of baseballrelated.com and Cardinals fan Rachel (she was one of the attendees at this Angels-Devil Rays game last year) will soon be moving out of Los Angeles and back to her home state of Illinois.
1:30 -- FSN Prime Ticket got their score strip working. There is no need to panic. What their logo actually says is "Prime FSN Ticket," I notice, so perhaps that's what I'll call them from now on.
1:31 -- As always, every time Vin Scully finishes a sentence, I expect someone else to start talking, but no one ever does. It is quite a refreshing change from every other baseball game, particularly those featuring Tim McCarver.
1:33 -- Back on February 22, Vin Scully signed a contract extension that will keep him as the Dodgers broadcaster through the 2008 season, when he claims he'll retire. At the press conference to announce this, he said he liked it better when the Dodgers had the names on the back of their uniforms. Team chairman Frank McCourt immediately vowed that the names would be back in 2007. There must be some bizarre reason why he couldn't bring the names back for 2006 -- probably part of the same agreement that required that "used with permission" disclaimer I remarked upon back at 10:18 A.M.
1:35 -- Wait a minute, it's pronounced "Nessen" and not "N-E-S-N"? Yikes.
1:43 -- Luis Matos and Melvin Mora hit back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the fifth, and the Orioles now lead 5-4. There's the Devil Rays we know and love!
1:48 -- The top of the third in the Dodgers game begins with a look at the new new seats in Dodger Stadium, which are literal box seats, complete with a little table.
1:50 -- Long line for Dodger Dogs at the concession stand. Mmm, a Dodger Dog would be even tastier than those potato chips and onion dip I had an hour and a half ago. But I have no hot dogs, just ground beef for tacos.
1:52 -- Now it's looking sunny in Milwaukee, except for the Pirates, who are down 3-2 in the bottom of the eighth. I assume the Miller Park roof is closed, but the sunlight is coming through the glass. That's something Tropicana Field could use -- windows! But it'd probably be impossible to cut into the walls to add them now.
1:54 -- An ad for "Scary Movie 4," directed by David Zucker -- and starring Craig Bierko, who I've closed-captioned on "Days of Our Lives." Um, I think I'll wait until it's on HBO or perhaps Showtime, where I'm sure it will be shown while DirecTV is having a free weekend (that's how I saw "Scary Movie 3" recently).
1:58 -- Clearly, baseball hasn't been engrossing me enough if I'm thinking about Craig Bierko.

The new Prime FSN Ticket logo (seen at upper right) scares kids in the stands at Dodger Stadium...

Labels: Opening Day, tv

12:00 -- Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Baltimore Orioles (FSN Florida)
12:00 -- Hooray, they're using FSN Florida's coverage of the Devil Rays-Orioles game, so I get to see their opening reel of highlights from last season. 45 seconds later, it's time for the game!
12:01 -- And another technical flub: a graphic at the bottom of the screen says "Marlins Baseball." I'm sure under normal circumstances, FSN would wish it were something other than the Devil Rays, but this season, the Rays may well have a better year than the Marlins.
12:02 -- Full disclosure: I'm wearing my Devil Rays Rocco Baldelli T-shirt.
12:05 -- As seen during the "Devil Rays baseball is brought to you by..." billboards, Quikrete has a special Opening Day logo that someone took about 5 seconds to draw. So was Opening Day built by The Home Depot out of Quikrete?
12:06 -- It's Devil Rays manager Joe Maddon and his retro hipster glasses, which are no doubt reminding many Devil Rays fans of the glasses their kids or grandkids wore back in the 1950s.
12:09 -- The Devil Rays' first batter of the year, Julio Lugo, hits a double off the Camden Yards right-field scoreboard. Cubs vs. Devil Rays in the World Series!
12:11 -- Scott Hatteberg hits a 3-run homer for the Reds, so now the Cubs are only leading 5-4. Well, maybe it'll be Devil Rays-Cardinals or something.
12:13 -- Julio Lugo scores on a sacrifice fly, and the announcer claims that it'll give "fans who are watching on the big board at Tropicana Field something to cheer about." Given the usual attendance at Tropicana Field when the Devil Rays are actually playing there, I'm picturing a large, cavernous space with plenty of elbow room. But maybe I'm underestimating the level of Rays excitement in the Tampa Bay area, given the new ownership and team manager.
12:17 -- Wait a minute -- this whole time while the DirecTV logo has been on Channel 744 instead of SportsNet New York's coverage of the Mets-Nationals game, Channel 745 has been showing the MASN coverage of the Mets-Nationals game.
12:19 -- Boo to Southwest Airlines for referring to "Tampa Bay" when they really mean "Tampa," unless they've outfitted their 737s as seaplanes and I'm unaware of it. (In the past, other airlines have used a similar trick to disguise the fact that they fly into St. Petersburg-Clearwater Airport -- but Southwest, being an airline you've heard of, actually does serve Tampa International Airport.)
12:25 -- MASN's audio level is very low. The classic rock accompanying the DirecTV logo is much easier to hear. Incidentally, MASN is not to be confused with "M*A*S*H," or the NASL.
12:33 -- MASN presents the "Chevy Drive of the Game," in the bottom of the seventh. Someday there are going to be so many sponsorships sold during baseball telecasts that it'll be something like this: "And the first pitch of the game -- in there for a strike! And now the Hostess Twinkies Pitch of the Game..."
12:34 -- Jonny Gomes leads off the top of the second for the Devil Rays with a home run. I'm liking these 2006 Devil Rays so far.
12:40 -- While I haven't been paying attention, the Red Sox have gone up 5-0 on the Rangers.
12:45 -- Well, now Joe Maddon is wearing non-retro sunglasses, although it's kind of a hazy day in Baltimore. I know this because he came out to briefly suggest to the umpire that he might want to watch for fan interference if there are any future ground balls that carom down the left-field line. He should be talking to the Camden Yards security people -- there's a very good replay showing a fair ball encountering 1) a hat, and 2) a beer.
12:51 -- The Orioles have scored two runs in the bottom of the second. These 2006 Devil Rays are impressing me a little less right now.
12:55 -- And now it's 5-5 in Cincinnati. So maybe the Cubs and Devil Rays won't make the World Series after all.
12:56 -- We're in the top of the ninth in New York with the Mets leading 3-2. I do like the Nationals' away uniforms.
12:59 -- Nobody's IMing me, perhaps because I'm the only one watching baseball on a day when normal people are at their jobs.

Devil Rays announcers going undercover...


The special Quikrete Opening Day logo...

Labels: Opening Day, tv

11:00 -- Boston Red Sox at Texas Rangers (ESPN 2 and NESN)
11:00 -- Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati Reds (WGN and FSN Ohio)
11:00 -- Pittsburgh Pirates at Milwaukee Brewers (FSN North)
11:01 -- I know FSN is overtly trying to be depressingly homogenous, but certainly some FSN networks are more likely than others to show Piggly Wiggly commercials.
11:06 -- No matter what your opinion of George W. Bush, I think we can all agree that he's good at throwing out first pitches, even if he's high and outside on this one.
11:08 -- Johnny Damon's replacement is leading off for the Red Sox. Mmm, Coco Crisp -- a delicious breakfast treat.
11:10 -- The Pirates have big, triangular, and kinda ugly commemorative All-Star Game patches on their uniforms. But how many of them will actually be playing in the All-Star Game?
11:14 -- FSN North is excited about their first chance to show an instant replay that's courtesy of the new robotic camera attached to the backstop at Miller Park.
11:16 -- It's too early in the day for me to have to deal with talking mattresses on NESN.
11:17 -- The Cubs are already up 1-0 with no outs in the top of the first.
11:20 -- It's a beautiful, sunny day in Arlington, Texas, much different than the cloudy weather for the other three games that are going on right now.
11:28 -- Now the Cubs are up 5-0 after a 3-run homer by Matt Murton. They're going all the way to the World Series championship!
11:34 -- Same as last year, the Superstation WGN picture makes Great American Ball Park look hazy and blurry. The FSN Ohio picture is crisp and clear, like bottled water or something.
11:38 -- The Reds have the bases loaded with no outs in the bottom of the first. The Cubs' 5-run lead may not hold up!
11:39 -- In the stands, Bush is looking at a kid's drawings of him throwing out the first pitch. At least, I think they're a kid's drawings and not drawings he did.
11:41 -- Reds announcer George Grande sounds like he has a Chicago accent -- I notice it when he says "Gaat him -- first strikeout for Zaambraano" -- but nothing in his background indicates that he's spent any time in Chicago, just New England and a little time in Los Angeles.
11:46 -- Hey, guess what's on the SportsNet New York channel -- the DirecTV logo!
11:47 -- The aforementioned Matt Murton makes a leaping catch against the outfield wall to get Carlos Zambrano out of his bases-loaded jam, so the Reds only manage to score 1 against the soon-to-be champion Cubs.
11:53 -- It's raining here in beautiful Sherman Oaks Adjacent, which could mean problems for the Dodgers home opener, scheduled to start in just over an hour less than 10 miles away.
11:59 -- I'm a little hungry -- good thing I prepared some onion dip last night, so it's chilling in the fridge right now, ready for potato chips to be dipped into it.

Shop the Pig...

Labels: Opening Day, tv

And away we go (times listed are Pacific Daylight Time)...

10:00 -- Washington Nationals at New York Mets (ESPN and, in theory, SportsNet New York)
10:00 -- DirecTV has the channel space set aside for the Mets' new network, SportsNet New York, but I don't think they've actually signed the contract yet. They have the game listed to be on Channel 744 -- a listing that wasn't there yesterday -- but that channel is still showing the DirecTV logo and playing classic rock. So instead I have to listen to Chris Berman on ESPN.
10:04 -- Opening Day is "built by The Home Depot." I guess we can't have TV shows sponsored or brought to us anymore, and ESPN has been in the vanguard of that; "Monday Night Countdown," for example, is "delivered by UPS."
10:05 -- Could be worse. Opening Day could be "erected by Levitra."
10:09 -- First technical flub of the new season: ESPN forgets to turn up the volume when they start running a clip of Mets manager Willie Randolph talking about something or other.
10:12 -- Tom Glavine? Isn't he about 120 years old?
10:12 -- Rookie Brandon Watson of the Nationals wears number 00. I like him already.
10:13 -- Watson flies out to center, so perhaps 000 would be a better uniform number at this point.
10:17 -- Middle of the first inning, and still just the DirecTV logo on the SportsNet New York channel.
10:18 -- ESPN's promo for games coming later today has a disclaimer at the bottom of the screen that I don't think I've ever seen on a promo: "Major League Baseball trademarks used with permission." You'd think it would be implied that if you're paying for the rights to broadcast the games, you can use video of baseball players in uniform without such a disclaimer. No wonder people hate lawyers!
10:20 -- The bottom-of-the-screen ticker reminds us that Dmitri Young of the Tigers hit three home runs back on Opening Day 2005. I remember (but he's still no Tuffy).
10:24 -- End of the first inning, and still just the DirecTV logo on the SportsNet New York channel. Probably both sides of the negotiations were thinking the pressure would really be on once the game started.
10:25 -- Must be summer, if it's time for a commercial for weed killer!
10:31 -- Paul LoDuca fails to throw out a runner when he drops the ball and his glove. He's no Mike Piazza!
10:32 -- Chris Berman identifes a certain Nationals player as "Royce-a-Roni Clayton, the San Francisco treat." Groan.
10:37 -- Middle of the second inning. The good news is that, currently accompanying the DirecTV logo on the SportsNet New York channel, the music is "Touch Me," my favorite Doors song. Whatever commercials are running on ESPN, they can't possibly be better than "Touch Me."
10:40 -- Stronger than dirt.
10:42 -- Livan Hernandez is throwing pitches similar to Bugs Bunny's perplexing slow pitches -- Chris Berman contends "I drive faster than that pitch," and thinks the Juggs gun can't go that low -- but since we don't have cartoon physics in the real world, the Mets are only able to swing once at each pitch.
10:44 -- End of the second inning. I wonder how many disgruntled DirecTV subscribers/Mets fans are burning up the phone lines to complain about the SportsNet New York situation, since I assume ESPN is blacked out in the New York area.
10:48 -- There are two mentions of baseball on today's L.A. Times comics page: "Heathcliff" ("He's been chosen to eat the ceremonial first hot dog") and "Sally Forth" ("Wanna play catch out back?" "Sorry, Dad. I'm gonna go listen to music with Faye.") But "In the Bleachers" is about basketball, and "Marmaduke" mentions water polo, of all things. Obviously, I'm not devoting my complete attention to the baseball game on TV right this second.
10:52 -- Middle of the third inning. I have now figured out that what's accompanying the DirecTV logo is XM radio's "Top Tracks" channel, which is currently playing Yes's "And You and I: Cord of Life/Eclipse/The Preacher the Teacher/Apocalypse" -- yes, that's apparently an example of a song that XM considers eligible to be on "Top Tracks," as opposed to their other classic rock channel, "Deep Tracks." Who needs Howard Stern?
10:58 -- Tom Glavine gets a hit! Pretty good for a 130-year-old. Actually, Livan Hernandez got a hit, too, probably while I was reading the newspaper.

Imagine some classic rock music playing, and you'll get the general idea of what SportsNet New York was like today...

Labels: Opening Day, tv

As I write this, the Sox and Indians are still in a rain delay. Tropicana Field's not looking so bad right now, is it?

It wouldn't be Opening Night without a picture of Chessie near my TV. I now have a different TV configuration than I did last year -- my cheap Ikea entertainment cabinet got mostly destroyed when I moved last May -- so it's hard for Chessie to get next to the TV. So you'll have to settle for her under the TV, hiding from Jon Miller and Joe Morgan, as well she should.

Labels: cats, indians, tropicana field, tv, white sox

Way back when we were in Detroit, Levi made a joke on this very blog about the Garfield movie, which was the film being promoted by the "LodgeNet" card on top of the hotel room TV.

The HBO channels are free this weekend on DirecTV, and in looking through the listings, I discovered that "Garfield: The Movie" was showing on MoreMax, so out of curiosity, I set the TiVo.

As it turns out, this movie is worse than you can possibly imagine. I couldn't get past 10 minutes, which means I didn't even see Jennifer Love Hewitt. What is in the first 10 minutes is Breckin Meyer as Jon Arbuckle microwaving a round plastic container of "Hash in a Dash" for breakfast -- a container and a food that are pretty much indistinguishable from Garfield's liver-flavored cat food, so I'm sure you can imagine the hilarity that is supposed to have ensued. Then Garfield goes outside and has some wacky misadventures with Nermal, who is a Siamese cat in the movie but the "world's cutest kitten," a gray tabby, in the comic strip. Now, cats that are a mixture of Siamese and gray tabby tend to be as cute as can be, but surely the filmmakers didn't set out to specifically remind everyone of my cat; obviously, the problem was that they couldn't get their hands on a well-trained gray tabby, just a well-trained Siamese. This is because while Garfield is completely a CGI creation so that he can look vaguely like he does in the comic strip, all the other animals in the film only have CGI applied to their faces when they're talking, so it's completely creepy and strange.

Then we are led to believe that there is a dairy that delivers old-fashioned bottles of milk to homes that are within sight of the downtown Los Angeles skyline, and Garfield uses Nermal as a pawn as part of a Rube Goldbergian scheme to get some of that milk. After his drink, Garfield is none the worse for wear -- he doesn't start throwing up everywhere, unlike real cats.

Fortunately, "Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (And Don't Come Back!)" appeared on HBO Family a little later -- it has a few problems of its own, but it managed to get the bad taste of "Garfield" out of my mouth.

Labels: breckin meyer, directv, garfield, tv

Hanger-on Dan just sent out an e-mail with the subject line "News of earth-shaking impact" that turned out to contain a link to an mlb.com news story and the words "Prepare to be a Reds fan." Now, I don't have an especially fast connection, and I was using much of the speed I do have to download clips of the new Australian version of "Family Feud," so after I clicked on the link in Dan's e-mail, it took quite a while to load. I pondered -- what could it be? What could it be?

It was better than I could have imagined, especially if Tuffy makes the team (and I like Quinton McCracken, too, but he's no Tuffy).

Incidentally, you may note that Channel Nine in Australia appears to be using the slogan "Still the One." This was the slogan of the ABC network in the U.S. way back in the late 1970s, tied to the then-reasonably-current song of the same name by the band Orleans. Wow, things take a long time to get to Australia!

Labels: australia, Dan Rivkin, quinton mccracken, reds, spring training, Tuffy Rhodes, tv

On tonight's episode of "The Amazing Race," one of the tasks for the three teams of four remaining in the race was to search among the seats of Olympic Stadium in Montreal for one of three small boxes containing a departure time for a flight the next morning -- and then nap on cots on the floor of the stadium until time to go to the airport.

So there were 12 people (plus an indeterminate number of cameramen and other production people) inside Olympic Stadium, which is probably more than they've had in there in quite a while, and yet the concession stands did not appear to be open and serving poutine! What a travesty.

Labels: olympic stadium, tv

Here is Oakland Tribune Giants beat reporter Andrew Baggarly appearing on Young People's Week on the syndicated version of "Card Sharks" (with host Bill Rafferty) in 1987.



Unfortunately, it's the last game of the week, so it's a rushed, sudden-death kind of thing, and we don't get to hear much from li'l Andy -- especially since he doesn't get to play the bonus round for the trip to Hawaii. (Oh, sorry, should I not have spoiled an 18-year-old game show?)

Thanks to TiVo for religiously recording the Rafferty "Card Sharks" once GSN started rerunning it earlier this year, and thanks to Jason for pointing out that this does have a connection to baseball and was therefore eligible for posting here.

Labels: giants, tv

In the opening segment of last night's episode of "The Simpsons" -- the episode that was incessantly promoted during Fox's baseball coverage -- an attempt to speed up a baseball game ends with the entire universe being destroyed, so there.

Actually, the whole thing was completely unbelievable, because it depicted a World Series game, broadcast by Fox, that was not only being played during the day, but also had Harry-Shearer-imitating-Vin-Scully doing the announcing, rather than Joe Buck and Tim McCarver. Come to think of it, if the universe is going to be destroyed anyway, that wouldn't be the worst way to go out.

Labels: simpsons, tv, vin scully

Six hours into the broadcast -- reflecting Fox's ridiculously unrealistic 3-hour time slot plus the maximum 3 hours of TiVo padding, it was the top of the 14th...



The good news is that I had caught up to the live broadcast at 10:30, and set a manual recording for 11:00 until -- well, just in case, I set it to go until, well, about the time the morning news was going to start. So I was a little disappointed that it was "only" 11:20 when the game actually ended. But I have to assume I was one of a very select few not in Houston or Chicago who actually saw the game from beginning to end, although it's admittedly a lot easier to sit through 14 innings of baseball when you can fast-forward through the commercials...



That Chicago Sun-Times "Market Wrap" edition isn't looking like such a silly idea now, is it, Levi? That might be the only way for Chicagoans to get the box score of this game in their newspaper tomorrow -- uh, I mean today.

Hey, speaking of silly ideas, where was Aaron Neville in the middle of the 14th to sing the real song? Actually, Bud Selig probably would have insisted on a reprise of "God Bless America" for no good reason.

On a TV note: since I grew up in the Eastern time zone, I'm used to sporting events that run long being followed by the local affiliate's 11:00 or 10:00 news in its entirety, whether it's at 12:00, 12:30, or even later. Therefore, I was a little surprised to discover that Fox's flagship station in Los Angeles must have their entire 10:00 news crew home, because when the coverage of the game ended, they went straight to their regularly scheduled 11:30 "Simpsons" rerun.

Labels: aaron neville, astros, bud selig, take me out to the ball game, tv, white sox, world series

Note to headline writers and creators of Fox graphics:

A word or phrase that sounds like a different word or phrase is not necessarily a pun. A pun must involve some play on both the sound and the meaning of a word or phrase.

For example, titling a graphic describing, say, David Eckstein's postseason hitting prowess "Eck-Ray Vision" is utterly inappropriate, unless he's managed his postseason hitting prowess with rays from his eyes or some such nonsense, which he hasn't.

So stop it. Stop it stop it stop it.

That is all.

Labels: david eckstein, tv

At 9:33 P.M. Eastern time, Scooter explains that a 12-6 curveball is a curveball that changed its name after a cease-and-desist letter from the 7-Eleven Corporation. Steve Lyons jokes that Scooter would never have been allowed to play for Bob Brenly looking the way he does, round around his midsection and with his cap on backwards. Then Thom Brennaman says that won't be an issue, because "just announced before the LCS, Scooter signed a lifetime contract with Fox."

Labels: bob brenly, Scooter, steve lyons, thom brennaman, tv

• Hope you enjoy watching A.J. Pierzynski running to first base while Josh Paul rolls the ball back toward the pitcher's mound, because Fox is going to be showing it over and over and over and over and over and over and over, and that's just during Game 3. (On the bright side, it's not often that the Los Angeles Times has a box on its front page containing excerpts from the MLB official rules, as it does today.)
  
• Lou Piniella has been fairly entertaining, and has had some good insights, drawing not only from his many years in baseball, but the fact that he was managing an American League team this season, a team that had to play against the Angels and White Sox on occasion. So it's too bad he's having to share a booth with Tim McCarver.
  
• Talking about Mark Buehrle and the urgency with which he pitches, Joe Buck joked with Lou about the fact that some of the organizations he's managed for would probably hate Buehrle because you don't sell as many concessions when the games only last an hour and 40 minutes. I was hoping Lou would say, "Or sell as much furniture," but no such luck. Maybe just in case, he's making nice with new Devil Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg (whose attempt to get people to show up at Tropicana Field next year should not go unmentioned here).
  
• Scooter explained what a change-up is 45 minutes into the broadcast (note that I did not say "45 minutes into the game"). At 8:45 P.M. Eastern, all the kids who are young enough to need Scooter to explain a change-up to them are in bed already, not that anyone in the Eastern time zone is watching any of the championship series games. At 7:45 P.M. Central -- well, all the kids in the Central time zone are the children of knowledgable baseball fans of the type who go to Cardinals games and who used to go to Cubs games until the frat boys started crowding them out, so they don't need Scooter to tell them what a change-up is. At 6:45 P.M. Mountain -- well, no one lives in the Mountain time zone, especially during the daylight saving time months when Arizona is effectively on Pacific time. At 5:45 P.M. Pacific, there are no kids watching baseball because their parents are still stuck in traffic on the way home from work and the kids are watching soft-core porn via Cinemax On Demand because they've figured out how to defeat the "parental lock" on their cable box. At 4:45 P.M. Alaska time, kids are too busy drilling for oil or clubbing baby seals or whatever it is they do all day in Alaska. At 2:45 P.M. Hawaii time, kids are still in school, or cutting class to go surf, not cutting class to watch baseball. Therefore, Scooter is completely superfluous and should be destroyed.
  

Labels: a.j. pierzynski, joe buck, josh paul, los angeles times, lou piniella, mark buehrle, Scooter, stuart sternberg, tim mccarver, tv