Baseball's error
Once again, MLB ignores its best fans.
Baseball's error
Rich Hofmann, Daily News Sports Columnist
This is not a rant about the Phillies and Rockies getting screwed by MLB because its first two playoff games are in the afternoon. Hopefully, it's a little more subtle than that. This isn't about big-city bias. It is about baseball's misguided view of itself.
The fact is, nobody in the country watches Division Series baseball games during the afternoon outside of the fans of the teams involved. But baseball views itself as The National Pastime, and it sees that all NFL and NBA playoff games are televised live nationally, and it won't start the season a couple of days earlier or extend it a couple of days later, so we are left with rabid fans of participating teams unable to watch the games.
It's absurd. It is a schedule designed for sportswriters and shut-ins.
In 2007, the Phillies and Rockies got the same raw deal with two days games in Philadelphia to open their series. The first one drew 3.17 million viewers nationwide, the second 3.3 million viewers. I'm not a math major but if my ciphering is even close, somewhere between one-third and one-half of the people who watched those games were from Philadelphia and Colorado. Most everyone else who watched accidentally bumped into the game while looking for a rerun of "Cash Cab."
None of the other sports inconvenience its fans like this. There is no reason why baseball couldn't do regional telecasts on weekdays in the first round of the playoffs. The standard would be simple. There would be two time slots, 6 pm and 9 pm in the East. The slot that made the most sense for the home team would be the place the game would fall.
I guarantee you that the ratings would be higher. I guarantee you that the fans of the teams involved -- the people who really care; in many cases, the only people who care -- would be thrilled.
Who would be mad? The infinitesimal number of Americans without an allegiance to a team who like to watch games in the afternoon.
Why cater to them?
Comment removed.
they ALL used to be afternoon games. I like it. it weeds out people who aren't real fans. there are always people who have to work at essential jobs around the clock, but most of the people complaining are corporate folks who won't take a 1/2 vacation day who would only be sitting on their hands at the game anyway.— JesseH- Unfortunately, with the economics of sports, the bigger market teams will always be favored. A Phils/Twins World Series would show them.— blutz
- Regional coverage would be great for people that live in the Philadephia area, but I live out of town now, and would be stuck watching the Cardinals and Dodgers. At least this way I have a chance to see the game if I can get out of work...
- sadly we're a nation that revolves around the god named "dollar bill."— retzlaff
- The problem with a 2:30PM starting time, from the standpoint of a hitting team like the Phillies, is the 4 o'clock shadows, which will be getting pretty long aboout the 3rd or 4th inning. These shadows make the ball very difficult to see by batters for both teams.— pajamas
i do not have a good feeling about the Rockies series. Maybe 07 is still embedded in my head.- This should go under the "You can't please all of the people" file. Many media outlets last year battered MLB for airing WS games too late, claiming that evening games alienated kids. Well, kids won't miss this one. So suck it up like your parents or grandparents did when most MLB games were played in daytime. Make up a good work excuse and go watch the game! Plus, given the current unemployment rate, afternoon ratings should be high.— PhillyPhantastico
- well, i must say, it helps me living in london as a displaced philly guy. otherwise i have no shot to watch the game.— phills93
- Its all about the Yankees, they should be playing the afternoon game and the defending champs should be in primetime. MLB only cares about them. And for all the whinners, take a half day. Your company will not collapse because you are watching a baseball game!— Glen71
- I have to disagree with Rich on this one. I am very happy it's a day game. I am taking a few hours of vacation time to watch the game. When they start at 8:30 or 9:00 or later I can't stay awake to watch the end of the game because I have to get to up early for work. Somebody has to play early. Another thing, there are wat too many commercials making the games last longer also.— rolenfan
- I've been a Phils fan for over 25 years, and I can't watch a playoff game because it's being played at 2:37pm on a weekday? Completely ridiculous. Selig is frickin idiot. Nice job with the World Series last year!— p-diddy
- Comment removed.
- Wasn't this all addressed last year on the SI cover by Tom Verducci? Baseball is a local game. Inasmuch as MLB disrespects local fans for the misguided quest for some national identity, it hurts itself with many little cuts. I was out of town for two of the games in last years World Series, during the infamous Monday night rain game, every TV but one at the large sports bar I was at were tuned to a meaningless NFL game rather than the potentially clinching MLB WS game. That said, what are you going to do? The game is being run by an obscenely overpaid used car salesman from Milwaukee.— bobcitydoc
- Wasn't this all addressed last year on the SI cover by Tom Verducci? Baseball is a local game. Inasmuch as MLB disrespects local fans for the misguided quest for some national identity, it hurts itself with many little cuts. I was out of town for two of the games in last years World Series, during the infamous Monday night rain game, every TV but one at the large sports bar I was at were tuned to a meaningless NFL game rather than the potentially clinching MLB WS game. That said, what are you going to do? The game is being run by an obscenely overpaid used car salesman from Milwaukee.— bobcitydoc
