2009 MLB Thread - Page 34

Well since several thousand people work for the Fox broadcast network I doubt that "Fox" has any collective opinion at all. 

Even the announcers are going to want the match-up that gets the best ratings - which may not be Dodgers/Yankees.  New York and L.A. may be the two biggest individual TV markets in the country, but L.A. isn't and never has been a baseball town.  Seats to Dodgers games routinely go begging, even when they're doing well.  The local ratings won't be as big as some people think.  

Also cities like Chicago, St. Louis and Atlanta and Detroit collectively represent a bigger block of TV viewers than N.Y. and L.A.  Given the amount of Yankee-hatred among baseball fans (plus distaste for L.A. generally in a lot of areas) a bi-coastal, big city World Series might turn a lot of fans in smaller markets off completely.  I know there have been years when I haven't watched the Series because there was no team that I had any kind of rooting interest in playing.  That might be the case with a lot of people if it comes down to two big money, powerhouse clubs from the edges of the continent duking it out.  Put either team up against a contender from the midwest, west or south and I think you could end up better ratings.  

Just my two cents,

Joe

Every team that I wanted to win yesterday didn't come through. :(  I really do hope this does not continue tonight.

I don't have any solid predictions, but my gut tells me that the Red Sox will lose to the Angels (I don't know how many games the series will go), and that the Angels will defeat the Yankees en route to the World Series.

Being a Boston fan for many years, I really never stopped to think about what Detroit/Michigan fans have gone through the past year.  The Spartans lose in their bowl game, the Red Wings lose in the finals of the NHL, the Lions go 0-16 (first time in NFL history), the Pistons get swept by the Cavaliers, and the Tigers lose a three-game lead with four games to play (the first time that has ever happened in the history of baseball).  Ouch.
Edited by Ockeghem - 10/8/09 at 8:41am

Joe,
I think some of your information is incorrect as the Dodgers led all of baseball in attendance this year with about 3.76M and the Angels drawing 3.24M fans.  The Yankees drew 3.72M and the Mets were over 3.1M too.

As far as television ratings, New York is definitely a baseball town as the Yankees have drawn some good ratings while the Mets were good earlier this season until their team fell apart with injuries.  I know the NY television ratings percentage-wise isn't as good as Boston, Chicago or St. Louis, but I think they're better than Atlanta and Detroit.





Crawdaddy

as much as people talk about anti-Yankee sentiment, there's also "Yankee Nation" too.  every time the Yankees go to Anaheim, Tampa Bay, Baltimore... there's almost as many Yankee fans as home team fans. of course this may not have a large correlation with the passive fan which makes up the overwhelming majority. 

Yanks being in the post season is a 'win-win'.  You get the New York market as well as the ex-pat New Yorkers scattered around the country.  You get the Yankee fans as well as the Yankee haters.  These are the same reasons the Yanks draw so well on the road. Baltimore/Toronto are somewhat different as the tickets to these games are dirt cheap compared to games in the new palace and are available due to a long history of bad teams.  Can't afford to take the family to the Bronx ?  No sweat, get tickets to the road games and make a weekend out of it.  I've never done it, but I have to believe that when it's all said and done the total spent to go out of town (travel, hotel, etc.) would be comparable to paying for the same quality of seat in the Bronx.
BTW, anyone notice all the empty blue seats in front at the first ALDS game ?  Empty seats down front for a playoff game in the Bronx, absolutely shameful !  Thanks Hank, Hal, Randy and Lon !

What I am about to write may alienate me from some of the Red Sox fans on this Board. I've been one since approximately 1967. And believe me, the name of Bucky Dent is nearly equivalent to one of many profanities that I will not allow to be spoken in my home. ;)

As a Red Sox fan, I don't need to go into why I despise the New York Yankees. It's pretty much a given. But what most probably don't know about me is that I really despise the Dodgers as well, and have for decades. And I don't particularly like the Cardinals, either (2004 was a glorious sports year for me!) But that Yankee-Dodger-Cardinals pendulum may have swung a bit in favor of the Yankees last night as a result of last night's Cardinals - Dodgers result.

After Holliday's error, I figured the Cardinals had lost the game. When the Dodgers eventually won and were celebrating, I saw many players jumping all over one another as if they had just won the World Series. Fans and players alike were shaking their 'we're no. 1' fingers in the air as if no one could possibly defeat them. Manny Ramirez was smiling from ear-to-ear as well, which is to be expected. And I didn't like it -- not one bit. But then again, I don't like Manny Ramirez -- not one bit. While the Dodgers were celebrating, I felt an unaccustomed emotion relative to St. Louis last night -- I was actually somewhat sad for the Cardinals after that game, figuring that the series was all but over now. This is the first time (ever) that I have felt for the Cardinals in any situation. (Had I subjected myself to watching clips of Joaquin Andujar, I probably would have remedied the situation.)

 

Watching the Yankees this year, I remain unimpressed with the Dodgers and the Cardinals -- and in fact, with the rest of the league, with the possible exception of the Anaheim [sic] Angels. Unless there is an upset of epic proportions (maybe against the Angels?) along the line somewhere, I see the Dodgers and the Yankees making it to the World Series, which will present me with quite a dilemma. But here is the most surprising thing of all given my history of following Boston for over forty years. If the Yankees win their 27th World Series this Fall against the Dodgers, I won't be nearly as bummed about the result as I usually am when New York wins, and I can't explain why. But I do know that much of this -- dang it all -- has to do with Joe Girardi. I have tried all year to despise him and to find reasons to dislike him, but I just can't, no matter how hard I try. I could not stand Bill Virdon, Ralph Houk, Billy Martin, Lou Piniella, or Bucky Dent(!), and I had little love for Dallas Green and Joe Torre. But I actually like Joe Girardi. Yep, I like him. Which begs the question: Is it possible for me to root for Joe Girardi and not the New York Yankees?  It had better be.

{If this post is offensive to Red Sox fans, please ask that it be deleted by a moderator. ;)}

Mike,

That is a good question. I have watched him in interviews, and I've watched him when his team was reeling (e.g., four straight losses to the Red Sox twice this year). I've also been very impressed with his reaction to reporters when they are digging for more information, and instead of giving it to them, he says something like 'we're going to keep this in the clubhouse.' I attribute my liking him (or his management style) in part to that. But there is more. I will have to think about this for a time.

Mike, is there a chance that Boston will rebound in this series against the Angels?  I would have to say that tonight's game is the most important game of the season for the Red Sox.  Thankfully, we've got just the right person we need on the mound. :)

I agree with Joe's post. Case in point - the 2000 World Series between the Mets and Yankees, which ended up horrible ratings (the lowest at that time for FOX). Yeah, you got the NY market, but a lot of people outside of NY simply tuned out.

Not really happy the Phils lost yesterday. I was only able to catch part of the game, from my break at work. Let's hope they can steal one from Coors Field, which will be hovering around the freezing point at game time.

Mike,

No, not rattled.  I think you can probably deduce from previous posts of mine that I am relatively unimpressed with Boston this year.  They're slightly above a mediocre team at best (speaking absolutely not relatively), unless they happen to be firing on all cylinders simultaneously.

"If we can win tonight's game, we're back to Fenway for two.  How'd the Sox do at Fenway this year?"

I think you may be being facetious here, yes?  The Sox had the second-best home record in all of baseball, but were atrocious on the road.

"Let's review the 2004 ALCS, the 2007 ALCS...and we can even look at the 2008 ALCS to illustrate this point.      I consider Game #5 of the '08 ALCS to be one of the most fun games I've ever watched.  Especially the last three innings and Coco Crisp's big at-bat."

I don't for a moment believe that past histories contain any relevant contribution or meaning to present-day performance.  And even if I did believe it, I think I would be unwise to be guided by Red Sox past performances if one goes back before 2004. ;)

Regarding Girardi, it is tough for me to quantify (in any meaningful way) what he may or may have not done with the players he has.  I don't think he over-manages.  I do think he knows how to get his players motivated, and I believe he is very business-like with them.  I think that this shows in their individual and collective performances on the field, and (maybe to a lesser extent?) in their attitudes and behavior off of the field.

Walter,

I heard yesterday that the game-time temperatures could be as low as 20 degrees, and that an inch of snow is expected.

Those empty seats are deceiving because a lot of those seats are sold, but the occupants are in those various venues around the stadium instead of being in their seats watching the game.  The Legends Club has all you can eat and drink for those with Legend seating. 




Crawdaddy

That's because it was only the New York market that had a rooting interest and with the rest of the country stewing in their anti-New York sentiment, there was little doubt that the ratings outside of New York would suffer especially with that Yankee team being rather dominant during that time.  I say rather dominant because the Yankees that year limped into the playoffs in 2000.

However, if you get a Dodgers versus Yankees WS, you will draw from two major markets and with the Yankees lack of dominance over the last nine years, there will be more baseball fans tuning in to root against the Yankees. 

With that said, there are other matchups that will draw just as good ratings too like Boston versus LA, St. Louis or Philly.  Or how about the Angels against the Dodgers, Cardinals or Phillies.  Even the Yanks against the Cardinals or the Phillies will draw good ratings.





Crawdaddy

Mike,

Something to keep in mind when you read my responses. They are rarely argumentative (or if they are, then it is I who have made the points badly that I am trying to convey). I just like bantering back and forth in the hopes of engaging posters who appear to love the same topics as I do. So I might not really be disagreeing with you. (I usually write, "I don't agree" -- or something to that effect -- when I'm rarin' to go. ;))

I'm definitely on the same page with you if the Sox win tonight. That's why I think this game is the most important one of the year for Boston. Lose it, and IMO, we're out. We're not going to win three straight against the Angels. But I can see us winning two straight against them.

I may be a bit hard on the 95-win Red Sox. But that's why I wrote of them in absolute (rather than relative) terms. They were tied for the third best record in MLB this year. That must mean something, I suppose. But this team is nowhere near as good as the 116 game-winning Mariners or the 114 game-winning Yankees, and I fear that they (the Sox) are going to have to be of that caliber to defeat three very good teams (and perhaps one *great* team) along the way. Then again, the Red Sox are a bit better than the Cleveland Spiders of 1899, who lost 134 games. I remember that team well. ;)

also it was a sweep, or 4-1.  nobody likes a sweep, even *I* was totally bored with that series.  it was completely one-sided.  i hope the Yanks get in the WS but i also hope it's at least a challenge.

Holy yit, did the Twins ever get robbed !  Sure glad they have the extra umps down the lines for those close calls
I guess aura and mystique got the change of address card.

 I have found a longer excerp with Vin Skully, who is my favorite announcer - the link is:

http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=7028745

With Harry Kalas gone this year, is Vin Skully the last of the old school greats.

I don't listen to the other teams very often, so I don't know who else there is.
Suppose we could add the Brewer's Eucker, he's fun to listen to and is actually very good at calling the game.

btw, there is a game on MLB channel right now.

game 1 of the '95 alds BOSTON & CLEVELAND with Bob Costas and BoB Eucker

Growing up in the 80's, sometimes I still refer to Uecker as "that guy from Mr. Belvedere", or the movie Major League. So I was really in for a surprise to learn that he was an actual baseball announcer, when he was with NBC.

I did get to hear Vin Scully on MLB Network, and interesting to hear only 1 person calling the game. He does seem to be so smooth in his delivery of the game.

it's pretty unbelievable that the ump missed the call on Mauer's "double" last night, especially when replays show him hunched down looking squarely in that direction, unobstructed.  still, the impact on the game is probably similar to Inge's non-hit-batsman in game 163, which the Twins totally exploited. 
i really hope the Yanks keep Matsui, but the general consensus seems to be they'd rather keep Damon.  *IF* the Yanks can sign Figgins, or even Holliday, they'd have plenty of OF's and would not need their DH to play OF, in which case i'd rather have Godzilla over Damon.  

I like Matsui a lot.  If there is any way the Red Sox could pick him up, I'd be all for that.

And move David Ortiz from DH to SS?

Mike,

I'd still take him in a heartbeat.  I don't think Lowell will be with the team that much longer anyway.  It is possible that having Ortiz playing in the field more regularly could turn out to be a good thing.  I wonder how Matsui would do hitting in Fenway?