If you’re a nutjob for the sport of baseball like we are, then you’ve long been wondering what MLB Network entails. I know we’re pretty curious about it ourselves. It’s made us start wondering if it would be worth it to ditch our cable package and just use that idle dish that has been sitting on our porch since we moved in. We have a feeling that this network might end up hooking us in where NFL Network could not.
You’ve probably heard about some of the basics. When MLB Network launched on January 1st, it was in 50 million homes bla bla bla.
Over at Halos Heaven a poll is already being conducted on thoughts of the new network. It’s fairing favorable with over half the voters being in bliss with their new show-toy.
Bless You Boys has a similar discussion post about the network, where they go into detail on the early on show analysis:
Here’s my strongest initial thought after watching three-plus editions of “Hot Stove,” their off-season studio show: If you’re going to discuss transactions that teams have or haven’t made – for instance, why Manny Ramirez hasn’t signed with anyone yet – three ex-players aren’t going to give you a full insight into the situation.
Harold Reynolds, Al Leiter, and Barry Larkin all said, “Hey, I’d want that guy as a teammate. I’d tell my GM to sign Manny.” Okay, sure. As a player, you want your team to be better. But what might a general manager think about signing someone like Manny? How would he weigh his production versus his clubhouse reputation? What is he looking at, in regards to a contract? How would he try to sell this to his team’s owner?
I always knew Larkin was meant for television, even if he is only makeshift thus far. Hopefully Leiter, Lark and Harold Reynolds step it up so that Baseball Tonight is forced to be worthy of being watched again.
The network also has 26 thursday night games slated for this upcoming season (there’s only 26 thursday nights in a baseball season! bummer). No word yet on whether or not these games will be “flex” games like in the NFL, with the most appealing matchup on a slate of games getting the nod on the network.
One fan took in a nostalgic program on the network–which is where we would find ourselves watching countless hours of nothing else but.
I was thereafter filled with six hours of baseball lover’s ecstasy. First up was the broadcast of Don Larsen’s perfect game, from Game 5 of the 1956 World Series…say it ain’t so! And not only was it the broadcast, but to introduce it and provide a huge amount of priceless background and commentary on that momentous occasion was the pitching battery that day – Don Larsen and Yogi Berra! Pitcher and Catcher are now 79 and 83 years old, respectively, but remember the day as if it were yesterday. Yogi was finishing Bob Costas’ sentences before he could get the worlds out – names, dates, ball and strike counts, everything. It was amazing. They both smiled when recalling that day, as the way they told the story made you feel as if you were with them that day. Going out to the bar the night before with Larsen, because there was “nothing else to do”. Did you know that neither of them spoke a word to eachother the entire game? I do now!
We’re surprised that no one thought to do the MLB Network before now, unless of course you count YES Network, which was a genius idea. If only every fan base had a channel devoted to their team’s history, nightly game, and then some analysis! Every. Single. Day. Do you have any idea what it would do for the sport?
Hopefully the end result of MLB Network is rave review after rave review raising the awareness of our favorite sport and causing the competition to up the ante a little bit.
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