THUS far, a surprisingly good job from TBS on the four Division Series. Thus far.
Unlike ESPN and FOX, TBS has left enough room to allow the games to breathe; there’s no overt attempt to drown them in a stew of graphics, endless and mindless explanations and discussions, crowd shots and dopey graphics.
For some crazy reason, TBS has mostly kept its cameras on the fields and allowed them to do most of the talking. Sometimes, even, ball one, low and away, hasn’t inspired a word of comment, as if such a sight speaks for itself. Imagine that.
Then again, TBS is new at this; perhaps it just doesn’t know any better.
However, a few things TBS could clean up, starting today:
Loan Chip Caray a clue. Friday, in the bottom of the insect-infested eighth inning of Yankees-Indians Game 2, score tied, he declared, “The winning run on second.” How could the winning run score before the ninth inning began?
In the top of the ninth, after Bobby Abreu stole second, Caray solidified the notion he’d gone buggy, dramatically stating, “The winning run at second, with two out.” Unless we missed a last-minute rule change, games can’t end after 8½ innings with the visitors ahead. Good grief, man!
And those promos for its new “Frank TV” show, while mostly funny – Frank Caliendo’s impersonations are terrific – are thrown at us so often they risk being intrusive and annoying. (Does Caliendo do Giuseppe Franco?) TBS missed the first out in the top of the third in Game 1 of Red Sox-Angels for one of those promos.
And please – please – end those “Pitch Sequence” reels after a strikeout or a home run. They seem to imply some means-to-an-end grand plan was in the works when, after six, seven, eight, nine pitches to the same batter, whatever plan there might have been is long gone.
One last thing: Resist the urge to hit the graphics buttons. Not bad, so far, but why impress upon us that the Indians are bereft of playoff experience, then, in Game 1, post a graphic noting that it’s Victor Martinez’s “First Postseason HR.” It was his first game!
But overall, so far, TBS seems to be adhering to a very simple plan: Take us out to the ballgame. That’s all we ask; that’s all we’ve ever asked.
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Why the fuss from ESPN’s and TBS’ studios about Lou Piniella‘s Game 1 decision to remove Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano after six strong innings? Piniella has been making such dubious moves for years.
Managing the Mariners in the 2000 ALCS, won by the Yankees in six games, Piniella couldn’t wait to remove effective relievers in favor of Arthur Rhodes, who, in four appearances (a total of two innings) allowed eight hits, four walks and seven earned runs for an ERA of 31.50.
Piniella is among the many who manage “by the book.” Problem is, there is no book, never has been.
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CBS-owned CSTV, formerly the College Sports Television cable network, this evening at 6:30 presents “The Peglegs of Stuyvesant High,” a 90-minute documentary about the 2006 Stuyvesant football team, a team loaded with first-generation Americans, most with a far greater aptitude for linear physics than linebacking.
Stuyvesant, in lower Manhattan, since the 1930s has drawn high academic achievers from throughout New York City. That makes for the kind of football team, school newspaper sports editor David DeGuzman explains, “that’s always going to be underdogs.”
With CSTV not widely cleared on local systems, WCBS Ch. 2, after a little language editing, should make room for this show some winter weekend morning.
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A mere 25 miles southwest of Manhattan, Wednesday night, those traveling in cars had a far better chance to hear Red Sox-Angels on a New England station than over ESPN’s New York station, 1050. In fact, because 1050’s signal turns to string cheese at sunset, many who live just outside NYC can’t hear ESPN’s exclusive postseason radio coverage at all.
Early in Game 1 of Yankees-Indians, John Sterling provided one of his sage overviews of baseball: “Ya know, Suzyn, this time of year statistics really mean nothing, you can just take the book and throw it right out the window. Here’s Melky, batting .273.”
By now, you’d think Al Michaels would know better than to parrot graphics that appear on the screen. But last Sunday, during NBC’s Eagles-Giants, he recited the graphic calling Giants punter Jeff Feagles the “oldest player in the NFL, 41.” Falcons kicker Morten Andersen is 47.
Incidentally, a low-scoring game (it was 7-0, Giants) was still in the third quarter when 11 p.m. arrived. Never ran into more Eagles and Giants fans who didn’t see the end of a close Eagles-Giants game. Not that the NFL cares.
When did it become so ugly? Monday night on ESPN, the Pats’ Mike Vrabel caught a TD pass to make it 9-0, then ran to the end-zone stands in Cincinnati, held the ball up and out, as if he were about to gift it to a fan, then quickly pulled it back. Sucker! Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski and Tony Kornheiser all must have missed what was hard not to see; none said a word about it.
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Omar Minaya will announce today that he has traded Luis Castillo for Pepto Bismol.