Watching Baseball
When I was growing up, there was a Game of the Week. The title was literal. If you wanted to watch a game, then you'd better clear your Saturday afternoon schedule. You couldn't record it and watch it later. You had to get your snacks during commercials. And you had to accept whichever two teams the network decided to feature, usually the Dodgers and Mets. Man, I hated the Dodgers and Mets.Curt Gowdy, Joe Garragiola, and Tony Kubek (et. al.) did a good, not great, job of calling the game. They were the only choices so, as far as we knew, they were the very best. At the very least they were (usually) impartial. And at the very most, they weren't Tim McCarver or Joe Morgan. Every so often, I got to hear Vin Scully and I would wonder why he wasn't the commentator or, y'know, President.
There were no Superstations, no ESPN, no regional broadcasts, no MLB.TV. It was The Game. Of The Week.
With the baseball package, I can now watch any game I want. With my beloved DVR, I can watch it whenever I want. A buddy of mine even has a deal where he can choose between the home and away broadcast and put 8 games at a time up on the widescreen. We've come a long way, baby.
But technology and specialization are, of course, not always a good thing. Or, to paraphrase Ian Malcolm from Jurassic Park, "Just because we can do something, doesn't necessarily mean that we should."
Today's broadcasts are slick. Too slick. They come with graphics and sound effects and there's always a guy roaming through the stands interviewing people who are celebrating birthdays or anniversarys or who just caught a foul ball. The broadcasters are all homers and every line (when they choose to actually talk about the game) begins with "we" or "they." The producers assume that we are all very bored with actually watching the game and so they reduce it to 1/3 of our screen and use the other 2/3 to show us other games, or Ben Affleck, or (God help us) yet another interview with Bud Selig.
Recently I watched a game between the Angels and the Rangers where the two talking heads spent more than 5 innings telling golf stories. They solicited golf stories from viewers and announced proudly that they were receiving e-mails from far off lands! ("This one's from Dubai! Where's Dubai?" "I think it's in the desert. Do they golf on sand??" "Ahhhh ha ha ha. Good one, Tom!" ...and I'm yelling at my TV that if they are going to talk about golf instead of baseball, it would be great if they at least knew something about GOLF!!!)
During two of those innings, the Angels were playing excellent baseball. The pitcher was working fast, changing speeds, throwing strikes and the defenders behind him were all on their toes, making great plays. At the end of both innings, the talking heads (I couldn't make this up) actually complained about the pace of the game, irate that they weren't getting enough time to finish their stories. "So, I'm hitting my approach on a long dogleg left and...there's a deep fly to the wall, Hunter leaps and makes the grab................sigh...........well, Tom, I guess I'll have to get to the rest of that story after the break. When we come back it'll be Kotchman, Kendrick, and Napoli...ooooooohhhhhhh, and I'll share with you this e-mail that just came in from Zurich!"
Gee, hey, I wonder why people don't understand baseball.
I still hate the Dodgers, but I still tune in from time to time to watch Vin Scully. The man deserves his own personal Hall of Fame. A Dodgers fixture for over 40 years, Scully still calls a great game. He does his homework. He teaches. He somehow remains (usually) impartial. And if you tune in during the 5th, he'll usually tell a story. It will be of days gone by, it will be about baseball, and it will either bring a smile to your face, or a tear to your eye. Then he'll smile and say, "Now let's get back to this one."
Sure, I'm old and nostalgic and pining for days gone by. But we didn't used to worry about catch phrases, home run calls, and trying to make the game interesting. We used to just be interested. And if the game was a blowout (see, we used to care more about close games than stats, about competition than power displays), well, then we'd check the paper for box scores, find a good book, or, most likely, turn the game on the TV off...and go outside to play one of our own.
(Non-baseball-related-addendum: Yesterday I found out that Barack Obama is 3 years older then me. My slide into senility continues unabated.)
posted by Thurman8er @ 8:23 AM
8 Comments:
If you read the book Jurassic Park, one of the best parts from Ian Malcolm was the comparison between today's technology and karate masters. His basic premise was that it takes many years to become a master at karate. (like Chuck Norris for example.) In becoming a master, you learn discipline and therefore do not abuse the skills you have learned. With today's technology, a neophyte can use advances made by someone else and without any discipline, do very irresponsible things. (Like ruin an Angels game.)
Steve,
Don't you love the amount of games on TV both college and pro. We have dtv and I can't believe it. It is crazy. There is nothing better than watching it live though. The sights, smells, roar of the fans when a home run is hit.
Thanks for shairng this with us.
I hope you have a great weekend brother.
In Him,
Kinney Mabry
You sound like those other sweet old people who talk about not watching, but sitting around the radio LISTENING to the games...
I love you.
Hey Steve. What about that game a day or so ago that went 22 innings.........or something like that????
Well said Steve. While I wasn't even a Dodger fan (and of course still am not!), I recall the early 80's, as a kid, when I would carve out a little spot in my bedroom closet and sit with my little radio and listen to Vin Scully and keep score on my handmade scoresheets. While I now have my MLB Extra Innings in HD and am free to watch most any game, I truely believe that nothing will ever beat those days where I allowed a master at his craft describe to me what was happening on the field, thereby allowing me to create my own HD picture in my mind. Baseball didn't get any better, except perhaps when I got to see my first game in person.
Last time we were at a Dodger game, my brother-in-law from LA led us in a Vin Scully cheer. Several from the stands joined in.
What "The Weaver" said...I've been saying the SAME thing for at least 10 years now! It can be applied to all aspects of "life".
I like baseball. I used to like baseball a LOT, until the current talking heads came on board. Vin Scully? I vividly remember Dizzy Dean! What a guy!! But then, I also remember when I LIKED the Dodgers...like when they were in Brooklyn!! And...radio is GOOD! Anyone remember Sat. mornings at 9am when "Let's Pretend" was on???
This is why I love hockey...the announcers have been players and coaches...and they have the discipline part down pat.
It seems the "new style" of broadcasting is based on the philosophy of reaching people with short attention spans or trying to attract a cross-over listening audience. The ones who actually listen and actually care seem to suffer the most.
Did I tell you about getting to meet Jim Palmer and Jon Miller prior to a Baltimore / SF game?
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