I am glad that MLB and ESPN are divorcing. It has been an unhealthy product for years, and the four-letter-networks Sunday Night Baseball program has become painfully, laughably unwatchable as a product. From the childish and hokey cartoons, bad cliche-ridden commentary, and heinous hosts and play callers, it has been sad to see "Baseball Tonight" slide so far down. I do not know if all the other ESPN programs are like this? I have not watched Sportscenter for at least a decade, even when it might be the only thing worth watching, say, some morning in a hotel room while travelling. The game at the the little league ball park in Williamsport, too, is a terrible product. On that note, ESPN gives too much coverage to little league and softball during its purported MLB coverage. So, I think ultimately anything MLB had allowed ESPN to do, recently, was a failure.
ESPN's selecting the same six or so teams to showcase week in and week out and year in and year out is shameful star-f*cking at its most blatant. It never sat right with me that they completely ignored, like, about than two-thirds of the teams. But MLB has some complicity in this too by allowing them to hone in on the Dodgers, Yankees, Braves, Phillies, and for some reason the Red Sox in recent years. Even most of the rivalries are not really rivalries any longer and I actually place some of the blame for this on ESPN for keeping them on life support. I know the issues are greater than what I have mentioned here but from my point of view, these are the biggest problems and failures.
I have often wondered why MLB sacrificed a good night like Sunday to ESPN. I mean, if they want to show movies I guess that is their choice, but it is throwing in the flag and giving up money and opportunity to support and showcase their own product. And in that light, why show movies over and over when you can air MLB Tonight or whatever it is called and analyze the weekend series and forecast the upcoming weeks games?
But I also fear this means more games will be moving to atrocious streaming apps like Apple. But I did not watch, any longer, the games on ESPN so maybe I am not going to be missing anything? Some of my interpretations of the situation may be incorrect here as to the reasons for the canceling of the contract but the sentiments nonetheless are as valid as I can express about the product.
And now the effing Yankees will allow "well-groomed" beards. Thank goodness! This is the thing that we really need to be focusing on in baseball!
Here's a baseball card to make your stay here more worthwhile (and it has nothing to do with the title of this post! It's just a random card):
Thanks for stopping by!
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