MLB to ESPN: Drop dead

[TyWebb]

ESPN dropped the NHL and look at what happened. I know this is not even close to the same thing, but if a league begins to distance itself from the WWL, bad things seem to happen. Ask Gary Betteman.

 

[Claws for Concern]

ESPN should blog during the All-Star Game and see if MLB gets upset.

 

[Just4Fun]

MLB should do it this way ... Hey Berman and others at ESPN? "Back, Back, Back, Back, Back .... GONE!"

 

[slappy4428]

ESPN dropped the NHL and look at what happened. I know this is not even close to the same thing, but if a league begins to distance itself from the WWL, bad things seem to happen. Ask Gary Betteman.

BIG difference there, sparky...
NHL is a niche sport in the states; far too many baseball fans to let that happen.
If ESPN didnt show baseball highlights, ratings would drop.

 

[markvid]

I gotta believe a colossal error was made, not ESPN sticking it to TBS.
That being said, this is a HUGE error by MLB. They lose a lot of attention to the game.

 

[slappy4428]

That being said, this is a HUGE error by MLB. They lose a lot of attention to the game.

How do you figure? TBS has the peripheral crap instead of ESPN anyway, so people who tune to ESPN for that won't be there.
And ESPN is still committed to the highlight show...

 

[TyWebb]

My point exactly markvid. The All-Star game is already pretty much a joke. Losing coverage from ESPN only compounds the issue. I didn't mean to say that MLB would be doomed, I meant the All-Star game would suffer big time.

 

[slappy4428]

All-Star game won't suffer; the made-for-TV/Fan crap like home run derby, celebrity softball and other dumbass stuff might lose viewers.

 

[Oz]

If ESPN didnt show baseball highlights, ratings would drop.

Yeah, but those ratings that dropped would also be reflected in ESPN's numbers, and the WWL would never sabotage itself like that.

 

[markvid]

That being said, this is a HUGE error by MLB. They lose a lot of attention to the game.

How do you figure? TBS has the peripheral crap instead of ESPN anyway, so people who tune to ESPN for that won't be there.
And ESPN is still committed to the highlight show...

TBS is doing programming from San Fran?

 

[slappy4428]

That being said, this is a HUGE error by MLB. They lose a lot of attention to the game.

How do you figure? TBS has the peripheral crap instead of ESPN anyway, so people who tune to ESPN for that won't be there.
And ESPN is still committed to the highlight show...

TBS is doing programming from San Fran?

Of course not. However, how is a couple minute standup in SC and a baseball tonight show it's still going to do anyway an error?

 

[markvid]

Oh, I see what you mean now, sorry.
They were not supposed to mention anything about the list until after TBS left the air.
So, they must have done it sometime between 4 and 5PM
So, I'm wondering if it wasn't ESPNews that did it. If so, some producer was sitting there Sunday night going "what? we weren't supposed to? but it was on AP!"

 

[KP]

I gotta believe a colossal error was made, not ESPN sticking it to TBS.
That being said, this is a HUGE error by MLB. They lose a lot of attention to the game.

The article mentions the rain delay in the Braves game pushing the announcement show back...

 

[markvid]

I gotta believe a colossal error was made, not ESPN sticking it to TBS.
That being said, this is a HUGE error by MLB. They lose a lot of attention to the game.

The article mentions the rain delay in the Braves game pushing the announcement show back...

Oh, that might really mean it was an error, not intentional.

 

[novelist_wannabe]

That's what I was thinking. TBS was supposed to air its show around 4 PM after the Braves-Marlins game in Miami, but there was a rain delay. That said, this is as much sack as MLB has shown on any issue that I can remember. But then, it had a recent precedent from the NCAA to follow ...

 

[markvid]

And it's BS, it's an honest mistake. You don't go whipping it out against someone who pays you a lot of money just because.

 

[BYH]

MLB vs. ESPN? I haven't had this tough a time finding a rooting interest since big oil battled HMOs in a steel cage match.

**** them both. But good for MLB for treating ESPN like it would have treated any of us for breaking the embargo.

 

[Twoback]

Should MLB start a war with ESPN, I'll take the Worldwide Leader and the points.

Can I get some of that action?

 

[thebiglead]

Neil Best actually broke this Thursday on his Newsday blog. We linked to it and within an hour, an ESPN flack emailed to say that we should change it and that Best was incorrect. Naturally, I asked about Dan Patrick, and the guy 'had no idea what was going on.'

I think - pure guess - we're heading into some dicey times for ESPN. I've said it a few times ... i smell the NFL network coming after the NFL draft. The NFL network is only going to grow nationally, and eventually, it's going to want ESPN's crown jewel. That's going to drive a massive wedge between the two. I have zero proof of this, other than the fact that the NFL is locking all kinds of **** down in an attempt to protect its product and give the teams the power, as opposed to other outside forces. I think by next year, the MLB will doing much of the same.

IMO, the only major league that really needs ESPN is the NBA, and that's because although it's more popular among young people than MLB/NFL, nobody watches the damn sport. And this is from a guy who is a huge NBA fan. Baseball will be fine on Fox and TBS and wherever it goes; the NFL already airs in multiple places.

 

[Football_Bat]

It is so much more painful that you know ... well, I guess you could've worked in TV too. Those people are the most annoying ****s out there. KUNT-TV stole that from us. Yeah, nevermind you both stole it from Podunk Press.

Nice call-sign. That for the PBS station at the University of North Texas?

That would be KNTU, sir. The Credit Union of North Texas wouldn't give up their initials ....