Sunday, February 22, 2009

MLB Network vs. Baseball Tonight


Too early to make a call on this one. MLB Network is the greatest thing that has happened to baseball since Peter Gammons. The possibility of watching baseball at any point during any day has been a dream of mine since I was 8. Its amazing to think how far things have come. Back then, in order to watch an American League game you had to keep your fingers crossed on Saturday that the game of the week on NBC would show someone from the better league. We usually just got the goddamn Cardinals or the Reds (it was hard to watch the Reds back then...in that god awful stadium they had). When WPIX (I think this is what it was), the channel out of New York came to Evansville we got to see Yankee games. Although I would have rather watched Star Wars for the 36th time than the Yankees, I still watched the game for their opponents. I believe Sportscenter existed in those early days, although I know Baseball Tonight was years from conception. This Week In Baseball with Mel Allen was as good as it got for me back then...
Now, with the Extra Innings ticket and Baseball tonight and now the MLB Network there is nothing else that I really need.
The programming so far, on the MLB Network has been a plus. The analysts and the anchors have been a minus. Mitch Williams and Dan Pleasac are boring me to pieces and I find their input to be the same as someone who stopped playing after their sophomore year in high school. Harold Reynolds and Bob Costas are great additions. Harold Reynolds back form his sexual harrassment hiatus and Bob Costas back in a sport he needs to be in. For as good as those two are they cannot hold a candle to the great Peter Gammons and his 5'1" sidekick Tim Kirkjin for Baseball Tonight. Those two are amazing. If the two sides could somehow consolidate we would be alright. Right now Baseball Tonight has a slight edge, but they still have Orestes Destrade (unlistenable) and a couple other goofs that have no business, being in the business.
Time will tell. Right now if you like quality over quantity you will choose Baseball Tonight. If you like the non stop, all the time aspects you will choose MLB. I will take them both, because it is all great and awesome and I can't wait for the season or at least Spring Training to start.

No comments: