Results tagged “mlb.com” from The Sports Desk

I counted 15 seconds between the strikeout that ended the World Series and the celebration scene being spoiled by the appearance of merchandising-department tools running up to the dogpile to hand out "World Series Champions" shirts and caps to the Philadelphia Phillies. And another couple of seconds before video cameramen ran up to the dogpile to shoot closeups they evidentally couldn't have got from off the field if they knew how to work zoom lenses. And a moment or two more before the stage for trophy presentations and network interviews was being set up on the edge of the infield.

As annoying as the appearance of all these peripheral people was to those of us watching on TV, imagine how intrusive it must have been to fans at the stadium who wished to witness the pure human joy of their heroes but wound up feeling like a studio audience at an infomercial taping.

Naturally, within minutes there was a commercial asking us to buy knockoffs of the shirts and caps the Phillies wore in their clubhouse celebration, and mlb.com was advertising the same partywear.

Someday, Bud Selig and the bosses of other sports leagues will allow a genuine human moment to breathe. Just as soon as they figure out how to sell air on-line.

East Coast bias: It's now available in the Midwest.

We've complained before about how eastern-based media such as ESPN always refer to the starting times of sports events in eastern time, even when the events themselves are being played in the Pacific zone or are of interest largely to people in the West.

So how about this story on mlb.com, major league baseball's Web site?

Headline says, "Dodgers-Cubs worthy of prime time."

Story, by a writer Matthew Leach (who appears to be based in St. Louis), says that given the appeal of Dodgers-Cubs, "it's no wonder that all of these games will be played in prime time."

I'm in Woodland Hills, watching game 1. If "prime time" refers as usual to the 8-11 p.m. TV slots, then this ain't prime time. Maybe in New York, maybe in a little while in Chicago, but not here.

The clock says 4:28 p.m. as they play in the fourth inning. The sun is shining outside. L.A. people are still at work.

OK, game 2 (first pitch scheduled for 8:37 p.m. Chicago time, 6:37 PDT) will be played mostly in prime time all over the continental United States.

But if this still is the national pastime, not the eastern and midwestern pastime, that mlb.com story should say all of these games will be played in prime time except for the only one played so far.