MLB Playoff Day One: Tripleheader!!!
Posted on 08. Oct, 2009 by Corey in All, General Baseball.
My favorite sport in the world is the wonderful game of baseball. I follow the Major League Baseball season about as closely as anyone can. I watch games of any two franchises on TV, listen to different teams on my XM Radio, and read and study each boxscore to see how players are performing. But when the postseason begins, I dive in even more not missing a single pitch of the action. When most fans could not tolerate a triple-header on TBS, I only wish there was a fourth.
After awaking from a small nap on Wednesday I could not wait until the 2:00 hour when TBS’s coverage would begin with their pregame show. So to pass the time I watched the MLB Network and their MLB Tonight: Batting Practice previewing all four Division Series. Finally the pregame show began, and Ernie Johnson, Dennis Eckersley, Cal Ripken Jr. and David Wells got me prepared for the day ahead.
I have heard from a few friends, and especially my father, that they feel the studio is a “waste of time,” and that they do not “say anything.” I tend to disagree, as it is nice to hear from former Big Leaguers who have been there before and can provide some insight on what it is like to play on a playoff team. With all the commercials and promos that they do, the studio hosts do not even get that much time to talk.
Colorado Rockies against the Philadelphia Phillies at 2:37 PM
At 2:30 TBS left the Atlanta based studio to go to Philadelphia for the start of the first Division Series game of 2009. I thought TBS had a very cool opening, previewing all four opening round series using local radio broadcasts in each city.
Citizens Bank Ballpark was rocking with an all time attendance record as they showed all the fans waving their white towels in the air. Kind of felt like a poor man’s version of the Homer Hankies in Minnesota, but whatever works I guess. Joe Simpson and Brian Anderson introduced the team and lineups and the game began.
Talk throughout was about the high winds in Philly, which did seem to affect quite a few balls hit deep in the outfield. After a great start by both teams, the Phillies offense woke up and scored enough runs for Cliff Lee, who was brilliant throughout game #1.
I began kind of annoyed to hear these two announcers disagree with an umpires call on the field at three different points of the game. I understand that umpiring is never perfect, just did not like the way they called them out on it.
A few surprises in this broadcast were the use of sideline reporter David Aldridge, who only did one report during the game, and absence of Pitch Trax, where TBS shows where the pitch was located and the speed. That finally let Aldridge back on the air for a postgame interview with Lee, and the microphone wouldn’t even work! I also planned on counting the times that there was a “Game Break with Ernie Johnson in the TBS Atlanta Studio,” but there were only two instances in the first game of the day.
Phillies 5, Colorado 1. Game #1 of the 2009 Major League Baseball Postseason in the books. About 40 minutes before next game starts. Off to refill my food and drink.
Minnesota Twins against the New York Yankees at 6:07 PM
A very nice piece about Brandon Inge in between games and how he touched the life of a sick child named Noah. In a movie like scene, Noah asked Inge to hit a homer for him that night, and in his first at bat off Matt Garza, he did. What a great story and nice job of TBS to tell it.
Not sure why, but this is probably the game I am into the most out of the three on the first day. After watching that outstanding AL Central Tiebreaker game last night between Minnesota and Detroit, I am interested to see how the Twins will respond. Such a roller coaster ride of emotions last night and to have to play the best team in baseball hours later in a different city has to be tough. One the other side I am excited to see Yankee Stadium on TV, the first real game in the Bronx that I can sit down and watch since attending a game there less than two weeks ago.
The Yankee offense lived up to its hype and Alex Rodriguez FINALLY knocked in a run in the post season. CC Sabathia was dominant and the Twins couldn’t find the magic they needed. The result was a 7-2 Yankees win and they take a 1-0 lead in the five game Division Series.
Ron Darling and Chip Carey did a nice job during the game, and TBS utilized their sideline reporter a bit more. Craig Sager who is known for his crazy color suits, wore one that was a color that reminded me of Russian Salad Dressing. He gave four reports during the contest and earned his paycheck a bit more than Aldridge in game one in Philly.
Pitch Trax was also used a bunch more during this game as TBS showed analyze of about a dozen pitches. I was kind of confused when Carey brought up a comparison of Derek Jeter and Pete Rose, saying that Jeter has about 65 more hits at age 35 then Rose did. I have always had trouble with comparisons, because a certain player may be on a pace, but usually still has a long way to go.
The line of the night I give to Carey after Yankee reliever Phil Coke was removed from the game after throwing only one pitch to earn an out. As he walked toward the dugout Carey said, “Coke might not even need to shower tonight.” It may have been lame, but made me laugh.
Frustration did kick in as the game took way to long, as Yankee post season games usually do, and the next game between the Cardinals and Dodgers had to start on TNT. Good thing I had two TV’s to put next to each other to watch them both at the same time!
St. Louis Cardinals against the Los Angeles Dodgers of Los Angeles at 9:37 PM
I have to say one thing, if TBS and Major League Baseball say a game starts at 9:37 PM, it starts at 9:37 PM. I was hoping that they may hold the game about five minutes to wait on the Twins-Yankees game, but that was not the case. Good thing I am a great multi-tasker to be able to follow two games at once.
It just shows how great of a player Albert Pujols is that the Dodgers would intentially walk him in the top of the 1st inning with no one out. I understand that first base was open and a runner at 2nd and 3rd, but it was only the first inning. Randy Wolf almost pitched out of the trouble, but ended up giving up one run.
I am still getting use to Dick Stockton during baseball games, as I picture him as a basketball broadcaster. Partnered with Bob Brenly I thought they both did a nice job during the game. Both seemed very prepared and knowledgeable and Brenly seemed to like using the Pitch Trak. Tom Verducci added some valuable insight during the game when they went to him for in game stories, about two times.
Both starting pitchers struggled and there were tons of baserunners throughout this game. I know that through the first six innings there was not an inning that a man was not left on base and a post season record was set for runners left on base. I felt it was a good and entertaining game.
The Dodgers came out on top 5-3 with Jonathan Broxton slamming the door, throwing a 100 mile an hour fastball to close the game with a strikeout. It was a great ending that I almost missed!
I started to fade in the ninth inning of this game but stayed strong to finish. I also did my best to make it through the TBS Post-Game show and am pretty sure I saw the end before slipping into sweet dreams. A long, but great day of baseball. I can’t wait until day two and another triple header of MLB playoff baseball.
My view throughout the day
Totals from the day of baseball:
27 Innings of Baseball
37,200 Seconds of Baseball
879 Pitches thrown in the three games
23 Runs scored
60 Total Hits
2 Errors committed
3 Apples that I ate
2 Protein Shakes I drank
7 12 ounce cans of Diet Coke I drank
5 Times I hit “Ignore” on my cell phone since I don’t like to talk while watching the game
5 George Lopez commercials for his comedy show on TBS…Wait…What happened to Frank TV?
9 Avis car commercials….Copy…Copy…Copy…Moon Rock…Moon Rock…Moon Rock…
8 Geico commercials…pothole one was bad…and only one caveman commercial!
6 Taco Bell commercials with Evander Holyfield
5 Mario and Sonic Video Game commercials…Does make me want to play it
5 Mastercard commercials…priceless…
7 Captain Morgan commercials
10 Foster’s beer commercials…Fosters. Australian for beer
5 My Toch 3G from Google phone commercials…That Cat Stevens song is catchy…”If you want to sing out, sing out…”
5 Creepy Charles Schwab cartoon commercials
6 Travelers Insurance commerical…My least favorite ones of the day
11 Chase Business Ink Card commercials…most played one of the day
7 Direct TV commercials with King Kong…makes me want to sign up for 5 free months!
6 Budweiser commercials…I remember those use to be good
5 Walmart commercials- surprised to see those
2 Gatorade commercials…surprised there were not more since they are a big sponsor of MLB
By the way, anyone understand why TBS is doing commercials about avocadoes??
