Fox Sports 1 Update

[NJRedman]

Also to show what I was saying about Toronto not helping....

look at tomorrow's schedule...

Toronto/Texas is the 330pm game. The prime time game is Houston/Kansas City.

Given that Texas is #5 market, wouldn't they have wanted that one on in prime time? No, because Toronto doesn't help US TV ratings.

No because KC is the 1 seed they get the prime time game. By your logic having the LA/NYC game at almost 10pm est wouldn't they want that in prime time? You twist your logic to fit bit your predestined ideas that Fox is screwed at every turn.

So why doesn't MLB just make the playoffs Yankees, Cubs, Dodgers, Angels, Mets, White Sox, Red Sox and Cardinals every single year?

You would find something wrong no matter what the playoff lineup is.

[stever20]

Fox gets to choose the game times in a situation like tomorrow. Fox wanted KC/Houston more than Toronto/Texas because they don't get to count Canada. Doesn't have anything to do about who the #1 seed is. The NY/LA game on Friday is at 9:30 et because LA is the only western team hosting a playoff game.

Face it- you are the ONLY one who thinks the teams in the playoffs for the AL and NL aren't just equal- but even close to equal.

What did I say in the first post on this? Fox caught a bad break.

[billyjack]

Fox gets to choose the game times in a situation like tomorrow. Fox wanted KC/Houston more than Toronto/Texas because they don't get to count Canada. Doesn't have anything to do about who the #1 seed is. The NY/LA game on Friday is at 9:30 et because LA is the only western team hosting a playoff game.

Face it- you are the ONLY one who thinks the teams in the playoffs for the AL and NL aren't just equal- but even close to equal.

What did I say in the first post on this? Fox caught a bad break.

The American League has more exciting offense.
The National League has 1-0 snoozefests.
Everyone knows this.

Plus *you* demand answers to *your* useless questions. So, wow, the Cards vs Cubs will be popular... no shit.

Great ratings for any of these series in either league will translate into better ratings all around.
Also, whichever network gets the AL knows there's a good chance to get Tampa or Oakland or Minnesota, each of which had exciting teams and great TV interest. So big deal with whatever you're going to repeat here 60 times.

Go away.

[stever20]

Now that's a first I've ever heard- Tampa having great TV interest. That's comical. I don't know what planet you are on, but Tampa is hardly a baseball bastion. What would be great for the AL frankly is Yankees/Red Sox being good again. That's the big difference. The big boys in the NL are doing really well- first time in 9 years that LA/NY in the playoffs the same year- and never have LA, NY, and Chicago been there in the same year.

AL outscored NL 4.39 per team per game to 4.11. Not that big of a difference at all.

also ratings for one league don't automatically transfer to the other league at all. They sure as hell don't translate like you say.

[NJRedman]

Fox Sports 1 has the MLB playoffs and stever is trying to spin it into a negative. That says it all.

[billyjack]

Now that's a first I've ever heard- Tampa having great TV interest. That's comical. I don't know what planet you are on, but Tampa is hardly a baseball bastion. What would be great for the AL frankly is Yankees/Red Sox being good again. That's the big difference. The big boys in the NL are doing really well- first time in 9 years that LA/NY in the playoffs the same year- and never have LA, NY, and Chicago been there in the same year.

AL outscored NL 4.39 per team per game to 4.11. Not that big of a difference at all.

also ratings for one league don't automatically transfer to the other league at all. They sure as hell don't translate like you say.

Exactly, Tampa and Oakland are considered to be a small market teams. Much more so than Texas and Houston. Yet Tampa and Oakland have been perennial playoff contenders over the last 5-10-15 years, and ratings were still good. Kansas City has a likeable team, and gets better attendance than both TB and Oakland.

So what's your point in all this? The AL playoffs will get around the same amount of viewership as typical, or a little less because the Red Sox, Yankees and Angels are out of it. But like the NBA, fans often watch to see the specific athletes as much as to see the specific teams.

Also, 4.39 to 4.11 is a huge difference. It's a quarter of a run per team per game. What's that, 500 more runs a year in the American League? Plus subtract out the 81 games played at Coors. Without Denver the NL would probably be under 4. 11% of an NL batting order is filled by a pitcher who hits .082, or a sucky pinch hitter like John Mabry. Zzzzzzz.

[R Jay]

Now that's a first I've ever heard- Tampa having great TV interest. That's comical. I don't know what planet you are on, but Tampa is hardly a baseball bastion. What would be great for the AL frankly is Yankees/Red Sox being good again. That's the big difference. The big boys in the NL are doing really well- first time in 9 years that LA/NY in the playoffs the same year- and never have LA, NY, and Chicago been there in the same year.

AL outscored NL 4.39 per team per game to 4.11. Not that big of a difference at all.

also ratings for one league don't automatically transfer to the other league at all. They sure as hell don't translate like you say.

Exactly, Tampa and Oakland are considered to be a small market teams. Much more so than Texas and Houston. Yet Tampa and Oakland have been perennial playoff contenders over the last 5-10-15 years, and ratings were still good. Kansas City has a likeable team, and gets better attendance than both TB and Oakland.

So what's your point in all this? The AL playoffs will get around the same amount of viewership as typical, or a little less because the Red Sox, Yankees and Angels are out of it. But like the NBA, fans often watch to see the specific athletes as much as to see the specific teams.

Also, 4.39 to 4.11 is a huge difference. It's a quarter of a run per team per game. What's that, 500 more runs a year in the American League? Plus subtract out the 81 games played at Coors. Without Denver the NL would probably be under 4. 11% of an NL batting order is filled by a pitcher who hits .082, or a sucky pinch hitter like John Mabry. Zzzzzzz.

Funny, I never took you as an AL guy, Billyjack. I always thought of you as a traditionalist, pitcher in the order, not on the bench guy.

[stever20]

the point in all of this is like what was said even by others-
MU Panther:
Mets/Dodgers and Cardinals and maybe Cubs. TBS hit the jackpot!
Jet 915:
I agree, Houston, KC, Toronto and Texas is quite possibly the worst 4 teams u could come up with ratings wise...

They're reasonable people, and they are saying exactly what I'm saying.

Only you and Redman seem to agree.

Oh, and what the hell does attendance have to do with national TV ratings?

[Hoopfan]

Now that's a first I've ever heard- Tampa having great TV interest. That's comical. I don't know what planet you are on, but Tampa is hardly a baseball bastion. What would be great for the AL frankly is Yankees/Red Sox being good again. That's the big difference. The big boys in the NL are doing really well- first time in 9 years that LA/NY in the playoffs the same year- and never have LA, NY, and Chicago been there in the same year.

AL outscored NL 4.39 per team per game to 4.11. Not that big of a difference at all.

also ratings for one league don't automatically transfer to the other league at all. They sure as hell don't translate like you say.

After living in Tampa for three years and going to ray's games i can say people are not interested in them tampa is a town full of NOrtheast sports fans (Yankees and redsox) and only follow local team if they make the playoffs.

[billyjack]

the point in all of this is like what was said even by others-
MU Panther:
Mets/Dodgers and Cardinals and maybe Cubs. TBS hit the jackpot!
Jet 915:
I agree, Houston, KC, Toronto and Texas is quite possibly the worst 4 teams u could come up with ratings wise...

They're reasonable people, and they are saying exactly what I'm saying.

Only you and Redman seem to agree.

Oh, and what the hell does attendance have to do with national TV ratings?

The baseball playoffs will get great ratings no matter which teams are playing.
This year, the National League has an outstanding lineup.
This year, the American League has a great lineup.
The MLB playoffs are extremely valuable to the networks that televise the games.

Each of those statements above can all be true all at the same time, and each is consistent with what MU Panther and Jet wrote. You want to take a dump on FS1 by setting up a false argument of either/or, within your narrow range of discussion.

This is your narrow range:
"TBS has an outstanding lineup. FS1's lineup isn't as good. Let's discuss why this is a disaster for FS1".

I'm reminding you that in years past, small market teams littered the AL playoffs regularly, with Tampa, Oakland and Minnesota, etc, making the postseason many years in the last 5-10-15 years. And despite being in small markets, the Rays, A's and Twins got good ratings because they had great players and compelling storylines, and because the baseball playoffs are popular no matter which teams participate.

Also, the American League has only 3 slam dunk ratings winners out of its 15 teams, Boston, NY and LA.
And going into this year, it ends up not being a shock that there's no BOS-NY-LA in the playoffs because:
The Red Sox were coming off a last place finish.
The Yankees had no pitching.
The Angels should have probably have made the playoffs, but Houston matured faster than expected.

Instead, we have other very compelling storylines:
The young, exciting, brash defending AL champion Royals.
The Rangers, who made 2 of the last 5 World Series.
The ballsy Astros, a young team with young stars who've had a meteoric rise this year, who won at The Stadium last night.
The Blue Jays, with a great fanbase, returning to the playoffs for the first time since back-to-back WS wins 22 years ago, and which has the most exciting offense in the majors.

And a key is that when the NL games draw interest, then the AL games will benefit from that. I just can't imagine a baseball fan-viewer loving the action in a Cubs-Cards game, then deciding to not watch a Royals-Astros game, especially since all four series will be hyped via the MLB Network and the general playoff buzz.

Now thank you for wasting 30 minutes of my life, while i should be working.