15 replies to this topic

[Joe H]

So, my doctored frozen pizza is ready and it is 8:00, time for the Home Run Derby on ESPN. Chris Berman starts with a hollow, inane pitch that few in the crowd of 50,000+ respond to and then, somehow, we're introduced to a country and western band.

A country and western band. Three minutes into the Home Run Derby on ESPN. And they played for three minutes, too. I won't despoil this thread with a comment about why ESPN thinks those watching the home run derby will like C/W. Or why they will like any three minute concert three minutes into a sporting event. I would suggest the producers are rednecks. And don't like baseball.

A really bad decision...

Does anyone remember Hillbilly Heaven or Dan Akroyd's wife's (Donna Dixon...Beverly Hillbillies) family who owned it?

[DonRocks]

The good ol' days.

[Dave Pressley]

The good ol' days.

I took my dad to a Nats game on Father's Day this year. We hadn't gone to a game together in probably 25 years. We were all baseball fanatics in my house growing up. Heck, my older brother was named after Mickey Mantle.

Pop cracked me up when he commented, "The introduction of velcro to baseball has increased each game by about 30 minutes what with these idiots readjusting their gloves after every pitch. They should just be men and hit the damn ball."

This video is a great reminder of what he was talking about.

[SeanMike]

A country and western band. Three minutes into the Home Run Derby on ESPN. And they played for three minutes, too. I won't despoil this thread with a comment about why ESPN thinks those watching the home run derby will like C/W. Or why they will like any three minute concert three minutes into a sporting event. I would suggest the producers are rednecks. And don't like baseball.

Actually, given the demographics I've seen, there's a reason why you're seeing more and more country bands playing major sporting events - it's because they reach the highest percentage of folks watching.

You might not like country, but there are millions who do, and they're the ones watching the majority of sports as well...

It sucks if you don't like country, or if you just don't like a damn concert interrupting your sporting event (like in the Super Bowl, where I've seen teams quoted as saying the length of the halftime BS gave them an advantage or disadvantage in the second half), but enough people respond...

Also, Chris Berman just sucks. And he's doing an NFL game this year! I will tip extra to my waitstaff if whatever establishment I happen to be in during that game has the sound MUTED.

[DrXmus]

Pop cracked me up when he commented, "The introduction of velcro to baseball has increased each game by about 30 minutes what with these idiots readjusting their gloves after every pitch. They should just be men and hit the damn ball."

You owe me a new keyboard.

[B.A.R.]

The FIRST bad decision was deciding to watch the Home Run contest. Everything after that is deserved.

[bettyjoan]

...and now we have, no joke, Philip Phillips (!!!) singing some terrible song before the All-Star game. American Idol and baseball should never mix.

[bookluvingbabe]

Now, now... Chris Daughtry is usually quite good and though I'm not a fan of Carrie Underwood she usually does a fine job with the National Anthem.

[Joe H]

For better or worse I was a regular at the Crossroads in the '80's. It's not about my liking or disliking C/W or even a halftime show. It's about a three minute concert three minutes into a sporting event and the assumption that those tuning in will feel the concert is appropriate.

Of course the same producers let George Brett ramble on while Prince Fielder hit the home runs of the night, all the while with Brett completely ignoring what was happening on the field and Berman and the others encouraging him.

ABC should have the good sense to select producers for this show who have a bit of passion for baseball not just entertainment. The c/w group was inappropriate. George Brett-with all due respect to his own history-was disrespectful. It was painful to listen to him while Fielder, in the apparent background, continued to hammer 450-476 foot home runs, every single one of which he ignored.

[Barbara]

Well, when all is said and done, the National League Champion team will have home-field advantage in the World Series; and, if that turns out to be the NATS (!), then this little kerfuffle will be well and truly forgotten. However, Boswell reminded us yesterday in his weekly WaPo chat that the playoffs are a real crap shoot. So, I'm trying to not look too far ahead. But, the song from "Damn Yankees" is now an earworm: You Gotta Have Heart!

[tfbrennan]

Does anyone remember Hillbilly Heaven or Dan Akroyd's wife's (Donna Dixon...Beverly Hillbillies) family who owned it?

No, but the 54-yr-old Mrs. Aykroyd will not be happy that you think she is pushing 80.... (Donna Douglas was Elly May -- easy to be confused by double D's).

[will_5198]

Pete Rose for Hall of Fame, folks - it's about time. Forgiveness, especially for a relatively paltry sin (betting on your OWN team...

I'm not sure Rose never bet against the Reds. He has changed his story as it fits him, and only admitted to betting on the Reds when he had a book coming out. Rose also reportedly told his gambling associates that the Reds couldn't win when Mario Soto pitched, which is more than suspicious from a man who has shown little contrition since his ban.

Nevertheless, I wouldn't care if Rose was elected into the Hall of Fame or not. The steroid era players should be in the Hall as well (not Brady Anderson, because he wasn't good enough even then). I'm reminded of a quote from Charlie Francis (who trained Olympic sprinter Ben Johnson): "The dividing line is not left and right, with the drug free on one side and the dirty cheats on another. It's divided horizontally, with the guys above the line on drugs and those below, perhaps being clean."

The pitchers were on PEDs, the hitters were on PEDs, the fielders robbing hits were on PEDs, and MLB wanted it all to happen. No one can tell who is "clean" among them all, so let's forget that pretension and compare them among their own contemporaries. Baseball history will remember it as the steroid era anyway.

Err...got sidetracked there. To spin it back to Joe H's complaint, I agree. ESPN's programming has been on a rapid decline since ABC/Disney took over and wanted to brand everything with their corporate "synergy". SportsCenter went from the best 30 minutes of clips and quips, to an hour full of manufactured shout-offs, Coors Light segments, highlight packages cued to musical acts under the Mickey Mouse umbrella, trite special features (who could forget the touching mini-doc on Matt Leinart having to wear glasses as a kid?) and general awfulness.

[Dave Pressley]

Also, Chris Berman just sucks. And he's doing an NFL game this year! I will tip extra to my waitstaff if whatever establishment I happen to be in during that game has the sound MUTED.

He's not just doing a game. He's doing a Raiders game. Not sure how to type how Chris Berman says "thuhhh raiduhhs!" but I'm sure he'll say it 8 million times that night. God help us all.

[Joe H]

No, but the 54-yr-old Mrs. Aykroyd will not be happy that you think she is pushing 80.... (Donna Douglas was Elly May -- easy to be confused by double D's).

Oops! My apology. Of course I am that old, thus an excuse for my ignorance!!!! But, an apology nevertheless.

[B.A.R.]

The constant "tie-ins" during the broadcast to broadcast sponsors was horrific. The Taco Bell/Doritos Vomit Truck flying into Alaskan villages and then plunking down in the parking lot of the stadium was bad enough. But when they came back from that Direct TV commercial about Phil Shiffley, to a close up of the character Phil Shiffley hiding in the crowd, I turned it off.

[TedE]

Joe, your first mistake was to believe that an ESPN broadcast of the Home Run Derby^TM had anything whatsoever to do with the game of baseball.