I'm not sure if any of you have tuned in to the new MLB Network. We have it down in LA right now with Time Warner Cable, and I'm not sure if it's just a free preview or not, but either way it's been pretty impressive. The most impressive program being one called "The Seasons" which chronicles one season from the past in each episode. For the last couple of days, they've been airing the 1995 episode, so naturally I tuned in.
I was pleasently surprised by their treatment of this particular season. They spent a couple of minutes higlighting the wild-card races including the M's playoff game. Then they moved on to the DS round. The ONLY series they bothered to mention was the M's-Yankees series. They spent a good 5 minutes (of the hour-long show that looked at the whole season) going over the series with interviews from Niehaus, Rizzs, Blowers, Buhner, and Art Thiel. They really gave the series the epic feel that it truly deserved. Not only that, but after that they just skipped to the World Series, barely even mentioning that we'd lost to the Indians. And they gave the World Series equal, or maybe even less, time then the M's divsional series. As if it couldn't get more enjoyable, at the end the narrator said something like, "Baseball began it's comeback with Cal Ripken Jr.'s record streak, and by the time Ken Griffey Jr. slid into home, it was clear that baseball was back for good." Which basically credits the M's with not only saving baseball in Seattle, but all around the country.
So I have come to assume that someone from Seattle produced this show. Be that as it may, it is insanely enjoyable for people of our ilk. Check it out immediately, especially considering it may be gone soon.
7 comments:
Thank you. After watching score updates on my 1st gen. iPhone of the Cougars last night (ultimately losing to Cal) I was on my last sports leg. Atill not sure how much more I can take of this... but this helped. That was fun. Remember? Sports being fun?
I just found the MLB Network (channel 407 for us Seattle Comcasters). First face I saw when I turned it on...Strawberry. I think I was destined to watch this channel for the rest of the night and keep a running diary. Here goes:
5:57 - They're showing highlights from the 96 World Series and some guy on the Yankees named Hayes just reached on an error because Marquis Grissom tried to hot dog a fly ball in the outfield. Nice catch (on) Hayes; don't ever fuckin do it again.
6:01 - **SPOILER ALERT** Yankees win this World Series.
6:05 - Joe Torre left Andy Pettite in to bat in the top of the 9th, what an idiot.
6:07 - Just saw the bottom line listing the free agent first basemen. Sexson and Cairo are both on there. Unbelievable. Teams must be waiting for one to sign to set the market on the other.
6:10 - This channel has the shortest commercial breaks ever.
6:13 - Jimmy Key's starting game 6? What is he like 40?
6:14 - According to some gavone in the stands Greg Maddux's 4 Cy Youngs don't mean nuthin and he ain't no good.
6:14 - In a shocking move, the Yankees started their manager at catcher. And he just got a base hit!
6:16 - I hope Fred McGriff homers. He's got one of the top 5 home run swings in history.
1. Junior Griffey
2. Fred McGriff
3. Jason Kendall (trust me on this one)
4. Pedro Cerrano
5. Bret Boom
6:20 - They just showed Kevin Spacey in the crowd clapping. Was he famous in 96, or did they include that clip as just a random fan shot?
6:23 - I remember watching this game live and being happy that the Yankees won, which always bugged me once they started winning all the time. But watching these highlights and seeing Wade Boggs give a manly cry in the middle of the celebration pile, I've decided I'm still happy they won. And I'll go as far to say that, looking back on it, it's my favorite World Series team ever because it had both Strawberry and Boggs. It'd be like Hitman and Mr. Perfect winning the tag titles.
6:30 - They've now switched shows to a countdown of the Top 9 Centerfielders of all time.
My prediction for Top 5:
5. Mike Cameron
4. Joe DiMaggio (saw him in the promo)
3. Mickey Mantle
2. Junior Griffey
1. Willie Mays
6:37 - I hope Finn stopped reading a long time ago because Puckett was #9 and Jim Edmonds was #8. I don't think that's right. For one thing, Puckett never played for Angels. Also, Puckett is a Hall of Famer and Edmonds sucks.
6:40 - Junior at #6?? Terrible call. Blowers said he should be Top 3.
6:41 - Frank Viola got fat. Not Mo Vaughn fat, but pretty husky.
6:42 - Jim Edmonds is a free agent? We gotta sign him.
6:45 - Vasgersian's on the payroll for MLB Network? Strike one. (Sorry. It'll take more than one comment to make me a fan)
6:46 - DiMaggio starts out the top 5. Wow. That means Cammy made top 4. Makes sense. He hit 4 homers in one game and wore #44.
6:48 - Tris Speaker at #4? OK, apparently they're making people up now. They just screwed up and said he had 450 career assists. I think they're talking about a basketball player.
6:49 - Tom Jane checks in at #3
6:52 - They're advertising a goof DVD about the Phillies winning last year's world series.
6:54 - Ty Cobb at #2. Didn't know he played CF. Not too many comments about pistol-whipping, fan-beating, and cleat-spiking from the panel of experts.
6:56 - How shocking. Mays at #1. It's like a classic rock countdown having Stairway at the top spot. We get it. Show some creativity and pick a new winner every once and a while.
6:57 For as good as they say he was on defense I've never once seen him on Web Gems.
7:02 - Unit, Griffey, A-Rod. I would have thought the M's learned their lesson by letting franchise players leave. They clearly haven't. Willie Bloomquist signed with Kansas City.
7:14 - Tim Lincecum's in studio and wearing a knit cap. Guy looks like a dork. Harold Reynolds asked him if he was a M's fan growing up and he said: "I wasn't, like, the biggest Mariners fan. Everyone knew who the Mariners were, but I didn't go to too many games." Way to big time Harold Reynolds you loser.
7:20 - Reynolds brought up the fact that Tim is a big Family Guys and used to do characters from the show. He got embarassed and said he wouldn't do any on the show. I used to be upset that M's passed on this guy. Not anymore.
7:24 - Some dude, a real Knuckleball Schwartz, on the show just said the 2 greatest players of all time are Rickey Henderson and A-Rod. How'd the 2000 Mariners not win it all?
7:27 - Andre Dawson hit 49 homers in 1987. No comment here. Just really impressed by that stat.
7:30 - I may have jumped the gun on Lincecum earlier. I didn't notice he was wearing jeans with holes and a wallet chain. Must be a badass.
Whoa. This Pete O'Brien is getting good.
Well it's a good thing Eric Bischoff isn't running this blog, otherwise Pete would immediately be granted full control of the blog after that little comment.
Hey... I'd love to give the kid posting rights, but then I think the other Party Hosts might throw a fit... ya know... if they ever checked the site.
The good news is we'll be granting someone special posting duties to cover the upcoming NFL draft, and maybe that will kill two birds with one stone.
PS This was one of the best posts we've had on the site.
In terms of comments, it's far and away the best. It makes it clear that Pete O'Brien deserves posting righ....... hold it one second, what's this? We're getting word that Pete O'Brien has a serious girlfriend? Call it off. No more posters with wives or significant others. It just doesn't work out. Posts drop off if you have a legitimate life to lead. Sorry bro.
Someone who spends their friday night watching mlbtv and blogging about their experience really shows a want to have more responsibility on this site. I need to see more. Even Bud Smith can throw a no hitter. I would like to thank you for opening my eyes to a new station to watch. Being laid up at home the last few weeks you can only handle so many Law and Order reruns. I now know how Kevin Millar Cowboy Up'd the Red Sox back in '03
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