Fox: Baseball playoff games will start 40 mins. earlier than last year. Yaaaay!

[Captain Hilts]

I HATE that they go so late, especially when there are East Coast teams playing.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/19/sports/baseball/19playoffs.html?_r=1&ref=sports

With postseason games stretching further into the wee hours last season, Fox has announced that this year’s World Series and American League Championship Series games will begin before 8 p.m. Eastern time, nearly 40 minutes earlier than usual.

Major League Baseball has been trying to get the two networks broadcasting the playoffs to move game times earlier. Ratings lagged and complaints grew last year when games between Philadelphia and Tampa Bay lasted well past midnight with rain delays and even a suspended game.

Fox said that its games last year started at 8:28 p.m. on average but that some started as late as 8:38. They lasted an average of 3 hours 16 minutes. Fans have complained that in the Eastern time zone young fans in particular struggle to stay awake to watch the games.

Fox also said baseball officials urged more afternoon games, but the network said ratings would suffer too much, about 30 percent less during the day than in prime time.

[cboy4]

1. You people can't stay up a couple hours later during the playoffs?

[Captain Hilts]

2. I think it's time to put you on ignore for being stupid. nt

[cboy4]

3. Oh my. How can I go on living

:eyes:

[madinmaryland]

16. You would put the Sports forum's own Comedian on ignore! The classic

buffoonery he provides is priceless!

[Forkboy]

6. My friend gets up at 3:00 A.M. for work.

The games were ending around 1:30 A.M.

You do the math, west coast time zone boy. :P

[joeybee12]

7. It will be an especially good change this year because America's Team will

be in the WS!!!!!

[Forkboy]

8. After this last road trip I'm not so sure.

That was some brutal shit. :)

[joeybee12]

9. They SHOULD have gone 5-1...

...if they bounce back starting tonight, all will be right.

[cboy4]

11. You already jinxed the Bruins and Celtics running your mouth.

So now you're working on the Red Sox.

What a disgrace.

[joeybee12]

18. Yeah, well at least I won't jinx San Francisco...

...they're doing a pretty good job of it on their own!

[cboy4]

10. The one thing I loved about living in the eastern time zone

when I lived in Knoxville was having Monday Night Football come on at 9PM.

I thought that was a great time, even if some of the OT games didn't end until after midnight.

You can get home from work/school, eat, do some things, and sit down and watch the game.

In California, you're still stuck on the freeway at game time, which will be the case even more so now with the time change in baseball. :(

[Forkboy]

14. I would think it must suck on Sunday's when football starts at 10.

I'm not even out of bed yet. I usually make it out of bed by O'noon thirty on football days. Of course, I never go to bed before 6 AM.

I'm planning on moving somewhere where there is no traffic. You're all free to join me when I move to Hudson Bay. Meet the new neighbors!

[cboy4]

15. I know, that's why I always joke about the Lions on

Thanksgiving.

Because they're always such a disgrace as the 10AM game ... why would I bother getting up, so I get to sleep.

[MrSlayer]

30. Yeah, I hate 1 o'clock games. 10 am would kill me.

I'd have to get to the tailgate at 4am to have any party time. I prefer 4 o'clock starts and night games.

[Renew Deal]

33. Figures a Giants fan wouldn't know anything about the playoffs.

:shrugs:

[MrSlayer]

4. A 30% drop in ratings shows you that the kids that "can't watch" don't matter.

Starting them at 8 is fine. Starting them at 8:38 is fine too. If your team is in it and your kids aren't watching, you have failed as a parent. My kids were out partying with me and a million other psychos on Broad Street last year until 2 am after the Phillies won it all. And they still went to school the next day. I did let them take off for the parade though.





http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_b3_7_kgd8h4/SQljxu88PXI/AAAAAAAAPm4/4YkvwqeLbSU/s400/DSC_3123+%5B425x425%5D.JPG

[joeybee12]

5. You're right, when America's Team isn't in it, then I really have no interest...

...so it doesn't matter what time.

[cboy4]

13. !!!

:thumbsup:

I'd let my kids stay up even if our team wasn't in the playoffs.

It's once a year event.

[madinmaryland]

17. You have kids?? I feel sorry for them.

[cboy4]

23. I'm too immature to have kids.

[trumad]

25. Replace the mature

with pedant.

[cboy4]

28. Did you look up that word in your re*tard dictionary?

[Captain Hilts]

20. For seven out of 12 nights, it's cummulative. nt

[LisaM]

12. It will be hard for me to get home in time to see some of these starts

I usually don't even get out of work till 6:00. I can adjust my schedule if necessary, but it means I'll have to leave at 4:30 to see the games!

I understand it's hard to stay up really late but this does kind of screw West Coasters.

[Captain Hilts]

19. it's more important we see the late inning than west coasters see the 1st inning.

[LisaM]

21. I like seeing them play the national anthem

Or, if Toronto makes it, anthems! Especially for the first game - the opening game of the World Series always chokes me up. The bunting alone is enough to do me in.

Of course, I am a night owl, so it's nice for me when games go later. They were running too late, though, I agree with that. Part of it is that the games themselves are too long - they don't seem to make any effort to keep them going at a good clip.

[Captain Hilts]

22. You've just made a good point. The umpires MUST keep the pace of the game up.

No stepping out of the box between every pitch to adjust every piece of clothing.

There's too much preening for television.

[El Supremo]

31. Ban batting gloves.

Nobody had those when I was young.

I'd bet that adjusting them slows the game by 20%.

[Captain Hilts]

32. My man, Mookie Wilson, and Keith Hernandez were among the last bare-handed hitters

in the majors.

Here 't is:

[El Supremo]

24. So do I.

They usually cut out the flyovers too.

[Captain Hilts]

26. I really like the anthems and flyovers as well. Just do. I miss Robert Merrill. He was the ONE

good thing about the Yankees getting into the playoffs.

[cboy4]

27. You're out of luck regarding the Canadian Anthem if FOX has

the game.

Have you noticed they intentionally don't show the Canadian Anthem during the All-Star game?

I bitch about it in posts every year.

I contend it's because FOX is anti anything that's not Murika.

Others tell me the reasoning is not sinister like I believe .. that they do it because it's a way to squeeze in another commercial.

I don't necessarily buy that explanation.

I can totally see FOX deciding they'll only show the American Anthem. :puke:

[LisaM]

29. If Toronto is in it (which they might be this year)

I'd expect they'd show it on CBC, too.

When Fox was doing the NHL, it always cracked me up that they didn't even have the US anthem - much less the Canadian one - at games. So much for their self-proclaimed patriotism.

[Renew Deal]

34. Makes sense

The games are ending way too late.