The most recent installment of Showtime's "The Franchise" chronicled the Marlins' "deadline dismantling," including trading 3B Hanley Ramirez to the Dodgers, and the show made for "pretty good drama," according to Adam Beasley of the MIAMI HERALD. However, with the Marlins "light years from contention and their star players either shipped or ailing, the gripping storylines could dry up in the weeks to come." Perhaps with that in mind, the producers "were wise to wait until next week" for showing much content pertaining to the Ramirez trade (MIAMI HERALD, 7/26). However, in Miami, Barry Jackson wrote instead of "re-editing parts of the show Wednesday to incorporate the Ramirez trade, Showtime gave the topic less than 20 seconds at the end of the show." The episode spent "far more time on Edward Mujica's family life; the friendship between Mujica and Ryan Webb; and a fluff-filled vignette on Ozzie Guillen's marriage -- a segment that could have been held for a later episode.” Showtime “promised more on Ramirez next Wednesday, but the topic will be far less relevant in a week.” The show's producers “should have adjusted to the news by making changes to the episode in the 19 hours between the completion of the Ramirez trade and the time it went to air.” That is “not a lot of time, but editing in a couple minutes of reaction to the trade could have been done.” It was “an embarrassing moment for a program that Showtime producers promised would be ‘ground-breaking.’” Jackson: “Simply disgraceful” (MIAMIHERALD.com, 7/25).
