The Dodgers’ final six games of the season will be "broadcast for all to see, free and everything," according to Steve Dilbeck of the L.A. TIMES. Orange County-based KDOC, an "independent channel," will broadcast the games locally. The Dodgers "could clinch" the NL West "somewhere in those six games." All L.A.-area cable and satellite companies "carry KDOC." The deal may be "mostly a goodwill, or public relations maneuver" for Time Warner Cable, but at this point, "six games are better than none" (LATIMES.com, 9/15). In California, Bill Plunkett writes for fans "left in the dark all season by the TV impasse" involving TWC SportsNet LA and several local carriers, "there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel." Dodgers President & CEO Stan Kasten said, "Naturally, we’re very pleased by this agreement. Hopefully, it will be a springboard for full coverage next season.” Plunkett reports the coverage on KDOC will "include the one-hour pre-game show as well as the post-game show" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 9/16).
TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE? In L.A., Tom Hoffarth in a front-page piece writes, "If the Dodgers and Time Warner Cable now find themselves in cahoots to make the last week of the Major League Baseball season a little less guilt-free on their parts, we’re not buying it." Such a "condescending, un-noble gesture" is enough to "make any loyal Dodgers fan consider throwing another kind of insulting gesture right back at them." It is "much too little," and "far too late." This is just another reminder that the Dodgers’ season has been "simply a rumor for many of those same Angelenos who decided to remain in this relationship with the local team that they loyally supported for decades." Especially "for those who can’t even afford cable TV and have been shut out from games on over-the-air broadcasts." Hoffarth: "Thanks, but we've been getting along just fine listening to games on the radio" (
L.A. DAILY NEWS, 9/16).
