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Live Blog Coverage |
Previous Entries
• That's all folks
• Fat ballplayers?
• Fox gets a Game 4 boost
• Baseball beyond borders
• Chance to clinch sends prices soaring
• Catching up on last night's game
• Off comes the tarp
• Scattered, smothered and covered
• Must-see TV for baseball fans
• Deal or no deal
• Where there’s hope …
• Fans respond to new pitching data
• Game 4 postponed
• No place like home
• Gloomy forecasts
• Rain delay
• A moment of humor
• Fox tries to close the gap
• Buyer's market
• No good news for Fox
• Rain on the parade
• What’s all the fuss about
• They said it
• ‘To The TV’
• Labor deal unveiled
• Crowding the dais
• Labor peace
• Lasorda on the spot
• Press conference scheduled
• Labor agreement announcement
• Blanket coverage
• The Out-of-Towners
• Museum gala
• Poor ratings
• Tickets available
• Ratings improve
• Red with anger
• Waiting game
• They Said It
• Mellencamp delay
• Overnight ratings drop
• No-show
• Taking cover
• Labor deal anticipation builds
• Motown blues
• Moving the merchandise
• Cool weather spurs sales
• They Said It
• Labor negotiations
• Sponsors in spotlight
• Gammons in demand
• World Series videos
• Tiger Stadium revisited
• World Series Gala
• Workout Day
Seen and Heard Around the 2006 World Series
That's all folks
Friday, Oct 27, 5:00pm ET. Day of Game 5
The World Series blog ends here. It's been a lot of fun, and I invite your feedback at efisher@sportsbusinessjournal.com. Enjoy the rest of the Series.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Fat ballplayers?
Friday, Oct 27, 4:20pm ET. Day of Game 5
It's always interesting and often amusing to see which organizations completely unrelated to baseball try to use the World Series as a promotional opportunity. St. Louis tourism officials, for example, have been in overdrive this week, using three days of nasty weather as a hook to promote the various places and activities that media and fans could indulge in while waiting for play to resume.
The latest such salvo has arrived from the Center for Consumer Freedom, which is protesting federal Body Mass Index standards that have rendered 37 of the 50 players on the World Series rosters for Detroit and St. Louis overweight or obese.
"Albert Pujols, Ivan Rodriguez, Craig Monroe and Scott Rolen may be able to round the bases, but that won't stop the food police from putting a tape measure around their waists," the center’s announcement breathlessly reads. “These ingestion umpires want 'fat taxes' and restaurant lawsuits to force everyday fans like us and hurlers like Kenny Rogers, Chris Carpenter and Jeff Suppan to slim down. The fact that so many of these athletes are considered overweight is proof that a good deal of the so-called obesity epidemic is based on faulty assumptions and overblown statistics."
Given baseball's difficult history with steroids, performance enhancing substances and unnatural body types, these can be awfully treacherous waters to enter. But fortunately for the CCF, a non-profit coalition backed in part by restaurants and food companies, part of the charm of both teams is the utter lack of reliance on a burly Cecil Fielder-type slugger.
But one wonders what kind of anger will be raised if the Cardinals' tiny David Eckstein, all 5-foot-6 and 170 pounds of him (and overweight by the BMI scale), wins the Series MVP?
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Fox gets a Game 4 boost
Friday, Oct 27, 3:30pm ET. Day of Game 5
Preliminary, non-time-zone adjusted ratings show Fox pulls in an 11.4 rating and 18 share for Game 4 Thursday night. The ratings are not final, and to some thinking within the industry, are not terribly relevant as the fast national numbers will probably elevate somewhat from these. But it still suggests some welcome good news for the network. The game likely has won the night, competing against mostly repeats from the other networks, and it compares somewhat decently against last year's Game 4, which posted a 13.0/21 and was the clinch game for the Chicago White Sox. It also shows improvement from Game 3 Tuesday night despite the disruption of Wednesday's rainout.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Baseball beyond borders
Friday, Oct 27, 10:45am ET. Day of Game 5
MLB International, like Fox around the corner in the impromptu village of TV production trucks lining the back end of Busch Stadium, is prepping for tonight's game, and the foreign telecast is different in many ways from the high-octane presentation seen domestically on Fox or a regional sports network. MLBI is broadcasting the World Series in high-definition this year after several years of dabbling with the technology on a more limited basis (most of the globe has not embraced high-def as readily as Americans), and it will reach 223 countries in at least 13 different languages.
But the most striking differences lie in the camera angles and presentational concepts. Graphics are more limited than what's on Fox, with the score/pitch count ticker disappearing completely for moments between pitches. Camera framing is often much tighter on player and manager faces to promote fan familiarity with the participants, and managers in general are featured more, as to most non-American sports audiences the coach/manager assumes a more elevated level of status than seen here.
MLBI is also diving heavily into virtual advertising during the World Series. Pumping out five different feeds simultaneously of each game, the variance allows for deep customization of the sponsorship inventory. In the telecast going to the Dominican Republic, for example, viewers there may see the sign behind home plate carry a logo for Presidente beer. In Canada, conversely, viewers at the same time may see that same sign carry a logo for MasterCard. Further sponsor differentation continues to other key parts of the globe such as Japan and Europe.
"Even with our doing things like that, our production is really sort of a throwback," said Russell Gabay, MLBI executive producer.
Broadcasters from Korea, Mexico, England, Puerto Rico, Japan, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, the Netherlands, ESPN International and Fox International are all here calling the games. But the base MLBI world feed, with game announcers Dave O'Brien and Rick Sutcliffe, also operates in stark contrast to a typical U.S. broadcast. The pair, particularly Sutcliffe as a 16-year MLB pitcher, go to greater lengths to explain the concepts and nuances of baseball. And e-mailed questions from viewers are openly solicited and read on air.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Chance to clinch sends prices soaring
Friday, Oct 27, 9:45am ET. Day of Game 5
Rain has again returned to St. Louis, and the outlook for tonight's game is uncertain. But the opportunity for the Cardinals to clinch their first Series title in 24 years and do so at their own ballpark has completely altered the local secondary ticket market. After several days of weather-induced market softness, prices for low-end and standing-room tickets have spiked back over $450 each, nearly twice what they were for last night's game. Local outposts of Internet sites such as craigslist.com are now being flooded with offers to buy up tickets. One such listing includes pictures of a fan's dog dressed in Cardinals gear with the tag, "Famous 2 lb. Card Fan with World Series Fever. Looking for a face value ticket and one for my Mom as well."
Transaction activity should be heavy, as despite the Cardinals' chance to seal the title, many fans are not able to adjust their schedules and return to St. Louis. Tickets from Wednesday's rainout are being honored tonight, but the Cardinals have one of the more geographically far-flung fan bases in baseball. It is routine for fans of this team to drive from more than 200 miles away to see games. Making the trek twice in three days, however, is too much for some.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Catching up on last night's game
Thursday, Oct 26, 11:10pm ET. Day of rescheduled Game 4
Major hustle award for Fox in the bottom of the seventh inning. After Tigers outfielder Curtis Granderson slips and falls on a batted ball by St. Louis' David Eckstein, allowing Eckstein to cruise in for a double, Fox is almost immediately showing viewers relevant historical footage from the 1968 Series between Detroit and St. Louis. The footage depicts an eerily similar play in which Cardinals outfielder Curt Flood also slipped and fell while chasing a hit his way, allowing the decisive runs to score in the seventh game of that epic clash. Soon after the return to live action, a Detroit throwing error brings in Eckstein to score, completing a compelling sequence of sports TV.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Thursday, Oct 26, 8:20pm ET. Day of rescheduled Game 4
Nikko Smith turns the National Anthem into self-styled vocal obstacle course, even more so than the usual band of overly expressive singers. The rendition has some historical symmetry, as it was the Detroit-St. Louis matchup in the 1968 World Series where Jose Feliciano set off a firestorm of controversy with his stylized version of the anthem, which opened the door for countless re-interpretations since. Smith is the son of Cardinals legend and Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith, and was contestant on Fox's "American Idol."
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Thursday, Oct 26, 8:13pm ET. Day of rescheduled Game 4
Scooter, Fox's animated talking baseball aimed at kids, returns yet again to the network's baseball coverage, popping in during the pre-game show to discuss how a curveball works. There's nothing really different or specifically offensive about Scooter, used on-and-off by the network since early 2004. If anything, the primary problem with Scooter remains that the feature doesn't actually deliver any real information while trying to sugarcoat an instructional lesson. But with all the technical and presentational advances Fox has made and continues to make in its MLB coverage, such as the Fox Trax feature to depict pitch movement and a stunning new level of sound production thanks to 80 microphones stationed around the ballpark, Scooter feels entirely out of place.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Thursday, Oct 26, 7:50pm ET. Day of rescheduled Game 4
The Cardinals main stadium store is hopelessly jammed with fans, even worse than the frenetic situation last weekend at Comerica Park. A line forms just to get in, just as in Detroit, though the shop here is larger and absorbs people more readily. But once inside, the assembled mass is a miniaturized, slightly more genteel version of Black Friday or one of those discount wedding dress frenzies. Shoppers bob, weave and struggle to get to what they want. Hats of all flavors are especially popular, including the woolen winter kind as temperatures are expected to dip into the high 40s.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Thursday, Oct 26, 6:45pm ET. Day of rescheduled Game 4
The rain has let up, batting practice is off and running, and at last it's a normal gameday again. It definitely feels like more than two days have passed since the last game. Howard Schultz, Starbucks chief executive and former owner of the Seattle SuperSonics, appears on the field and chats at length with Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa and general manager Walt Jocketty, and Tigers manager Jim Leyland. Schultz is a friend of La Russa's and is here tonight as his guest, and is in good spirits as his deal to sell the basketball club was approved Tuesday by the NBA board of governors.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Off comes the tarp
Thursday, Oct 26, 5:20pm ET. Day of rescheduled Game 4
The tarp covering is a short-term event. Groundskeepers have already rolled it back up and several Cardinals players are out stretching and throwing. With about three hours until first pitch, the situation promises to go back and forth plenty more times.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Scattered, smothered and covered
Thursday, Oct 26, 5:05pm ET. Day of rescheduled Game 4
The maddening weather situation continues to twist and turn. Light drizzle has returned to downtown St. Louis and the infield is once again covered with the tarp.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Must-see TV for baseball fans
Thursday, Oct 26, 4:50pm ET. Day of rescheduled Game 4
St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa is asked in his pregame press conference about the striking disconnect between Fox's struggle to post strong World Series TV ratings, and the skyrocketing measures shown in other metrics of baseball's popularity among fans. La Russa acknowledges the ratings might have been better if one or both New York clubs had reached the World Series, but he quickly added, "If you're anything from a casual to a great baseball fan, with the history of these two franchises, this is a must-see as far as I'm concerned."
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Deal or no deal
Thursday, Oct 26, 3:45pm ET. Day of rescheduled Game 4
Similar to Wednesday, bargains can easily be had on the secondary ticket market for tonight's game. With uncertain, but potentially improving, weather at hand, plenty of vendors have dropped prices for low-end tickets to the $250 per seat range. There are still buyers, however, as a number of operators last night stood outside Busch Stadium in the rain approaching departing fans with offers to buy their Wednesday tickets, which will now be honored Friday.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Where there’s hope …
Thursday, Oct 26, 3:35pm ET. Day of rescheduled Game 4
Hope is rising to get in tonight's game. The tarp is off the infield, the rain has held off for much of the afternoon, and chances of rain during normal game time have been reduced to 30 percent.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Fans respond to new pitching data
Thursday, Oct 26, 11:35am ET. Day of rescheduled Game 4
The weather outlook for tonight is still grim, with rain expected throughout the day and evening. But whenever play resumes, it will also bring about a return of a new pitching tracking system debuted earlier in the postseason by Sportvision Inc. and MLB Advanced Media, dubbed Pitch f/x. The technology, using a complex combination of radar guns, high-speed cameras, and computers running triangulation models via newly developed software, is able to determine with unprecedented precision the speed of each pitch both at the time of release by pitcher and its arrival to the plate.
But even more dramatically, the system also determines and visually depicts the exact amount of break on the pitch. The system has been installed in most of the MLB ballparks involved in this year's postseason, including each park in the Series, and will be in every other stadium by Opening Day 2007 as a result of a new, six-year joint venture between the two companies.
So far, the technology has already been seen on Fox's broadcasts, which is licensing it under its own moniker of "Fox Trax," and MLBAM's new Enhanced Gameday application, which has drawn about 5 million visitors this month. But future applications are coming in video games, as Sportvision has begun talking to several game publishers including Electronic Arts Inc. and Take-Two Interactive about integrating the technology, wireless efforts, and even the potential creation of new statistics.
"I think it would be very interesting to use this pitch break data to create some type of nasty factor that builds upon ERA," said Hank Adams, Sportvision chief executive. "I can't imagine the sabermatricians aren't going to get ahold of what we're creating and build upon it. It's very exciting. We're basically talking about a collision between real-world baseball, fantasy and video games."
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Game 4 postponed
Wednesday, Oct 25, 10:20pm ET. Day of Game 4
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Wednesday night's Game 4 was the first World Series
game to be postponed since Game 1 of the Yankees-Braves World Series in 1996. |
MLB announces the postponement of the game, with games now rescheduled for Thursday and Friday. Fans are visibly tired, frustrated and upset, but with the rain continuing to pour, there is no alternative. MLB hoped the weather system saturating St. Louis during the early evening would pass through, but it instead stalled. Tickets for tonight's game will be honored on Friday, and Thursday's tickets remain good for that game. The same ticket policy was used during a rainout in New York during the National League Championship Series. The next two days, however, promise no clearer weather, so further scheduling hiccups are quite possible.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
No place like home
Wednesday, Oct 25, 10:00pm ET. Day of Game 4
A local KTVI newscaster, appearing live interviewing Cardinals fans about waiting out the rain, gets a surprise. He plants a question of whether the fans want to go home, expecting a hearty "No," from the Redbird faithful. One fan instead leans into the microphone yells, "Yeah, I really wanna go home!"
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Gloomy forecasts
Wednesday, Oct 25, 9:25pm ET. Day of Game 4
The delay is well into its second hour. Rain is steadily falling, but with further forecasts in both St. Louis and Detroit showing little relief, there is still intent to get in this game, regardless of the sleep patterns of East Coast viewers. Concession stands are very busy, with there being little to do except eat and drink.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Rain delay
Wednesday, Oct 25, 7:55pm ET. Day of Game 4
MLB announces a rain delay of at least a half hour for the start of tonight's game. A few thousand fans or so are sitting outside in their seats, braving the chilly rain, with the rest seeking cover. Busch Stadium's club level, both warm and dry, is abuzz with activity.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
A moment of humor
Wednesday, Oct 25, 7:25pm ET. Day of Game 4
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MLB Commissioner Bud Selig (second from left)
and Hank Aaron (second from right) present the Hank Aaron Award to Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter (left) and Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard. |
Commissioner Bud Selig is again appearing before the press, presenting the Hank Aaron Award to the New York Yankees' Derek Jeter and the Philadelphia Phillies' Ryan Howard. After the usual prepared remarks denoting the Century 21-sponsored award for the best offensive performer in each league, the floor is opened to questions. Associated Press reporter Ronald Blum immediately shifts off discussing the award, asking Jeter about the Yankees' recent retention of manager Joe Torre. Jeter passes on the question, and Selig immediately blurts in, "Gee, that was really great. Thanks, Ron." Selig has history of lightheartedness and sarcasm at these types of award ceremonies, similarly jesting at last year's World Series with now-deposed ESPN announcer Harold Reynolds at the presentation of the Roberto Clemente Award. Immediately upon the conclusion of the press conference, Jeter is surrounded by a herd of reporters, just as he is nearly every day during the season.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Fox tries to close the gap
Wednesday, Oct 25, 5:55pm ET. Day of Game 4
Updated ratings data shows Fox drew a 10.2 rating and 17 share for Game 3 Tuesday night, down 7 percent from last year's Game 3, which went 14 innings. The three-game average of 9.9/17 share is also down 7 percent from the first three games of the 2005 World Series. St. Louis on Tuesday night drew a local 51.9 rating and 66 share for the game, while Detroit posted a 37.1 local rating and 52 share, down from a 42.9/56 in their Game 2 win.
Fox was not able to build upon its strong Game 2 showing despite active network counterprogramming last night from only ABC, but remains hopeful of closing the ratings gap over the next couple of days.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Buyer's market
Wednesday, Oct 25, 3:30pm ET. Day of Game 4
The uncertain weather for tonight's game has further softened what had already been something of a buyer's market for tickets on the secondary market. Seats can now easily be had for less than $300, and in some cases around $200 each. There has not yet been a broad adjustment for Thursday's game, which could be a potential clinch event for the Cardinals. Low-end seats for Game 5 are selling in the $300-$500 range each.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
No good news for Fox
Wednesday, Oct 25, 12:15pm ET. Day of Game 4
Fox's roller-coaster ride for World Series ratings continues as preliminary, East Coast prime-time ratings for Game 3 show a 9.2 rating and 14 share, well below the final 11.0 rating/21 share posted for Game 3 in the 2005 World Series. The number is not adjusted for time zones and certain to change during the afternoon. But it does not bode well for Fox as ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" beat out the game in these preliminary ratings, and it does not suggest the two days of nonstop furor over Kenny Rogers have translated into mass viewership.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Rain on the parade
Wednesday, Oct 25, 10:00am ET. Day of Game 4
The hopes of getting in the next two games at Busch Stadium without significant delays or a rainout are fading. There has been some light rain in St. Louis so far today, and local forecasts call for a 90 percent chance of rain for today, tonight and tomorrow, with up to a half-inch of rain falling today. It will take a heavy, steady downpour to derail the schedule, but the outlook does not bode well for what has already been the most rain-sodden postseason in 31 years.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
What’s all the fuss about
Tuesday, Oct 24, 10:00pm ET. Day of Game 3
The new Busch Stadium continues to receive criticism from a number of members of the national and out-of-town press, with the common charge of it being underwhelming and without any distinctive character. In this reporter's humble opinion, it's awfully tough to see where all the unrest comes from. It's true that the ballpark was not 100 percent done when the season opened (something the Cardinals readily acknowledged and disclosed last season), and the Ballpark Village mixed-use development across the street is years away from completion, factors that have prevented fans from getting the full scope of what the new Busch is and will be. But the stadium by and large executes what it needs to: showcasing baseball and downtown St. Louis to one of the country's most knowledgeable fan bases, and does so without fuss or gimmickry. Hosting its first World Series game, stadium operations appear to go smoothly, and the noticeably warmer temperatures compared to frigid Detroit are a welcome arrival. One wonders what kind of press furor would result if baseball's showcase event had made its way back to New York's Shea Stadium.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
They said it
Tuesday, Oct 24, 10:00pm ET. Day of Game 3
During the pregame show, former Marlins manager Joe Girardi was introduced as a guest analyst for the games in St. Louis. Fox’s Jeanne Zelasko told Giradi, “I just want you to know, if you get a job offer during the show, you’re free to go. Just check with us.”
Girardi: “Out of respect for the World Series, I turned my phone off.”
Zelasko: “Turn the phone on because we like to break news. Sometimes it’s not great news because now, unfortunately, there’s a brown smudge attached to this World Series.”
STAT OF THE GAME: Zelasko, on the “new” Busch Stadium: “It’s just the sixth time in 100 seasons that a ballpark has hosted the World Series the season it opened.”
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Tigers Game 3 starter Nate Robertson
sports a pair of Oakley-customized glasses. For his major league debut he resorted to reading glasses after his eyes watered too much to wear contacts. |
During the second inning, Fox aired a video montage of former MLB pitchers who wore glasses on the mound in honor of the Tigers World Series Game Three starter, Nate Robertson. Fox’s Chris Myers: “(Robertson) knows he’s not intimidating wearing the eyeglasses out on the mound. He said he tried to wear contacts when he came up to the big leagues but his eyes were watering so much, he wore his reading glasses in his major league debut. … Oakley customized him a pair of glasses. (Robertson said), ‘As long as I can see the mound, I’m good enough.’ Not exactly a visionary but Nate Robertson says, ‘I can see my success from where I pitch.’”
Tim McCarver: “Went from reading books to reading hitters and doing a good job of it.”
Joe Buck: “But I think even Chris Myers would agree that the Fu Manchu (Robertson wears) kind of offsets the glasses. Balances the whole thing out.”
Posted by: Paul Sanford | Link
‘To The TV’
Tuesday, Oct 24, 8:00pm ET. Day of Game 3
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Former Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda
says his TV tune-in ads for MLB have "taken on a life of its own." |
Tommy Lasorda makes his way from the labor press conference to a suite to watch the game, and he is repeatedly greeted with shouts of "To The TV!," recalling his catchphrase in MLB's tune-in advertising campaign. Lasorda admits to some surprise to how the ads featuring the tuxedoed Hall of Famer appear to have caught on with some fans. "This thing has taken on a life of its own," Lasorda says. "It's really been sort of overwhelming."
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Labor deal unveiled
Tuesday, Oct 24, 7:45pm ET. Day of Game 3
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Players union head Donald Fehr (left) listens
as MLB Commissioner Bud Selig discusses details of their new labor contract before Game 3. Andy MacPhail (far right), former president of the Chicago Cubs, and MLB President Bob DuPuy also appeared on the crowded dais for the press conference. |
MLB and the players association announce the new five-year collective-bargaining agreement, extending the sport's labor peace through 2011. Widely expected for several weeks, the deal is a compromise pact that builds upon the 2002 deal with several meaningful, but not revolutionary, changes:
• A shift in the marginal tax rate on clubs for revenue sharing to 31 percent. The net amount in total industry revenue sharing funds — $326 million this year — will remain intact, and ultimately rise over the life of the deal to reflect ongoing and anticipated growth in MLB revenue.
• An increase in the minimum player salary from $327,000 this season to $380,000, rising to $400,000 in 2009 and then adjusted for cost of living in 2011.
• A shift in the free agency tender date to Dec. 12, and a ban on trade demands for all new multiyear contracts.
• A rise in the threshold for the competitive balance tax, $136.5 million this year, to $148 million next year and then steadily to $178 million in 2011. Repeater status for assessed penalties on crossing thresholds crosses over from the old labor deal to the new.
• Open language that governs the use of revenue sharing funds to improve club competitiveness, but with no explicit guidelines beyond that, stays generally as is. But the union will have a more defined means to file grievances over the matter if disputes on such matters arise.
•Extensions to the current drug testing provisions, debt-service rules, and the awarding of home-field advantage in the World Series to the winning league in the All-Star Game.
Negotiations toward the deal, which arrived nearly two months before the Dec. 19 expiration of the old pact, were conducted in a near-total news blackout during much of this calendar year, and the shift represents a massive change in usual labor tactics for both sides.
"The negotiations were without the usual rancor. They were without the usual dueling press conferences. They were without the usual leaks," Selig said, breaking his own long-standing edict of not making major business announcement during baseball's postseason. "In other words, these negotiations were conducted professionally, with dignity, and with results. These negotiations were emblematic of the new spirit of cooperation and trust that now exists between the clubs and the players."
Union chief Donald Fehr says the new deal will give clubs more positive incentives to invest more robustly in their rosters.
"We want clubs to rely on themselves and be entrepreneurial. We're sort of weird in that we're not like many unions in that regard," Fehr said. "But we think the incentives in this deal for clubs to be competitive are quite powerful."
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Crowding the dais
Tuesday, Oct 24, 7:00pm ET. Day of Game 3
The press conference begins to announce the new labor deal. It is quite possibly the most crowded dais in the history of baseball press conferences. Representing MLB are Bud Selig, Bob DuPuy, Rob Manfred, Cleveland Indians owner Larry Dolan and former Chicago Cubs president Andy MacPhail. Representing the players association are Donald and Steve Fehr, Michael Weiner, and union members Craig Counsell and Ray King. The group literally is forced to sit shoulder to shoulder, and there is no room for the PA's chief operating officer Gene Orza, one of the deal's principal negotiators.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Labor peace
Tuesday, Oct 24, 6:10pm ET. Day of Game 3
Michael Weiner, one of the lead negotiators for the MLB Players Association, is discussing the new labor deal with several reporters in advance of the press conference. Rob Manfred, MLB executive vice president for labor relations, approaches the assembled mass, smiles and jokes, "Hey, guys. Don't believe a word he tells you." Such lighthearted joking between baseball's labor and management would have been unthinkable a decade ago. The mood on the Busch Stadium field pregame is openly celebratory.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Lasorda on the spot
Tuesday, Oct 24, 3:45pm ET. Day of Game 3
Tommy Lasorda, Los Angeles Dodgers special adviser to the chairman and centerpiece of MLB's current postseason tune-in ad campaign, is holding court at Charlie Gitto's, a noted Italian restaurant in a city already famous for such eateries. Lasorda is a regular at the restaurant, and an oversized reproduction of his 1954 Topps rookie baseball card hangs just inside the front entrance.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Press conference scheduled
Tuesday, Oct 24, 3:02pm ET. Day of Game 3
Major League Baseball and the players union have scheduled a 7 p.m. ET press conference to announce the new labor deal.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Labor agreement announcement
Tuesday, Oct 24, 11:25am ET. Day of Game 3
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Bud Selig
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Today now looks like the day for the much-awaited announcement of baseball's new five-year labor agreement with the players' union. Commissioner Bud Selig is already slated to appear before the press at 6:30 p.m. ET to present this year's Roberto Clemente Award, and the session will undoubtedly turn into an uncomfortable Q & A on labor unless some hard news is offered. Selig and union chief Donald Fehr may make the announcement on Fox tonight.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Blanket coverage
Tuesday, Oct 24, 11:10am ET. Day of Game 3
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has managed this morning to get something about the Cardinals and the World Series into every section front of today's paper. The entire paper is led with a wraparound World Series-dedicated section. And of course, the regular sports section also gets into the Cardinals action, getting several members of the St. Louis Rams to talk about their downtown neighbors. But each other section also joins in the frenzy. The A section has a story discussing political candidates in local elections buying ad time during local World Series telecasts. The business section features the local winery providing the sparkling wine for the Cardinals' clubhouse clinch celebrations. The metro section recaps a fan rally held Monday. And their "Everyday" section (Living or Style in many other cities), has a "Guide for the superstitious Cardinals fan."
One of the most interesting nuggets in all the coverage: Chuck Dressel, owner of the Mount Pleasant Winery in Augusta, Mo., provides 20 to 30 cases of free wine to the Cardinals for their celebrations. But for opposing teams who clinch titles in St. Louis, he charges the full price of $216 per 12-bottle case.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
The Out-of-Towners
Tuesday, Oct 24, 10:45am ET. Day of Game 3
It's now well established that the New York Mets playing in this Series instead of St. Louis would have produced higher metrics in a variety of areas, such as TV ratings and merchandise sales. But it has provided an ancillary benefit to MLB staffers: momentary freedom from pressures of the league's New York headquarters. Quipped one staffer, "We're back there and things just keep piling up. Here, you're still out of town."
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Museum gala
Monday, Oct 23, 10:00pm ET.
The Cardinals and MLB hold the National League World Series gala at St. Louis' City Museum, another interesting and eclectic choice of locale. Not one of St. Louis' usual, high-profile tourist draws, the City Museum opened nine years ago, and many of its attractions are constructed from recycled or found objects. The museum, housed in an old shoe company building and now in the center in the city's loft development movement, combines an art gallery, children's museum, aquarium and science center into one area.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Poor ratings
Monday, Oct 23, 6:00pm ET.
The fast national ratings for Game 1 and 2 are in, and Fox posted an 8.0 rating/15 share for Game 1, confirming its slot as the lowest-rated World Series game ever. And Game 2 posted an 11.5/18. That leaves the two-game average of 9.8 at 5 percent below last year's all-time worst of 10.3 for the first two games of a World Series. As mentioned previously, this illustrates why Fox and MLB will wisely move off the Saturday Series start beginning next year. And with the Tigers and Cardinals tied at a game apiece and story lines developing, Fox should see continued lift.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Tickets available
Monday, Oct 23, 5:25pm ET.
Another indication of the difference in the current spending of Tigers and Cardinals fans can be seen in the secondary ticket markets. Plenty of seats for Tuesday night's game are available from many secondary ticket outlets in the $300-$500 range per seat, not a drastic uptick from face value prices that top out at $250. The prices are similar to those being fetched for Game 2 Sunday in Detroit, but far less than Game 1, when secondary market prices approached and in many instances surpassed $1,000 each. Both teams in this year's World Series operate their own club-sponsored secondary markets, reflecting the accelerating trend, though available inventory through those sources is far more limited than at other outlets.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Ratings improve
Monday, Oct 23, 3:09pm ET.
What a difference a day makes for Fox. After a fairly dull blowout in Game 1, Game 2 last night provided a taut, competitive game, a Tigers win to avoid a third consecutive World Series sweep, and perhaps most important, a watercooler story in the Kenny Rogers-hand substance debate that can translate beyond the hard-core fans. Preliminary ratings information show the network pulled in 18.2 million viewers for Game 2, an improvement of 1 million viewers over last year's World Series Game 2 and a whopping 5.4 million viewers over Game 1 Saturday night. The game also provided another nightly win for Fox against ABC's "Desperate Housewives," and some other considerably stronger competition than Saturday night. Fox now has a strong, fighting chance to avoid the "worst-ever" ratings tag for this World Series.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Red with anger
Monday, Oct 23, 2:46pm ET.
The pace of events in St. Louis thus far is much slower than the buildup to Game 1 in Detroit. Unlike the lively scene outside of Comerica during Friday's workout day, the neighborhood surrounding Busch Stadium is almost completely without pedestrians or buzz. A few fans come and go into the stadium shop, but again, nothing to rival the energy of Detroit. That's certain to change tomorrow, but the difference between a town long starved for baseball success and one that is making postseason runs an annual rite is obvious.
Local radio, however, presents a far different dynamic. St. Louis has long been regarded as a classy, knowledgeable baseball town, and the reputation is generally well-earned. But last night's furor over what was — or wasn't — on Kenny Rogers' pitching hand has quickly turned this Midwest hub into New York West. Listeners and disc jockeys, regardless of station format, are universally apoplectic over the lack of discipline delivered to Rogers, as well as the failure of Cardinals manager Tony La Russa to press the matter harder with the umpires. KFNS, one of the local sports-talk stations, upon discussing Rogers' intense demeanor during the game, comes right out and say it's "clear that Rogers is taking some kind of greenies."
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Waiting game
Sunday, Oct 22, 9:00pm ET. Day of Game 2
The longest lines of the evening by far belong to the bathrooms as opposed to the souvenir and food stands, suggesting a higher level of drinking as a means to manage the frigid temperatures. In a departure from many sports facilities, lines to the men’s rooms are much longer than those for the women.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
They Said It
Sunday, Oct 22, 9:00pm ET. Day of Game 2
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Umpire Alfonso Marquez talks with Detroit
pitcher Kenny Rogers during Game 2. Fox broadcasters discussed a discoloring on Rogers' left hand and how later it appeared to have been washed off. |
CONTROVERSY: A small controversy developed during Game 2 when in the first inning Fox’s Tim McCarver discussed a discoloring on the left hand at the base of the thumb of Tigers pitcher Kenny Rogers. The discoloring “looked like pine tar, which is illegal.”
Fox’s Joe Buck: “You can bet that this game is being closely monitored by everyone involved in this series and that includes the entire Cardinals clubhouse and I’m sure the question will be asked, ‘What’s on the base of the left thumb of Kenny Rogers?’”
In the top of the second inning, Buck noted that “whatever was there has been washed off. You can still see some of the discoloration” on Rogers’ hand.
McCarver: “That discoloration looked like — we’re not saying it was — pine tar.”
McCarver added, “If it wasn’t illegal, why was it washed off?”
Tigers manager Jim Leyland, when asked by Buck about Rogers’ sticky thumb:
“Well, I think Tony [La Russa, Cardinals manager] went out and said that a couple of Cardinal hitters complained that they thought the ball was doing some funny things. So Tony evidently approached the umpire about it, but I didn’t know anything about it. I asked the umpire what it was about, and evidently Tony had brought it to their attention. But, obviously, there must not have been anything.”
Posted by: Paul Sanford | Link
Mellencamp delay
Sunday, Oct 22, 8:05pm ET. Day of Game 2
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John Mellencamp (left) performs his
new single "Our Country," before Game 2 Sunday in Detroit. |
A planned pregame performance by John Mellencamp creates some awkward moments for Fox, as the legendary performer is late taking the field. After Fox is forced momentarily to meld audio of Mellencamp's hit "Pink Houses" with shaky footage of players stretching and running, Mellencamp appears and sings his newest song, "Our Country," which is also in the Chevrolet commercials dotting many of the postseason commercial breaks. Upon finishing, Fox pregame host Jeanne Zelasko quips, "I'll take a Mellencamp delay over a rain delay."
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Overnight ratings drop
Sunday, Oct 22, 7:45pm ET. Day of Game 2
The shift to a Tuesday start for the World Series instead of the traditional Saturday, set to begin next year, can't come soon enough. Fox posts an 8.6 rating and 15 share in overnight ratings for Saturday's Game 1. If the number holds in final ratings, it will represent a 9 percent drop from last year's Game 1 in Chicago, which posted a 9.5 rating and 17 share and led off the lowest-rated Series ever. Saturday night's game will at least for the moment stand as the lowest-rated individual World Series game in history. Fox won the night, which is important to the network, and ad sales have been strong, according to network executives. But comparing to recent Fall Classics, Fox never really had a chance once the Mets lost Thursday night. A second straight, all-Midwest matchup of midmarket clubs does not carry the bicoastal sizzle needed to generate big numbers, something Fox Sports President Ed Goren basically acknowledged before the Series started. And the Cardinals' quick jump upon the favored Tigers, and further padding of their lead in the sixth inning, undoubtedly contributed to significant viewer tune-out as the evening progressed. The best hope at a turnaround will be a return here to Detroit next weekend for games 6 and 7.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
No-show
Sunday, Oct 22, 7:00pm ET. Day of Game 2
Commissioner Bud Selig does not appear on the field before the game to talk to reporters, as had been the tentative plan Saturday. But with the labor frenzy and nasty weather, that hardly comes as a surprise.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Taking cover
Sunday, Oct 22, 6:45pm ET. Day of Game 2
The day's drizzle is letting up, but the Fox pregame crew is stationed along the third-base line under a portable canopy before hitting the air. The camera and technical crew is in front of them, also covered by a second canopy. Shivering among the assembled network mass is palpable.
Fans, for the most part, have taken cover in the concourses as there is no outdoor batting practice to see.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Labor deal anticipation builds
Sunday, Oct 22, 6:00pm ET. Day of Game 2
Buzz around the chilly Comerica Park continues to heighten around the forthcoming labor deal. The Associated Press reports the five-year deal has been reached tentatively, with legal drafting the only thing standing in the way of a formal announcement. But DuPuy says flatly the report is not accurate and that a deal is not yet done. And union representatives for several clubs also fail to confirm the striking of a deal. But the denials do not at all suggest serious problems and the matter is now one of time as opposed to philosophy. Expectations are still sky-high for a formal announcement sometime over the next few days in St. Louis.
"Nothing will happen before Tuesday," DuPuy says. Rob Manfred, MLB's executive vice president for labor relations, is now in Detroit and also is in good spirits. The AP report stirs around the stadium quickly, however, and Cardinals manager Tony La Russa and others are asked to comment on the deal during their pregame remarks. Generally stunned, considering no formal announcement or disclosure has been made on the matter, La Russa offers a few, generic congratulations to MLB and the union.
With the basic path to continued labor peace all but established, the key question now lies in the details. None have surfaced publicly anywhere yet, and turning agreements reached at baseball's bargaining table into codified language is always a big step. No radical surgery is expected to the current deal, but anticipated tweaks to revenue sharing, luxury tax thresholds and guidelines for using revenue-sharing funds could all create significant changes in how clubs are operated.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Motown blues
Sunday, Oct 22, 3:30pm ET. Day of Game 2
Detroit today is very raw, windy and wet, but the game is expected to proceed as scheduled and not add to a postseason that has seen the most rainouts since 1975. The infield has been covered since the end of Saturday night's game. And with a full slate of entertainment and sponsor promotions scheduled for each night, Fox looking for a solid rating and local weather again expected to worsen late tonight, there is heavy desire among league and team officials to get this game in and escape to St. Louis and warmer temperatures.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Moving the merchandise
Sunday, Oct 22, 2:00pm ET. Day of Game 2
Detroit will likely not surpass Boston as a hot market for MLB merchandise. Some say the buying frenzy of Red Sox fans around and after the 2004 World Series will never be beat. But Howard Smith, MLB senior vice president of licensing, says this year's World Series, fueled primarily by the rabid Tigers fans, is now rivaling the 2000 Subway Series and the Chicago White Sox' s run to the title last year. Several items are temporarily sold out, including Tigers dugout jackets, marking the third straight World Series in which fan demand outstripped supply in key merchandise categories. And Smith says Detroit's stay among the top-selling MLB teams could last well beyond this year's postseason.
"This is really turning into an absolutely phenomenal market, and one that could have real legs," Smith said. "This is a great sports town, and they have young players that seem to genuinely love playing the game and playing with each other, and that translates. People want to be connected to that. In other places, winning has been more of a business."
Smith acknowledged some hot-market business has been lost by St. Louis advancing past the Mets to the National League crown, given the Big Apple's status as a large market and unspoiled by repeated postseason appearances. But Smith is anticipating sizable increases in spending by Cardinals fans if St. Louis returns home with a 2-0 series lead, and then if they finally claim the title after many recent seasons of postseason frustration.
"If the Cardinals win, I'm not going to be worried at all about that market. They'll be going nuts," he said. "If they come back home up 2-0, it'll be interesting to see. Last year, Houston came back down 0-2 and that seemed to take a lot of life out of the market."
MLB does not release specific team rankings in merchandise sales. A recent Detroit News article suggested the Mets have ascended to the top spot, with the Tigers standing at No. 2. But Smith said those rankings were only anecdotal reports on hot markets for the division round of the playoffs, and not reflective of the entire season or calendar year. The New York Yankees remain by far the biggest yearly merchandise draw in the sport, with that brand translating globally to constant sales interest, win or lose.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Cool weather spurs sales
Saturday, Oct 21, 10:00pm ET. Day of Game 1
St. Louis has jumped out to a 7-1 lead in Game 1, stunning a fervent Tigers crowd that hasn't seen their team lose in nearly three weeks. But amid the growing restlessness, the local faithful are remaining active with their wallets and their time. Lines to each of the smaller merchandise stands remain six to eight people deep, while the main stadium gift shop has a long, snaking line more than 30 people deep, with the wait to just get into the store exceeding 20 minutes. The shopping is no doubt motivated by the weather, as the scoreboard now denotes the temperature on this clear, cool night at 49 degrees. Sweatshirts, pullovers and jackets are all selling briskly. Similarly, the Bank of America kiosk, where throw blankets are given out as incentives to sign up for their credit card, has every one of their clipboards in the hands of a fan.
The passion is also seen outside the ballpark, where hundreds of fans are out on the streets or against the main gates, looking for any glimpse into the action. Comerica Park, however, is not ostensibly set up like Camden Yards, AT&T Park, or the new Busch Stadium, where outside passers-by can get decent looks into the action.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
They Said It
Saturday, Oct 21, 9:30pm ET. Day of Game 1
HIGH HOPES: Former Tigers broadcaster Ernie Harwell narrated a poignant segment on the city of Detroit and how the Tigers have uplifted the city’s spirits in the wake of economic hardships. Harwell: “Baseball can be an escape and baseball can give hope. This year when the city needed it the most, the Tigers have personified the grit that defines Detroit. … Will winning it all fix the problems and change this city? Probably not. There’s a lot of work to do but it will, as it always does, bring joy to these faces and give hope that if their team can overcome insurmountable odds maybe their city can, too.”
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER: The first appearance of game broadcaster Fox’s Joe Buck had him telling the viewers that his partner, Tim McCarver, would be arriving shortly. Buck: “Welcome to our broadcast booth, everybody. I’m Joe Buck. Tim McCarver is coming up in just a second.” The same scenario played in Game 2 with Buck telling viewers McCarver would be joining him shortly on-camera. Bad time for a bathroom break for McCarver, isn’t it?
RELATIONSHIPS: Fox’s Chris Myers reported neither Cardinals manager Tony La Russa nor Tigers manager Jim Leyland “wants to talk about their unique relationship.” Myers: “It goes far beyond baseball and their friendship. Leyland says, ‘Here the players are the show. I don’t want to talk about it.’ La Russa said, ‘I don’t want to ruin our friendship and talk about it if he doesn’t want to talk about.’”
REVENUE SHARING: Buck: “Whichever teams wins between the Cardinals and the Tigers means that we will crown for the seventh straight year in (MLB) a different champion.”
McCarver: “No other sport can claim that and plain and simple, that means revenue-sharing is working.”
Buck: “At least helping.”
McCarver: “Spread the wealth.”
Posted by: Paul Sanford | Link
Labor negotiations
Saturday, Oct 21, 6:30pm ET. Day of Game 1
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Bob DuPuy
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MLB President Bob DuPuy appears on the field at Comerica Park. DuPuy has been pressed a lot lately by media members about the state of MLB's labor negotiations with the players association, and is again here. The talks, as they have been for weeks, continue to go well, and industry expectations are rising for a deal being completed within days. DuPuy refuses to put forth a specific timetable, but his good humor suggests a deal is imminent. An announcement, perhaps during one of the games next week in St. Louis, seems quite possible. One thing is for certain, though: the parties are pressing hard to get a deal done. Friday's labor negotiations went until 3 a.m. Saturday, and several lead executives for both sides, including MLB's Rob Manfred and the union's Mike Weiner, have stayed in New York to keep the discussions going. Chatter is surrounding a new deal going for five years, extending through the 2011 season, as opposed to the standard four-year increments.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Sponsors in spotlight
Saturday, Oct 21, 5:00pm ET. Day of Game 1
MLB gets a stroke of good fortune in Detroit with its sponsors as General Motors and Pepsi, two of the league's biggest corporate sponsors, both have major presences at Comerica Park. GM sponsors the center-field fountain, and the company is further trumpeting its relationship with both organizations with a heavy dose of signage at the Renaissance Center, the riverfront complex that holds the GM headquarters, a shopping mall and a large Marriott hotel where thousands of fans, media members and MLB personnel are staying. The Pepsi Porch, meanwhile, overlooks Comerica Park's right field. The soda giant, however, did not get lucky with the National League Championship Series; the champion St. Louis Cardinals are aligned with Coca-Cola, while the New York Mets are tied to Pepsi, which last week announced an extension of its national deal with MLB.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Gammons in demand
Saturday, Oct 21, 4:30pm ET. Day of Game 1
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Peter Gammons
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ESPN reporter and Hall of Famer Peter Gammons is a popular interviewee for local TV and radio and broadcasts, doing at least a half-dozen interviews prior to the game. Gammons returned to work last month after suffering a brain aneurysm in June, and the World Series marks the first major MLB event he's covered since his return.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
World Series videos
Saturday, Oct 21, 3:00pm ET. Day of Game 1
MLB Productions and A&E Home Video announce a new initiative to produce on demand and sell DVDs of individual World Series games. For $19.95, fans can buy discs of each World Series game, and receive it within about three days of the event's completion. The discs will be no-frills products with the entire Fox broadcast of each game, minus the commercials, and no bonus materials. The test program was inspired in part by the concert industry, where several prominent bands now sell audio CDs of their concerts immediately after their conclusion. The DVDs also join MLB Advanced Media game downloads as ownable content being sold to fans as each outlet exploits its media rights; MLB Productions holds baseball's DVD marketing rights, while MLBAM, obviously, holds the online rights.
MLBAM's downloadable games, $3.95 each, can be burned to discs, but only as a storage option and not as a TV-quality DVD.
"This is a test program, but we think this first effort could certainly sell in the tens of thousands," said Elizabeth Scott, MLB vice president of programming and business affairs, of the DVDs-on-demand. "It's all about getting to market as quickly as we can, but if this goes well, it could expand to the All-Star Game and milestone games in the regular season. We'll also have this year for the first time the fully produced World Series DVD box set out in time for Christmas, so we're really excited about that."
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Tiger Stadium revisited
Saturday, Oct 21, 12:00pm ET. Day of Game 1
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Tiger Stadium, which has sat empty for
seven years, is slated to be demolished. |
Tiger Stadium has sat empty for seven years, and is now slated to be demolished as part of mixed-use development that will include a youth baseball field. The planned demolition, a centerpiece of an effort to revive Detroit's Corktown neighborhood, continues to generate considerable debate among locals and baseball purists. But that didn't stop groups of Tiger jersey-clad fans from walking around the park, soaking in memories of yesteryear before heading over to Comerica.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
World Series Gala
Friday, Oct 20, 9:30pm ET.
Each World Series team, in conjunction with MLB, hosts a large gala for sponsors, media, officials and other friends of the game, and the parties over the years have varied widely between the ornate and spectacular to others that are far more pedestrian. The event here, held at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, ranks high on the list. Attendees received full run of the museum, whose artifacts include the car in which President Kennedy was assassinated. It's not the first time the museum has intersected with baseball: The site was one of the stops on the "Baseball as America" tour conducted by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
Perhaps the most popular person at the gala besides Tigers manager Jim Leyland was Emmy-winning actor Timothy Busfield, currently in his second stint with writer Aaron Sorkin on NBC's "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip." Busfield, a veteran of celebrity softball games and a one-time semi-pro pitcher, was continually stopped during the evening for photographs with fans. But Busfield had his own share of fan moments. A native of Lansing, Busfield is a huge Tigers fan and eagerly dived into long conversations with team legends Al Kaline and Willie Horton. In Detroit for the weekend, Busfield plans to head back to Los Angeles for two days of "Studio 60" shooting and other work, and then return to the Midwest for Wednesday's Game 4 in St. Louis.
Posted by: Eric Fisher | Link
Workout Day
Friday, Oct 20, 3:30pm ET.
Inside Comerica Park, the stadium goes through its normal, generally unremarkable off-day paces: manager and starting pitcher press conferences, operational preparations, and the like. But outside the stadium, a much livelier pulse of activity exists. Hundreds of fans simply want to be around the ballpark, even if not much is happening beyond the press interviews and light workouts. Souvenir shops are teeming with buyers, exemplifying the type of consumer demand that has pushed the Detroit Tigers to among the top of baseball's heap in merchandise sales.
And a wedding party eschews the traditional scenic vistas for their group photographs, having their picture taken instead in front of the 15-foot tiger statue at the Comerica Park's main entrance.