Media writes continued comment on the low ratings for
Tuesday's MLB All-Star Game. The HOUSTON CHRONICLE's Ed Fowler
notes the game's ratings ran behind re-runs of "Roseanne" in
Houston, but blames the game for self-inflicted wounds. Fowler:
"The rotten rating might not have been an indication of impending
doom ... but it was certainly well deserved" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE,
7/12). In Chicago, Michael Hirsley writes the ratings
demographics that showed a drop in young viewers is "even more
discouraging" news for MLB. Hirsley: "If baseball ever gets out
of rehab, will anybody be waiting at the gate?" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE,
7/12). In Boston, Jack Craig calls NBC's cameras "a half-step
behind on a few occasions" (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/12).
CHANGES IN STORE? NEWSDAY's Steve Zipay notes it "has become
clear" that Fox' Saturday afternoon baseball viewership won't get
much higher unless Game of the Week is moved from 1 p.m.to 3 p.m.
He also notes "spies" that say Fox is thinking about covering the
core of the baseballs with a "thin metal film, creating a lining
that could be traced like radar" (NEWSDAY, 7/12).
