ESPN averaged 2.117 million viewers from 7:00pm-12:00am ET on Wednesday for its coverage of the Red Sox-Orioles game, leading the net to its most-viewed Wednesday night telecast since Cardinals-Astros averaged 2.675 million viewers on Sept. 23, 1998. Following Red Sox-Orioles, the net averaged 3.841 million viewers from 12:05-12:14am for the conclusion of Yankees-Rays. ESPN2 on Wednesday night averaged 1.184 million viewers for the Phillies’ elimination of the Braves. Each of the ESPN/ESPN2 games were blacked out in the teams’ respective local markets. Wednesday night also marked the highest-trafficked day of the ’11 regular season for MLB content on ESPN digital platforms. The MLB section on ESPN.com saw more than 2.7 million unique visitors, while MLB GameCast had 500,000 uniques. The Yankees-Rays contest led the net’s games on ESPN Mobile with 360,000 uniques (ESPN). On Long Island, Neil Best wrote, "Let's pause for a quick thank you to ESPN, MLB Network and YES for excellent work in chronicling the madness Wednesday night." Best: "The players provided the drama but the television networks stayed with them every step of the way with live action, highlights and updates. Wow!" (NEWSDAY.com, 9/29).
BIRD WATCHING: In St. Louis, Dan Caesar notes the Cardinals' regular-season finale against the Astros drew the "biggest rating ever for Fox Sports Midwest in the 15 seasons it has been airing" Cardinals games. The game drew an 18.0 local rating in the St. Louis market, marking the "highest rating of any MLB team's local cable/satellite telecast all season." The two-hour postgame show, "which included updates from Atlanta ... drew a season-high 7.2 rating." Meanwhile, Caesar reports Cardinals TV broadcaster Dan McLaughlin's "second drunken-driving arrest in 13 months, this time with the additional tie of leaving the scene of an accident, can't be good for the career of an announcer whose schedule already had been reduced this year." McLaughlin has been "suspended by Fox Sports Midwest, for whom he has called Redbirds games for 14 years, and his future there is not known" (STLTODAY.com, 9/30).
STAYING OR LEAVING? In DC, Tracee Hamilton notes MASN TV broadcasters Bob Carpenter and F.P. Santangelo "wrapped up their first season together" calling Nationals games, and it "could also be the last." In August, MASN "decided not to pick up Carpenter's option for the 2012 season." But Hamilton notes this "happened before; it's still very possible that the network and Carpenter will negotiate a deal." One argument "in favor of Carpenter: If he doesn't return, Washington fans will get their third broadcast team in three years in 2012, and it will be Santangelo's turn to break in a new guy" (WASHINGTON POST, 9/30).
NEW GUY ON THE BLOCK: NEWSDAY's Best notes Brian Anderson tonight "will take a seat alongside [Ron] Darling and John Smoltz on TBS' lead announcing team, assigned to the" Yankees-Rangers ALDS series. Ernie Johnson is "skipping the playoffs because of the illness of his son, Michael." While Anderson is "confident," he acknowledged that there "will be pressure, both professional and personal." Anderson: "I want to do right by Ernie. I don't want to add any more stress to him than he already has by dropping the ball" (NEWSDAY, 9/30).
