Baseball Tonight

[Guest USAFChief]

Back before the days of the MLB Network, I used to be a big fan of Baseball Tonight on ESPN. It was pretty cool to have a regular, daily show devoted to just baseball, with the day's highlights, some discussion, etc. For old farts like me who grew up without ESPN, much less a show like Baseball Tonight, it was an awesome innovation.

 

But as time went on, I started noticing how poorly they put the show together, how little they actually knew about each game's story line, much less each team's season story line. I eventually moved over to the MLB Network to get my highlights, and baseball news. I liked it much better, perhaps due as much to the near 24-7 availability as anything else, although IMO they do a much better job of putting together a daily highlight show.

 

I decided, this afternoon, to give Baseball Tonight a look, for the first time in several years.

 

Good lord, it's terrible. They don't even appear to be trying anymore.

[notoriousgod71]

I'm with you, Chief. I used to love that show, but I couldn't even tell you one guy that's on it right now. I haven't watched ESPN for anything other than an occasional baseball game or college basketball game in at least two years. ESPN, as a whole, has gone down the drain quite rapidly.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Back before the days of the MLB Network, I used to be a big fan of Baseball Tonight on ESPN. It was pretty cool to have a regular, daily show devoted to just baseball, with the day's highlights, some discussion, etc. For old farts like me who grew up without ESPN, much less a show like Baseball Tonight, it was an awesome innovation.

 

But as time went on, I started noticing how poorly they put the show together, how little they actually knew about each game's story line, much less each team's season story line. I eventually moved over to the MLB Network to get my highlights, and baseball news. I liked it much better, perhaps due as much to the near 24-7 availability as anything else, although IMO they do a much better job of putting together a daily highlight show.

 

I decided, this afternoon, to give Baseball Tonight a look, for the first time in several years.

 

Good lord, it's terrible. They don't even appear to be trying anymore.

 

Home runs and hero worship, I am guessing? And not a lot of the subtleties that occur in the middle innings I am guessing..

[biggentleben]

The only Baseball Tonight to watch is the Thursday night edition, which they consider the "nerd edition", otherwise it is horrid.

[nathanaakre]

Haven't seen it in a while either, but we get ESPN at work and it seems like no matter what time of day you turn that channel on, it's just retired players bantering about issues. They don't show actual game footage anymore, and everything's mostly centered on the NFL anyway - even in June.

[nicksaviking]

I agree, it used to be the highlight of ESPN. MLB Network is clearly better and more knowledgable, but that should probably be expected.

 

I also saw Baseball Tonight once this year and thought about how I used to watch it religiously but couldn't stand it any more. It certainly isn't the same, but I don't know that it changed nearly as much as we did. I suspect our expectations are just higher now. The internet, Bill James and social media has made us much more knowledgable but Baseball Tonight still caters to the fans we used to be.

[ashbury]

Slightly off subject, but ESPN radio seems to be a wholly owned subsidiary of the NFL by now. In the heart of baseball season, they find almost any other sport to talk about, and any baseball coverage seems to be when there is something negative to report (PEDs allegations etc).

[USNMCPO]

ESPN has gotten bad for all sports except NFL and NBA. Try being a hockey fan watching ESPN. Spoiler alert: don't bother.

[nathanaakre]

ESPN has gotten bad for all sports except NFL and NBA. Try being a hockey fan watching ESPN. Spoiler alert: don't bother.

 

I've always been a baseball fan, but ESPN's (and other outlets really) oversaturation of the NFL and NBA have actually turned me into an NHL fan - despite my novice level knowledge of the sport.

[zenser]

Even the highlights on SportsCenter or ESPNNews aren't what they used to be. There are some games where they don't even show anything anymore.

[Seth Stohs]

Not to piggyback, but I haven't watched Baseball Tonight in years. Maybe the occasional show, maybe twice a year when there is nothing else on. But as others have said too, I don't watch SportsCenter, and if I do, it's with the volume off.

[nicksaviking]

Even the highlights on SportsCenter or ESPNNews aren't what they used to be. There are some games where they don't even show anything anymore.

 

Well they make up for it by showing games played by teams in New York, LA or the Miami Heat ten times.

[righty8383]

Indeed, shows like baseball tonight and even sportcenter show far less actual highlights. It used to be, even the less popular/unsuccessful teams would get at least a little highlight time maybe towards the end of the show. Now its not even that. If the Twins aren't playing one of the large market teams, they likely won't even be mentioned.

 

Then of course there's the quality of commentary on baseball tonight. Like others on this thread have posted, it leaves much to be desired.

[righty8383]

Well they make up for it by showing games played by teams in New York, LA or the Miami Heat ten times.

I know! they'll spend the 1st 10 minutes (at least) of the show talking/showing highlights about said teams. Then 20 minutes later they'll "revisit" the game and provide further commentary.

[zchrz]

ESPN has become just as ridiculous as Fox news, CNN, MSNBC, ect. Lets have a couple people we call experts argue and yell at each other about a buzz topic and watch the ratings pour in as viewers get mad at one and behind the other. Skip Bayless and Stephen A Smith are the pinnacle of this and for me its just unwatchable.

 

I canceled my cable and I do not miss it in the slightest, I never realized how much it was just background noise to have on. As with pretty much everything now the internet is the way to go, much better media of any type with much less restriction (until that gets ruined by the net neutrality crap).