Riverbrian

I don't know if it is possible for anyone to miss the game thread more than I... because I miss it so much it physically hurts. Twinsdaily users who have joined more recently won't know exactly what I'm referring to but I'm am talking about the Glory days of around 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013. The Twins on the field were about as bad as it gets. Lots of losses yet the negative comments were few and easily dismissed or passed over because the majority of game thread participants were having a fantastic time from Chief's Dad Jokes, to Bark Art, to all of us. It was an incredible group of participants. I wrote a lot of openers during that stretch with the wonderful help of Squirrel. I tried my best to start with that fun tone. It was hard to come up with that much weird stuff daily but regardless if I was successful or not, I did it with pride and I never looked at it like it was a burden even though it kind of was. I was a fully formed adult with fully formed life responsibilities, a full time job and yet like a kid who couldn't wait to open packages X-mas morning, I couldn't wait for the work day to end so I could go home, turn on the Twins and just let those adult responsibilities slip away so I could laugh, joke with all those wonderful people on the game thread. Every... single... day, the game thread was going to be a way to end my day with a smile on my face. There were times that I was laughing so hard that tears were coming out of my eyes. It's really hard to explain to your wife why you are sitting in a living room by yourself watching the Twins and laughing audibly out loud. I honestly can't express how much I looked forward to it... every... single... day. Sadly, those glory days were probably not sustainable because here's the deal. When a town grows... it isn't just Andy and Opie moving into town. Otis is coming to. By about 2015 I started to notice the pendulum swinging the other way. The negative posters started to arrive which is going to happen with growth and as time went by those numbers grew and the people who made me laugh started waning and it just kept getting worse every year. There were many days that I showed up excited to game thread in Glory Days style and the glory days were gone because there was literally no one to play with. The room was filled with fire this coach, how stupid is that player. I was an avid game threader because It made me happy. There is enough negative in this world to challenge everyone's happiness, I do not want to seek out more of it in my off time. So, I would simply close my lap top by the 2nd inning and leave. One less guy trying to have fun while only the rats were left to chew on the woodwork. Woodwork with craftmanship that a lot of us put a lot of elbow grease into. Once the tide had turned with no sign of an ebb. Those game thread intros that were not a burden became a burden. The time I spent on the game threads was only sending me to bed angry. I crave happiness... I don't want to go bed angry. So, eventually... I just pulled the plug. I mourn this loss. What I lost was important to me. More important than I can express. I've tried to jump in on occasion lately but the room is still to... not what I'm looking for. It will be almost impossible to bring the game threads back to the glory days because the negative is here to stay. The only chance to at least make it better is participation from people who would actually like to be happy and those folks don't surround themselves with unhappiness to find happiness.

Agreed -- Accessibility! Blackouts are a very simplistic symbol of the root of the problem. Blackouts are only necessary because nobody is going to hand you 50 million a year for the rights to broadcast your product unless those rights are exclusive. Once you grant exclusivity you are limiting accessibility and exclusivity is granted for $$$. They are paying for 50 million market share and audience level which determines how much they can charge advertisers and cable companies. If you are eroding that market share through other offerings... you will be paid a lot less for the rights if paid at all. Exclusivity is a necessary evil in order to get the most money I don't have the how because it isn't just as simple just simply doing it. But, as @Jocko87 suggested... the clubs need to take the broadcast rights in house in order to be every where every one is on every device. They don't need Bally sales professionals to generate revenue for Bally. They can hire their own sales professionals to generate revenue for them.

Jay Jackson is the only possibility because there is only so much roster space that you can devote to your bullpen. The rest on this list are here for the year.

If MLB is involved. That makes it harder for me to target my frustration. This package for 2025 better be good!

That would be awesome but we are going to need more mascots.

That's a Big Ten

Ten Wins in a Row. Only goes to show that a baseball season can turn around on a dime. A dime You get it 10 cents 10 wins A dime Where's my drummer Thank you... I'll be here all week.

Timing is everything.

You say that but yet you insist on watching the Twins in airports.

Right now... All I can do is wait for this thing to get settled so I can watch the Twins again. I have no idea how long I'll have to wait but I have no choice. I'm not going to jump into any temporary fix. I'll wait for the new thing. I'm 58 and I know that change is necessary. I'm prepared for change but like everybody else in the 55 plus demographic... I don't really like change. I just want to be left alone to do what I did yesterday and wash my metformin down with a bottle of mountain dew like all of us.

The youngsters will change the world. I cheated and looked at the cable numbers and the younger demos are all but gone. However... I really didn't have to look at the numbers. When I watch cable TV... I understand the numbers by the ads that I'm watching. Medication is paying the cable bill right now. I can sing the Ozempic jingle from hearing it so often and I knew the melody since Pilot released the song in 1975 and 1975 fits that cable demographic. I look at my sons and I tell them... It's all up to you now. It sucks getting old. 😁

Kids today don't have attention span for imagination.

Yep... In-House... Control their product. The have tried and failed in the past. But... of course... that failed attempt was made trying to work into the existing model that is so problematic today. 24 hour programming, negotiations with cable tv providers etc.

In the meantime... They got that complaint box by the bathrooms at 1 Twins Way. I'm going to complain about that then.

That is something I wasn't aware of. Thank You. I do know this... Since I can't watch baseball... I'll be watching Netflix instead. 😉

Yep All you have to do is look at the demographics and the numbers produce no other conclusion. Look at cable demographics and compare them to baseball demographics. They mirror each other. I've been sounding this alarm on Twinsdaily for quite some time now. But... It doesn't get very far because Twinsdaily demographics probably mirror baseball demographics. So... I'm basically talking with satisfied customers and there just isn't enough of us and we will be gone down the road. Baseball has to be aware of the numbers and talking about changes to the game to be more palatable to the demo's they are not reaching. Pace of play for example all the while... access to the product is the most important issue to solve and they can't seem to do that... because right now... it pays less.

Lots of stuff over 162 games is about to happen. I just like watching that pace. 6 out of 10 games.

In earlier post... you said it was going to get worse before it gets better. Yep... 1,000% They have kept themselves tied to a sinking ship. Once you climb out of that sinking ship they are in the water. But... they should know by now... that they have to get off that ship. Get on that deserted Island and start making it habitable. They won't be able to wash clothes until the professor builds that thing and Gilligan starts peddling.

Lots of Monetization Complication. Which would be a great song title for those new artists the kids enjoy these days who are trying to figure out how to make a buck in the music business.

A winning record April! Don't care how we got here. We are here. If you want a 100 win season... you have to win approximately 6 games every 10. Over 30 games.. 18-12 would be a 100 win season pace. We are currently 16-13 over 29. a 9 game winning streak can do wonders.

Most likely St. Peter as Team President but who knows. It could have been the Director of Short Term Media Deals" who has an office right next to the Community Engagement Coordinator. I always go straight to the people who hire the people. To my knowledge... Joe Pohlad currently sits at the top as the executive chair. So... I'm looking straight at Joe until I hear otherwise.

Reported estimates. Accuracy? No Idea. Anything reported these days has a strong risk of inaccuracy.