East coast fans, rejoice, for you may actually get to see the end of a World Series game this year and still be functional the next morning:
The first pitch of World Series games will be scheduled for shortly before 8 p.m. ET this season, USA Today and MLB.com reported Monday. The start time is at least 30 minutes earlier than games began last season, USA Today reported. Fox's pregame show will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET, USA Today reported.
This season will be the first in 30 years in which World Series games start before 8 p.m. ET, MLB.com reported, citing Major League Baseball records.
"I really feel good about where we are," said commissioner Bud Selig, MLB.com reported. "Our goal is to schedule games so the largest number of people can watch, and Fox has gone to an enormous amount of effort to make this happen. It's been a great joint effort between the two us."
I'm happy about this primarily for selfish reasons -- I live in the Eastern time zone and I wake up early, so watching full games is a tall order when they (a) don't start until 8:30 or later; (b) the commercial breaks are longer than usual, which they are in the postseason; and (c) when the games involve the Yankees or the Red Sox who seem to be physically incapable of playing games in less than three and a half hours.
In light of this news there will be a lot of talk about how it benefits the kids. I appreciate that, yes, more kids will get to see more of a given World Series game now, but I also tend to think this concern has long been overstated. They've been playing World Series games exclusively at night for twenty-five years now, so that old line about how the game risks alienating younger fans rings pretty false. And let us remember, the one event that many point to when discussing baseball's resurgence in popularity in the 1970s was the Carlton Fisk homer in the 1975 World Series that galvanized a nation. That happened after midnight. Sure, the 1975 version of me may have been asleep in my armchair and would have had to watch it on the highlight shows the next morning, but everyone survived it, so the move to earlier games, while most welcome, is probably not as critical as everyone says.
And let's not forget that there could be a downside. Contrary to popular belief, the country doesn't end at the Ohio River, and there are some good teams playing in those time zones out west. What happens if the Dodgers and Angels meet up this October? Are fans in California going to be happy with the notion of World Series games -- their World Series games -- starting before even the guys who punch out the moment the clock strikes five even get off work? Can you imagine the outcry if a Red Sox-Phillies World Series game started at 4:30? The whole coast would probably be burning by nightfall.
So yes, I still think this is a good move, but things don't always go as we expect them to. If a couple of things break funny here we could have a situation in which, in an effort to make the World Series more accessible, the lords of baseball and broadcasting will have actually worked to make it more inaccessible to those who care the most.
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are you kidding me???
what an excuse to close the office early....it's not like we don't leave early for little league practice...why not the big leagues too.
I'm an east coaster, but I think it would be a lot of fun to have a few World Series games start at 4:30 here. On the weekend that is prime watching time, with the ability to go out and celebrate afterwards. During the week, it would be great for happy hours or getting together after school. So maybe it wouldn't seem so bad for everyone in CA, either.
In the age of Tivo and DVRs, does it even matter as much? Certainly here on the West Coast, I will just set the machine, wait till after dinner (maintaining a strict media blackout in the meantime), then watch the game in commercial free glory.
Ya, me too. Set the DVR, do what's important to you, like maybe saving your job, and not worrying about killing yourself on the way home during rush hour traffic so you don't miss the start of the game. Then maintain a sports news blackout, & watch the game commericlal free. Sports are much better on the west coast.
I'd just like to get to bed before 1 AM in October....so I think this decision is just great!!!
I don't believe a half an hour will amount to anything, WS and some Playoff series games especially the ones during the week are during school- most kids, the real influential ones under caring parnets are in bed by the 3-4 inning. And yet some us who have to be a work the following morning, are dragging on behalf of the greed of the networks revenue stream of commercials for erectile disfuntion.
I say start the world series at 7pm EST right after the national news- everyone will likely be happy including your share holders.
bring back some day games on the weekends too.
Back on '07, the NLCS games started at 11:00 pm ET, which was MURDER for at least this displaced Colorado Rockes fan in Ohio. At least they will get it done at a sane hour, unless as you stated the Red Sox or Yankees are involved. Then, we might be lucky to get done before 2:00 am anyway.
I think it stinks! Since I hate TIVO for sports events (it's almost impossible not to hear the score somewhere) and since my work day usually ends between 5 and 5:30 BestCoast time, (not bEastCoast) the game will probably be over before I can turn on the tv. Let's have a BestCoast World Series and see what it does for the ratings when we can't watch it live and the bEastCoast doesn't watch because it's not between the DeadSox and the Yanquis!
I am so sick and tierd of the East Coast moaning about EVERYTHING. It's always East coast this and East coast that. I've got news for you, New York is NOT the greatest city on the planet and the East coast is NOT the only coast that matters.
If it's worked for 30 years then leave it alone - it's much easier to stay up late than for someone to get off work early. But fine, I'll just record it on my DVR and I can fast forward through your precious commercials, let's see how your advertisers like that.
Dumbest idea EVER!
Eff the west coast. There I said it. Don't act like the east coast people who are reading aren't cheering. MLB has waged a bi-coastal beef. Baseball begins and ends on the east coast. The west coast teams just contribute to the pot.
Why not wait to see who the teams are before deciding the starting times. If I'm not mistaken, the game times for the NBA and NHL right now aren't set even to game 5, and somehow it seems to work. If the World Series is Red Sox vs. Mets, start the games early; if it's Angels vs. Dodgers, start it late. and if it's Red Sox vs. Dodgers, skew the start of the game for the home crowd, like they do for regular season games.
Lucky I live Hawaii, where none of this matters.
I can watch the game and go the beach for a surf afterwards!!!
The West Coast lives the care free lifestyle while us "Beastcoaster's" make the world go round. I think the time change is well deserved for us East Sider's. Now don't get caught watching the game on your headrest TV west siders.
Besides, baseball is the one game that you don't really lose all that much listening to it on the radio. You will always see the great plays over and over on your favorite sports network.
Don't kid yourselves, people. Sure, the games will start earlier, but GUARANTEE they won't end earlier. The networks will simply sell more air time to sponsors and advertisers, and the game will stretch out until after 1 am. And nobody will really notice until it's all over.
Starting WS games at 8PM is a move in the right direction but how about a Saturday afternoon game. Advertising revenue be dammed, it's just the right thing to do. A little less greed, a little more integrity wouldn't hurt baseball at this point in time.
i like the idea of earlier games. the west coast can always dvr the game and start the braodcast when they get home. they can skip the commercials, and eventually catch up to the live feed. that is easier than going to bed before the end of the game, and missing the live ending without hearing the final score.
now they need to wise up, and give the home field advantage in the WS to the team with the better record! the sham of giving the home field to the LEAGUE that wins the all-star game is a joke! reward a team for 162 games of hard work, not a meaningless exhibition game.
I applaud everyones efforts to make the games more viewer friendly... but I for one have boycotted the game in it's entirety until some resolution is made regarding steriods. I would'nt watch a noon game on Sunday!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"but I for one have boycotted the game in it's entirety until some resolution is made regarding steriods. "
Ever heard of JC Romero or Manny Ramirez?
8Pm is bette then nothing!I still remember being a young girl watching the World Series of 1967,68,69 with my dad when I came home from school.I long for those days.As a die hard Red Sox fan I was very happy that there just happen to be no schoo on October 29 when the Red Sox won the Series-my children were able to stay awake to watch it.
It's a nice move for families who get up very early; for kids and teens; and because games are so long. Screw the West coast!
Great. I'm a Left Coaster who works until 5 p.m. and then has a 2 hour commute home. I use public transportation, so listening on the radio is impossible due to the poor reception. I can't afford a DVR. I'm screwed. Thanks a lot Bud and Fix.
This season will be the first in 30 years in which World Series games start before 8 p.m. ET, MLB.com reported, citing Major League Baseball records.
Nope, not true. Game 4 between the Tigers and Padres, played 25 years ago, was a day game:
The bizarre thing is that I remember the score being announced over the PA at Michigan Stadium. Yes, I was actually at a completely meaningless UM-Northwestern game (during Bo's worst season), instead of watching the Tigers in the dorm. I did catch the last couple innings.
This season will be the first in 30 years in which World Series games start before 8 p.m. ET, MLB.com reported, citing Major League Baseball records.
Nope, not true. Game 4 between the Tigers and Padres, played 25 years ago, was a day game:
The bizarre thing is that I remember the score being announced over the PA at Michigan Stadium. Yes, I was actually at a completely meaningless UM-Northwestern game (during Bo's worst season), instead of watching the Tigers in the dorm. I did catch the last couple innings.
Oops - please excuse the double-post. I would only like to add that Game 4 between the Tigers and Pads featured the very last at-bat by the great Champ Summers.
I do think the timing is everything in this instance. Last year, one of the Phillies-Rays WS games was postponed because of rain around the middle of the game. If MLB had made this a day game or started it earlier, say around 4-4:30 pm EST, then the game would have been either completely finished or at least by rule gone past the 7th inning to call it an official game. As a result, the WS was delayed almost 2 days because of weather. MLB needs to stop cowtowing to the networks and make some of the WS and playoff games either day games (4-4:30 pm start times EST), or start them in the earlier evening (7-7:30 pm EST start times). Kids would be able to see the games after school, or at least see most of the games before their bedtimes.