Your baseball viewership?

[danzig6767]

Tonight was the possible deciding game in the World Series and i intended to check it out, but simply forgot it was on while watching the Bucks game. It got me to thinking just how much my viewership of baseball has nosedived besides the Brewers or some Cubs games. I watched or went to all Brewers games where i was in position to view them and here and there i'd watch part of Cubs games on WGN.

 

As a youngster i watched pretty much any playoff games that were on TV and even in my earlier adult years, i'd tune in to a fair number of playoff/World Series games. The last five years or so i've pretty much watched zero non-Brewers regular season games from start to finish and this years playoffs after the Brewers were eliminated, i didn't watch a single game start to finish, only watched the endings of a few close games. Outside of the 50 dollar bet i made with my buddy on the World Series, i had the Phillies, i had very little interest in watching.

 

I'm not really sure when exactly or why my interest in watching baseball outside of the Brewers dropped as much at it has because i watch lots of non-Packers NFL games, lots of non-Badgers college football, a fair amount of non-Marquette/WI college basketball, and i enjoy watching the NBA playoffs. The somewhat odd aspect is besides my huge love for the NFL/college football, i'm a bigger fan of the Brewers than Marquette/WI college BB and the Milwaukee Bucks. Yet, i don't get nearly as bored watching non-local team games in the other sports. I do though enjoy reading baseball forums like this and following all the possible offseason moves in baseball each year.

 

How much interest do others here have in watching non-Brewers baseball games given from what i remember hearing tonight that ratings were bad again for the World Series?

[Diskono]

I feel interested, I get excited about it, and I'll usually watch what I can. Last night, I flipped back and forth between the WS and the Bucks game until my son's bedtime, but unfortunately missed the end of both due to his non-sleepiness/wigglitis.

 

Generally, I don't mind watching non-local teams. I'd prefer to watch the Brewers obviously, but if there's a baseball game on, there's a good chance I'll be watching it.

[Ennder]

I watched pretty much every playoff and world series game and even purchased mlb.tv so I could watch games at work with it even though I can't watch Brewer games. I don't even watch Monday night football anymore, could just care less about any football outside of the Packers and there is no way I'd ever watch an NBA game that didn't have the Bucks in it and even Bucks games put me to sleep until the last 5 minutes or so.

 

I couldn't name 3 players on a lot of NBA teams or NFL teams but I can name at least 75% of the roster of every MLB team. It is just so much better than the other sports in my opinion.

 

I'm not surprised ratings were bad, no big market teams, messed up schedule because of rain, one sided series.

[PeaveyFury]

How much interest do others here have in watching non-Brewers baseball games given from what i remember hearing tonight that ratings were bad again for the World Series?

 

I've never really been able to watch non-Brewers baseball, so last night was the first post season game I watched at length since the Brewers were eliminated. I've always had the same problem with non-Packer football, though I can usually at least keep those games on in the background.

 

This year for the first time I haven't really been able to watch non-Badgers college football, though. Last year I could take a Saturday and watch games from 11:00 am - 11:00 pm without thinking twice, not this year though.

[Patrick425]

I tried to catch as much of the playoffs as possible. There are 2 shows I watch every week with my wife ("House" and "The Office" - and SNL Thursdays when it aired), so I tended to not watch the playoffs when those shows were on. I get up at 5:30 every morning, so I find myself getting pretty drowsy around 10:30. I wish they would change the start time for the games. I don't know how the east coasters do it.

I tend to watch baseball more than any other sport. I never watch an NBA game, but will catch the occasional college hoops game. I watch the Packers and other NFL games but hardly ever from beginning to end (even Packer games) unless the weather is really crappy and I have nothing else to do.

Danzig, like you, I tended to watch just about every baseball game (Brewers or non-Brewers) that was on TV when I was a kid. There were several reasons for that. It was pre-cable. There were 3 channels and UHF. The Brewers broadcasted about 20 of their games and then there was "The game of the Week" and about 12 "Monday Night Baseball" airings. There was not the saturation of sports on TV that there is today. So, my thirst for seeing baseball was that much greater. I also could name the lineups of most teams every year. Now, with all the money and player changing teams all the time, it's not the same. I still very much enjoy the game and enjoy watching it, but it doesn't hold the same magic it did when I was a kid.

[hawing]

I was pleased with the Philadelphia-Tampa Bay matchup, because no huge-market teams were involved; but in the end I watched some, but not a majority, of each game. This was partly because of the weather-affected whacked out schedule (that Saturday game simply ended too late for me, and a prior commitment last night took precedence over the rest of Game 5).

 

Also, I find there really is a limit to my tolerance of Joe Buck and Tim McCarver. I just don't like the way they call a game, or the way FOX makes them call a game, or whatever. Thus for a few of the games, I switched to ESPN Radio, which allowed me to multi-task while still following the WS.

[MessiahRp]

Wait so Philadelphia is not a huge market?

[Ennder]

Wait so Philadelphia is not a huge market?

 

Not like a Chi, NY or LA type market. It is large market but not the same as those ones.

[JimH5]

I watched as much as I could. All of the clincher, a lot of the rain game, some other playoff games.

 

I have no interest in the NFL or NBA. . .college football, golf, etc. Baseball is the only thing for me.

 

Baseball generally isn't a good tv sport because of the lack of action. I do wish they would speed it up between pitches, but it is what it is, and I watch it when I can.

[TuesdaysWithRillo]

I watched the Bucks game and then the Lakers game. I'm an NBA junkie. This year's World Series just didn't do it for me. I got more entertainment from Rays vs Red Sox.

[joepepsi]

I watched parts of every game but the rain soaked one. Unless watching last night counts! I have ExtraInnings so will watch bits of pieces of several games on any given night. I'm an Orioles fan so will watch a lot of their games, along with most all Brewers' (on radio or TV).

 

I thought the playoff schedule was ridiculous this year. I could never keep straight who was playing "tonight" or if there was even a game on. It was stupid to not have a World Series game on Friday night. I hate that during the LCS they had an off day between games 4 and 5.

 

The playoffs are too long by a week. By the time the World Series starts people are done with baseball for the year.

[owbc]

I couldn't get into it. It simply takes too long.

 

Pitchers take forever between pitches in the playoff and the commercials are extremely long. I would check in now and then, but the game isn't exciting to me due to the extremely long length.

 

The playoffs are supposed to be baseball showcasing itself, but the Fox version of baseball is a slow, boring, drawn out game which does not interest me.

[TooLiveBrew]

I tuned in to each & every playoff game I could watch (& remember to watch) this postseason. Top to bottom, I think this was one of the best postseasons MLB has had in some time. Once the LCS round started, I really felt like it was as close to a 25/25/25/25 split to win as you could realistically get.

 

The 4-1 WS victory for Philadelphia certainly doesn't do justice to how great each of the games were, but that's life. I thought it was a great WS overall.

[Invader3K]

The playoffs are supposed to be baseball showcasing itself, but the Fox version of baseball is a slow, boring, drawn out game which does not interest me.

I basically agree. While I did try to still watch the games for the most part, the games on FOX take waaaaaaaayyyy too long. The TBS games seem much quicker. I can't imagine being on the East Coast and trying to stay up to watch every game, on a normal work schedule. FOX should look at their own presentation before whining about low ratings again.

[jason21nl]

I love baseball, and I'm watching it no matter who is playing or what time the game is on. I had bowling last night, and was watching it on a tv whenever it wasn't my turn bowl.

[JohnBriggs12]

I'm with obsessedwithbrewcrew. With no rooting interest and knowing that most games won't end until close to 11, why invest the time? Besides the games are slower paced than regular season games with extra commericials so even if I would start watching, it's likely I'd be asleep well before the finish. Besides I can't stand either Joe Buck or Tim McCarver. The World Series hasn't been the same since Joe Garagiola stopped doing them.

 

That being said, I did check in from time to time on the score and progress of the games and with last night's ending early, I did watch the 9th inning. And I did see Jenkins double last night.

 

I love baseball, but the season ends for me when the Brewers walk off the field the last time. I immediately go into hot stove mode the next day, and my on field focus is directed to football, both college and pro.

[MJLiverock]

For the non Brewer playoff games and World Series I let one tuner on the DVR "record" the game and watched something else on the other channel. Occasionally I would flip over to the other tuner and check out the game score and rewind it to watch the inning runs were scored in or watch the last couple innings.

I did watch most of Game 1 of the WS live but then quickly remembered why I don't like Buck/McCarver. I just wasn't that interested in watching the Phillies play, I don't really like their team so even though the Rays a kind of exciting the series as a whole was slow. Longoria and Pena seemed to disappear whenever I watched them bat.

 

During the regular season I check out most Brewer games, watching as many as I can. I will check out games on ESPN if the teams are interesting, i.e. not the Cubs, Yankees, Red Sox lovefest.

 

Football is still probably my top viewing choice but by Monday night I am usually burned out by watching a couple college games on Saturday, 1-2 NFL on Sunday so I rarely watch MNF.

 

I have probably seen about 5 minutes of NBA games in the last 5 years. I like college BB and watch those games quite often including the Badgers and big matchups.

 

NASCAR and golf are avoided at all times. The only thing more boring than watching golf is having someone tell me about their last round or hole of golf.

 

I used to watch the NHL, my dad was a big fan, but in the last 10 years I rarely watch it. I usually catch a little of the Badger Hockey games on the weekends.

[Electric Elf]

I watch lots of non-Brewers games during the regular season, but I just wasn't feeling it this year for the playoffs. I only watched them intermittently, mostly because I liked whoever was pitching for whatever team. The only WS games I watched were the Moyer start (because I like Jamie Moyer) and Game 4, because I wanted to see the Battle of the League-Average Starters (I was not expecting Sonnanstine to give an exhibition of Epic Fail, so I stopped watching.)

[tigerbrew]

I subscribe to mlb.tv to pretty much watch Brewers games only, I'd love to watch more mlb games but don't have enough time due to work. I did watch a few Mets games towards the end of the season and a couple of Cubs postseason games and that's about it.

 

Besides the Brewers, I also watch plenty of English Premier League matches each season. I watch the Pack play whenever they are available on cable over here and I'm considering subscribing to nba league pass to watch more Bucks games.

[Tbadder]

I'm a regular season kinda guy. Playoffs tend to be boring for me, and I stress me, so I watch all the regular season I can and ignore all the post-season.

[lukevan]

I watched most of the postseason, missing a game here or there b/c of something else going on. I like watching the games but like others, hate Joe Buck/Tim McCarver and FOX's insistence on using bad stats and baseball axioms, so much so that I will yell/argue with the television. However, I do like watching as much of the games as I can. I will watch Minnesota Twins and Chicago Cubs games and of course nationally televised regular season games.

Like Patrick, I grew up without cable TV and I used to watch every televised sporting event.

I can't stomach the NBA anymore, love college basketball, wish I could watch more NFL games, don't pay much attention to college football and love to watch golf. Yeah I said it.

[TooLiveBrew]

I like watching the games but like others, hate Joe Buck/Tim McCarver and FOX's insistence on using bad stats and baseball axioms, so much so that I will yell/argue with the television.

 

I'm glad that:

 

a) I'm not crazy for yelling/arguing with Joe Buck & Tim McCarver & my TV

b) I'm crazy for doing so, but I have allies

c) Some combo of a & b

[rluzinski]

Baseball is far and away my favorite sport but it's just too damn slow to be a good TV sport. I watch every Brewer game but almost no non-Brewer games. I kept track of many of they playoff games on the computer and would switch over to it if anything actually happened.

 

In contrast, football is a great TV sport, IMO. I don't even really follow college football but can sit down and enjoy a random game. I watch a lot of NFL games. I love the Packers but read little about them. Basically the opposite of the Brewers.

 

My hope is that MLB get's aggressive about speeding up the game someday. They should average 2.5 hours, tops.

[Invader3K]

2.5 hours would be tough. They've gotten the average down to around 3, which is pretty good.

 

My main problem, like I said, is with the post-season games, particularly on FOX. They squeeze so many commercials and extra junk in there, that what should be about a three hour game takes four or five to watch.

[joepepsi]

Baseball is far and away my favorite sport but it's just too damn slow to be a good TV sport. I watch every Brewer game but almost no non-Brewer games. I kept track of many of they playoff games on the computer and would switch over to it if anything actually happened.

 

In contrast, football is a great TV sport, IMO. I don't even really follow college football but can sit down and enjoy a random game. I watch a lot of NFL games. I love the Packers but read little about them. Basically the opposite of the Brewers.

 

My hope is that MLB get's aggressive about speeding up the game someday. They should average 2.5 hours, tops.

Every MLB game should be a pitching matchup between Peavy and Sheets. The actual games would be shorter than those condensed rebroadcasts on FSN.

 

I agree baseball is not a strong TV sport. Only crazed fans like us can watch an entire game on TV on a regular basis. The field dimensions are all wrong for TV aspect ratios and the action tends to be one player doing something, contact and interaction is rather minimal. Football and basketball are perfect for TV; in fact I think they are better on TV than actually attending the games. I think this is the main reason football is more popular than baseball; it's popularity rose with the rise of television. Baseball is the perfect sport to enjoy in person on a warm summer day or night. It's pace is leisurely, encouraging conversation, people watching, hot dog eating, and beer drinking.