MASN programming note

From a press release:

MASN Programming Note:
Friday, May 23, 2008

Major League Baseball regulations prohibit regional telecasts of MLB games during the national blackout window from 1:10 pm to 7:05 pm on Saturdays. This protects the national broadcast of the Fox Saturday Game of the Week.
As the home team, Tampa Bay chooses the game’s start time and decided to begin this Saturday’s game early, at 6:10 pm. Since the start is within MLB’s blackout window, MASN is prevented from showing the start of the game.

Therefore, MASN will join the game in progress with live coverage starting at 7:00 pm. After the game, MASN will still carry manager Dave Trembley’s post-game press conference, as well as player interviews and game highlights on O’s Xtra with Rick Dempsey and Tom Davis.

For more information, please visit www.masnsports.com.

over 3 years ago Scott Christ 11 comments 0 recs |

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Rays have to start the game early

So that there’s time afterwards for The Commodores concert.

"We’re not concerned about what other teams think. I know teams come in here thinking we’re playing the Orioles. And then 9 innings later, they got the loss, they know what we’re about." ~Adam Jones

by Stacey on May 23, 2008 6:04 PM EDT reply actions

I'm ready to Google this

just because it sounds like it could be actually true.

Seriously, why not a 7:05 start? They want their OWN fans to miss the game on TV, too?

"I wasn't here for the losing years. But it feels a little like the days with Earl in charge and John Lowenstein smashing birthday cakes in the middle of the clubhouse with a bat." - John "T-Bone" Shelby

by duck on May 23, 2008 6:20 PM EDT up reply actions

It IS true

Go to the Rays website.

by Stacey on May 23, 2008 7:01 PM EDT up reply actions

Here you go

http://tampabay.rays.mlb.com/tb/ticketing/summer_concerts.jsp?partnerId=TBcommodores052008

by Stacey on May 23, 2008 7:07 PM EDT up reply actions

I just heard it from 3 Drinks Gary

I can’t believe that’s true. How stupid is that?

by duck on May 23, 2008 9:15 PM EDT up reply actions

It's not stupid at all

Think about it from their perspective. This is a budding team with attendance issues. They want to develop a fan base. That’s why they’ve scheduled these postgame concerts for Saturday nights, which by far draw their biggest crowds. However in catering to the families that will provide the backbone of their future support, they want to start the games early enough so that the concert begins at a reasonable hour. It makes quite a good deal of sense.

Listen, I feel for you. I would probably be pissed too if the Rays were blacked out on the road due to some home team maneuvering. But for the organization, it makes a good deal of sense. Besides, at least you guys get the game. All of our Saturday night home games are blacked out this summer in their totality.

by Patrick L. Kennedy on May 24, 2008 12:12 AM EDT up reply actions

The Rays are getting heat on this

Rightly so, from my perspective. Trying to build a fan base? Please. There’s no fan base to be found in St. Pete. Not to ruffle any feathers, but I just don’t think people from Florida care about baseball all that much, in general. Or if they do, they care about their hometown teams.

Anyway, screw FOX. I don’t want to listen to McCarver and Buck. I want to listen to Gary and Jim (ugh) or Jim and Buck (double ugh) or Jim and Jim (gross) or Jim and Rick (no, I wouldn’t actually watch that). I hate blackouts. I don’t want to watch the SOX on FOX. Let’s make FOX compete against games that the non-Northeast cares about. Then maybe we won’t keep getting the fucking Red Sox.

by pipkin on May 24, 2008 12:29 AM EDT reply actions

Rightly so, from my perspective. Trying to build a fan base? Please. There’s no fan base to be found in St. Pete. Not to ruffle any feathers, but I just don’t think people from Florida care about baseball all that much, in general. Or if they do, they care about their hometown teams.

Well, you are wrong. I can’t make that clear enough. They drew over 30,000 fans in their inaugural season. The nine successive seasons of terrible baseball and an off-putting owner did its number on the market, and that’s what the present ownership has to rebuild from. They’re trying on too many fronts to expound upon here, but I think it will ultimately be successful. Attendance has increased in each year since Sternberg took over, and while it still isn’t at acceptable levels, winning will do a lot to fill in the gaps. I suspect that if the new stadium goes through, that will help sustain whatever gains are made.

But either way, your anger at the Rays is unfounded. Just because you write off the market as unfriendly to baseball doesn’t mean that the team doesn’t have the right to posture its start times in order to best exploit the game experience for the fans that it is trying to attract.

by Patrick L. Kennedy on May 24, 2008 1:51 AM EDT up reply actions