Join us in the "Breakroom" for postseason baseball

It's a little early for me to be blogging today since I usually do it at about 2 a.m. when all of my best thoughts come to me, but for some reason the TV made me do it. I was watching game 2 of the NLDS Rockies-Phillies game when the TBS announcers just pissed me the hell off. Where in the hell do they find these nincompoops? I know TBS is now out from under Ted Turner and they want to expand past just broadcasting Braves games, but to do so they really need to step up their announcing department. These guys have absolutely no idea what they're talking about. David Aldridge, yes the NBA reporter David Aldridge, was out doing "on the field reporting" and you can tell he knows not what he speaks of. How can he? He's an NBA reporter. The next misstep came when one of the Rockies hitters struck out looking at an inside curveball. The BRILLIANT announcer makes the observation that the ball was off the plate and should have been called a ball. My problem with it is he said, "That ball was just outside of the plate." What the hell?! Seriously? From the perspective I and millions of viewers saw, the ball was INSIDE not outside. Then not a few minutes later, they spout off that the Phillies bullpen just hasn't been able to hold the Rockies in the series. While it was becoming true in game 2, it wasn't true in game 1. The Phillies bullpen gave up two hits and one just happened to be a homerun. Last time I checked, when a bullpen goes four innings and gives up two hits, that's pretty damn good. Please somebody at TBS, fix the problem! I know I'm not the only one frustrated with the idiot announcers. There was actually only one good announcer and I can't remember his name but he was the play-by-play guy for the Cubs-D'backs game last night. Other than that: a complete waste.
And don't get me started on the "TBS Game Break." The main guy on there is just like the others who doesn't know crap. Gates told me the guy is always doing NBA games, which of course makes perfect sense. Then they have Frank Thomas coming in, which don't get me wrong I love the Big Hurt, but the guy never looked at the camera once in all of his analysis during three games. He just kept looking down and over to the main guy then back at the floor then back at the guy then at the floor. He didn't even look at Cal Ripken Jr. who by the way also blows. Is it just me or is Ripken the most boring guy on the face of the earth for baseball? I respect all of his playing achievements, but damn I gotta draw the line somewhere for a guy who can't even draw any interest. It'd be different if the Orioles were in this thing but they're not. I know he basically works for TBS, but they can find someone better. Why don't they hire Harold Reynolds???? He was amazing for ESPN and Baseball Tonight other than his sexual harassment charges. If you were TBS wouldn't you take the risk that he'd clean up his act to get a chance to analyze baseball again?
I can just picture the TBS execs sitting in a boardroom planning the layout for the 2007 Divisional Series:
"We need to make this the best postseason experience ever!"
"Yea, we need people to know we are a legit baseball network!"
"How do we show them?"
"We make all of our NBA guys cover the postseason! If they can do basketball, they can do baseball!"
And just like Family Feud:
"Good answer."
"Good answer."
"Good answer."
"How else can we show them we're legit?"
"Let's schedule 3 games a day on TBS starting with one at 2 p.m. then 5:30 p.m. then 9 p.m.!"
"But what about TNT? Can't we put one of the games on there?"
"NO! We want people tuning in to one game at a time to maximize ratings!"
"But won't the people in Philadelphia be working and the people in Colorado taking a lunch break? How will they see their teams if it's in the middle of the day?"
"They should get TIVO then!"

Just brilliant. The TBS idiots have managed to mess up the postseason and what a shame because there have been some excellent games. What I wouldn't pay to hear Joe Morgan and Jon Miller calling a game or Joe Buck or Charlie Steiner or Milo Hamilton on the play-by-play.

Please Major League Baseball, I implore you, I beg you. Stay away from TBS! They're a comedy network and they've done it for the postseason: made it a laughingstock! Stick the games on ABC and ESPN because the quality is so much better for games that count so much more. If TBS wants games fine let them have regular season games. Let them test their mettle with more than one game before you hand them to the reigns of your postseason! Imagine postseason first timers who haven't seen their team in the playoffs for years (i.e. Phillies, Rockies, D'backs) they want to keep coming back to the product. TBS is doing such a bad job people might not watch their own team. If that's the case, how do you ever expect to attract new baseball watchers? Baseball diehards love the game too much for that.




How can I watch like a fan when TBS worsens the product?