Opening Day

After years of chasing away young Baseball fans by scheduling games at night, it appears Major League Baseball is learning the error of its ways. I couldn't believe it when I switched on ESPN to see a 1PM game on a Sunday.

I still recall afternoon World Series games beginning at 1PM, and all the pleading and excuses we made to our teachers to let us listen to the game on our transistor radios. Nobody questioned why the game was played in the afternoon, only that it was a tradition. It was when Ridgewood resident, Bowie Kuhn, succumbed to the lure of big television money, that the World Series and the Playoffs were moved to evening time. Here is a picture of him, no doubt wearing thermal underwear, during the 1979 Series in Pittsburgh, PA. He appears to me when you look at his hands that he wishes he had brought some gloves.

Nobody realized at the time what an incredibly self-defeating idea the shift of Major League Baseball (MLB) from the afternoon to the evening would turn out to be, and that multiple generations of fans would be lost for a short term profit. There were short term profits made but that was only because the owners of Baseball teams believed the Nielson ratings were accurate, and were the best indicator of their future fortunes as owners.

None of the owners remain who weighed in on this momentous decision. If they are in heaven now, I would guess they rue the day they moved MLB to the evening. I know that I certainly do, and will only forgive when the World Series and Playoffs are returned to daytime audiences.

Let's be clear, I love all the additional excitement of the extended playoffs which carries the season well into October and sometimes November. My problem is two fold: The 161 game season is too long and there are not enough playoff games played in daylight.

You would think that after MLB ridded themselves of all the ugly, multipurpose synthetic turf ballparks that they might have learned a significant lesson about America's past time. But no cigar. Look at the old Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh:

Pity the ball player who fell on this concrete surface. Or the ones in Philadelphia, St. Louis, or Atlanta.
 
MLB still subscribes to the old totem that they will make more money with games ending well after midnight in the Eastern Time Zone. The joke is now on them as we all tend to tape late games and don't watch any commercials at all!

They might as well play the games when the fans, and the future fans, are awake.

RIP Bowie Kuhn.