Comments on: AtP2: Grim’s Hairy Tale http://positiveposition.com/blog/2006/06/08/atp2-grims-hairy-tale/ A NEW and IMPROVED rant about the good, the bad, and the ugly in public relations. Fri, 21 Nov 2008 09:43:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: John http://positiveposition.com/blog/2006/06/08/atp2-grims-hairy-tale/#comment-26507 John Mon, 12 Jun 2006 23:26:21 +0000 http://positiveposition.com/blog/2006/06/08/atp2-grims-hairy-tale/#comment-26507 You'd have to define "saved" for me. Baseball has long lost its place as America's Pastime. Cal Ripken broke Lou Gehrig's consecutive games streak on a Thursday night ESPN telecast. One of baseball's signature moments in the last 50 years drew slightly more than half the viewers that the Thursday night NFL game on TNT got. Whatever hit the game takes in this scandal, ESPN will prop baseball up. Even as it reports all the bad news, it leads the cheers for the game. When Roger Clemens made a start for the Class-A Lexington Legends, ESPN rearranged its programming to carry his entire outling live. It has a nightly show dedicated to showing highlights and analysis of games. It carries complete game broadcasts several nights a week. ESPN even gave the disgraced Barry Bonds his own show! If I'm Bud Selig I kiss up to whomever I must to stay on ESPN's good side even if he knows how much ESPN relies on baseball for programming. Do I care? Not really. But I'm outside the target demo now anyway so they don't care about me, either. You’d have to define “saved” for me. Baseball has long lost its place as America’s Pastime. Cal Ripken broke Lou Gehrig’s consecutive games streak on a Thursday night ESPN telecast. One of baseball’s signature moments in the last 50 years drew slightly more than half the viewers that the Thursday night NFL game on TNT got.

Whatever hit the game takes in this scandal, ESPN will prop baseball up. Even as it reports all the bad news, it leads the cheers for the game. When Roger Clemens made a start for the Class-A Lexington Legends, ESPN rearranged its programming to carry his entire outling live. It has a nightly show dedicated to showing highlights and analysis of games. It carries complete game broadcasts several nights a week. ESPN even gave the disgraced Barry Bonds his own show!

If I’m Bud Selig I kiss up to whomever I must to stay on ESPN’s good side even if he knows how much ESPN relies on baseball for programming.

Do I care? Not really. But I’m outside the target demo now anyway so they don’t care about me, either.

]]> By: Richard http://positiveposition.com/blog/2006/06/08/atp2-grims-hairy-tale/#comment-26430 Richard Mon, 12 Jun 2006 19:39:05 +0000 http://positiveposition.com/blog/2006/06/08/atp2-grims-hairy-tale/#comment-26430 What can save baseball? Now that's a tough one. My suggestion would be this: have Bud Selig call for mandatory testing of everyone right now - as in today, no warnings or anything else. Just have the lab rats show with the cups and the analyzers. Those who test positive can get on the 8:10 Greyhound to Nowhere! Next he needs to amend the records of McGuire, Sosa, Palmero, Giambi AND Mr. Bonds (and anyone else I've forgotten - maybe Larry Jones of the Atlanta Braves perhaps?) to reflect their use of steriods. Mr. Bonds a.k.a. The Juice needs to leave baseball right now. Hank Aaron earned his record legitimately. The Juice cannot say the same thing. After that Mr. Selig in a show of good faith needs to accept responsibility for the fiasco and resign. He needs to take the Nixonian fall, so to speak, and a new commissioner, someone trustworthy and willing to uphold the standards needs to come in and clean house. Perhaps a soon to be ex-President could do the job. I'm sure my suggestions will never work but they're out there for what they're worth. What can save baseball? Now that’s a tough one. My suggestion would be this: have Bud Selig call for mandatory testing of everyone right now - as in today, no warnings or anything else. Just have the lab rats show with the cups and the analyzers. Those who test positive can get on the 8:10 Greyhound to Nowhere! Next he needs to amend the records of McGuire, Sosa, Palmero, Giambi AND Mr. Bonds (and anyone else I’ve forgotten - maybe Larry Jones of the Atlanta Braves perhaps?) to reflect their use of steriods. Mr. Bonds a.k.a. The Juice needs to leave baseball right now. Hank Aaron earned his record legitimately. The Juice cannot say the same thing. After that Mr. Selig in a show of good faith needs to accept responsibility for the fiasco and resign. He needs to take the Nixonian fall, so to speak, and a new commissioner, someone trustworthy and willing to uphold the standards needs to come in and clean house. Perhaps a soon to be ex-President could do the job. I’m sure my suggestions will never work but they’re out there for what they’re worth.

]]> By: Joel http://positiveposition.com/blog/2006/06/08/atp2-grims-hairy-tale/#comment-24583 Joel Thu, 08 Jun 2006 13:30:46 +0000 http://positiveposition.com/blog/2006/06/08/atp2-grims-hairy-tale/#comment-24583 I don't think baseball can be saved, and I'm not sure anyone cares anymore. I personally never did, I'm a football man myself. The continual crying and boo-hooing these "professional" players do, and the constant negative press these idiots generate will continue to make a boring game even less appealing. -Joel I don’t think baseball can be saved, and I’m not sure anyone cares anymore. I personally never did, I’m a football man myself. The continual crying and boo-hooing these “professional” players do, and the constant negative press these idiots generate will continue to make a boring game even less appealing.

-Joel

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