2010's Last IGT - 106th World Series: San Francisco v Texas

[Willets Point]

I'm actually excited about the World Series for the first time in a couple of years. First of all, there's the absence of evil in the World Series for the first time since 2007. Then there's the fact that history will be made in that either the Rangers will win their first World Series ever or the Giants will win their first World Series since moving to San Francisco. Oh and the NL has home field advantage for once (and the more attractive ballpark).

Here's the schedule:

Gm 1 TEX @ SF Wed Oct. 27 7:30 PM
Gm 2 TEX @ SF Thu Oct. 28 7:30 PM
Gm 3 SF @ TEX Sat Oct. 30 6:30 PM !
Gm 4 SF @ TEX Sun Oct. 31 8:00 PM
Gm 5* SF @ TEX Mon Nov. 1 7:30 PM
Gm 6* TEX @ SF Wed Nov. 3 7:30 PM
Gm 7* TEX @ SF Thu Nov. 4 7:30 PM

[TransMonk]

Can someone remind me what the rationale behind switching the opening day of the WS from Saturday to Wednesday a few years ago was? Why would MLB want to go up against Monday Night Football?

[metirish]

Like Willets I am very much looking forward to this WS, it's on FOX?, if so then maybe I won't see it at all.

[G-Fafif]

The NFL used to avoid Sunday night games during the World Series so as not to compete with Game Two. Last year they adhered to that policy so as to not go up against Game Four. This year they've decided they're bulletproof, so it will be Steelers at Saints taking on Giants at Rangers. Sadly, I'm guess NBC won't regret this matchup at all.

[Frayed Knot]

I'm actually excited about the World Series for the first time in a couple of years.

According to the mainstream sports media, you're the only one.
Everything I heard about baseball today involved virtually nothing the games or teams and was instead all about the "fact" that no one is going to care and about how FOX execs are ready to slit their wrists due to a lack of NE teams in general and the Yanx in particular.
That history doesn't bear out this theory at all doesn't seem to faze the commentators. Regional World Series tend to over-saturate that one area and shut out the rest of the country and the fact that THEY don't know or care about the Rangers & Giants seems to put them in the mindset that no one else does either.

Can someone remind me what the rationale behind switching the opening day of the WS from Saturday to Wednesday a few years ago was? Why would MLB want to go up against Monday Night Football?

It's more about avoiding having four games on the traditionally dead for TV weekend nights. The theory is that momentum builds over the course of a 7-game series but, in recent years, the 4-game sweeps (98, 99, 04, 05, 07) and 5-game near sweeps have killed momentum and you never got to the 2nd weekend anyway. By starting mid-week, they hope to build interest heading into the weekend and, if it's still going towards game 6 & 7, put the theoretically most exciting games in the traditionally stronger viewing nights with little competition from other sports.
Next year's reg season sked has been altered to reflect this change (Friday opening day and mid-week close) which is designed to flow into this new post-season sked with fewer of these built-in off-days that have crept into these past two years.

[Willets Point]

Is anyone else flabbergasted that game 3 is starting at 6:30 (which is 5:30 local time)? There could be daylight at a World Series game in the first time in forever. I'm hoping these start times are actually for first pitch and not just when FOX pregame coverage begins.

[seawolf17]

Cliff Lee becomes the first pitcher to start Game 1 of the WS two years in a row since...

[TransMonk]

Thanks, Knot. I knew there had to be some plan.

[stevejrogers]

seawolf17 wrote: Cliff Lee becomes the first pitcher to start Game 1 of the WS two years in a row since...

Either Rat Face or Roidger?

[Frayed Knot]

Willets Point wrote: Is anyone else flabbergasted that game 3 is starting at 6:30 (which is 5:30 local time)? There could be daylight at a World Series game in the first time in forever. I'm hoping these start times are actually for first pitch and not just when FOX pregame coverage begins.

Those are pre-game coverage times I'm sure. Still, that Saturday start will still be prior to 7PM which is the earliest in years.

I'm guessing that the actual (or at least planned) 1st pitch is going to be 7:57 for those 7:30 times (FOX seems to like that '3 minutes of' slot), 6:57 on the Saturday, and 8:07 on Sunday

[seawolf17]

SteveJRogers wrote: seawolf17 wrote: Cliff Lee becomes the first pitcher to start Game 1 of the WS two years in a row since... Either Rat Face or Roidger?

Wrong and wrong. (I thought Clemens also.)

[Willets Point]

El Duque.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Dave Stewart.

[seawolf17]

Edgy DC wrote: Dave Stewart.

Winnah!

[Guest Edgy DC]

NICE! WOW!

[Frayed Knot]

I'm guessing that the actual (or at least planned) 1st pitch is going to be 7:57 for those 7:30 times (FOX seems to like that '3 minutes of' slot), 6:57 on the Saturday, and 8:07 on Sunday

I was close. The Sunday 1st pitch time is 8:20, the rest of my guesses were correct.
Not sure why later starts on Sunday nights are considered in fashion these days. It used to be that things were shifted an hour earlier on Sundays as the so-called 'Prime Time' hours began at 7PM as compared to 8 on every other day.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Maybe to give viewers more time to transition from football to baseball?

[bmfc1]

Which umpire is most likely to screw up and thereby increase the calls for more replay? I'm picking Gary Darling.

[u:18nan7kk]Game One, #, Umpire, Previous Postseason Assignments[/u:18nan7kk]
HP, 17, John Hirschbeck (crew chief), 8 DS (1995, 98-99, 01, 03, 05-06, 10); 4 LCS (1990, 97, 2000, 04); 2 WS (1995, 2006)
1B, 34, Sam Holbrook, 3 DS (2005, 07, 10); 2 LCS (2008-09)
2B, 26, Bill Miller, 5 DS (2002-03, 05, 08, 10); 1 LCS (2009)
3B, 33, Mike Winters, 7 DS (1998-2002, 06, 10); 3 LCS (1997, 2004, 08); 2 WS (2002, 06)
LF, 8, Jeff Kellogg, 6 DS (1998, 2000, 03, 07-08, 10); 5 LCS (1999, 2001-02, 04, 06); 3 WS (2000, 03, 08)
RF, 37, Gary Darling, 9 DS (1995, 97-98, 2002-03, 05, 07-08, 10); 3 LCS (1992, 2004, 06); 1 WS (2003)

[bmfc1]

Willets Point wrote: Is anyone else flabbergasted that game 3 is starting at 6:30 (which is 5:30 local time)? There could be daylight at a World Series game in the first time in forever. I'm hoping these start times are actually for first pitch and not just when FOX pregame coverage begins.

Selig says (paraphrase): "we moved the Saturday game so the kids can see the whole game."
In actuality: it's Saturday--it's the one game that could start at 8 PM.

Selig says: "we moved all the games up!"
In actuality: They're still going past 11, even without Posada walking to the mound between every pitch. In the WS, there is 2 and a half minutes between innings instead of the usual 2 minutes for national broadcasts of regular season games and 90 seconds for local broadcasts of regular season games. Starting at 8 (excuse me, 7:57--a concession to give FOX three additional minutes of national ads) is better than starting at 8:27 but if Selig gave a damn about when the kids (or even anybody on the east coast who gets up early and goes to work), they'd cut the between inning breaks but FOX would go nuts so that's never going to happen. They could also dispense with "God Bless America" after the top of the 7th but that would be seen as unpatriotic.

It's a step in the right direction but they could do more.

[Frayed Knot]

In the WS, there is 2 and a half minutes between innings instead of the usual 2 minutes for national broadcasts of regular season games and 90 seconds for local broadcasts of regular season games.

It's actually 2:05 between innings for reg season games, 2:25 for nationally televised games (FOX Sat & ESPN Sunday), and 2:55 for the post-season.

That's partly why just 7 of the 27 post-season games this year finished in under 3 hours (Posada is the next biggest reason)
7 more were between 3:00 and 3:15, leaving 13 which took 3:16 or longer including 6 that clocked in at 3:45+ (1 of those was extra innings)

Edited October 27, 2010 by Guest

[bmfc1]

Wow. Thanks for news, FK.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Frayed Knot wrote: In the WS, there is 2 and a half minutes between innings instead of the usual 2 minutes for national broadcasts of regular season games and 90 seconds for local broadcasts of regular season games. It's actually 2:05 between innings for reg season games, 2:25 for nationally televised games (FOX Sat & ESPN Sunday), and 2:55 for the post-season. That's partly why just 7 of the 27 post-season games this year finished in under 3 hours (Posada is the next biggest reason) 7 more were between 3:00 and 3:15, leaving 13 which took 3:16 or longer including 6 that clocked in at 3:45+ (1 of those was extra innings)

And that's a post-season chock full of excellent pitching.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Your anthem singers for Games 1 and 2 of San Francisco's first WS in eight years: Ohioan John Legend and North Carolina/Georgia/Tennessee natives Lady Antebellum. Makes sense.

(At least Kelly Clarkson's Texan.)

[Guest themetfairy]

I thought John Legend was from Philly?

OE - I just Wikipedia'd Legend. Yes, he grew up in Ohio. He merely attended college in Philly.

If you listen to the local news down here, you'd think that he was born and bred in Philly....

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Went to school with the guy (Class of '99!). He's a friggin' teddy bear.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Well, come on. How many big-shot musicians come from northern California or east central Texas?

[Frayed Knot]

Edgy DC wrote: And that's a post-season chock full of excellent pitching.

Plus Yanqui games.

[Willets Point]

Edgy DC wrote: Well, come on. How many big-shot musicians come from northern California or east central Texas?

Phil Lesh and Friends perform a 20-minute jam based on "The Star-Spangled Banner."

[metirish]

Have Fox and Cablevision settled yet?

[Ceetar]

metirish wrote: Have Fox and Cablevision settled yet?

Not that I've heard. I'll probably watch the Islanders tonight.