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December 19, 2012
Punk Hits
A Modest Proposal for the MLB Network
by Ian Miller
On Saturday night, I had the distinct pleasure of watching Knuckleball! If you haven’t yet seen it, I strongly suggest you change that. It’s available on DVD, VOD, and on demand, so you really have no excuse not to watch it.
The film focuses primarily on Tim Wakefield and R.A. Dickey, who, at the time the film was made (2011), were the only active knuckleballers in the major leagues. And as interesting as their stories were, I found their interactions with and the interviews of their fellow members of the knuckleball fraternity even more compelling. One scene showed a knuckleballers summit, wherein Dickey and Wakefield met up with Charlie Hough and Phil Niekro to discuss their strange craft. Another showed a struggling Dickey seeking guidance from Hough. There are brief interview segments with Jim Bouton and Wilbur Wood. I found these utterly fascinating, and they left me hungry for more.
Then I realized there is a network entirely devoted to baseball. The MLB Network shows baseball and baseball-related programming 24 hours a day. Have a look at today’s schedule. Right now, on a random Sunday, they’re showing six consecutive episodes of “The Best of MLB Tonight,” four straight “Prime 9”s, and a couple of “The Best of Intentional Talk” which, I assume, is some high-concept performance-art piece. Why doesn’t MLB Network give Jim Bouton a show? Or Charlie Hough? These guys are articulate, knowledgeable, funny, charismatic, and I would much, much rather see them on my TV than Kevin Millar’s frosted tips and
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Sobsequy: The Strange ... (12/19)
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Punk Hits: Why Do We F... (12/11)
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Punk Hits: So You've D... (01/08)
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The Lineup Card: 8 Gif... (12/19)
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It would not take much effort to upgrade MLB Network's programming. I get amused how they refer to the ex-baseball players as "analysts". Howard Reynolds admittedly does not even believe in stats.
Harold yesterday proposed the Mariners trade Felix to the Dodgers for Gordon, Harang, Capuano, Ethier, and a "couple of prospects" because they need to "make something happen".
I agree, the high percentage of reruns is hard to bear, there are currently only (4) hours of fresh content a day during the week, and that includes Intentional Talk.
I agree, the offseason content is horrible, and they show the same thing every year. I mean, I enjoyed Ken Burns' "Baseball," but how often does one need to watch it?