Reds Not Selected For ESPN Opening Day Marathon

[Moonlite Graham]

....but the Astros are??

Interesting.

Were playing the Angels

Interleague Opening Game

Storylines of Pujols and Josh returning to Cincinnati

Possible World Series preview.

and ESPN says meh...gimme the Astros.

ESPN announced today the games for their Opening Day marathon along with their opening Sunday night game the day prior.

Astros-Rangers on Sunday Night.

Monday opens with

Yankees-Red Sox (Imagine that)
then
Giants-Dodgers
then
Phillies-Braves
then
Cards-D Backs

Not a bad quartet of games mind you and its probably a big deal to most of us who will either be in attendance, or watching on FOX Ohio and Extra Innings, but just came across to me as strange.

Especially when I read somewhere on here that Opening Day is scheduled for 4pm, thought that pretty much let the cat out of the bag that it would be on national television...guess not.

Oh well...can opening day just go ahead and get here.:beerme:

[R_Webb18]

i think has more to do with the rangers

[Bob Sheed]

What part about "small market" don't you understand?

[redsfanmia]

Good

[Rock of Truth]

What part about "small market" don't you understand?

I always thought L.A. was a pretty decent sized city?

[Bob Sheed]

I always thought L.A. was a pretty decent sized city?

Yep. So is SF, ATL, PHI, NY, BOS, STL, and the entire state of Arizona.

Cincinnati? notsomuch.

[drowg14]

I thought we were kind of given our opening day contest on national TV as a consolation prize for no longer being the first team to open their season. A kind of nod to us being the first profesional franchise and all.

[texasdave]

You would think that ESPN would like to feature two Major League quality teams on their first Sunday Night telecast, but it seems not.

[Salukifan2]

Yep. So is SF, ATL, PHI, NY, BOS, STL, and the entire state of Arizona.

Cincinnati? notsomuch.

Im so tired of hearing how cincy is a disadvantaged tiny market. Cincy has 2.1 mil in the area. Dayton is less than an hour away and has almost a million people. Lexington is an hour and has 500k in the area. Then columbus is only an hour and a half and it has another 2 mil people. The cincy area isnt huge but the southern ohio and northern kentucky area is hugely populated.

Milwaukee is a small market (metro area of 1.8 mil and chicago is 2 hours away with 2 teams) yet they still outdrew the reds by 6 thousand a game, despite being an inferior team and charging 5 dollars more per ticket on average. Not to mention reds tickets are dirt cheap compared to most the league. Cincys problem isnt a lack of population people just dont go to games.

[texasdave]

http://www.slideshare.net/mleoscar/reds-presentation-5038414

This is from a marketing guide by the Reds on how to to attract more women. :laugh:


Women make up 46% of the people that attend baseball games. However, 43% of the women in attendance cannot name a single player on the home team.

Since they are 'The Reds', I am hoping that they can at least pick out which is the home team.

[HometownHero]

You would think that ESPN would like to feature two Major League quality teams on their first Sunday Night telecast, but it seems not.

Why would they care about that when everyone who loves baseball will watch the first game regardless of who's playing, plus they have the storyline of Houston's first AL game and its against their new rival.

[Salukifan2]

Because the number of people who love baseball shrinks every year and MLB should want to attract younger viewers, you do that by putting young stars on in primetime. Players like trout. , latos, and chapman.

[dkamberi25]

Also in the Astros/Rangers game favor is the battle of Texas and it being the Astros first game as an AL team.

The Astros can have this game as long as the Reds are back in the playoffs playing every playoff game on national tv.

[Moosie52]

Good. I'd rather watch the FSO broadcast anyway.

[bigfunguy]

Because the number of people who love baseball shrinks every year and MLB should want to attract younger viewers, you do that by putting young stars on in primetime. Players like trout. , latos, and chapman.


Latos and Chapman won't be playing opening day...

[Salukifan2]

Thats true i just meant that those are young stars that MLB should market to young people

[drowg14]

Chappy could play opening day. There is still time to change their minds, or for a couple of key injuries, and have him stay at closer.

[Salukifan2]

Thats true. My main point is that latos and chapman are young superstars that MLB should market to young people

[drowg14]

Thats true. My main point is that latos and chapman are young superstars that MLB should market to young people

Yes, I wasn't respond to you, I was responding to bigfunguy who said Chapman wouldnt be playing opening day.

[Salukifan2]

I foolishly entered the same post twice

[HometownHero]

Because the number of people who love baseball shrinks every year and MLB should want to attract younger viewers, you do that by putting young stars on in primetime. Players like trout. , latos, and chapman.

If those new fans you hope to attract aren't going to watch Houston and the Rangers as the first real game in 5 months they they sure aren't going to watch them after the season has been back for a while. In this game you have 2 Top-10 media markets and one of the teams is most likely going to start a Japanese pitcher adding even more eyes of a massively populated area to the game on top of it being the first game of the year.

[Salukifan2]

Houston has been as bad as the 63 mets for two straight years, texas is not an area where baseball lacks popularity, the rangers are now maybe the 3rd best team in AL west, and japanese pitchers are not something new, in fact eyes will mainly be on darvish to see if his career disappoints like every other asian starting pitching import. The only argument that i can see with merit is that they are both big media markets

[webbbj]

Chappy could play opening day. There is still time to change their minds, or for a couple of key injuries, and have him stay at closer.

not to change topics but no one elses well being should affect whether chapman starts or not.

[drowg14]

not to change topics but no one elses well being should affect whether chapman starts or not.

I agree. But what "should" be, doesn't always happen. Just like last year.

[NCCardfan]

This kind of shocked me as well, CIN usually is the 1st game, longest active franchise, Pujols/Votto in the same game, first EVER opening day interleague game - this should add up to a slam dunk national telecast!

Makes you wonder who should lose their job on this deal...

[The_Mudshark]

Because the number of people who love baseball shrinks every year and MLB should want to attract younger viewers, you do that by putting young stars on in primetime. Players like trout. , latos, and chapman.

As much as I would love to be a Reds homer all day, Latos and Chapman aren't really seen as big stars nationally. Sure, they are known, but you have to consistently win AND be a star to 'deserve' a spot in the primetime (Yeah, nobody in Houston is a star either, but they have a better story going this year.)

I'm a traditionalist, I don't care as much that our opening game isn't televised nationally, but it erks me that Cincinnati doesn't play first and hasn't for years. My great-grandfather was the Reds starting pitcher on Opening Day 108 years ago, back when an opening game in Japan was unheard of... Thats the way it goes now though: win a lot if and don't choke in the big games if you want to be on TV. :fineprint:

[Salukifan2]

I'm not a reds fan, and chapman, perhaps not latos, is a superstar. Dude throws 105 mph. Everyone knows the name Aroldis Chapman if they have ever seen 10 minutes of any MLB broadcast

[webbbj]

id say chap is a well recognized figure in baseball

[SweetLou1990]

As much as I would love to be a Reds homer all day, Latos and Chapman aren't really seen as big stars nationally. Sure, they are known, but you have to consistently win AND be a star to 'deserve' a spot in the primetime (Yeah, nobody in Houston is a star either, but they have a better story going this year.)

I'm a traditionalist, I don't care as much that our opening game isn't televised nationally, but it erks me that Cincinnati doesn't play first and hasn't for years. My great-grandfather was the Reds starting pitcher on Opening Day 108 years ago, back when an opening game in Japan was unheard of... Thats the way it goes now though: win a lot if and don't choke in the big games if you want to be on TV. :fineprint:

THe Houston "story" will be over by the end of the 9th inning and they'll be done for the year. Let them have it.

Please join me in my peaceful protest by watching MLB network all year. THey actually talk about sports, games and stats. As compared to the "Worlwide Leader" talking about Golic in a thong, or about having 40 days of Nat Championship breakdown when all they really did was compare the Bama hotel to the ND hotel and wonder who had the edge.

[SweetLou1990]

Uhhhmmmmmm, if the Reds aren't on ESPN, then why the he!! aren't they the very first game, like at 1:05 pm (on the real opening day, which is the 3rd opening day) sigh:thumbdown:

[drowg14]

I'm not a reds fan, and chapman, perhaps not latos, is a superstar. Dude throws 105 mph. Everyone knows the name Aroldis Chapman if they have ever seen 10 minutes of any MLB broadcast

This is probably true. The term "Superstar" in sports doesn't really apply to talent or skill, it applies to marketability. Even though Chapman is very talented, he's famous for his fastball, and it has turned him into a superstar.

[drowg14]

THe Houston "story" will be over by the end of the 9th inning and they'll be done for the year. Let them have it.

Please join me in my peaceful protest by watching MLB network all year. THey actually talk about sports, games and stats. As compared to the "Worlwide Leader" talking about Golic in a thong, or about having 40 days of Nat Championship breakdown when all they really did was compare the Bama hotel to the ND hotel and wonder who had the edge.

I started my protest last year when I decided not to get cable in my new place. It's slightly different, but ESPN being absolute crap is what made cable disposable. Although not having FSO does suck...

[joshua]

I HATE national broadcasts. I love the FSO crew by comparison. I know he's not well liked by some, but I could listen to the Cowboy do color all day long...he makes listening to or watching a game fun. Let ESPN focus on the big markets.

[joshua]

THe Houston "story" will be over by the end of the 9th inning and they'll be done for the year. Let them have it.

Please join me in my peaceful protest by watching MLB network all year. THey actually talk about sports, games and stats. As compared to the "Worlwide Leader" talking about Golic in a thong, or about having 40 days of Nat Championship breakdown when all they really did was compare the Bama hotel to the ND hotel and wonder who had the edge.

THIS! Even intentional talk, MLBN's "silly" show is better than Sportscenter. They have a show where they break down stories by sabremetrics...ESPN is TMZ for dudes. I think watching ESPN actually makes you dumber as a sports fan. I watch MLB Network every day.

[BurgervilleBuck]

THIS! Even intentional talk, MLBN's "silly" show is better than Sportscenter. They have a show where they break down stories by sabremetrics...ESPN is TMZ for dudes. I think watching ESPN actually makes you dumber as a sports fan. I watch MLB Network every day.
But without a national game on ESPN, how will we ever see cheese coneys or three-ways being made?

I haven't watched ESPN beyond college football coverage ever since the NHL moved on to Versus.

Yes, I'm a Hockey fan. So what? ;)

[Old NDN]

I can't imagine the intrigue of Astros-Rangers outshining a Reds-Angels matchup. The star power of Pujols, Hamilton, Weaver, Trout, Votto, Cueto, Chapman, Phillips, etc. certainly would offer more attraction/entertainment than what the other game features.

Next time the Reds are approached about changing a game's start time to accommodate one of MLBN or ESPN telecasts, I would tell 'em to stuff it up their network!