Letters to the Editor
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Good Idea, not Great
It makes more sense just to have a 15 minute portion on Baseball Tonight called, 'Down on the Farm,' or 'Minor League Notes,' or 'Fifteen from the Farm.' That way, no station would be stuck with a 3+ hour horrible minor league game. Especially a game which may only attract viewership based on novelty. I would watch 15 minutes highlighting the can't miss prospects in the minors. I wouldn't watch an actual game.
Screw it, put it on 'The Ocho'
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I'm with ya
I live in a minor league town -- Syracuse, New York, home of the Chiefs, Toronto's triple-A affiliate. We also have their single-A affiliate, the Auburn Doubledays, nearby.
Living walking distance from the stadium where the Chiefs play, I find myself at 30-plus games a season. You can't do that on a modest salary at the major league level, and not only do you get to see both rising stars and major leaguers on rehab (I saw Lance Cormier pitch last Wednesday, in fact), you actually don't have to battle for autographs or deal with as many egos.
Not only is it (generally) well-played baseball, but minor league ball has much cooler contests and promotions than major league ball. Heck, ESPN could build shows around THAT.
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AAA would be better than College
Because real baseball doesn't use metal bats. If you want metal bats watch College softball. AAA is a lot closer to MLB just in the pure outcomes and scores. You don't see 17-15 games in AAA like you do in college.
PS: 5 figure fans. I international leage (AAA) requires a 5,000 seat stadium.
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The problem with Minor league baseball is...
...as Bill James pointed out several years ago, the idea of minor league baseball is not to win games and championships, rather it is to develop players for the major league team. How many times do we see a minor league team's best players called up to fill in as bench players for the major league team.
As a night out with the family it's alright once in a while, but the idea of watching this on TV is not at all appealing.
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Another passed ball by MLB
Yes -- focusing on players who are perhaps on the cusp of making the jump would be interesting. Or, perhaps on occasion, following a club for some historical reason. It would definitely appeal to the fantasy league guys, for sure.
Ironically, this is one area where soccer has it over baseball. The minor-league (and tortuously named) USL-1, the equivalent of Triple-A in baseball, has a Game of the Week on Fox Soccer Channel every Friday night. They do an excellent job of showcasing the regional rivalries, and make something out of nothing. After all, unlike baseball, USL-1 clubs are not affiliated with an Major League Soccer club, and players don't necessarily make the jump to MLS. So in many cases, these games are all the fans AND the players have.
Considering the ability to reach target-specific audiences, it is surprising that baseball doesn't want to reach out to another group of potential viewers. Call this yet another reason why baseball's arrogance keeps it behind the times.
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No one cares about the results
That's the reason why the minor leagues won't work on tv. Sure, there's excitement over if some blue chip prospect is playing well, but that sort of curiosity only would be relevant in a few at bats. If there's no excitement over the game and there's only two or three players a fantasy player would be interested in playing, how many people would really watch this?
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Coincidentally
There was a perfect game in AAA ball last night, Brewers prospect Manny Parra throwing for Nashville.
I like the idea, I think it makes sense mostly in terms of the huge surge in Fantasy ball. We all know that teams are going to be expanding their rosters for the fall, why not do a once a week game featuring some of the top prospects? It would give owners and fans alike a chance to become familiar with a face that might help win a pennant.
The only problem is that having a AAA game would require having actual announcers who could offer actual insights into actual prospects without resorting to tired catch phrases or stupid background pieces on the various "future stars." ESPN seems to be short on those sorts of voices.
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This is being tried on a local level in TX
Ryan (as in Nolan) Sanders baseball, who own the AA and AAA Astros affiliate, have a game of the week on Fox Sports Southwest.
http://www.roundrockexpress.com/default.asp?PageId=84&ArticleId=1090
I would think that this is a better way to go about it. Let fans tune in to see their local teams' affiliates play. But you're right about one thing, it certainly beats trick shot billiards matches.
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This is a great idea
I've been going to minor league games for years, and now I'm in Charleston, where the Brewers' A-ball affiliate plays to crowds of 5,000 (the equivalent of 10 percent of the city's population). I think some kind of wrap-up show would be perfect, along with a few marquee games - like an appearance by a rehabbing big leaguer. Why not? As King Kaufman points out, it's not like there's a shortage of niche sports on TV.
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Zzzzzz
Next, on the Watching the Paint Dry network: minor league baseball!!
Hey, Major league baseball is an excellent insomnia cure. That's why you never see a Lunesta ad during a MLB broadcast; it would be redundant. But, minor league ball - without the benefit of zillion dollar contracts or truckloads of pharmaceutical substances - would require a lobotomy to enjoy. Maybe archery is on television more often because archery is a whole lot more thrilling, with much faster paced action.
Every so often they have high school basketball on ESPN. They're not bad; the level of play is mediocre, say on a par with the NBA east. But baseball?
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Same reason almost nobody wants to watch NFL practice league, or NBA development league, or AHL hockey
If it's not the top level, most people can't be bothered. Myself included. I love sports but who's got time to watch a minor-league baseball game on TV? I live in a non-major league city and maybe once a year I go to a AAA game, where the Dodgers' rehabs go to stay warm. It can be fun but I almost always leave early, using traffic as an excuse, even though there's only about 3,000 people at the game. But minor league on TV? I'd rather watch The Simpsons on Tivo, even an episode I've already seen twice.