But What Do You Do Between Innings?

by
April 8, 2011


Now that you mention it, I would like to buy a Volvo.

One thing I find interesting about the MLB.tv experience is the “commercial breaks.” To my knowledge they don’t show actual TV ads. Instead, they show either 1) the team logos or 2) MLB promos or 3) pictures of Volvos (and other static image ads).

Contrast this with other inter-inning experiences. In the olden days, watching games on cable TV, commercials gently enwrapped my attentions from the moment the game action paused until the moment it returned. Unless I desperately needed the fridge or some other domestic facility, I’d stay put between innings. At the ballpark, by comparison, there isn’t a lot of worthwhile inter-inning entertainment (apologies to Cotton Eye Joe). Normally I’ll chat with companions or buy beer.

MLB.tv is different. When I’m watching on my computer, I can flip to another game when whatever I’m watching goes into a break. This is fun, although it comes with an ADD factor; I find myself less immersed in the atmosphere and discrete drama of each game when I’m switching between two or more.

The real conundrum is what to do with myself during commercials when I’ve hooked MLB.tv up to my living room TV, because then it’s too much trouble to get up and switch to another game. And until I figure something out I’m stuck on my couch watching slideshows of Volvos.

The MLB.tv-from-the-couch experience is, if you will, the developing world/final frontier of baseball watching, and sitting here at the brink of the abyss I feel a vertiginous indecision over how to conduct myself. Read a book? Check email? Play a very short game of Call of Duty? Think about… junk? Frankly, I’m not quite sure why corporate America is leaving this decision up to me.





 

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Eric
13 years ago

“At the ballpark, by comparison, there isn’t a lot of worthwhile inter-inning entertainment (apologies to Cotton Eye Joe). Normally I’ll chat with companions or buy beer.”

My heart breaks — I can’t be the only one who attends games for the drama of the dot race, the agonizing count down as a small child tries to “steal” a base, or the pure human joy of the kiss cam! Inter-inning entertainment you say? I say main attraction.

–OT aside that sort of applies to inter-inning breaks and shortening the game. The NCAA has introduced a pitch clock that gives pitchers 20seconds between pitches (it starts once the umpire makes a ball/strike call, I believe) when no one is on base, or 90 seconds after an out. If the ball is not delivered before the clock expires, it is called a ball; if the batter is not in the box, he gets a strike. At first I thought it was kind of silly, but it has really grown on me.

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Leo Martin
13 years ago
Reply to  Eric

I am firmly in the speeding-up-the-game camp, which is a whole other topic. The NCAA pitch clock is one idea. However, it seems like one thing that’s pretty central and special and wrapped up in the identity of baseball is: no clocks. Clocks are the ultimate source of all stress and misery in this world. Do we really want to admit clocks to the last remaining citadel of leisure?

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Eric
13 years ago
Reply to  Leo Martin

I tend to agree on the idea of no clocks being a special thing about baseball.* The pitch clock, I would argue, is a nice exception. The overall game is still not timed, and the clock goes away when there is a baserunner. My first thought was that it seemed silly, but it only took a few games for me to appreciate the limitation on the pitcher delaying on the mound, or the batter taking to much time with elaborate rituals. And I say this even though the only strikes I’ve seen given were to my team (same guy, in fact).

But, I don’t think it will ever happen in the majors. The fuss would be too great.

*With the notable exception of youth leagues. Time limits on games can be a wonderful thing.

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Leo Martin
13 years ago
Reply to  Eric

For youth leagues I advocate something called the “error clock.” When the sixth error is made, that’s it, pack your bags, game over. The number of errors can be adjusted by league level.

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