Major League Baseball on NBC

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Major League Baseball on NBC is the de facto name of a TV show that televised Major League Baseball games on the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) and is produced by NBC Sports. There have been several variations of the program dating back to the 1940s, including The NBC Game of the Week and Baseball Night in America. To date, Game 6 of the 2000 American League Championship Series (October 17, 2000) is the last Major League Baseball game televised by NBC.

Contents 1 Early Years 1.1 1940s 1.2 1950s 1.3 1960s 2 NBC's Game of the Week 2.1 1960s 2.1.1 Curt Gowdy 2.1.2 Tony Kubek 2.1.3 1966-1968 Ratings 2.2 1970s 2.2.1 Monday Night Baseball 2.2.2 1972-1975 2.2.2.1 The End of the Curt Gowdy Era 2.2.3 1976-1979 2.2.3.1 Alternating Coverage with ABC: 1976-1979 2.2.4 Garagiola and Kubek 2.3 1980s 2.3.1 Dick Enberg 2.3.2 Alternating Coverage with ABC: 1983-1989 2.3.2.1 Breakdown: 2.3.2.2 Additional notes 2.3.3 The Vin Scully Era (1983-1989) 2.3.3.1 Memorable Calls 2.3.3.1.1 1986 World Series 2.3.3.1.2 1988 World Series 2.3.3.1.3 1989 All-Star Game 2.3.3.1.4 1989 National League Championship Series 2.3.3.2 Additional Notes 2.3.4 Costas and Kubek 2.3.5 The End of an Era 2.3.5.1 September 30, 1989 3 The Baseball Network: 1994-1995 3.1 Notes 4 Trouble at NBC: 1996-2000 4.1 1997-1998 4.2 The Jim Gray/Pete Rose Interview 4.3 2000 4.4 Baseball Leaves NBC Again 5 Future of Major League Baseball on NBC 6 See also 7 External links 7.1 References

[edit] Early Years

[edit] 1940s

By 1947, television sets (most with five and seven-inch screens) were selling almost as fast as they could be produced. Because of this, Major League teams began televising games and attracted a whole new audience in to ballparks in the process. This was because, people who had only casually followed baseball began going to the games in person and enjoying themselves. As a result, the following year, Major League attendance reached a record high of 21 million.

1947 also saw the first televised World Series. The games were shown in the New York area by NBC and sponsored by Gillette and Ford. The 1947 World Series brought in an estimated 3.9 million people, becoming television's first mass audience.

[edit] 1950s

On October 3, 1951, NBC aired the first coast-to-coast baseball telecast as the Brooklyn Dodgers were beaten by the New York Giants in the final game of a playoff series by the score of 3-1 (off Bobby Thomson's now-legendary home run).

On January 31, 1953, the New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, and Boston Red Sox joined forces against St. Louis Browns owner Bill Veeck. The respective franchises tried to force to Browns to play afternoon games in an attempt to avoid having to share television revenues. A month later, Major League Baseball owners received a warning from Senator Edwin Johnson about nationally televising their games. Johnson's theory was that nationally televising baseball games would be a threat to the survival of minor league baseball. The owners pretty much ignored Johnson since the games on NBC in particular, were gaining a large and loyal following. Another first for NBC during this period was the first color telecast of a World Series, the 1955 matchup between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Yankees.

[edit] 1960s

In 1961, NBC hired Joe Garagiola to be their Major League Baseball colorman. The following year, Bob Wolff began play-by-play. "You work your side of the street [interviewing players]," said Garagiola to Wolff "and I'll work mine." Wolff liked Garagiola's pizazz as he would say stuff like "The guy stapled him to the bag" or a runner's "smilin' like he swallowed a banana peel."

In 1966, the New York Yankees, who in the year before, played 21 Games of the Week for CBS joined NBC's package. The new package under NBC called for 28 games compared to 1960's three-network 123.

[edit] NBC's Game of the Week

[edit] 1960s

Main article: Major League Baseball Game of the Week

On October 19, 1966, NBC signed a three year contract with Major League Baseball. The year before, NBC lost the rights to the Saturday-Sunday Game of the Week (they only covered the All-Star Game and World Series in 1965). In addition, the previous deal limited CBS to covering only 12 weekends when its new subsidiary, the New York Yankees, played at home. Before 1965, NBC aired a slate of Saturday afternoon games beginning in 1957.

Under the new deal, NBC paid roughly $6 million per year for the 25 Games of the Week, $6.1 million for the 1967 World Series and 1967 All-Star Game, and $6.5 million for the 1968 World Series and 1968 All-Star Game. This brought the total value of the contract (which included three Monday night telecasts) up to $30.6 million.

[edit] Curt Gowdy

NBC, replacing CBS traded a circus for a seminar. Pee Wee Reese said

Curt Gowdy was its guy (1966-1975), and didn't want [Dizzy] Dean - too overpowering. Curt was nice, but worried about mistakes. Diz and I just laughed.

Flatstaff Brewery hyped Dean as Gowdy in return said

I said, 'I can't do "Wasbash Cannonball." Our styles clash.-

then came Pee Wee Reese. Gowdy added by saying about the pairing between him and Reese

They figured he was fine with me, and they'd still have their boy.

To many, baseball meant CBS' 1955-1964 Game of the Week thoroughbred. A year later, NBC bought ABC's variant of a mule so to speak.

We had the Series and All-Star Game. 1966-1968's Game meant exclusivity,

said NBC Sports head Carl Lindemann. Lindemann added by saying

[Colleague] Chet Simmons and liked him [Gowdy] with the Sox and football-

also, getting two network sports for the price of one. As his analyst, Gowdy wanted his friend Ted Williams. NBC's lead sponsor, Chrysler said no when Williams, a Sears spokesman, was pictured putting stuff in a Ford truck.

Before 1966, local announcers exclusively called the World Series. Typically, Gillette, the Commissioner of Baseball, and NBC television would choose the announcers. The announcers represented each of the teams that were in the World Series for the respective year. For the 1966 World Series, Curt Gowdy aired half of each set to while in Los Angeles and Baltimore, got Vin Scully and Chuck Thompson, respectively, did the rest. Scully wasn't satisified with the arrangement as he said

What about the road? My fans won't be able to hear me.

In Game 1 of the 1966 World Series, Vin Scully called the first 4 1/2 innings. When Curt Gowdy inherited the announcing reigns, Scully was so upset that he refused to say another word.

In April 1966 in New York City, about fifty baseball, network, and ad officials discussed NBC's first year with the Game of the Week. Ironically, New York couldn't get a primary match-up between the Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees with Curt Gowdy and Pee Wee Reese calling the action because of local blackout rules. Instead, New York got a backup game (or "'B' game") featuring Tony Kubek and Jim Simpson calling a game between the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs.

[edit] Tony Kubek

Tony Kubek initially had trouble adjusting to the world of broadcasting. Although he had a lot to say, he was gangling, he tended to stutter, and talked too fast. Curt Gowdy soon suggested to Kubek that he should work offseason to improve his delivery. Buying a recorder, Kubek often read poetry aloud for 20 minutes a day.

In 1968, Tony Kubek wowed as a World Series field reporter. Pee Wee Reese, who was soon fired by NBC (and replaced by Kubek as the top analyst) said of Kubek

He wormed his way around, but I wasn't bitter. I just think if you don't have anything to say, you should shut your mouth.

[edit] 1966-1968 Ratings

The Nielsen Ratings for the Game of the Week from 1966-1968 as well as the World Series fell by 10 and 19%, respectively. Only the All-Star Game nixed the seemingly growing view that baseball was too bland for a hip and inchoate age. Almost half (48%) in a 1964 Harris Poll named baseball as their favorite sport. Unfortunately, just 19% did a decade later. Part of the problem was that exclusivity began. Lindsey Nelson said

Think of the last decade. Mel, Buck, Diz-and one guy replaces 'em.

As viewers grew tired, the Sporting News got so many unfavorable letters (mostly concerning their problems with Curt Gowdy) -

atrocity...a pallbearer...baseball is not dead, no thanks to Gowdy-it routed them to NBC.

Harry Caray wrote

As spectacle, baseball suffers on [TV].

He added by saying

The fan at the park [talk, drink, take Junior to the john] rarely notices the time span between pitches. Not to the same fan at home.

Although not necessarily responsible, Gowdy was held accountable, becoming, as he did, more visible than even Dizzy Dean.

[edit] 1970s

See also: Monday Night Baseball

On October 13, 1971, the World Series held a night game for the very first time. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, who felt that baseball could attract a larger audience by featuring a prime time telecast (as opposed to a mid-afternoon broadcast, when most fans either worked or attended school), pitched the idea to NBC. An estimated 61 million people watched Game 4 on NBC; TV ratings for a World Series game during the daytime hours would not have approached such a record number.

For World Series night games, NBC normally came on the air for baseball at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time for the pregame show (with first pitch around 8:20-8:25). However, in 1986 and 1988, for Game 5 of the World Series (on Thursday night), NBC did not come on the air for baseball until 8:30. This allowed them to air the highly rated Cosby Show in its normal Thursday, 8:00 p.m. timeslot. NBC went with a very short pregame show and got to the first pitch at around 8:40 p.m.

[edit] Monday Night Baseball

From 1972-1975, NBC televised Monday games under a contract worth $72 million. In 1973, NBC extended the Monday night telecasts to from (with a local blackout) to 15 straight. Also in 1973, NBC launched the "celebrity in the booth" segment. Tony Kubek panned it at a network luncheon saying "Cosell, Bobby Riggs, Danny Kaye? A great guy, but come on." One on NBC's Monday Night Baseball broadcast, guest Howard Cosell began trashing baseball saying

No amount of description can hide the fact that this game is 'lagging insufferably'.

Kubek countered by saying

Baseball's athletes top everyone's.

No, my friend, try auto racing,

smirked Cosell (which left Kubek almost speechless). On September 1, 1975, NBC's last Monday Night Baseball game, in which the Montréal Expos beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-5.

[edit] 1972-1975

In 1972, Joe Garagiola called the All-Star Game with Curt Gowdy. The next day, Garagiola grabbed NBC Sports head Carl Lindemann and told Lindemann "I can't work with him. He kept cutting me off. I couldn't say a word."

While calling the 1972 American League Championship Series, Tony Kubek said that Oakland's Bert Campaneris throwing his bat at Detroit's Lerrin LaGrow (who knocked Campaneris down) was justified. Kubek believed that any pitch aimed squarely at the batter's legs can endanger his career. Incensed, Detroit's Chrysler Corporation phoned Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, who then called NBC, which in return, pressured Kubek.

In 1975, because of NBC's coverage of Game 2 of the World Series between the Cincinnati Reds and Boston Red Sox, NBC's 1 p.m. NFL telecasts were cancelled. All games except New England at Cincinnati were picked up by local stations in visiting team markets. Meanwhile, at 4 p.m., NBC showed Oakland at Kansas City nationally. As the 1975 World Series progressed, NBC would advertise its upcoming weekend schedule during the breaks. They said,

If we have a Game 7, we'll have The Baseball World of Joe Garagiola at 12:30 and Game 6 from Fenway. Otherwise, we'll have GrandStand at 12:30, and Buffalo/Miami for most of you at 1:00. Either way, you win at NBC.

In the 10th inning of Game 3 of the 1975 World Series, Cincinnati's César Gerónimo reached first base. Then, Boston catcher Carlton Fisk flung Ed Armbrister's bunt into center field. Kubek on the NBC telecast, immediately charged that Armbrister interfered [with the attempted forceout] despite the fact that home plate umpire Larry Barnett didn't agree. After Joe Morgan drove in the game winning run for the Reds (by a score of 6-5), Barnett blamed Kubek for death alarum. Later, Kubek got 1,000 letters dubbing him a Boston stooge.

[edit] The End of the Curt Gowdy Era

By 1975, Chrysler had become NBC's major baseball sponsor. Joe Garagiola was at that point, under contract with Chrysler and did advertisements for them. Chrysler wanted Garagiola to be NBC's top baseball voice. Thus, they pressured NBC to dislodge Curt Gowdy as the lead play-by-play man.

So starting in 1975, Garagiola and Gowdy alternated as the Saturday Game of Week play-by-play announcers with Tony Kubek doing color analysis. Then on weeks in which NBC had Monday Night Baseball, Gowdy and Garagiola worked together. One would call play-by-play for four and a half innings, the other would handle color analysis. Then in the bottom of the 5th inning, their roles switched.

Ultimately, in November 1975, Chrysler forced NBC to totally remove Curt Gowdy from NBC's top baseball team. Instead, they wanted their spokesman, Joe Garagiola, to call all "A" regular season games, All-Star Games (when NBC had them), the top League Championship Series (when NBC had it), and the World Series (when NBC had it).

Another factor behind Gowdy's dismissal was because of criticism from the national media allegeding that he sided with the Boston Red Sox (a franchise that he had covered prior to his days at NBC) over a controversial play in the 10th inning of Game 3 of the 1975 World Series. Cincinnati Reds pitcher Ed Armbrister reached base on what was ruled an error by Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk on Armbrister's bunt attempt. Gowdy said numerous times that, in his opinion, Armbrister had interfered with Fisk.

[edit] 1976-1979

[edit] Alternating Coverage with ABC: 1976-1979

Under the initial agreement with ABC, NBC, and Major League Baseball (1976-1979), both networks paid $92.8 million. ABC paid $12.5 million per year to show 16 Monday night games in 1976, 18 in the next three years, plus half the postseason (the League Championship Series in even numbered years and World Series in odd numbered years). NBC paid $10.7 million per year to show 25 Saturday Games of the Week and the other half of the postseason (the League Championship Series in odd numbered years and World Series in even numbered years).

Major League Baseball media director John Lazarus said of the new arrangement between NBC and ABC

Ratings couldn't get more from one network so we approached another.

NBC's Joe Garagiola wasn't very fond of new broadcasting arragement at first saying

I wished they hadn't got half the package. Still, 'Game', half of the postseason - we got lots left.

By 1980, income from TV accounted for a record 30% of the game's $500 million in revenues.

[edit] Garagiola and Kubek

Joe Garagiola was pushed to the succeed Curt Gowdy, who by 1978 was reduced to being a roving World Series reporter, as NBC's #1 play-by-play announcer (and team with color commentator Tony Kubek) in 1976. NBC hoped that Garagiola's charm and unorthodox dwelling on the personal would stop the a decade-long ratings dive for the Game of the Week. Instead, the ratings bobbed from 6.7 (1977) via 7.5 (1978) to 6.3 (1981-1982).

Saturday had a constituency but it didn't swell

said NBC Sports executive producer Scotty Connal. Some believed that millions missed Dizzy Dean while local-team TV split the audience.

Scotty Connal believed that the team of Joe Garagiola and Tony Kubek were "A great example of black and white". Connal added by saying

A pitcher throws badly to third, Joe says, 'The third baseman's fault.' Tony: 'The pitcher's'.

Media critic Gary Deeb termed theirs "the finest baseball commentary ever carried on network TV."

[edit] 1980s

In late 1979, Milwaukee Brewers announcer Merle Harmon left Milwaukee completely in favor of a multi-year pact with NBC. Harmon saw the NBC deal as a perfect opportunity since according to The Milwaukee Journal he would make more money, get more exposure, and do less travelling. At NBC, Harmon did SportsWorld, the backup Game of the Week, and served as a field reporter for the 1980 World Series. Harmon most of all, had hoped to cover the American boycotted 1980 Summer Olympics from Moscow. After NBC pulled out of their scheduled coverage of the 1980 Summer Olympics, Harmon considered it to being "A great letdown." To add insult to injury, NBC fired Harmon in 1982 in favor of Bob Costas. Incidentally, long time NBC Game of the Week announcer Curt Gowdy replaced Harmon, who was working with ABC a year earlier.

[edit] Dick Enberg

According to his autobiography, Oh My, Dick Enberg (then the lead play-by-play voice for The NFL on NBC) was informed by NBC that he would become the lead play-by-play voice of Major League Baseball Game of the Week beginning with the 1982 World Series (where he shared the play-by-play duties with Joe Garagiola alongisde analyst Tony Kubek) and through subsequent regular seasons.

He wrote that on his football trips, he would read every Sporting News to make sure he was current with all the baseball news and notes. Then he met with NBC executives in September 1982, and they informed him that Vin Scully was in negotiations to be their lead baseball play-by-play man (teaming with Joe Garagiola while Tony Kubek would team with Bob Costas) and would begin with the network in the spring of 1983.

Therefore, rather than throw him in randomnly for one World Series, Enberg wrote that he hosted the pregame/postgame shows while the team of Joe Garagiola and Tony Kubek did the games. According to the book, Enberg wasn't pleased about the decision (since he loved being the California Angels' radio voice in the 1970s and was eager to return to baseball) but the fact that NBC was bringing in Scully, arguably baseball's best announcer, was understandable. Enberg added that NBC also gave him a significant pay increase as a pseudo-apology for not coming through on the promise to make him the lead baseball play-by-play man.

[edit] Alternating Coverage with ABC: 1983-1989

On April 7, 1983, Major League Baseball, ABC, and NBC agreed to terms of a six year television package worth $1.2 billion. The two networks would continue to alternate coverage of the playoffs (ABC in even numbered years and NBC in odd numbered years), World Series (ABC would televise the World Series in odd numbered years and NBC in even numbered years), and All-Star Game (ABC would televise the All-Star Game in even numbered years and NBC in odd numbered years) through the 1989 season, with each of the 26 clubs receiving $7 million per year in return (even if no fans showed up). The last package gave each club $1.9 million per year. ABC contributed $575 million for regular season prime time and Sunday afternoons and NBC paid $550 million for thirty Saturday afternoon games.

[edit] Breakdown:

• 1983 - $20 million in advance from the two networks.
• 1984 - NBC $70 million, ABC $56 million, total $126 million.
• 1985 - NBC $61 million, ABC $75 million, total $136 million.

Note: The networks got $9 million when Major League Baseball expanded the League Championship Series from a best-of-five to a best-of-seven in 1985.

• 1986 - NBC $75 million, ABC $66 million, total $141 million.
• 1987 - NBC $81 million, ABC $90 million, total $171 million.
• 1988 - NBC $90 million, ABC $96 million, total $186 million.
• 1989 - NBC $106 million, ABC $125 million, total $231 million.

In 1985, NBC's telecast of the All-Star Game out of the Metrodome in Minnesota was the first program to be broadcasted in stereo by a TV network.

[edit] Additional notes

• 1984 World Series - As champions of the National League, the San Diego Padres had home-field advantage (at the time, the NL automatically gained home-field advantage in even years of the World Series). But had the Chicago Cubs won the National League Championship Series (which appeared likely after the Cubs took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-5 series), the Detroit Tigers would have gained home-field advantage despite the fact the American League's Baltimore Orioles had it the season before. NBC was contractually obligated to show all midweek series games in prime time, something that would have been impossible at Wrigley Field, since the Cubs' venerable facility lacked lights at the time (they wouldn't install lights until four year's later). Had the Cubs advanced to the Series, Detroit would have hosted Games 1, 2, 6 and 7 (on Tuesday and Wednesday nights), while the Cubs would have hosted Games 3, 4 and 5 (on Friday, Saturday and Sunday), with all three games in Chicago starting no later than 1:30 p.m. Central time.

[edit] The Vin Scully Era (1983-1989)

By 1983, Joe Garagiola had stepped aside from the play-by-play duties for Vin Scully while Tony Kubek was paired with Bob Costas on NBC telecasts. The New York Times observed the performance of the team of Scully and Garagiola by saying

The duo of Scully and Garagiola is very good, and often even great, is no longer in dispute.

A friend of Garagiola's said "He understood the cash" concerning NBC's 1984-1989 407% MLB hike. At this point the idea was basically summarized as Vin Scully "being the star" whereas, Joe Garagiola was Pegasus or NBC's junior light.

When NBC inked a $550 million contract for six years in the fall of 1982, a return on the investment so to speak demanded Vin Scully to be their star baseball announcer. Vin Scully reportedly made $2 million a year during his time with NBC in the 1980s. NBC Sports head Thomas Watson said about Scully

He is baseball's best announcer. Why shouldn't he be ours?

Dick Enberg, who did the Game of the Week the year prior to Vin Scully's hiring mused

No room for me. 'Game' had enough for two teams a week.

The legendary Scully had to wait over 15 years to get his shot at calling the Game of the Week. Prior to 1983, Scully only announced the 1966 and 1974 World Series for NBC (during the time-frame of NBC having the Game of the Week) since they both involved Scully's Dodgers. Henry Hecht once wrote

NBC's Curt Gowdy, Tony Kubek, and Monte Moore sounded like college radio rejects vs. Scully.

Vin Scully earned approximately $2 million per year for his NBC baseball broadcasting duties. Besides calling the Saturday Game of the Week for NBC, Scully called three World Series (1984, 1986, and 1988), four National League Championship Series (1983, 1985, 1987, and 1989), and four All-Star Games (1983, 1985, 1987, and 1989). Scully also reworked his Dodgers schedule during this period, as he would only broadcast home games on the radio and road games for television.

During his tenure at NBC, Scully was on hand for many remarkable moments: Fred Lynn hitting the first grand slam in All-Star Game history (1983); the powerful 1984 Detroit Tigers winning the World Championship; Ozzie Smith's dramatic game-winning home run in Game 5 of the 1985 National League Championship Series; the mind-boggling sixth game of the 1986 World Series; the thrilling 1987 All-Star Game in Oakland, which was deadlocked at 0-0 before Tim Raines broke up the scoreless tie with a triple in the top of the 13th inning; the first official night game in the history of Chicago's Wrigley Field (August 9, 1988); Kirk Gibson's dramatic game-winning home run in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series; and, chatting with Ronald Reagan in the booth during the 1989 All-Star Game in Anaheim.

[edit] Memorable Calls

[edit] 1986 World Series

Concluding Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, Scully uttered arguably the most famous call of his career:

A little roller up along first ... behind the (first-base) bag ... it gets through Buckner! Here comes Knight ... and the Mets win it!

Scully then remained silent for approximately 2 minutes and 30 seconds, letting the pictures and the crowd tell the story. Scully finally said,

If one picture is worth a thousand words, you have seen about a million words, but more then that, you have seen an absolutely bizarre finish to Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. The Mets are not only alive, they are well, and they will play the Red Sox in Game 7 tomorrow!

[edit] 1988 World Series

Two years later, in Game 1 of the World Series, Scully made a call that no Los Angeles baseball fan will ever forget, when Kirk Gibson of the Dodgers hit a dramatic, walk-off, two-run home run to beat the Oakland Athletics 5-4. Over the course of the season, Gibson had injured both legs (to swing a bat, Scully announced, Gibson would only be able to use his upper-body strength, because "he can't push off [with the back leg], and he can't land [on the front leg].") and was being treated in the trainer's room, out of sight, during the entire game.

In the ninth (and final) inning, pinch-hitter Mike Davis was awarded first base on a two-out walk,

and look who's coming up,

Scully said. After two strikes, Gibson hit a ball on the ground, limped about 50 feet toward first base before the ball bounced foul,

...and it had to be an effort to run that far.

Finally, on a 3-balls, 2-strikes pitch to Gibson from relief pitcher Dennis Eckersley, Scully was as stunned as anyone when he nearly screamed,

High fly ball into right field, she i-i-i-is... gone!!!

Holding to his long-standing belief that the noise of the fans best tells the story, Scully did not speak for 67 seconds before announcing, incredulously,

In a year that has been so improbable, the impossible has happened!

Later, Scully said to his broadcast partner (Garagiola) and to the viewers,

What an opening act, huh? I think we've got a leading man, and many of them, between now and the end of this great 1988 World Series.

The next day, NBC's pregame likened Gibson to The Natural. Producers Michael Weisman and David Neal got the film, stayed up all night at Paramount Studios, then took the by police escort to Dodger Stadium, completing it at air-time. Kirk Gibson would not make another appearance in the series, which the Dodgers won, 4 games to 1. Scully would later say that he was still in such disbelief several hours later, he couldn't sit down.

[edit] 1989 All-Star Game

While at the 1989 All-Star Game, Scully watched the gifted and versatile Bo Jackson, who was leading off for the American League, hit a towering home run off of Rick Reuschel. The ball that Jackson hit sailed high and far, soared over the center-field fence, and landed an estimated four-hundred-forty-eight feet from home plate. Scully reacted to the homer by saying on the NBC telecast

And look at that one! Bo Jackson says hello!

[edit] 1989 National League Championship Series

The final Major League Baseball game that Vin Scully called for NBC was on October 9, 1989. Scully was at San Francisco's Candlestick Park to broadcast Game 5 of the National League Championship Series between the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs. The Giants were on the brink of winning their first National League pennant in 27 years. In a moment that no San Francisco baseball fan will ever forget, Giants first baseman (and eventual NLCS MVP) Will Clark broke up a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the 8th inning after getting a base hit (with the bases loaded) off of the Cubs' relief ace, Mitch Williams. Prior to the showdown between Clark and Williams, Scully summarized it by simply saying

I guess we figured it should come down to this.

Clark took the first fastball for a strike, then fouled one away. Williams' next pitch missed the outside corner to bring the count to 1-and-2. After Clark fouled off two more pitches, he hit a screaming line drive up the middle to bring in two runs.

Line drive, base hit into center field! In comes one, in comes Butler, going to third is Thompson! 3 to 1 San Francisco!!!

Just prior to Clark's dramatic base hit, Scully said

In every big series there comes a time when it becomes difficult to breathe, difficult to swallow. This is that moment.

After Giants pitcher Steve Bedrosian gave up a run in the top of the 9th, he was able to get Ryne Sandberg to ground out and end the game.

Breaking ball hit to Robby Thompson...and that's it!

[edit] Additional Notes

• Vin Scully was unable to call Game 2 of the 1989 National League Championship Series (on Wednesday, October 4) because he had come down with laryngitis. Thus, number two play-by-play man Bob Costas filled-in for him. Interestingly, around the same time, Costas was assigned to call the American League Championship Series between Oakland and Toronto. Game 2 of the NLCS occurred on Thursday, October 5, which was an off day for the ALCS. NBC then decided to fly Costas from Toronto to Chicago to substitute for Scully on Thursday night. Afterwards, Costas flew back to Toronto, where he resumed work on the ALCS the next night.

[edit] Costas and Kubek

When Tony Kubek first teamed with Bob Costas in 1983, Kubek said

I'm not crazy about being assigned to the backup game, but it's no big ego deal.

Costas said about working with Kubek

I think my humor loosened Tony, and his knowledge improved me.

The team of Costas and Kubek proved to be a formiadable pair. There were even some who preferred the team of Kubek and Costas over the musings of Vin Scully and the asides of Joe Garagiola.

Bob Costas considered the Game of the Week his dream job saying

You can put a personal stamp on a baseball broadcast, be a reporter, something of a historian, a storyteller, conversationalist, dispenser of opinion.

One of Bob Costas and Tony Kubek's most memorable broadcasts came on June 23, 1984. The duo were at Chicago's Wrigley Field to call an unbelievable 12-11 contest between the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals. Led by second baseman Ryne Sandberg, the Cubs rallied from a 9-3 deficit before winning it in extra innings. After Sandberg hit his second home run in the game (with two out in the bottom of the 9th to tie it 11-11), Costas cried

That's the real Roy Hobbs because this can't be happening! We're sitting hear, and it doesn't make any difference if it's 1984 or '54-just freeze this and don't change a thing!

See also: Ryne_Sandberg#.22The_Sandberg_Game.22

[edit] The End of an Era

Main article: Major League Baseball on CBS#1990-1993 version

After calling the 1988 World Series with Vin Scully, Joe Garagiola resigned from NBC Sports. NBC was on the verge of losing the television rights to cover Major League Baseball to CBS. Garagiola claimed that NBC left him "twisting" while he was trying to renegotiate his deal. Joe Garagiola was replaced by Tom Seaver for the 1989 season.

NBC's final edition of the Game of the Week was televised on October 9, 1989; Game 5 of the National League Championship Series between the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs from Candlestick Park. Vin Scully said

It's a passing of a great American tradition. It is sad. I really and truly feel that. It will leave a vast window, to use a Washington word, where people will not get Major League Baseball and I think that's a tragedy.

Scully added that

It's a staple that's gone. I feel for people who come to me and say how they miss it, and I hope me.

Bob Costas said

Who thought baseball'd kill its best way to reach the public? It coulda kept us and CBS-we'd have kept the 'Game'-but it only cared about cash.

Costas added that he would rather do a Game of the Week that got a 5 rating than host a Super Bowl.

Whatever else I did, I'd never have left Game of the Week

Costas claimed.

[edit] September 30, 1989

The final regular season edition of NBC's Game of the Week by the way, was televised on September 30, 1989. That game featured the Toronto Blue Jays beating Baltimore Orioles 4-3 to clinch the AL East title from the SkyDome. It was the 981st edition of NBC's Game of the Week overall. Tony Kubek, who teamed with Bob Costas since 1983, said

I can't believe it

when the subject came about NBC losing baseball for the first time since 1947. Coincidently, from 1977-1989, Tony Kubek (in addition to his NBC duties) worked as a commentator for the Toronto Blue Jays.

[edit] The Baseball Network: 1994-1995

Main article: The Baseball Network

After a four year hiatus, ABC and NBC returned to Major League Baseball under the umbrella of a revenue sharing venture called The Baseball Network.

The Baseball Network kicked off its coverage on July 12, 1994 with the All-Star Game out of Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Stadium. The game was televised on NBC with Bob Costas, Joe Morgan, and Bob Uecker calling the action and Greg Gumbel hosting the pre-game show. Helping with the interviews were Hannah Storm and Johnny Bench. The 1994 All-Star Game reportedly sold out all its advertising slots. This was considered an impressive financial accomplishment, given that one thirty-second spot cost $300,000.

After the All-Star Game was complete, NBC was scheduled to televise six regular season games on Fridays or Saturdays in prime time. The networks had exclusive rights for the 12 regular season dates, in that no regional or national cable service or over-the-air broadcaster may telecast a MLB game on those dates.

In even numbered years, NBC would have the rights to the All-Star Game and both League Championship Series while ABC would have the World Series and newly created Division Series. In odd numbered years the postseason and All-Star Game television rights were supposed to alternate.

The long term plans for The Baseball Network crumbled when the players went on strike on August 12, 1994 (thus forcing the cancellation of the World Series). In July 1995, ABC and NBC, who wound up having to share the duties of televising the 1995 World Series as a way to recoup (with ABC broadcasting Games 1, 4, and 5 and NBC broadcasting Games 2, 3, and 6), announced that they were opting out of their agreement with Major League Baseball. Both networks figured that as the delayed 1995 baseball season opened without a labor agreement, there was no guarantee against another strike. Both networks soon publicly vowed to cut all ties with Major League Baseball for the remainder of the 20th century.

Five years after The Baseball Network dissolved, NBC Sports play-by-play man Bob Costas wrote in his book Fair Ball: A Fan's Case for Baseball that The Baseball Network was stupid and an abomination. Costas wrote that the agreement involving the World Series being the only instance of The Baseball Network broadcasting a national telecast, believed that it was an unprecedented surrender of prestige, as well as a slap to all serious fans. Unlike the National Hockey League and the National Basketball Association the so-called Big Two of North American professional sports leagues, the National Football League and Major League Baseball nationally televised all playoff games for decades. While he believed that The Baseball Network fundamentally corrupt the game (except in Costas' point-of-view, the sense that the fans steadfast, spaniel-like loyalty), Costas himself acknowledged that the most impassioned fans in baseball were now prevented from watching many of the playoff games they wanted to see. Costas added that both the divisional series and the League Championship Series now merited scarely higher priority than regional coverage provided for a Big Ten football game between Wisconsin and Michigan.

[edit] Notes

• Prior to Game 3 of the 1995 World Series, Cleveland Indians slugger Albert Belle unleashed a profanity-laced tirade at reporter Hannah Storm of NBC. Storm was waiting in the Indians' dugout for a prearranged interview with Indians leadoff man, Kenny Lofton. Then out of nowhere, Belle came screaming profanities towards Storm. On the same day, Belle snapped at a photographer near the first base line during batting practice. Belle was ultimately fined $50,000 for his behavior towards Storm. This particular World Series was remembered for baseball television history being made three times--two of them by Hannah Storm. Prior to Game 2, she became the first female sportscaster to host a World Series game, and after Game 6 she would be the first female sportscaster to preside over the presentation of the Commissioner's Trophy to the World Series champions. But she was not the first female sportscaster to cover the World Series. That honor fell to then-ABC Sports reporter Lesley Visser, who served as a field reporter during Game 1, as well as in Games 4 and 5.

[edit] Trouble at NBC: 1996-2000

Despite of the failure of The Baseball Network, NBC decided to stay on with Major League Baseball but on a far more restricted basis. Under the five year deal (from 1996-2000) for a total of approximately $400 million, NBC didn't televise any regular season games. Instead, NBC only handled the All-Star Game, three Division Series games, and the American League Championship Series in even numbered years and the World Series, three Division Series games, and National League Championship Series in odd numbered years. Also around this particular period, NBC adapted composer Randy Edelman's theme[6] from the short-lived Fox series The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. as the main theme music for their baseball telecasts.

[edit] 1997-1998

In 1997, just before the start of NBC's coverage of the World Series, West Coast entertainment division president and former NBC Sports executive producer Don Ohlmeyer came under fire after publicly announcing that he hoped that the World Series would end in a four game sweep. Ohlmeyer believed that baseball now lacked broad audience appeal (especially in the aftermath of the 1994 baseball strike). As opposed to teams from the big three television markets (New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago) in the country, the 1997 World Series featured match-up of the upstart Florida Marlins and the Cleveland Indians, who made their second World Series appearance in three years. In addition, Ohlmeyer feared that the World Series would disrupt NBC's efforts to attract enough viewers for its new fall roster in order to stay on top of the ratings heap. Ohlmeyer said

If the A&E channel called, I'd take the call.

Game 5 fell on a Thursday, which had long been the highest rated night on NBC's schedule, if not on all of television.

In 1998, Bob Uecker abruptly left NBC Sports before a chance to call the All-Star Game from Coors Field in Colorado. Uecker underwent a back operation in which four discs were replaced. For the remainder of contract (1998-2000), only Bob Costas and Joe Morgan called the games. Also in 1998, NBC's coverage of the ALCS was the highest rated for any League Championship Series since before the 1994 strike. NBC averaged a 9.4 rating for the six games, which was a 6% increase than the network's coverage of the 1997 NLCS in the same time slot. The rating was 13% more than Fox's ALCS coverage in 1997 and 12% more than NBC's coverage in 1996.

[edit] The Jim Gray/Pete Rose Interview

In 1999, NBC's field reporter Jim Gray, who had previously covered Major League Baseball for CBS, came under fire for a confrontational interview with banned all-time hit king Pete Rose. Just prior to the start of Game 2 of the World Series, Gray pushed Rose, who was on hand in Atlanta's Turner Field to accept the fan voted honor of being named to MasterCard's All-Century Team, into admitting to betting on baseball games while as manager of the Cincinnati Reds ten years earlier. After NBC was flooded with tons of viewer complaints, Gray was forced to clarify (much less apologize) his actions to the viewers at home prior to Game 3. Regardless of Gray's sincerity, Game 3 hero Chad Curtis of the New York Yankees boycotted Gray's request for an interview live on camera; Curtis had hit a game winning home run to send the World Series 3-0 in the Yankees' favor. Curtis said to Gray

Because of what happened with Pete, we decided not to say anything.

^[1][2]

Despite the heavy criticism he received, Gray offered no apology for his line of questioning toward Rose.

I stand by it, and I think it was absolutely a proper line of questioning,

said Gray.

I don't have an agenda against Pete Rose . . . Pete was the one who started asking me questions. I definitely wouldn't have gone (that) direction if he had backed off. My intent was to give Pete an opportunity to address issues that have kept him out of baseball. I thought he might have had a change of heart. . . . He hadn't had an opening in 10 years.

^[3]

Jim Gray: Pete, now let me ask you. It seems as though there is an opening, the American public is very forgiving. Are you willing to show contrition, admit that you bet on baseball and make some sort of apology to that effect? Pete Rose: Not at all, Jim. I'm not going to admit to something that didn't happen. I know you're getting tired of hearing me say that. But I appreciate the ovation. I appreciate the American fans voting me on the All-Century Team. I'm just a small part of a big deal tonight. JG: With the overwhelming evidence in that report, why not make that step... PR: No. This is too much of a festive night to worry about that because I don't know what evidence you're talking about. I mean, show it to me... JG: Pete, those who will hear this tonight will say you have been your own worst enemy and continue to be. How do you respond to that? PR: In what way are you talking about? JG: By not acknowledging what seems to be overwhelming evidence. PR: Yeah, I'm surprised you're bombarding me like this. I mean I'm doing an interview with you on a great night, a great occasion, a great ovation. Everybody seems to be in a good mood. And you're bringing up something that happened 10 years ago ... This is a prosecutor's brief, not an interview, and I'm very surprised at you. JG: Some would be surprised that you didn't take the opportunity.

Five years later, Rose finally admitted to gambling.

[edit] 2000

In 2000, NBC was caught in the dilemma of having to televise a first round playoff game between the New York Yankees and Oakland Athletics over the first presidential debate between George W. Bush and Al Gore. NBC decided to give its local stations the option of carrying the debate or the baseball game. If the NBC affiliate decided to carry the debate, then local Pax affiliate could carry the game. NBC also placed a crawl at the bottom of the screen to inform viewers that they could see the debate on its sister channel MSNBC. On the other end, Fox said that it would carry baseball on the two nights when its schedule conflicts with the presidential or vice presidential debates. NBC spokeswoman Barbara Levin said

We have a contract with Major League Baseball. The commission was informed well in advance of their selecting the debate dates. If we didn't have the baseball conflict we would be televising it.

Incidentally, in 1992 CBS refused to break away from a baseball game that had gone into extra innings to the first Clinton-Bush-Perot debate. Like NBC and Fox in 2000, CBS cited its contract with Major League Baseball.

During NBC's coverage of the 2000 Division Series, regular play-by-play man Bob Costas decided to take a breather after anchoring NBC's prime time coverage of the Summer Olympic Games from Sydney. In Costas' place came Atlanta Braves announcer Skip Caray, who teamed with Joe Morgan before Costas' return for the ALCS.

[edit] Baseball Leaves NBC Again

In September 2000, Major League Baseball signed a six year, $2.5 billion contract with Fox to show Saturday baseball, the All-Star Game, selected Division Series games and exclusive coverage of the League Championship Series and World Series. 90% of the contract’s value to Fox, who is paying Major League Baseball $417 million per year, comes from the postseason, which not only attracts large audiences, but also provides an irreplaceable opportunity for the network to showcase its fall schedule to people who don’t otherwise watch much TV.

Under the previous five year deal with NBC (1996-2000), Fox paid $115 million while NBC only paid $80 million per year. Fox paid about $575 million overall while NBC paid about $400 million overall. The difference between the Fox and the NBC contracts implicitly values Fox's Saturday Game of the Week at less than $90 million for five years. Before NBC officially decided to part ways with Major League Baseball (for the second time in about 12 years) on September 26, 2000, Fox's payment would've been $345 million while NBC would've paid $240 million. Before 1990, NBC had carried Major League Baseball (in some shape or form) since 1947.

We have notified Major League Baseball that we have passed on their offer and we wish them well going forward. - NBC Sports president Ken Schanzer

NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol added that it wasn't cost-effective for NBC to be putting out the kind of money that Major League Baseball wanted.

In 2001, Bob Costas claimed that despite still loving the game, he now felt a certain alienation from the institution. By the time that NBC lost Major League Baseball for the second time in 12 years, the sport endured a strike, realignment, the wild card, and NBC's complete loss of the regular season Game of the Week. Costas would add that since NBC only did a few games each year and he lacked the forum that he would eventually have (HBO's On the Record with Bob Costas, Inside the NFL, and Costas Now as well as Costas on the Radio) to express his views, he to some extent, started editorializing in games.

When asked about whether or not the fact that NBC no longer had the baseball rights was disappointing, Bob Costas said

I'm a little disappointed to lose baseball, but that's the way the business is. And it's not nearly as disappointing as it was when we lost it at the end of the '80s. Because then it was like baseball was the birthright for NBC. ... (Baseball is) not going to affect any decision that I have in the future.

Costas added to his thoughts on NBC's current baseball blackout by saying

It's nowhere near as devastating as a decade ago. Different circumstances, different time. I miss it a little bit but not a lot. I am very philosophical about this stuff. I have had wonderful opportunities in my career and no one wants to hear me complain about anything.

After the conclusion of Game 6 of the 2000 American League Championship Series (between the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners from Yankee Stadium) on October 17, Bob Costas and his partner for the past seven years, Joe Morgan helped sign off with Ennio Morricone's theme^[4] from The Untouchables playing over the credits. With that, another era at NBC Sports had come to an end. To date, this would be NBC's last Major League Baseball telecast.

[edit] Future of Major League Baseball on NBC

See also: Major League Baseball_on_FOX#The_Future_of_MLB_on_FOX

A June 4, 2006 article from Broadcasting & Cable stated that Fox may have considered a partnership with another network for the next contract. NBC was the only network named in connection to a possible partnership in the article. The setup being suggested was similar to the last time NBC had the rights to baseball, that being NBC getting some League Championship Series games and alternating the World Series and All-Star Game with Fox, who may or may not have kept the Game of the Week.

The New York Times however, reported that NBC was unlikely to get baseball, as they would have to pre-empt up to three weeks of National Football League coverage on Sunday nights. But the NFL usually does not schedule a Sunday night game on the second night of the World Series, (also a Sunday) which meant that NBC was compeletly not out of the question (however, the following Sunday, which would possibly be Game 7 of the World Series, a Sunday night NFL game is scheduled). In addition to this, other Sunday playoff games, such as the ALCS and NLCS could be pushed to the afternoon. This might not be appetizing to baseball, as major playoff games would go up head-to-head against highly rated afternoon NFL games (as opposed to today's system, where only one game out of two for the day would go up against network NFL fare).^[5]

On July 11, 2006, Fox and Major League Baseball signed a seven-year contract which gives the network exclusive coverage of the All-Star Game and World Series through 2013. Also, Fox will retain the FOX Saturday Baseball Game of the Week and will broadcast one League Championship Series every year. This will rule out baseball returning to NBC until at least 2014, as the two annual showpiece events will not be available in any contract the network might obtain before then.

Ironically, Major League Baseball agreed to schedule the World Series to begin on a Tuesday, eliminating the need NBC might've had to preempt Sunday Night Football twice.

[edit] See also

• Notable baseball games to air on NBC
• Ratings for Major League Baseball on NBC broadcasts

[edit] External links