The USA Thursday Game of the Week
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The USA Thursday Game of the Week is a former television program that broadcasted Major League Baseball games on the USA Network.
[edit] Background
In 1980, 22 teams (all but the Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros, New York Mets, and St. Louis Cardinals) took part in a one-year cable deal with UA-Columbia (then owners of the USA Network). The deal involved the airing of a Thursday night Game of the Week in markets at least 50 miles (80 km) from a major league park. The deal earned Major League Baseball less than $500,000, but led to a new two-year contract for 40-45 games per season. The program ran through the 1983 season.
[edit] Announcers
- Al Albert
- Nellie Briles
- Steve Grad
- Monte Moore
- Wes Parker
- Jim Woods
The two main announcing pairs were Jim Woods and Nellie Briles, who usually called the first game of the night, and Monte Moore and Wes Parker for the second game. Steve Grad occasionally substituted in the booth while Al Albert served as the host.
[edit] See also
| Major League Baseball on national television |
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| Contract history: Sports television broadcast contracts | Major League Baseball television contracts |
| Broadcast partners: ABC | CBS | ESPN | FOX | NBC | TBS | USA | The Baseball Network |
| General media: World Series television ratings | Major League Baseball Game of the Week | Cable television | Monday Night Baseball | Wednesday Night Baseball | Thursday Night Baseball |Sunday Night Baseball | Broadcasting firsts | Telecasts technology |
| Broadcasters by event: World Series | American League Championship Series | National League Championship Series | All-Star Game | American League Division Series | National League Division Series |
