Back in the days when C. and I used to spend a whole lot of time in the left field stands of a previous incarnation of Vancouver's Nat Bailey Stadium, a place that current Canadians' president Andy Dunn once described as 'more like a saloon than a baseball stadium', my editor at the time would constantly rail against the Toronto major league team's domination of all things diamond in Canada.
In fact, when he wasn't trying to shag fungoes against the night sky, deal with the ghost of Alonzo Powell, figure out the flavour of Ron Kittle's bubblegum, and/or plumb the depths of the twisted psyche of one Marvelous Marv Foley, that same editor would also try to convince me, often during one of those late night fungo sessions, that the Prime Minister of the time was sure to soon institute a national Blue Jays Sales Tax.
Anyway...
With spring training set to open tomorrow, it would appear that the Blue Jays skullduggery continues unabated, even now:
...In an effort to minimize travel and closely adhere to team, league, and government protocols related to the pandemic, Sportsnet will be streamlining production for the 2021 season by simulcasting TV broadcasts on Sportsnet 590 The FAN and across the Sportsnet Radio Network...
In other words, no more real radio play-by-play.
...In an effort to minimize travel and closely adhere to team, league, and government protocols related to the pandemic, Sportsnet will be streamlining production for the 2021 season by simulcasting TV broadcasts on Sportsnet 590 The FAN and across the Sportsnet Radio Network...
In other words, no more real radio play-by-play.
Gosh.
One can only wonder what Jerry Howarth thinks of this latest development.
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Additionally, a separate bit of new-fangled baseball-wide skullduggery is the re-vamping of the minor leagues. I must confess to having mixed feelings about this given the fact that the Canadians' new 'High A' designation means that they will be moving from 76 to 132 games per season, which is scheduled to start in May...Heckfire, once the the COVID clears, this, along with the improved quality of play, just might get me to visit the family friendly Nat Bailey more regularly once again.
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2 comments:
Not a HUGELY bad development, if it's done well. Jim Robson, back in the day, used to do the radio broadcasts for Vancouver Mounties games, from a studio in Vancouver, and did it well enough that you'd swear he had to be at the stadium in Salt Lake City (for instance) and not at home in Vcr.
Unfortunately, Robson was great; Buck and Pat are a bit south of that!
Mike
Mike--
Completely agree with you re: Martinez and Tabler.
I'm all for radio recreation, especially when done by a pro like JR or even Shulman, but the key is the 'radio' part...TeeVee commentating just doesn't do it for me (and no other MLB team does it, apparently).
In this specific case it just appears that Rogers is racing to the bottom, neck-and-neck, with Bell to shed all talent they actually, you know, have to pay.
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