On April 27, 1968, Baltimore native Tom Phoebus no-hit the Red Sox, picking up a 6-0 win in front of just 3,147 hometown fans. Since very few O's fans saw this historical game as it unfolded, it would be a nice treat if it were to show up on MASN's Orioles Classics series. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem likely.The local sports cable channel has the potential for something both simple and great with Orioles Classics: just take tapes of memorable O's games of yesteryear and rebroadcast them, complete with a little pre-and-post-game exposition from Tom Davis and a former player. Nostalgia is always in fashion, especially with bedraggled Birds fans who don't have much to enjoy in the present. These games should pull higher ratings than the ESPNews simulcasts that eat up chunks of MASN airtime each day. Now that there are two MASN stations to account for simultaneously occurring O's and Nationals games, there's plenty of room for a little trip down memory lane.
But I feel like I've seen all of the games that Orioles Classics has to offer. If you watch much MASN, you can recite them along with me: various games from the 1966, 1970, and 1983 World Series and the 1996 and 1997 ALDS, the first home win in 1988, the 1991 farewell to Memorial Stadium, the 1992 opener at Camden Yards, Eddie Murray's 500th home run game in 1996, and Cal Ripken, Jr.'s 2,130 and 2,131 games and his 2001 farewell. I also seem to recall spotting the 1998 game that ended his streak, and a wild walkoff win against the Angels in 1989. So that's probably a dozen to sixteen games to represent more than 56 years of baseball history. What gives?
It doesn't seem likely that there would be a broadcast rights issue, since the Orioles have an ownership stake in MASN...that's a pretty big trump card. Besides, they still partner with WJZ-13 to televise a handful of games each year, so they should have access to several years worth of game footage in that case. I guess you never know.
Anyway, as long as I'm spitballing, here a few other games I would like to see on Orioles Classics: the birth of "Oriole Magic", featuring Doug DeCinces' walkoff homer against Detroit; the Tippy Martinez three-pickoff inning against Toronto in 1983; Chris Hoiles' Ultimate Grand Slam in 1998; the "Birdland Day" ten-run comeback against Boston last year...I could go on for quite a while. What's your wish list for Orioles Classics?
6 comments:
A 2-part series.
On July 15, 1989, Mike Devereaux hit a walk-off home run in an 11-9 win against the California Angels. The call was controversial, as the home run ball came extremely close to the left field foul pole. (I was there, and had an upper deck view of the home run...It was foul by inches...lol)
July 16, 1989, Angels manager Doug Rader argued the call with umpire Ken Kaiser and was ejected prior to the start of the game. (I was at this game too.)
I am with you, I get down to the Baltimore area a few times a yr for various reasons, and everytime I flip on MASN and there is a classic game it is one of the two Ripken games.
thanks for the Phoebus card posting. It might be the first 68 that I ever had in my collection when I was a kid - and I am pretty sure I still have it today.
Phoebus held that staff together in 1967, when all the 1966 starters came down with sore arms (or were dealt to the Yankees!)
Really, they should show any old game they have. I'd love to just watch a "regular" game from the 1980s without knowing the outcome or there being some big milestone attached to the game.
Some other games they could show:
The 1982 Opener with Cal hitting a HR to start his rookie season.
The 1982 season ending series with Earl retiring.
The 1989 Opener with Cal hitting a 3-run HR off of Clemens.
The 1991 Milacki/Williamson/Flanagan/Olson no-hitter.
2003 Opening Day when it snowed, I've always thought they should air this on Christmas Day instead of yet another 2131 rebroadcast.
They should also show Baltimore Colts games. This is far more unlikely as the rights to those are probably all tangled up between the NFL Network and the Colts franchise. But it would still be great to see.
MASN should hire all you guys for their broadcast thinktank! I agree with your thoughts. The worst part is when you turn it to the station and the programming blurb on Comcast says "Tigers at Orioles, 1984: Tigers go up early but Orioles win in extra innings." What if I wanted to watch it and have it be suspenseful?
My choice would be this game in 1970. O's blow a lead to the Yanks in a seesaw game and to to the bottom of the ninth trailing 8-6. Franks leads off with a homer off Lindy McDaniel and then two singles and a walk load the bases with nobody out. Suddenly McDaniel remembers how to pitch and strikes out Cro and Elrod on three pitches each. Buford steps in and McDaniel gets two strikes on him, too!!! But down to one swing Buford rips one to right, two Birds score, and the good guys win. Best regular season game I ever saw.
About 10 or so years after that game I was lucky enough to sit at a luncheon table with Earl Weaver and I brought up that game. He went batsh*t talking about it.
The game the night brefore that was pretty cool as well. Brooks won it with a grand slam off McDaniel in the bottom of the 10th.
Post a Comment