And so, we close the door on at least three more eras...
- TBS and the Braves. Let's face it: TBS (and later, WGN) made baseball in the 80's and 90's. As far as I was concerned, the Braves made TV wort h watching. And, as mentioned a few posts down from here, TBS is being dismantled along with the rest of Turner's enterprises (including the Braves CNN, Cartoo n Network, etc). As a consolation prize, we get some vague "national baseball package", and the playoffs (for this year, at least). I heard some magic beans were invovled in the deal, maybe we can plant them and grow a new franchise. Once the New Yorkers (and now, Coloradans) are done, we'll probably have to.
- Baseball Broadcasting. This one's been in the works a while. Part of what makes a racket a racket is the removal of viable options. The vested interests in television and radio have to prop up their subscription-based, trackable-device models by removing viable alternatives. This started with purchase (and subsequent deprecation) of the various cable channels; and has continued with last two years' removal of the Braves and Cardinals from their respective AM flagship stations, was advanced by the splitting of Braves' coverage across several cable channels, was advanced further with ESPN carrying Monday Night Football, and now nears completion with the "official" replacement of nominal Braves coverage with nominal "national" coverage.
- Craig Biggio. There are very few franchise players in baseball anymore, and this guy is one of them. I've been a Biggio fan since he made the switch to second, and I'm glad to see he made it this far. 20+ years of anchoring a franchise, and really, helping define a franchise. I'm also glad to see Biggio lost the elbow pad, and even played some innings at catcher (his original position) during his final weekend. See you in Cooperstown.
So, as I sit here, at the pizza joint, watching the Braves on one TV and the Falcons on the otherI have to wonder about the future. It looks rather grim.
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