OT: Are you ready for some (MLB) Baseball?

Submitted by rob f on

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/24495909/quick-hits-dodgers-open-2014-with-3-1-win-over-d-backs-in-australia 

Most here probably missed it, but the LA Dodgers took the NL West divisional lead overnight by beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-1, Clayton Kershaw getting the "W" in a game played 'down under' in Australia.

The two teams play again tonight, this one at a more normal time for us to watch west coast teams play, at 10pm EDT.  It'll again be broadcast on MLB Network, in case anyone needs a break from wall-to-wall NCAA Tournament action.

(edited @ 3:38pm to fix thread title)

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rob f

March 22nd, 2014 at 11:41 AM ^

the dead time during timeouts and TV timeouts and talking-head gabfests, etc.---unless you prefer to watch the same commercials over and over again. 

And the most important game to most of us---Michigan vs Texas---will be over with a few hours earlier.  By the time the Dodgers-Diamondbacks game starts, only two NCAA games will still be going:  State vs Harvard (should be over with around 11pm) and UConn vs. Villanova (done around midnight. 

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pinkfloyd2000

March 22nd, 2014 at 11:54 AM ^

OK, kicking off in Australia...fine, whatever.

But every other team (or at least most) kicks off the season on Monday, March 31. Why so early for this? Is it because it's already 107 degrees there?

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bronxblue

March 22nd, 2014 at 11:56 AM ^

I never understand that one-off games.  Australians who care about baseball will watch, but why not just make it an exhibition and just cut down on the number of games both teams play in the preseason?  Seems dumb to make it "matter" and then a bunch of games that don't following right up with it.

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rob f

March 22nd, 2014 at 1:06 PM ^

internationally.  Yet another exhibition game overseas?  Blah.

But a pair of games that count?  That gets the attention of the press/media down under.  Fills the seats.  And baseball has become a big deal in Australia over the last few decades, sending several players to MLB. 

It doesn't hurt, in the long run, to have a few more nations of this world that care about baseball.  Right now, other than the Americas and Japan, South Korea, and Australia, and maybe the Phillipines, the Netherlands, and South Africa, most of the world doesn't know or care about baseball.

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