TV OR NOT TV?

What's better, watching the '23 Reds? Or not watching them?

When it comes to the money mess in which Bally Sports finds itself, I’m trying really hard not to be bored out into a coma thinking about it. That’s almost as hard as understanding the whole deal, then regurgitating it to youse Mobsters. Professionally, local TV rights matter a lot to all involved, including anyone who likes watching the Reds on TV. Personally, I’d rather whack my temple with a ballpeen hammer than write about it.

Here’s the crux, the gist, the core, the center, the nucleus and the heart of the topic:

Diamond Sports Group can’t pay its bills. Forbes magazine says DSG is ready to declare bankruptcy. DSG is the name Bally Sports gives the regional sports networks it owns, including the RSN that carries Reds games on TV.

If DSG can’t pay, the Reds don’t get paid. Or they will get paid less than the contract says. That’s a fair chunk o’ cash, lots of millions, though we don’t know exactly how many lots of millions. Because the Reds, same as almost every other privately owned business, can tell us they’re hurtin’, without actually having to show us the pain.

Forbes magazine said Reds revenues for the 2021 season were $266 million, $41 million coming from tickets sold. The Reds get shared revenues, they get local sponsorships. Heck, maybe they hire Girl Scouts to sell Lorna Doones door to door.

Regardless, the local media money is significant for a team that isn’t exactly swimming in Benjamins. You have to figure the Reds will simply cope without that retread outfielder hitting cleanup or that bus-riding bullpenner pitching the 7th. Forbes:

Short term, the loss in broadcast dollars could hinder the revenue for a number of MLB, NBA and NHL franchises. S&P Global Ratings says Diamond Sports owes around $1.8 billion in rights fees to teams this year.

With Diamond Sports filing for bankruptcy and looking to restructure its debt, a number of local sports franchises could find themselves in financial difficulties. Once in bankruptcy Diamond Sports. . .

Zzzzzzzz. . .

Oh, sorry. Musta dozed off.

. . . could renegotiate some of the contracts resulting in a decline in payments or cancel the contractual agreement entirely, with the possibility local teams take back their media rights and potentially resell them.

Cord cutting is a culprit. Forbes:

In the past ten years the number of cable subscribers nationwide have dropped from 103 million households to 66 million households resulting in revenue losses in carriage fees and ad dollars. Last November Diamond Sports said they had a third quarter loss of $1.2 billion and a 10% drop-off in subscribers over the first nine months of 2022.

You care about that, sort of. What matters more to you is, “why the feck aren’t the Reds on?’’

Nobody seems to know yet. Manfred says it depends on what Diamond Sports Group decides to do.

“What we do is largely dependent on how Diamond and the creditors play their cards,” Manfred told the AP. “Our No. 1 goal in terms of preparations. . .

Zzzzzzzz. . .

Damn. Sorry.

. . .is that if for some reason Diamond isn’t broadcasting, that we want to be in a position to make sure our fans are going to get their games.”

That could mean about a million different things: Does MLB take over? Does a local Cincinnati affiliate? Do we all close our eyes, listen to the radio broadcast and imagine John Sadak as a trained seal?

Attendance numbers are partly reflective of public interest in the team. TV and radio numbers play an equally large role. Apathy is already on the march in Reds Country. Without TV stoking the flicker of passion. . . what?

I rarely watch baseball, because doing so would require more attention than I’ve got. Donating three hours to televised hardball is no different than donating three pints of blood to the Red Cross. And I love baseball and the Red Cross.

With radio, I can do other things at the same time.

Do you watch lots of baseball? If you couldn’t, would your interest in The Club wane?

Now, then. . .

MEANWHILE, THERE IS APPARENTLY AN ALTERNATIVE, and it’s also too complicated for me to figure out. I mean, what is fuboTV, and what does it want with my brain cells?

Yahoo! Sports:

For those without cable, there are several options to stream your favorite team's games this year. Of course, blackout restrictions apply. 

Zzzzzzzz. . .

Just stop, Doc.

If you're in the market, fuboTV now carries a majority of Bally Sports RSNs. If you are within a certain RSN's market, you can watch the game via fuboTV.

However, with blackout restrictions, and for those out of market, you will not be able to watch games on the streaming service, since fuboTV will not carry the out-of-market RSN.

Sleepwalking right along. . .

RINKY-DINK is here to stay. Yahoo!:

MLB's joint competition committee unanimously approved the rule placing a runner at second base at the start of every extra inning in the regular season, ESPN's Jesse Rogers reported.

The rule had since been adopted on a season-by-season basis in 2021 and 2022.

Monday's decision makes the rule permanent barring a future vote to rescind it. The rule does not apply in the postseason.

I actually don’t hate this rule. Anything that shortens a game ought to be tried, at least. But it still feels minor league, doesn’t it? Referring to the guy at 2nd as a “ghost’’ and all. A little backyard-Wiffleball-ish.

Anything off the neighbor’s downspout is a homerun, anything over the outfielder’s head is a double, you foul one into the woods you owe everyone a nickel. One out, imaginary man on 2nd, Frank Howard’s up.

RED TIDE is gathering here in paradise. As I sit desk-ward, the smallest shift in the evil wind could push the offshore algae blooms closer to the beach. I got a whiff of it yesterday. It’s not pleasant. Red tide makes your throat wiggle, it turns your eyes into beaches of discomfort. When it’s really bad, it kills fish and also a human’s interest in sunbathing near the surf.

Outta here tomorrow, perhaps just in time.

TUNE O’ THE DAY. . . The only song these guys did that I even remotely liked.