Spring Break
'Baseball Tonight' feeds fans' baseball addiction
Lauren Zink
Issue date: 10/17/07 Section: Arts&Entertainment
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October is the month of the baseball playoffs, when QU major league baseball fans sit down and watch games night after night in nervous anticipation.
However, many fans go further than just watching the baseball games. They may switch their channel to ESPN to watch the television show, "Baseball Tonight," where they hope to see highlights from the games and get information about their favorite teams and players.
Something QU baseball fans might forget is that all of this magic is created a half hour away in Bristol, Conn.
"Baseball Tonight" gives fans a front-row seat to all the games by focusing solely on America's pastime, baseball. Unlike other sports shows like "SportsCenter," it shows highlights from all games and gives viewers tips on how to play. Karl Ravech, the lead analyst for the show, feels that the show is, "a great learning tool and a great starting tool" for the game of baseball.
However, what the fans may not appreciate is the knowledge of the staff and everything that goes on behind the scenes.
Many people may think the most important time of the day for the employees of "Baseball Tonight" would be when the show airs at 10 p.m. or midnight on weeknights and 7 p.m. on Sundays, but they would be wrong.
The day actually starts at 1 p.m. when the producer of the show, Missy Motha, sits in her cubicle at the ESPN studios and figures out the content of the show for that night. As the person responsible for "Baseball Tonight," she likes to be prepared and know the games and storylines ahead of time. Motha does so by watching previous or current games, and trying to figure out what the biggest stories can be.
One of the most difficult aspects of producing the show is making the show entertaining for the audience. With 162 games a season, baseball can become repetitive. Since "Baseball Tonight" is on every night, the employees always try to find a new angle to talk about so not every homerun hit feels and looks the same to the viewer. Orel Hershiser, an analyst on the show and a former Major League Baseball pitcher, said that one has to, "become an expert in describing the same thing differently."
However, many fans go further than just watching the baseball games. They may switch their channel to ESPN to watch the television show, "Baseball Tonight," where they hope to see highlights from the games and get information about their favorite teams and players.
Something QU baseball fans might forget is that all of this magic is created a half hour away in Bristol, Conn.
"Baseball Tonight" gives fans a front-row seat to all the games by focusing solely on America's pastime, baseball. Unlike other sports shows like "SportsCenter," it shows highlights from all games and gives viewers tips on how to play. Karl Ravech, the lead analyst for the show, feels that the show is, "a great learning tool and a great starting tool" for the game of baseball.
However, what the fans may not appreciate is the knowledge of the staff and everything that goes on behind the scenes.
Many people may think the most important time of the day for the employees of "Baseball Tonight" would be when the show airs at 10 p.m. or midnight on weeknights and 7 p.m. on Sundays, but they would be wrong.
The day actually starts at 1 p.m. when the producer of the show, Missy Motha, sits in her cubicle at the ESPN studios and figures out the content of the show for that night. As the person responsible for "Baseball Tonight," she likes to be prepared and know the games and storylines ahead of time. Motha does so by watching previous or current games, and trying to figure out what the biggest stories can be.
One of the most difficult aspects of producing the show is making the show entertaining for the audience. With 162 games a season, baseball can become repetitive. Since "Baseball Tonight" is on every night, the employees always try to find a new angle to talk about so not every homerun hit feels and looks the same to the viewer. Orel Hershiser, an analyst on the show and a former Major League Baseball pitcher, said that one has to, "become an expert in describing the same thing differently."
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