MLB Network will be "embracing debate" next month
Just when you thought ESPN was the only network out there trotting out an endless array of debate shows, this trailer for a new MLB Network show popped up during the World Baseball Classic... and I've lost all faith in humanity.
The new show is called MLB Now, will debut on Opening Day of the MLB season, April 1st, and will feature Brian Kenny and Harold Reynolds arguing "new school" vs "old school" in regards to various topics throughout the league.
This could be good... if anyone but Reynolds was put against Kenny on the show and the show didn't lazily adopt a "new school vs old school" tagline. Kenny hosts a show called Clubhouse Confidential (which hopefully hasn't been eliminated in favor of this), and is very good at facilitating discussions among more sabermetrically inclined guests. Him debating Reynolds will likely remind me of Ketih Law running circles around Rob Parker last September on SportsCenter, with less hostility (from Parker) and snark (from Law).
I have to wonder why MLB Network is going in this direction. Did they see the ratings First Take was pulling in, and felt the need to come up with their own version, despite popular opinion being firmly against the forced debate format?
I can predict how nearly every debate is going to end up: Kenny provides relevant statistics and knowledge, while Reynolds spouts off cliche after cliche that he thinks proves his point perfectly.
Hopefully, Fox Sports One doesn't "embrace debate" when they launch in August. Be an actual alternative, not an alternative in name only.
I am suprised that the MLB Network would do this on Opening Day for most MLB teams, when they used to have MLB Tonight on for 7-8 hour before showing a live Baseball game!
Clubhouse Confidential is and sadly always has been an offseason-only show, and the show already ended for the year as of last week. It sucks, too, because MLB Network really could use a good sabermetrics show during the course of the regular season without having Harold Reynolds sitting there and trashing any and all advanced statistics.
Oh for fucks sake.Excellent way ruin a good reputation “@awfulannouncing:MLBN will be "embracing debate" next month http://t.co/a6QxgER1Td”
@awfulannouncing Could be so much worse, could've been Bowa on that show going on and on about his time as GM and Mitch Williams being...him
I feel like MLB Network's programming has been pretty top notch. Clubhouse Confidential is great, but it's really meant for the offseason. I like the idea of MLB Now better than another hour of the Rundown, a preview of the night's game made better when there's a day game. Harold really impressed me on Hot Stove during the mornings of the off season.
I usually just scan your "ESPN sucks" entries because, a) they suck and we all know it and 2) sports centric channels like MLB are 100% better and mean I don't need the Bristol douches anyway. However, any discusion that has an MLB type moving towards the ESPN model is truely disturbing. Hopefully that crap will limited to daytime when most of us don't/can't watch anyway.
On another note, when you are watching the vast wasteland that is midday ESPN do you second guess you chosen subject for a blog?
