"Desperate Housewives" and "The World Series"

What a flap! Can you believe it? The World Series Games for 2008 have missed the target audience for the last two days. Go figure.

Now I know that part of my reading audience could care less. But others find it interesting to the ninth degree. I am in the category I am afraid.

So what’s the flap?

Well on Sunday night, Oct 26, 2008 – ABC TV’s “Desperate Housewives” beat out the Fox TV’s “World Series Game between the Phillies and the Rays – in ratings! No kidding! People watching one really strange TV program out numbered another fairly strange phenomena – the World Series.

The World Series is a Western World tradition of men hitting little balls and running around in circles.

My mom has in her possession a small brown “scribbler” that was a prized item in my Grandpa Kirk’s life. During the World Series Season on the farm in southern Saskatchewan, the work would slow and during the day, and he would sit beside a radio and listen intently to every word the announcer spoke. There in this small brown “scribbler” in my Grandpa Kirk’s handwriting is every play of every World Series Game for a number of years.

No one was a greater fan than Grandpa Charles Kirkpatrick. “Charlie” or "Kirk" knew every player and could tell you details of almost every game.

Something to remember here – World Series Games were played in the daytime. Baseball was so important that it was played during working hours and the whole world was expected to stop. NO ONE MISSED THE GAMES.

When TV was finally able to broadcast the World Series live – many people were sick that day.

Now we have evolved – other things are more important than the silly game of heavy set men hitting little balls way far a way… and getting paid to do it. “Desperate Housewives” all these years of waiting for their place in the sun… have taken the lead.

Almost too funny actually… During the years that my Grandpa Kirk sat and wrote out the details of the game for his radio listening pleasure, the kids in his home made noise, ran around and did kid like things. There likely was a “desperate housewife” in that home – trying to keep her kids occupied, fed, clean, and out of mischief…while Pa listened to the games intently.

I don’t believe in people “rolling over in their graves” but wherever Grandpa is in Paradise now… he is likely discussing the turn of events of this season and the World Series and shaking his head.

You will have to do a little searching and reading to see the latest flap.

The first and greatest concern about the game is that it is late at night. I believe it was set this way to accommodate the Western TV audience that is 3 hours later. Starting a game at 8:30 PM in the east allows the westerners to see it at 5:30 PM and Advertisers will pay huge amounts of money to get the message in front of a larger audience.

On Sunday it had to be postponed further because the FOX TV people that were to cover the games were also broadcasting the NFL’s games that were not yet over. So you have to wait. Imagine Football beating out time slots over Baseball – who would have ever thunk it could have happened in our time!!!?

Now add to that – Last Night – the game was rained out… actually stopped after the teams tied 2-2. It will continue when the weather improves. It should begin again at the same baseball field when the rain stops – but that is a problem when the next game is to be in Florida and this one in Philadelphia was to be done. It is even more of a problem in that the Tampa Bay Team had checked out of their hotel that was then fully booked for the next day – there was NO ROOM IN THE INN!

Now add to the Flap… Bud Selig, who is the Baseball Commissioner, made poor calls and waited too long to call the game – according to some. Players were slopping around in potentially dangerous field conditions – and they might hurt their expensive big, old bodies.

Now add to this that if there are delays in this kind of scheduling – it all could carry over to the American Thanksgiving weekend – which is down right Holy. Desperate Housewives that go shopping on the days just before that weekend will be loose on their own while their husbands watch the potential last game.

If you were in charge what would you do? If you were a baseball addict like some are… would you change channels and go to “Desperate Housewives”.

It really is too funny to listen to the Flap.

“Grandpa Kirk… if God has allowed you a TV feed where you are today… the world is a little nuts. It has spent millions upon millions all during the games… and even more on a show about some really weird people that live in the same neighbourhood and do some really nasty things to each other….

I know you might not understand either. I don’t.”

This Flap about some really big nothings is rather silly to say the least.

I wonder what would happen if someone suddenly announced that the Game was over… and all money that would have been spent on all of this Flap was going to be donated to a World Wide Orphanage program to help every homeless/parentless kid?

I could suggest at least 100 worthy causes that would make much more sense.

It is an upside down world.

I gotta run now… there is bound to be much on today’s sports news about these TV ratings…

~ Murray Lincoln ~

Source
http://pifeedback.com/eve/forums/a/frm/f/63310451
http://tvbythenumbers.com/
http://tvbythenumbers.com/2008/10/27/cable-news-ratings-for-october-24/6929
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20081028&content_id=3650001&vkey=ps2008news&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb