I received a prompt reply to my letter concerning the recently completed playoffs and the concerns I had with the late starts and late endings during the week.

Dear Mr. Chin Music,

(remember, I provided my handle...not my real name because in hiding;-))

Thank you for your recent letter regarding the time Major League baseball games or events are broadcast on air.

In order to gain the most viewership across the country, Major League Baseball chooses to broadcast games and events at a time that would provide the greatest number of fans the opportunity to watch the game.  Unfortunately, broadcast times that are ideal for most viewers are sometimes very inconvenient for others.  Given this regrettable conflict, Major League Baseball must select broadcast times that allow for as broad a viewership as possible.

Thank you for your support of and interest in Major League baseball.

Sincerely,

Public Relations
MLB

Well, I'm a little disappointed.  I was hoping the specifics of my original overture would have been addressed.  Instead, the blanket excuse was given.  Bottom line is this:  We could all do with a little less Jeannie Zelasko or Chip Caray and just play ball.  Just.Play.Ball.

Thanks for listening.  Gotta go.  I must call my parole officer.

Here is my original letter addressed to Bud Selig:

Dear Sir:

As an avid fan of Major League Baseball, I would like to share with you my concerns for the state of the game in light of the post-season we just witnessed.  This has nothing to do with the quality of play, any accusations of doping, or any other current topic which has affected the sport in recent years.  My concern is that someone, such as me, with an 8-5 PM job cannot possibly watch a post-season ball game given the current broadcast parameters.  The games simply start too late, and end too late.

In a recent article by Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, he stated that game 1 of the 1972 World Series between the Cincinnati Reds and Oakland Athletics took only 2 hours and 18 minutes to complete.  Part of that, perhaps, was the quality of pitching of the era.  Batters weren't constantly stepping out of the box, pitchers were not as prone to delay.  And, NBC had a very concise and methodical way of broadcasting ball games in 1972.  It would be wise, in my humble opinion, to revisit this.

Any game, no matter the significance, that takes over 4 hours to complete and will not end until after midnight during a work week will lose a major segment of its audience during the broadcast.  Some people will not bother to tune-in at all.  

It can be argued that the match-ups during the post season were, perhaps, not compelling enough.  I disagree and argue that baseball lovers will watch good baseball regardless of the teams competing against each other.  However, the games start too late and end too late.  The broadcasts themselves are too full of fluff pieces and "personalities" vying for face time; there is too much peripheral material.  This is not a dig at Fox or TBS during the post season per se.  I realize its entertainment.  But what is getting lost in all the marketing, the conversation between analysts and the packaged fluff pieces is the game itself.

MLB needs to realize that many Americans cannot watch the sport anymore unless they endure it.  At that point, it has ceased to be enjoyable and this is the where I think we are.  

Thank you for your attention to my concerns.

Most Sincerely,

Chin Music