USA Network Thursday Night Baseball

Last updated
USA Network Thursday Night Baseball
USANetworkThursdayNightBaseball.png
1983 logo
Genre Sport
Developed by USA Sports
Directed byBob Hiestand
John Repczynski
Starring See announcers section
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producersKay Koplovitz [1]
Jim Zrake [2]
ProducersJerry Romano [3]
Mark D. Stulberger
Jim Zrake
Running time180 minutes (or until game ends)
Original release
Network USA
ReleaseApril 26, 1979 (1979-04-26) [4]  –
September 29, 1983 (1983-09-29)
Related
Thursday Night Baseball
Major League Baseball on NBC

USA Network Thursday Night Baseball aired Major League Baseball (MLB) games on the USA Network from 1979 to 1983.

Contents

Background

In 1979, [5] 22 teams (all but the Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros, New York Mets, and St. Louis Cardinals) participated in a one-year cable deal with United Artists Television and Columbia Pictures Television, then-owners of the USA Network. [6] The deal involved the airing of Thursday night games [7] in markets at least 50 miles (80 km) from a major league park. [8] The deal earned Major League Baseball less than $500,000, but led to a new two-year contract for 40–45 games per season. [9] [10] The program ran through the 1983 season. [11] [12]

With USA's Thursday night coverage, it ended the position of ABC's Monday night broadcasts as the exclusive national, prime time television franchise for Major League Baseball. [13]

Coverage history

The series began April 26, 1979 [14] with a doubleheader: Cleveland at Kansas City [15] (Jim Woods and Bud Harrelson announcing [16] ) followed by Baltimore at California [17] (Monte Moore and Maury Wills announcing [18] ). The second game of the night was typically broadcast from the West Coast. The games were usually blacked-out in the competing teams' cities. [19] [20] [21] Once in a while, when USA aired a repeat of the telecast late at night, local cities were allowed to show the rerun. [22]

From 1980 to 1981, Jim Woods [23] and Nelson Briles (replacing Bud Harrelson) broadcast the early games, while Monte Moore and Wes Parker (replacing Maury Wills) called the late game. [24]

In 1982, doubleheaders did not start until June 17. [25] Prior to the doubleheaders starting, Monte Moore and Wes Parker did the individual game until then. When the doubleheaders finally began, [26] Moore and Parker moved over to the late game for the rest of the year. Meanwhile, Eddie Doucette (replacing Jim Woods) and Nelson Briles were assigned to call the early game. [27]

USA continued with the plan of not starting doubleheaders until June in the final year of the package in 1983. Steve Zabriskie and Al Albert filled in for Eddie Doucette in September 1982 (Steve Grad also occasionally substituted) while Albert replaced Doucette for a game or more in 1983.

USA's coverage became a casualty of the new $1.2 billion TV contract [28] between Major League Baseball, ABC and NBC beginning in 1984 and lasting through 1989. One of the provisions to the new deal was that local telecasts opposite network games had to be eliminated. [29]

Memorable moments

One particular game of note was a Los Angeles Dodgers–St. Louis Cardinals game in 1981 (the last game before the strike [30] [31] ). [32] The game in question featured Fernando Valenzuela picking up his eighth consecutive win to start the season. Valenzuela gave up a home run in the ninth to tie the game 1–1, but Pedro Guerrero hit one himself in the bottom of the ninth for the win.

One year later, during a September 16 game between the San Diego Padres and the San Francisco Giants, [33] Darrell Evans went 3-for-5 with four RBI in Giants' 9–3 victory.

Announcers

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Major League Baseball on television</span>

Major League Baseball (MLB) has been broadcast on American television since the 1950s, with initial broadcasts on the experimental station W2XBS, the predecessor of the modern WNBC in New York City. The World Series was televised on a networked basis since 1947, with regular season games broadcast nationally since 1953. Over the forthcoming years, MLB games became major attractions for American television networks, and each of the Big Three networks would air packages of baseball games at various times until the year 2000. Fox would rise to major network status, partially on its acquisition of MLB rights in 1996; Fox has been MLB's primary broadcast television partner ever since.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Stone (baseball)</span> American MLB pitcher and announcer

Steven Michael Stone is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) player and current sportscaster and author.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NFL on American television</span>

The television rights to broadcast National Football League (NFL) games in the United States are the most lucrative and expensive rights of any sport in the world. Television brought professional football into prominence in the modern era after World War II. Since then, National Football League broadcasts have become among the most-watched programs on American television, and the financial fortunes of entire networks have rested on owning NFL broadcasting rights. This has raised questions about the impartiality of the networks' coverage of games and whether they can criticize the NFL without fear of losing the rights and their income.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NBA on television</span>

National Basketball Association (NBA) games are televised nationally in the United States, as well as on multiple local channels and regional sports networks. Since the 2002–03 season, broadcast channel ABC, and pay TV networks ESPN and TNT have nationally televised games. Throughout most of the regular season, ESPN shows doubleheaders on Wednesday and Friday nights, while TNT shows doubleheaders on Tuesday and Thursday nights. In the second half of the season, ABC shows a single game on Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons. Games are shown almost every night on NBA TV. There are some exceptions to this schedule, including Tip-off Week, Christmas Day, and Martin Luther King Jr. Day. More games may be shown as the end of the regular season approaches, particularly games with playoff significance. During the playoffs, the first round are split between TNT, ESPN, NBA TV, and ABC on mostly weekends the second round are split between ESPN, TNT and ABC on weekends. The conference finals are split between ESPN/ABC and TNT; the two networks alternate which complete series they will carry from year to year. The entire NBA Finals is shown nationally on ABC. The NBA Finals is one of the few sporting events to be shown on a national broadcast network on a weeknight. Two new partners are set to join ESPN/ABC in televising the NBA in the 2025–26 season, with NBC Sports and Amazon Prime Video replacing TNT.

<i>NHL on USA</i> Television series

The NHL on USA was the de facto title of a television show that broadcast National Hockey League games on the USA Network.

The NBA on USA is the de facto name for the USA Network's National Basketball Association (NBA) television coverage. The program ran from the 1979–80 season through the 1983–84 season.

The 1979 Major League Baseball season concluded with the Pittsburgh Pirates defeating the Baltimore Orioles in seven games in the 1979 World Series. None of the post-season teams of 1977 or 1978 returned to this year's postseason.

The following is a list of announcers who called Major League Baseball telecasts for the joint venture between Major League Baseball, ABC and NBC called The Baseball Network. Announcers who represented each of the teams playing in the respective games were typically paired with each other on regular season Baseball Night in America telecasts. ABC used Al Michaels, Jim Palmer, Tim McCarver and Lesley Visser as the lead broadcasting team. Meanwhile, NBC used Bob Costas, Joe Morgan, Bob Uecker and Jim Gray as their lead broadcasting team.

Steven Kenneth Zabriskie is an American former television sports announcer who is best known for calling Major League Baseball and college football.

<i>Thursday Night Baseball</i> US television program

Thursday Night Baseball is the de facto branding used for live game telecasts of Major League Baseball on Thursday nights.

As the national broadcaster of the NBA, CBS aired NBA games from the 1973–74 until the 1989–90 season, during which the early 1980s is notoriously known as the tape delay playoff era.

In 1980, 22 teams took part in a one-year cable deal with UA-Columbia. The deal involved the airing of a Thursday night Game of the Week in markets at least 50 miles (80 km) from a major league park. The deal earned Major League Baseball less than $500,000, but led to a new two-year contract for 40-45 games per season.

By 1969, Major League Baseball had grown to 24 teams and the net local TV revenues had leaped to $20.7 million. This is in sharp contrast to 1950 when local television brought the then 16 Major League clubs a total net income of $2.3 million. Changes baseball underwent during this time, such as expansion franchises and increasing the schedule from 154 games to 162, led to a wider audience for network and local television.

During the 1979–80 and 1980–81 seasons, four more Canadian teams, the Edmonton Oilers, Quebec Nordiques, Winnipeg Jets, and Calgary Flames, joined the NHL. The Oilers and Flames were featured frequently as the two teams were contenders the 1980s; in contrast, as the Nordiques were owned by Carling-O'Keefe, a rival to the show's sponsor Molson and whose English-speaking fanbase was very small, the Nords were rarely broadcast, and never from Quebec City during the regular-season.

USA Sports was the branding used for broadcasts of sporting events by the cable channel USA Network. The network's history with sports dates back to its forerunner, the Madison Square Garden Network, and in the past has included coverage of the major professional leagues, college football, golf and tennis.

References

  1. ↑ 1980 10 02 LA Dodgers at SF Giants - USA Network on YouTube
  2. ↑ 1983 08 18 USA Network Montreal Expos at SF Giants on YouTube
  3. ↑ 1982-09-16 USA Network - Padres at Giants on YouTube
  4. ↑ "SEARCHABLE NETWORK TV BROADCASTS". sabrmedia.org. Archived from the original on 2019-04-18.
  5. ↑ Shea, Stuart (7 May 2015). Calling the Game: Baseball Broadcasting from 1920 to the Present. SABR, Inc. p. 373. ISBN   9781933599410.
  6. ↑ "Big-League Baseball To Hit Hinterlands On Cable Television". Wall Street Journal. April 13, 1979. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012.
  7. ↑ "Majors give cable rights". Lawrence Journal-World. April 13, 1979.
  8. ↑ Jane Gross (July 12, 1981). "Sports on cable". The New York Times . USA agreed to the baseball limitations rejected by ESPN and shows a Thursday-night game in cities that do not have a major-league team. In New York City, Manhattan Cable broadcasts USA's programs, but cannot televise the weekly baseball game because the Yankees and Mets declined to grant the waivers necessary under major-league statutes.
  9. ↑ Jicha, Jim (April 3, 1982). "Is The Chance To .Ao To The Park ". Miami News. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012.
  10. ↑ "Giants Announce Signings of Stennett, May, Wohlford". Los Angeles Times. December 13, 1979. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012.
  11. ↑ "Philadelphia Daily News : BASEBALL SWINGS AN UNREAL DEAL". Philadelphia Daily News. March 1, 1983.
  12. ↑ "USA NETWORK MAKING SOME MAJOR-LEAGUE CUTS". Miami Herald. February 10, 1984.
  13. ↑ Walker and Bellamy, James Robert and Robert Jr. (June 2008). Center Field Shot: A History of Baseball on Television. U of Nebraska Press. p. 143. ISBN   978-0803248250.
  14. ↑ Holliman, Ray (April 14, 1979). "Cable package likely coming to Channel 7". St. Petersburg Times.
  15. ↑ Apr 26, 1979, Indians at Royals Play by Play and Box Score Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  16. ↑ "Searchable Network TV Broadcasts - USA Network". rec.sport.baseball.
  17. ↑ Apr 26, 1979, Orioles at Angels Play by Play and Box Score Archived September 6, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  18. ↑ "Jock leaves bigs again". Daily News. June 6, 1979.
  19. ↑ Craig, Jack (August 30, 1981). "CABLE WILL SATURATE SPORTS; COULD BRING OVER 600 BASEBALL TELECASTS FROM OUTSIDE CITY". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012.
  20. ↑ Henniger, Paul (August 31, 1983). "Write To New York To Get Message To A Star In California". St. Petersburg Times.
  21. ↑ Stewart, Larry (September 10, 1982). "A Win for Rams on the Air, Too". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012.
  22. ↑ Wehrle, Bruce (November 29, 1982). "Cable Networks Join The Fun". The Dispatch.
  23. ↑ Craig, Jack (May 4, 1980). "SPORTVIEW / BY JACK CRAIG; WHAT PRICE EXCLUSIVITY". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012.
  24. ↑ 8/18/1983 Montreal Expos at San Francisco Giants on USA on YouTube
  25. ↑ "Now On .The Air If ". Tri City Herald. August 10, 1982. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012.
  26. ↑ "The Sports Scene". The Dispatch. July 15, 1982.
  27. ↑ "The Sports Scene ". The Dispatch. September 2, 1982.
  28. ↑ Copyright Royalty Fees for Cable Systems: Hearings Before the Subcommittee ... October 19, 1983. p. 703.
  29. ↑ Leifer, Eric M. (June 2009). Making the Majors: The Transformation of Team Sports in America. p. 1964. ISBN   9780674040069.
  30. ↑ Peck, Dick (August 6, 1981). "Sunday's All-Star Game Puts Baseball Back". Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
  31. ↑ "BASEBALL STRIKE FORCES TV TO IMPROVISE". The New York Times. June 27, 1981.
  32. ↑ Jun 11, 1981, Dodgers at Cardinals Play by Play and Box Score Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  33. ↑ Sep 16, 1982, Padres at Giants Box Score and Play by Play Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  34. ↑ Perovich, Kathy (April 3, 1983). "Television To Be Major League Cornucopia". The Oklahoman. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  35. ↑ Robinson, Alan (June 26, 1981). "Weatherman Deals Blow To Charlies. - Page 7". Williamson Daily News. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  36. ↑ "USA Network Spotlight On Soccer. - Page 62". St. Joseph News-Press. April 24, 1982. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  37. ↑ ""Where Are They Now:" Eddie Doucette". Archived from the original on September 26, 2007.
  38. ↑ Chick, Bob (April 8, 1980). "The Evening Independent - Page 19". The Evening Independent. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  39. ↑ Bohn, Matt. "Monte Moore". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  40. ↑ Holliman, Ray (April 13, 1979). "Cable Tv May Add 120 More Baseball Games. - Page 33". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  41. ↑ Walz, Steve K. (August 6, 1982). "Cspbrts Probe. New Sports Net Starts In California. - Page 14". Lodi News-Sentinel. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  42. ↑ Boyer, Peter J. (June 10, 1979). "Sunday Union - Page 10". Sunday Union. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  43. ↑ "Jim Woods, 71; Two Portland Men Baseball Announcer Die In ..." The Day. February 22, 1988. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  44. ↑ Livingston, Pat (August 31, 1980). "Gunner, Possum On-Mike Masters. - Page 34". The Pittsburgh Press. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  45. ↑ "Steve Zabriskie". Ultimate Mets Database. Retrieved 2016-05-31.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.