WSJ: With the World Series a month away, are you worried about having to sell the country Tampa...

WSJ: With the World Series a month away, are you worried about having to sell the country Tampa against Milwaukee?

Mr. Hill: As a matter of fact, yes. [Laughs heartily.] You have no idea how many times that question has been asked of me in the last three or four days. But to be in this business you have to be an optimist. You're making huge bets and all you can change is way you present the games. You can't impact what happens. You make big bets and you hope every game is a Patriots-Giants Super Bowl. But that doesn't mean you don't think how good the Red Sox and Dodgers in the World Series would be. But whatever it is we put the games on in the most compelling way so we can refresh the fan base every day. You can't lose sleep about what you can't control.

Wall Street Journal

over 3 years ago battlekow 14 comments 0 recs |

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

Reposting this from Brew Crew Ball

I like that he’s not even pretending. I mean, I understand that a bigger audience means more money, but to hear someone talk about being an "optimist" and hoping against hope that the Brewers and/or Rays don’t sneak in and piss in Fox’s punch is a little irritating.

BCB's "very own marginally deserving all-star!"

by battlekow on Sep 11, 2008 7:03 PM EDT reply actions

On the bright side.

I won’t feel bad when we screw their ratings up.

by R.J. Anderson on Sep 11, 2008 7:48 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

At least

it’s only the CEO of Fox Sports, and not someone from within MLB….

Vogt early, Vogt often.

by Brickhaus on Sep 11, 2008 7:45 PM EDT reply actions

4 major media markets

MLB or Fox Sports shouldn’t be worried, odds are that 2 teams from Chicago, 2 teams from LA, a team from NYC or Philly, and a team from Boston will make the playoffs. There are plenty of large markets that will participate in the playoffs, the odds of a Tampa Bay vs.Milwaukee WS are slim. Bud Selig would love the Brewers to make the World Series anyways since he used to own the team.

by atlantaray on Sep 11, 2008 8:06 PM EDT reply actions

Tampa is like the 13 largest media market in the country

I don’t understand this at all. I work for an ad agency—Tampa is a huge concern!!!

by plasticman on Sep 11, 2008 8:24 PM EDT reply actions

The world series needs to draw around the country...

I don’t see many occasional baseball fans tuning in to a Rays/Brewers series.

by tallyray on Sep 11, 2008 8:31 PM EDT up reply actions

If a casual fan in Nebraska can watch Mets-Yankees they would surely love this series.

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.

by Sandy Kazmir on Sep 12, 2008 9:18 AM EDT up reply actions

I think the concern is that the biggest markets won't tune in

Not that the smallest markets will.

by kericr on Sep 12, 2008 3:16 PM EDT up reply actions

what a bitch

by daveh33 on Sep 11, 2008 8:26 PM EDT reply actions

Would you rather him lie?

I find it refreshing that he’s basically admitting to rooting against small market teams. A Rays vs. Brewers world series would be hilarious and entertaining. Imagine all sports channels having to spend all their time discussing those two teams.

Would LA vs. Boston be bigger than Chicago vs. Boston or New York vs. Boston?

by tallyray on Sep 11, 2008 8:28 PM EDT reply actions

Cubs-Rays would be perfect

Rays trying to spoil the 100th anniversary, EVERYONE would watch.

And I think if we can make it out of the AL, we can take on anyone in the NL in a 7 game series

by Acadien on Sep 11, 2008 10:59 PM EDT reply actions

The only NL team that makes me blink is the Mets

Yes, not the Cubs. The brewers have nobody behind CC and we’ve aready swept the Cubs once, and they don’t look any different now than they did then. Yet with the Mets, despite that group of lunatic pyromaniacs, they keep winning games.

I might take notice if the Dodgers somehow make it, but that would pretty much take a miracle.

by kericr on Sep 11, 2008 11:47 PM EDT up reply actions

*lunatic pyromaniacs = Mets bullpen

by kericr on Sep 11, 2008 11:48 PM EDT up reply actions

I pity poor FOX

The best World Series in my lifetime, in my opinion, involved the Twins vs. Braves in 1991, and some team from Canada put on a pretty good show for a couple years as well and baseball was all the better for it.

If the Rays vs. Brewers produces seven games of drama such as 1991, I’m fairly sure baseball fans and even FOX will prefer it to the lopsided bore of the last three or four World Series.

by RATW on Sep 11, 2008 11:10 PM EDT reply actions