TVSquad

Both the World Series and the start of the NBA season brought in big numbers for their respective networks this week. The MLB faceoff between the Yankees and the Phillies score Fox a 6.3 rating share or 19.3 million viewers in their timeslot. The NBA's doubleheader opener on Tuesday helped TNT score a record-breaking 3.7 million viewers.

Stories like these make me long for the Yoda-like wisdom of baseball's Yogi Berra. Just think of the grammatically incorrect gems he could conjure.

"People watch sports because it's easier than playing it."

"Sports has a big following because so few people follow it."

Yes, it's true. The Jews do control the media. Okay, maybe not in the purest sense of the word, but they exhibit enough influence on the medium to move the time of the Yankees versus Red Sox game from 8 PM to 1 in the afternoon on September 27. This was done to accommodate the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

Considering that Rep. Anthony Weiner, the man who wrote the letter to the Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig, is a Congressman from New York, I can see an ulterior motive in his suggestion of the move. Undoubtedly the Congressman didn't want to miss a second of his favorite team against their arch rivals (and I doubt he's a Red Sox fan).

A serious bullet has been dodged. This conflict could have led to potential civil war within many Jewish households on the East Coast. Thank you for your consideration Congressman, and thank you MLB.

I'm proud to live in a country where a guy who imitates the batting stances of major league baseball players can get gigs. Gar Ryness, The Batting Stance Guy, has signed a deal with Fox Sports Network do create content for regional coverage of ball games. He's also going to be on Kansas City Royals telecasts.

Here's a clip of his recent appearance on The Late Show. He's a very funny guy as well as doing great batting stances (his Kevin Youklis is better than his Manny Ramirez).

[via TV Barn]

For those that haven't heard already, the MLB-commissioned Mitchell Report was released last week and it implicated numerous players with allegations of steroid purchase and use. Most notable? Roger Clemens. Carl Brutananadilewski is none too pleased.

His opinion? It's all a conspiracy to tarnish his beloved Yankees. Carl is an avid New York sports fan as evidenced in the episode "Bart Oates" and he seems to think the Mitchell Report is crap. Watch Carl defend Clemens, complain about the Red Sox, and admit to using steroids himself... in the butt. Best argument? Boston great Ted Williams must have been juiced. Click on the jump to find out why.

Here are the weekly cable ratings, by number of viewers.

1. Monday Night Football (ESPN)
2. Baseball - Indians/Yankees Game 3 (TBS)
3. Baseball - Indians/Yankees Game 2 (TBS)
4. Baseball - Indians/Yankees Game 1 (TBS)
5. Baseball - Angels/Red Sox Game 2 (TBS)
6. Baseball - Angels/Red Sox Game 1 (TBS)
7. Baseball - Cubs/Diamondbacks Game 1 (TBS)
8. Baseball - Cubs/Diamondbacks Game 3 (TBS)
9. WWE Monday Night RAW (USA)
10. Baseball - Angels/Red Sox Game 3 (TBS)

When Major League Baseball singed a new TV deal in July, the only piece of the package that wasn't picked up was one of the League Championship Series; Turner had picked up the Division Series and a Sunday night game of the week, and FOX retained the World Series, All-Star Game, a Saturday game package, and one of the LCS's. It was unusual to see a playoff package still up for grabs for this long, but now MLB has finally found that series a home.

Turner Broadcasting announced today that they have picked up that remaining package for an undiclosed sum. This will mark the first time that an LCS will be shown exclusively on cable, although it's likely that the local markets involved will get to see the cable feed on a broadcast station. So, both first- and second-round games will be shown on TBS. Now they just need to hire some announcers. Steve Lyons is available, but let's hope they, uh, go in another direction, if you get my drift.

1. Baseball: This sport was really made for television. It's slower than other team sports, perfect for those warm summer nights, a cold drink in your hand, maybe a breeze coming in the window as you watch. And unlike other team sports, the pace gives the viewer time to figure out their own strategies for the game (hockey and basketball are too fast, and football has too many players doing too many things at once for the average Joe).