Northern California Baseball Blog and Q&A

Paul Gutierrez
Raised in Barstow, Calif., where he played community college baseball for two years, Paul Gutierrez has worked at Sports Illustrated and the Las Vegas Review-Journal, where he covered his alma mater's Runnin' Rebels at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. During a six-year stint at the Los Angeles Times, he co-authored Tommy Davis' "Tales from the Dodgers Dugout." He came to The Bee in October 2005 and is now a Bay Area sports features writer who concentrates on baseball during the spring and summer.

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« September 2007 | Northern California Baseball Blog and Q&A front page | January 2008 »

November 08, 2007

How does the Giants' TV station move affect Sactown fans?

Question: My wife and I are extremely concerned about the Giants' move to San Jose's KNTV television...I am hoping that you can enlighten us about the availability of the Giants on television in this (Sacramento) area next season. We are retired and always try to plan other activities around the Giants' televised games. We would appreciate a response, no matter how brief. Thank you.

-Joe Marquez, Pollock Pines

Answer: Your fears are not unfounded, not after the Giants last week announced a three-year partnership with NBC 11, giving the San Jose-based affiliate exclusive over-the-air rights to broadcast Giants games through 2010.

But as unwatchable as the last-place Giants have been recently, and as bad as they promise to be next season (unless, of course they sign Alex Rodriguez - hint, hint), aren't they doing you a favor by shutting you out?

Just kidding. In all seriousness, I forwarded your concerns to Matt Hodson of the Giants' media relations staff and his answer follows.

"Sactown fans will not be out of luck," Hodson answered in an email. "Just like with KTVU, there will be a network of local affiliates throughout Nor Cal, Nevada and Southern Oregon that broadcast the KNTV games. The network is in the process of being put together, and hopefully we'll know more about exact stations, etc., in the next couple months. But, you can let Joe Marquez know that there will definitely be a Sacto option for KNTV games in 2008 and beyond."

Hope that helps, Joe.

-Paul Gutierrez

Posted by Bill Bradley at 05:26 PM | Comments

November 07, 2007

Of A-Rod and nicknames

Alex Rodriguez may or may not be a target for the Giants in the free-agent market and while the best regular season player in the game goes by A-Rod, he has also been called everything from A-Fraud to Boo-Rod to Stray-Rod to Pay-Rod to Nay-Rod. I recent wrote in an "On Baseball" that the Giants should make him "Bay-Rod" before the Dodgers or Angels sign him to make him "L.A.-Rod" or "Big A-Rod" http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/467634.html.

Reader Roberto Crespo had another suggestion, with an obvious tip o' the cap to Willie Mays.

"What bout Say-Hey Rod?" Crespo wrote. "Come on now!!!"

And another - Golden Gate-Rod."

-Paul Gutierrez

Posted by Bill Bradley at 05:50 PM | Comments

They're also known as Big Red

Question: I want to know who the Arizona Cardinals are. Baseball? Football? And when did they come about?

-L. Lamanna, Sacramento

Answer: Well, the short answer is that they are as irrelevant in the sporting world as one can get, as your question attests to. But seriously, they are a pro football team in the National Football League, playing in the NFC West division with the 49ers, Seattle Seahawks and St. Louis Rams, and have been in Arizona since moving to Phoenix from St. Louis for the 1988 season. They had been in St. Louis since 1960 and were in Chicago before that. In fact, having been founded in Chicago in 1898, the Cardinals claim to be "the oldest continuously run professional football franchise in the nation," according to their media guide.

Sadly, though, the Cards have made only ONE playoff appearance since 1983.

Cardinals Stadium, located in suburban Glendale, is the state-of-the-art facility in the NFL and will play host to Super Bowl XXII on Feb. 3.

-Paul Gutierrez

Posted by Bill Bradley at 05:49 PM | Comments

Rox done in by break, BoSox

Question: After a nearly two-week layoff and (being swept) in the World Series, the Colorado Rockies appeared to lose the momentum that fueled their drive to the National League championship. Apart from the possibility of playing baseball in the snow, it is apparent that the suits that schedule TV sports programming have rocks in their heads and dollar signs for eyeballs. Is it possible to correct the situation so that future World Series are not compromised in this manner?

-Mary Sue Monahan, Newcastle

Answer: I like the way you think, Mary Sue. I too thought it ridiculous when MLB bowed to the TV powers that be and allowed the postseason to be dragged out to the point where a Game 7 of the World Series would have been in November. At least the Red Sox sweeping the Rockies ended things early.

Still, I believe Colorado was hurt by the long break - they actually had to practice one day during the sojourn in the snow in Denver - and I also think the Cleveland Indians, who blew a three games to one lead over Boston in the ALCS, were hurt by another dimwitted decision to drag things out as well.

Remember, the Indians were rolling over the Red Sox, having won three straight, and were one win away from returning to the Fall Classic when another scheduled break, ostensibly between Games 4 and 5, when the series was still in Cleveland, cooled the Tribe's heels. It also allowed Red Sox starter Josh Beckett to pitch Game 5 on five-day's rest.

To answer your question, though, no, I don't think baseball cares to set things right and eliminate the delays. Money and the TV networks talk and baseball does their bidding. Too bad.

-Paul Gutierrez

Posted by Bill Bradley at 05:48 PM | Comments

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