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Speaker 1: This is the business of sports where in the situation

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Speaker 1: that we haven't dealt with in modern times, pandemic here

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Speaker 1: has really accelerated the investments that we've been advocating for

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Speaker 1: for years. From a macro standpoint, I think our sport

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Speaker 1: industry is really forced to look at the business a

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Speaker 1: little bit differently. In depth conversations with the leaders in

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Speaker 1: the sports industry. Who wants to be the sacrificial lambs

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Speaker 1: that shows up at the first big major sporting event

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Speaker 1: part of something much bigger than the sport right now

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Speaker 1: and the health and saptry of our stakeholders that works

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Speaker 1: much important every moment. I think we're all from the

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Speaker 1: business respective thinking about the impact that the virus is

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Speaker 1: having on across the country and Bloomberg Business of Sports

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Speaker 1: from Bloomberg Radio. Hello, I'm facing Kelly and Mike Lynch

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Speaker 1: and Michael bar Over the next hour, we will explore

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Speaker 1: the big money issues in the world of sports and

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Speaker 1: talk to some of the biggest players in the industry.

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Speaker 1: And today we're excited to speak with MLB Network President

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Speaker 1: Rob McClary. A timely interview because the playoffs in Major

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Speaker 1: League Baseball maybe unexpectedly certainly to some extent heroically given

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Speaker 1: what we've seen happened across the world. They are underway,

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Speaker 1: and in fact MLB Network they're going to exclusively air

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Speaker 1: to National League Division Series games this coming week. So

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Speaker 1: excited to talk to him about the product and the

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Speaker 1: evolution of this network. Before we get to that, guys,

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Speaker 1: let's talk a little bit about what was going on

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Speaker 1: in the world of sports and the business of sports

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Speaker 1: as baseball continues to rise in some ways, the NFL

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Speaker 1: stumbling a little bit this week, Lynch e And on

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Speaker 1: the one hand, maybe only a matter of time. On

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Speaker 1: the other, this is not great news if you're an

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Speaker 1: NFL fan or certainly if you're in the business of

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Speaker 1: the NFL. Without question, we saw it at the start

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Speaker 1: of the Major League Baseball season with the Miami Marlins,

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Speaker 1: and they had some people that just didn't make good decisions.

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Speaker 1: And here we are now. As of Thursday morning, the

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Speaker 1: Pittsburgh Tennessee game will not be played later on next week.

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Speaker 1: It will be played later in the season because the

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Speaker 1: number as of around noontime on Thursday was eleven players

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Speaker 1: and staff of the Tennessee Titans, So their facility has

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Speaker 1: been closed down because somebody when someplace they shouldn't have

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Speaker 1: gone without a mask. And remember this team played a

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Speaker 1: road game last year last week at in Minnesota, so

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Speaker 1: that whole team and traveling party was on an airplane

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Speaker 1: flying back. And that number, I'm sure we'll grow from eleven.

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Speaker 1: So what do you think about this as a fan

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Speaker 1: bar were you just sort of waiting for this moment

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Speaker 1: that this was just going to happen in the NFL,

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Speaker 1: especially because there's no bubble as Lynch you just pointed out,

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Speaker 1: you got a lot of travel. This was in some

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Speaker 1: ways a business decision that was made to play in

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Speaker 1: home stadiums. That means travel, That means exposing the players,

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Speaker 1: the coaches, the staff, which are massive if you're a

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Speaker 1: pro football team to just a broader part of the world.

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Speaker 1: This is and I'm I'm going I fell on the trap.

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Speaker 1: And what I mean by that is, you know, we

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Speaker 1: got through week one, we got through Week two, we

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Speaker 1: played Week three, and all of a sudden, I'm thinking, hey,

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Speaker 1: we're playing football, and you know, obviously sparse in the

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Speaker 1: in the stands or no fans at all, but we

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Speaker 1: were playing football and I was starting to fall into

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Speaker 1: the trap. And then boom and this news happens. I know,

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Speaker 1: obviously you're worried about the health of the players, but

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Speaker 1: there's another aspect to it. Uh, the people who bet

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Speaker 1: on this game, the people who are into fantasy sports. Uh,

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Speaker 1: everybody is like, Okay, what do I do? What do

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Speaker 1: I do? And it's it's sad that we think like

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Speaker 1: that sometimes because we're talking about men trying to play

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Speaker 1: the game. But there's a lot of money involved, and

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Speaker 1: I'm praying that we don't have another outbreak with another team. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: a lot of money involved, Lynch. We can't get too

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Speaker 1: far away from that, honestly. I mean, we've seen it

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Speaker 1: drive so much decision making across the world of sports.

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Speaker 1: We talked about it last week when it comes to

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Speaker 1: college football, I mean, that is something you cannot escape.

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Speaker 1: The dollars and cents here and the NFL, we know

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Speaker 1: it's the most popular, most lucrative league here in the

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Speaker 1: United States. They had the benefit of time. We've talked

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Speaker 1: about that as well. But we're also getting into a

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Speaker 1: colder season. We're getting into a moment where coronavirus cases

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Speaker 1: are on the rise again. We don't know exactly what

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Speaker 1: that's gonna look like, but if you're running a team

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Speaker 1: or running this league, what are you most worried about?

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Speaker 1: What are the what are the things the decisions that

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Speaker 1: you think you have to take up sooner rather than later.

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Speaker 1: That we have a curfew for everybody in our team

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Speaker 1: that you immediately go home for practice. If they have

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Speaker 1: to put a tracking device on their ankles, you know,

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Speaker 1: like they do with you know, some people who need

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Speaker 1: to be trapped by the judicial system, the and we have,

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Speaker 1: then they have to do that. Now, the Raiders who

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Speaker 1: are at a function on Monday night, and I just

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Speaker 1: this is again, I read this on Thursday morning, and

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Speaker 1: a couple of them, many of them took their mass

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Speaker 1: off so people could see their faces, and they admit

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Speaker 1: that they made a mistake there. And I will see

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Speaker 1: if there's going to be any fallout from that. But

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Speaker 1: remember these guys are going back to their apartments, their houses,

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Speaker 1: their condos. Uh. Some of them might live with some buddies,

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Speaker 1: some of them might live with a girlfriend who works

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Speaker 1: someplace else. And you know, they they're they're exposed. Unlike

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Speaker 1: the teams that are in the bubble, the bubble worked.

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Speaker 1: Major League Baseball got their house in order after a

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Speaker 1: mess the first couple of weeks, and football has to

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Speaker 1: do the same, alright, So Baseball's house is in order,

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Speaker 1: So let's talk about that. And we are going to

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Speaker 1: hear from MLB network president Rob mclary coming up in

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Speaker 1: just a few minutes. But you know, one of the

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Speaker 1: things that we are seeing is that slowly fans are

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Speaker 1: going to come back. They have not been in the

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Speaker 1: both and they're gonna come back later on in the

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Speaker 1: League Championship Series, I believe, and the World Series down

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Speaker 1: there in Texas and listen, great news to some extent.

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Speaker 1: I think it's going to be a real test of

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Speaker 1: testing and and all the different things that you have

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Speaker 1: to do to get any large group of people together.

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Speaker 1: Right now, Michael Barr, Oh, yes, I'm sure there's gonna

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Speaker 1: be social distancing. The seats are going to be spaced out. Uh.

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Speaker 1: The key though, is that the World Series is in Arlington, Texas,

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Speaker 1: where it is allowed where you can have something like this. Uh.

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Speaker 1: It's not allowed in the a l CS, uh in

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Speaker 1: California because of the COVID rules there, So you're not

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Speaker 1: going to see that happening, but you will see it

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Speaker 1: in the NLCS also. So the COVID rules are playing

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Speaker 1: in effect. But but hey, it's at least as some

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Speaker 1: semblance to having fans in the stands back in the day.

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Speaker 1: Up next on the show, we speak with MLB Network

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Speaker 1: President Rob Glary. That is straight ahead on Bloomberg Business

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Speaker 1: of Sports. You can follow me on Twitter at Big

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Speaker 1: Bar Sports, and Mike Lynch you can follow me at

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Speaker 1: Lynch w CVB and follow me Jason Kelly at Jason

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Speaker 1: Kelly News. We're here each and every week at this time.

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Speaker 1: Catch our Apple podcast on Monday's, Wednesdays and Thursdays. You're

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Speaker 1: listening to Bloomberg Business of Sports from Bloomberg Radio around

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Speaker 1: the world. Well, thanks so much for joining us. We're

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Speaker 1: here each and every week few at the same time

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Speaker 1: talking to the biggest names in sports. I'm Jason Kelly

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Speaker 1: along with Mike Lynch and Michael Barr. Today we're so

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Speaker 1: excited to speak with MLB Network President Rob McClary. So, Rob,

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Speaker 1: we're taping this on Thursday morning, October one, and man, yesterday, Wednesday,

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Speaker 1: what a day for Major League Baseball? What a day

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Speaker 1: for baseball fans? Tell us how it felt. First of all, gentlemen,

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Speaker 1: thanks very much for having me looking forward to talking

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Speaker 1: to you. I'm a little dizzy. I'm I'm a little groggy.

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Speaker 1: It was a long joy day for for baseball fans,

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Speaker 1: starting at at high noon and ending uh late at night. Um,

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Speaker 1: you know, the Yankee fans had to stay up a

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Speaker 1: little late thanks to the weather in Cleveland and a

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Speaker 1: really exciting game. But I know, um in Secaucus where

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Speaker 1: our studios are, that the place was buzzing all day,

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Speaker 1: you know, in the morning with anticipation and then with

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Speaker 1: all the games, you know, people were just you know,

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Speaker 1: bouncing against the walls. And I will say, you know,

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Speaker 1: I dropped my daughter off at school today and uh,

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Speaker 1: even though the game was late, it seemed like, you know,

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Speaker 1: people in New York, we're buzzing with the results. So

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Speaker 1: a nice, uh fun way for for this kind of

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Speaker 1: very unique postseason to to get going. And you know,

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Speaker 1: there's five more games today, all of them elimination games,

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Speaker 1: and then um, you know there may be some more

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Speaker 1: baseball tomorrow. And congratulations to you because you were able

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Speaker 1: to get permission to sell about eleven thousand, five hundred

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Speaker 1: tickets to the World Series in Arlington, Texas. Yeah, I know,

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Speaker 1: MLB announced obviously they're going to follow all the government regulations,

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Speaker 1: but that there definitely seems to be um an appetite

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Speaker 1: for fans to watch in person. Um. You know, we've

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Speaker 1: all gotten very used to the cardboard cutouts. But I'm

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Speaker 1: sure there's going to be a lot of interest in

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Speaker 1: Texas for folks to watch, you know, at the LCS

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Speaker 1: level in the World series. Rob you launched the MLB

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Speaker 1: back in the two thousand nine, did you ever imagine

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Speaker 1: it would be where you are right now heading to

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Speaker 1: a new decade, with so much interest and so much

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Speaker 1: global interest, where all your tentacles have spread before only

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Speaker 1: network was launched. I actually worked in the League office.

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Speaker 1: I worked on the initial deal that led to the

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Speaker 1: carriage for Helbi Network, and you know that happened in

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Speaker 1: happen thousand five or six, you know, And for a

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Speaker 1: while the agreements were binders in my office, and that

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Speaker 1: was that was done with the network, you know. And

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Speaker 1: I anticipated the facility that we're in, the amount of

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Speaker 1: programming that that we do. Um, it's been quite a ride,

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Speaker 1: and uh, you know it's it's for me, you know,

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Speaker 1: to be part of it. It's been humbling, but a

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Speaker 1: lot of fun. We we've created a great culture. We're

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Speaker 1: incredibly proud of the product that we put out. You know,

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Speaker 1: this year has been a unique year, and you know,

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Speaker 1: one of the things that our place has been proud

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Speaker 1: of is sort of how how we do at the

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Speaker 1: sports Emmy's and um, you know, those are normally in

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Speaker 1: odd year and we won three Emmy's. The one that

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Speaker 1: uh the daily studio show for for us, that's sort

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Speaker 1: so many hours of of studio programming and when we

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Speaker 1: won I I you know, I sent out a note

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Speaker 1: to everybody and I just said, you know, these days,

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Speaker 1: it's nice to have some good news. Um, you don't

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Speaker 1: have a lot of days like you haven't had a

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Speaker 1: We've denominated every year with won seven years out of eleven.

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Speaker 1: and that you know, we'd be doing playoff games, you know,

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Speaker 1: for nine nine years. I honestly I didn't anticipate that. Well,

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Speaker 1: let's talk about that and what change that made that

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Speaker 1: all possible or what was going on in the broader

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Speaker 1: business and media and consumer landscape. Honestly, Rob, that sort

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Speaker 1: of made it possible to to get to to where

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Speaker 1: it is. And I'm sure we'll talk a little bit

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Speaker 1: more about the pandemic and this very unlikely and uh

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Speaker 1: topsy turv season, But what have you seen evolve or

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Speaker 1: change across the broader media landscape that has sort of

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Speaker 1: created this lane for you? Well, I mean the world

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Speaker 1: is a lot different now than when the network launched, Right,

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Speaker 1: it would probably, um, it would probably pretty difficult to

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Speaker 1: launch on the network today, now we have credibility and

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Speaker 1: the following. Um, you know, at the time, way back then,

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Speaker 1: you know, the idea was that you know, had an

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Speaker 1: out of market product, you know, extra innings that distributors

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Speaker 1: were interested in, and was there a way we could

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Speaker 1: sort of partner with them two you know, use that

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Speaker 1: to help us get launched with industry and and you know,

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Speaker 1: as with any cable network launched, there were there were

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Speaker 1: um i'll say bumps, uh you know, but we got

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Speaker 1: to a point with a partnership with the largest distributers

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Speaker 1: and it's worked out really well for everybody. Um. You know,

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Speaker 1: obviously we were, um, we're in less homes now than

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Speaker 1: we were a few years ago. But that's that's the

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Speaker 1: truth to all cable cable networks. Um, you know, and

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Speaker 1: we're working with you. One of the one of the

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Speaker 1: reasons why uh, you know, we we wanted to make

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Speaker 1: sure that the product is so good is to make

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Speaker 1: sure that we're we're you know, doing our partner partnerships

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Speaker 1: with its distributors. And I think we've done that. But yeah,

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Speaker 1: it's a it's a brave new world and you've got

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Speaker 1: new players out there. You know, we're we're carried on

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Speaker 1: a number of the virtual m v p d s,

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Speaker 1: you know, carried on sling, carried on YouTube TV. We

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Speaker 1: we were just launched on tubo. Um, you know, we

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Speaker 1: want to be wherever baseball ins are consuming content. Did

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Speaker 1: you ever think, and I'm here comes old geezer bar again,

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Speaker 1: when you had to watch Wide World of Sports to

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Speaker 1: get uh, the cacophony of your news whatever way before ESPN,

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Speaker 1: that's how you got the variation of sports. Today, you

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Speaker 1: have obviously your network, the channels specifically for baseball and

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Speaker 1: other networks as well. I just never dreamed that there

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Speaker 1: would be a day like this. I was a kid,

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Speaker 1: I watched you know, the Wild World of Sports. What

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Speaker 1: was it, the thrill of victory, the agony of the

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Speaker 1: seat and they showed the skier like falling down the hill. Um. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: it is quite a quite a different time, you know.

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Speaker 1: I remember, you know, on a Saturday, trying to watch

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Speaker 1: Wild World Sports and they'd be teasing the Harlem Globe

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Speaker 1: carters or trotters are coming up and like when's that

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Speaker 1: going to happen? And you know, and you'd be looking

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Speaker 1: for like two minutes of the piece of content you want,

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Speaker 1: whereas with us. It's your baseball fan, you know, you

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Speaker 1: can sit on us. And I think you know, I

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Speaker 1: think fans and viewers are are more sophisticated now, you know,

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Speaker 1: they they want uh deeper analysis. You know, I think

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Speaker 1: way back then the wild world sports, you kind of

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Speaker 1: got a little sampling here and there. Um. I think fans,

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Speaker 1: you know, they want to know what what is a

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Speaker 1: hit or what is the picture? Thinking about? You know,

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Speaker 1: how did how did that happen? Um? And I think

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Speaker 1: you know when they come down the network that they

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Speaker 1: know they're going to get that. You know, I'm I'm

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Speaker 1: sitting here watching uh, you know, our morning show and

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Speaker 1: I will be Central and Mark the Rosa you know,

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Speaker 1: stays up late late and every night trying to think of,

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Speaker 1: you know, what breakdown can I do the next morning

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Speaker 1: to to show fans like what you know, a twelve

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Speaker 1: year and we'll be veterans thinking about Oh and by

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Speaker 1: the way, you know, let let me do it with

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Speaker 1: a little bit of fun. So yeah, it's a I

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Speaker 1: mean it's a very different world. Um. You know, I

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Speaker 1: think we are um providing you know, information and content

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Speaker 1: and entertainment to people who you know, fans, they expect

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Speaker 1: more now, Rob. But we all know that the biggest

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Speaker 1: challenge for Major League Baseball is attracting and keeping younger viewers. Uh.

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Speaker 1: The several efforts that they're trying to do on the field,

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Speaker 1: what about as far as your broadcast is concerned to

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Speaker 1: attract and keep younger viewers. Well, I mean I'd said

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Speaker 1: that a number of different things, uh, that we're doing, UM,

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Speaker 1: you know, one when I will be launched their playball program,

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Speaker 1: um Playball initiative. We we launched, you know, a companion show,

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Speaker 1: a weekly kids show. You know, one of the one

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Speaker 1: of the things that UM, when I would talk to people,

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Speaker 1: you know about different programming ideas that came up time

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Speaker 1: and time again, you should have a show targeted towards kids.

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Speaker 1: So we've been doing that, um, you know for five

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Speaker 1: plus years. UM. It's it's a weekly show. And you

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Speaker 1: know the fun thing about it is, UM, when you

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Speaker 1: when we reach out to players and tell them that

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Speaker 1: it's a show that's that's geared towards kids, the responsive

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Speaker 1: players to sort of be involved and give their time

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Speaker 1: has been overwhelmingly positive. Um. You know. The other thing is,

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Speaker 1: you know, we sort of in this world of obviously

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Speaker 1: not everyone is watching, um simply when when your TV.

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Speaker 1: So we developed a U a social media program that

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Speaker 1: we called sand lot to the show. So we reached

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Speaker 1: out to fans said, you know, show us, you know,

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Speaker 1: film yourself if you're a kid or um you're a

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Speaker 1: softball player, baseball player, and we'll break it down on

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Speaker 1: the network. Um, you know, as if we're breaking down

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Speaker 1: you know for for nano tattoos and uh, you know,

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Speaker 1: it's it's been fun programming because our our former players

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Speaker 1: loves sort of seeing kids and and interacting with what

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Speaker 1: they're you know, what they're trying to do kids obviously,

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Speaker 1: you know, and their parents, by the way, and their

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Speaker 1: grandparents love you know, seeing them get analyzed by you know,

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Speaker 1: Hall of famers like John Smolten and Paper Martinez. We

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Speaker 1: did win a Sports on Me for that program. So

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Speaker 1: those are just a couple of things that that we're doing.

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Speaker 1: You know. The league obviously has has a number of

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Speaker 1: outreach that it's doing, you know, and we've tried to

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Speaker 1: support it. So let's talk a little bit more about that,

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Speaker 1: rob because we've talked about it on this program a lot,

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Speaker 1: and we've talked to players, uh not the least of

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Speaker 1: which is Trevor Bauer, who I think, uh we could

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Speaker 1: all agree does not lack personality and does not lack

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Speaker 1: um some some takes on things, but it does feel

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Speaker 1: like baseball has been And I say this is a

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Speaker 1: longtime baseball fan, and speak of Trevor Bauer, I was,

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Speaker 1: even though I really like him, I was happy to

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Speaker 1: see the Braves ultimately prevail yesterday in that very long

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Speaker 1: offense list game. But you know, I do think about

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Speaker 1: the idea that baseball is a little bit more for

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Speaker 1: lack of better term, sort of conservative, especially when you

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Speaker 1: put it against say the NBA, where the players have

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Speaker 1: really embraced a lot of these more candidly forward thinking

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Speaker 1: and fan forward and fan engagement type initiatives. Why do

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Speaker 1: you think that is and how do you going beyond

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Speaker 1: some of the things you've talked about continue to sort

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Speaker 1: of use the media landscape to to change that and

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Speaker 1: give these guys an opportunity. Well, so, it's interesting with

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Speaker 1: the pandemic, there have been there's a lot of things

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Speaker 1: that haven't been good, and that's quite the understatement, but

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Speaker 1: it has provided opportunities for people to be open to

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Speaker 1: trying new things. Right, So in baseball, this year, we

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Speaker 1: have seven inning doubleheaders, we have the runner starting on

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Speaker 1: second base, UM in extra endings, we have the universal

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Speaker 1: d H. Those were those were implemented this year because

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Speaker 1: of the pandemic. But I think one of the things

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Speaker 1: that happened is some of those things were considered to

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Speaker 1: some tradition list like oh my gosh, you're you're ruining

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Speaker 1: the game. And you know, now, what you have is

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Speaker 1: a lot of people like, you know what, that's not

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Speaker 1: so bad, and maybe it's even better than not so bad.

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Speaker 1: Maybe maybe it's you know, maybe I like it. Like

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Speaker 1: you know, we we do a um we have a

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Speaker 1: show focused on you know, analytics called on me Now,

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Speaker 1: and you know a lot of those until we have

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Speaker 1: a mix of foreign players, insiders. Um our host is

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Speaker 1: very analytically uh inclined, and he you know, recently just

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Speaker 1: had a couple of guys and they did a poll

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Speaker 1: on those changes, and most of them people were liked

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Speaker 1: so much that they would want to keep them. Now,

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Speaker 1: there's always gonna be some some folks that are traditionalists,

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Speaker 1: and like, no, I like the difference in the leagues

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Speaker 1: between the d H and the not d H. But

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Speaker 1: I think the larger you know, message that hopefully you know, uh,

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Speaker 1: everyone fans players UM actually will take. Is it's okay

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Speaker 1: to try change. You know, even if you know those

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Speaker 1: three particular changes aren't UM the ones that you like.

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Speaker 1: I don't think anyone is going to suggest the things

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Speaker 1: that have happened this year, you know, ruined the game,

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Speaker 1: and I think a lot of people would say that

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Speaker 1: they enhanced the game. You know, we're we just we

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Speaker 1: started this conversation talking about UM, you know, the the

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Speaker 1: incredible day postseason baseball yesterday. So you know, another big

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Speaker 1: change with changing the playoff format UM, I think you know,

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Speaker 1: I think the commissioner has said that maybe sixteen games

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Speaker 1: isn't necessarily the way to go in the future, but

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Speaker 1: that you know, he's very open to UM changing, you know,

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Speaker 1: expanding the playoffs from the ten games ten teams that

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Speaker 1: would have gotten in if we hadn't had these changes.

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Speaker 1: And you know, I think the excitement that you saw, yes,

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Speaker 1: they shows that that you know a lot of people

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Speaker 1: might agree. You know, there's different ways you can do it.

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Speaker 1: You know, one of the proposals UM that was out

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Speaker 1: there was instead of sixteen teams, you know, you would

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Speaker 1: do fourteen teams and in the top two teams in

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Speaker 1: the league would have a buy and you'd have a

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Speaker 1: selection show with UM teams picking who they play. You know,

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Speaker 1: as a as an executive at a at A at

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Speaker 1: a television network, I love that idea. I will tell

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Speaker 1: you that the first I will sell you. The first

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Speaker 1: time it was broached to me, I was like, that's

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Speaker 1: that's that's that's interesting. So what when MLB asked us

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Speaker 1: to do when they were sort of thinking about it

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Speaker 1: and they were discussing the ownership, They're like, hey, could

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Speaker 1: you guys do a mock show? And so, you know,

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Speaker 1: we had that discourageon and Howard Reynolds, John Small's law

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Speaker 1: Lawrence Shahati. We used UM the standings from the end

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Speaker 1: of two thousand nineteen and we just went through it

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Speaker 1: and and as we sort of you know, produced the

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Speaker 1: quote unquote show, everyone was like, wow, this it's pretty cool.

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Speaker 1: And I think it was an example of you know,

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Speaker 1: when someone just does you know, a slide show, and like,

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Speaker 1: here's the idea, it's hard to sort of imagine it

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Speaker 1: to life. But when we produced the show, you know,

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Speaker 1: the people that saw that mock were you know, really

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Speaker 1: they're like, I didn't I was skeptical of the idea,

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Speaker 1: but now that I see what it would be like,

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Speaker 1: you know, I think I think I'm okay with it,

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Speaker 1: and it would you know, and add just another element

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Speaker 1: to the postseason. And you know, you have all these

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Speaker 1: young analytically inclined gm you know, I can see them

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Speaker 1: in their war rooms like, all right, who should you know?

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Speaker 1: Which team should we pick? You know, these guys were

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Speaker 1: while they have a great record, they were you know,

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Speaker 1: they don't match up well with us, or they weren't

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Speaker 1: doing well down the stretch. It's just yet another thing

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Speaker 1: um for fans talk about. And you know, as someone

428
00:23:50,359 --> 00:23:54,840
Speaker 1: that programs a network, uh that's focused on baseball, anytime

429
00:23:54,880 --> 00:23:57,000
Speaker 1: you have something to talk about, work work for it.

430
00:23:58,240 --> 00:24:01,119
Speaker 1: I gotta bring up some of the cool nuggets that

431
00:24:01,160 --> 00:24:04,560
Speaker 1: you guys have and in about the technology and during

432
00:24:04,600 --> 00:24:08,360
Speaker 1: the playoff games, you guys have what's called the speed

433
00:24:08,440 --> 00:24:11,879
Speaker 1: camp and it's it's set up where there's a track

434
00:24:11,960 --> 00:24:15,520
Speaker 1: on top of the dugout and you're following the player

435
00:24:15,760 --> 00:24:18,639
Speaker 1: heading the first base. I love that thing, and you

436
00:24:18,720 --> 00:24:22,040
Speaker 1: can you talk more about that? Yeah? Well, again that's

437
00:24:22,080 --> 00:24:26,000
Speaker 1: another example of you know, trying to look at the

438
00:24:26,119 --> 00:24:28,760
Speaker 1: landscape in in the pandemic and saying, okay, we can't

439
00:24:28,760 --> 00:24:31,200
Speaker 1: do certain things, but but what what can we do?

440
00:24:31,359 --> 00:24:35,320
Speaker 1: So that camera was something that we've talked about doing

441
00:24:35,359 --> 00:24:39,480
Speaker 1: for quite some time, but because it runs across the dugout,

442
00:24:39,880 --> 00:24:41,800
Speaker 1: there have been a couple of times where when we

443
00:24:41,880 --> 00:24:44,480
Speaker 1: proposed at the clubs, they're like, you know, it might

444
00:24:44,480 --> 00:24:46,400
Speaker 1: get in the way of the fans or things like that.

445
00:24:46,960 --> 00:24:50,240
Speaker 1: So we we've been pitching it. We actually did it

446
00:24:50,359 --> 00:24:56,480
Speaker 1: in a college game UM this winter between UH Vanderbilt

447
00:24:56,480 --> 00:24:58,280
Speaker 1: in Michigan, so we had it, we had a kind

448
00:24:58,280 --> 00:25:01,560
Speaker 1: of test, and then the years since there weren't any fans,

449
00:25:02,119 --> 00:25:06,000
Speaker 1: we went back to MLB and they approved it for

450
00:25:06,560 --> 00:25:09,520
Speaker 1: a game that we did in Anaheimer earlier this year, UM,

451
00:25:09,640 --> 00:25:12,239
Speaker 1: and we're gonna do it and in Houston, you know,

452
00:25:12,320 --> 00:25:15,320
Speaker 1: for one of the playoff games are doing. So you know,

453
00:25:15,359 --> 00:25:18,840
Speaker 1: there have been as I said, obviously, no one no

454
00:25:18,880 --> 00:25:22,560
Speaker 1: one was if we everyone would prefer not to have

455
00:25:22,600 --> 00:25:25,280
Speaker 1: the pandemic, but and everyone would prefer to have you know,

456
00:25:25,400 --> 00:25:29,960
Speaker 1: fans in in um in the stands. But but then

457
00:25:30,200 --> 00:25:32,280
Speaker 1: you know, you sort of deal with the hand that

458
00:25:32,320 --> 00:25:34,080
Speaker 1: you're that your dealt and you try to make the

459
00:25:34,080 --> 00:25:36,920
Speaker 1: best of it, you know that That's that's one example

460
00:25:37,240 --> 00:25:40,960
Speaker 1: you know that this year when we produced our UM

461
00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:45,119
Speaker 1: our showcase games, you know, we like everyone else, you know,

462
00:25:45,200 --> 00:25:48,040
Speaker 1: did them from the studio in so Caucus and UM

463
00:25:48,359 --> 00:25:51,520
Speaker 1: two of our on air talent, how Reynolds and Greg Amsinger,

464
00:25:51,920 --> 00:25:54,280
Speaker 1: who hosts and will be tonight for us, had been

465
00:25:54,359 --> 00:25:56,359
Speaker 1: on me for years saying, you know, can we do

466
00:25:56,400 --> 00:26:00,199
Speaker 1: a game, UM, but do it? Like like we well,

467
00:26:00,359 --> 00:26:02,719
Speaker 1: me tonight, so we'll we will show the game, but like,

468
00:26:02,800 --> 00:26:05,040
Speaker 1: if there's something else going on in another game, let

469
00:26:05,080 --> 00:26:07,280
Speaker 1: us jump in, let us do it. And so this

470
00:26:07,359 --> 00:26:09,560
Speaker 1: year I was like, we're producing the games that you

471
00:26:09,600 --> 00:26:11,399
Speaker 1: know from a studio anywhere, we might as well let

472
00:26:11,400 --> 00:26:14,040
Speaker 1: them do it. And uh we did two games like

473
00:26:14,080 --> 00:26:16,800
Speaker 1: that and they had an absolute blast, you know, and

474
00:26:16,880 --> 00:26:20,600
Speaker 1: they they still follow the main game, but they were

475
00:26:20,640 --> 00:26:22,280
Speaker 1: able to do all the things that we do and

476
00:26:22,440 --> 00:26:24,679
Speaker 1: l ME tonight, jumping in and out of other games,

477
00:26:25,000 --> 00:26:29,680
Speaker 1: providing updates, doing demonstrations UM that that they are inspired

478
00:26:29,720 --> 00:26:32,040
Speaker 1: by the games. So honestly, I think that's something that

479
00:26:32,119 --> 00:26:35,960
Speaker 1: you know, even if we go back to UM, I'll

480
00:26:35,960 --> 00:26:38,800
Speaker 1: call it a more normal environment. Uh. You know that

481
00:26:38,800 --> 00:26:42,480
Speaker 1: that I'll I'll pursue doing again. So you know, again

482
00:26:42,720 --> 00:26:46,120
Speaker 1: you try to try to look at what's out there

483
00:26:46,240 --> 00:26:51,120
Speaker 1: and and UM and do do do new things UM

484
00:26:51,520 --> 00:26:55,760
Speaker 1: where you can rob. Everyone's talking about cord cutting these

485
00:26:55,840 --> 00:26:59,240
Speaker 1: days is your biggest challenge to remain relevant and necessary

486
00:26:59,320 --> 00:27:04,480
Speaker 1: to viewers. Well what what what I'd say about cord

487
00:27:04,560 --> 00:27:07,520
Speaker 1: cutting is you know, the one thing that everyone UM

488
00:27:07,720 --> 00:27:11,879
Speaker 1: says is that the the the things that people still

489
00:27:11,920 --> 00:27:16,120
Speaker 1: watch live our sports and news and you know, so

490
00:27:16,240 --> 00:27:19,360
Speaker 1: I think there's going to be UM and I don't

491
00:27:19,359 --> 00:27:24,240
Speaker 1: think that's going to change. So obviously, you know, people's

492
00:27:24,320 --> 00:27:26,680
Speaker 1: behaviors are changing a little bit. But I think sports

493
00:27:26,680 --> 00:27:32,760
Speaker 1: and news UM are well positioned to uh to you know,

494
00:27:32,840 --> 00:27:36,159
Speaker 1: evolve in this environment. And like I said, you know,

495
00:27:36,400 --> 00:27:39,240
Speaker 1: we were we just got launched on Pubo. We we've

496
00:27:39,560 --> 00:27:42,080
Speaker 1: kind of good relationship with YouTube TV, We're on some

497
00:27:42,160 --> 00:27:45,720
Speaker 1: of the other virtuals, so you know, we're we're very

498
00:27:45,800 --> 00:27:50,080
Speaker 1: much aware of of UM the changing landscape. You know.

499
00:27:50,119 --> 00:27:53,480
Speaker 1: The other thing is being a Lego network. You know,

500
00:27:53,520 --> 00:27:56,560
Speaker 1: we can pivot, you know, and MLB did a m

501
00:27:57,600 --> 00:28:00,480
Speaker 1: you know, a deal with YouTube to provide YouTube with

502
00:28:00,480 --> 00:28:03,840
Speaker 1: a certain number of exclusive games. YouTube not in a

503
00:28:04,080 --> 00:28:07,480
Speaker 1: in a position to produce those games themselves. So with

504
00:28:07,840 --> 00:28:10,639
Speaker 1: MLLB and we'll be network and end up producing those games.

505
00:28:11,080 --> 00:28:16,520
Speaker 1: So I think, you know, we're all gonna be smart

506
00:28:16,520 --> 00:28:19,040
Speaker 1: about how we pivot and how we evolve. We really

507
00:28:19,080 --> 00:28:21,280
Speaker 1: enjoyed spending some time with you. Thank you so much

508
00:28:21,320 --> 00:28:24,239
Speaker 1: for giving us some time amid the playoffs. We know

509
00:28:24,320 --> 00:28:26,520
Speaker 1: there's a lot more baseball to come, and I think

510
00:28:26,520 --> 00:28:28,879
Speaker 1: I speak for all of us as fans when I

511
00:28:28,960 --> 00:28:31,480
Speaker 1: say we're happy to have it, eager to get back

512
00:28:31,480 --> 00:28:34,400
Speaker 1: out to the ballpark, but in the meantime, really enjoying

513
00:28:34,680 --> 00:28:38,240
Speaker 1: all of your programming and relying on it even more

514
00:28:38,440 --> 00:28:41,920
Speaker 1: than usual. Ron McClary, MLB Network President, thank you so much.

515
00:28:43,080 --> 00:28:46,320
Speaker 1: Thanks for having me guys enjoy the playoffs. Alright, you too.

516
00:28:46,560 --> 00:28:51,400
Speaker 1: Thanks all right, guys, So a lot of baseball on

517
00:28:51,520 --> 00:28:54,160
Speaker 1: television right now. I love what he was talking about.

518
00:28:54,240 --> 00:28:56,600
Speaker 1: Really at the beginning of the interview. There was a

519
00:28:56,600 --> 00:28:59,080
Speaker 1: lot of baseball on this week. You know that opening

520
00:28:59,160 --> 00:29:02,960
Speaker 1: day went from noon to let's just say, well past

521
00:29:03,040 --> 00:29:06,200
Speaker 1: my bedtime and some good baseball and it's a good

522
00:29:06,200 --> 00:29:08,640
Speaker 1: product that they put on the field. And we've talked

523
00:29:08,640 --> 00:29:11,600
Speaker 1: about this on the show before Lynchy, I did not

524
00:29:12,120 --> 00:29:15,600
Speaker 1: fully anticipate we would actually be here watching high quality

525
00:29:15,640 --> 00:29:19,320
Speaker 1: playoff baseball. No, because the way this thing started with

526
00:29:19,440 --> 00:29:22,280
Speaker 1: the Miami Marlins and when they were down in Philadelphia,

527
00:29:22,360 --> 00:29:24,480
Speaker 1: we said, oh, this is just a tip of the iceberg.

528
00:29:24,560 --> 00:29:26,640
Speaker 1: But you know, hats off to the players of Major

529
00:29:26,720 --> 00:29:28,880
Speaker 1: League Baseball and all the people who sent out the

530
00:29:28,920 --> 00:29:33,200
Speaker 1: word behave and socially be socially distant and otherwise we're

531
00:29:33,200 --> 00:29:35,280
Speaker 1: gonna blow up this whole season. So here we are

532
00:29:35,280 --> 00:29:38,360
Speaker 1: in the postseason. I like the sixteen teams. This is

533
00:29:38,360 --> 00:29:42,000
Speaker 1: an unusual year. Why not get more participation. And there's

534
00:29:42,040 --> 00:29:44,480
Speaker 1: been some great drama. I mean, they're competing against the

535
00:29:44,560 --> 00:29:47,520
Speaker 1: NBA Finals right now, and and and this is something

536
00:29:47,560 --> 00:29:50,400
Speaker 1: they never had to do before. And I found myself

537
00:29:50,640 --> 00:29:52,400
Speaker 1: hanging in there because I'm a big baseball fan and

538
00:29:52,400 --> 00:29:54,520
Speaker 1: I love it. Well, Bar, there's a heck of a

539
00:29:54,560 --> 00:29:58,760
Speaker 1: lot of baseball that's on right now, a lot of content.

540
00:29:58,840 --> 00:30:01,440
Speaker 1: As you pointed out, we are well past the world

541
00:30:01,480 --> 00:30:04,400
Speaker 1: of wide world of sports. So how do you sort

542
00:30:04,400 --> 00:30:08,200
Speaker 1: of fitted into your kind of media consumption as a fan?

543
00:30:08,720 --> 00:30:13,080
Speaker 1: I love it. I remember see about ten fifteen years

544
00:30:13,080 --> 00:30:16,200
Speaker 1: ago I came up with this idea, obviously well before

545
00:30:16,240 --> 00:30:20,479
Speaker 1: the COVID era, about a rule change for baseball because

546
00:30:20,560 --> 00:30:24,080
Speaker 1: football was was doing the challenge and everything. I said,

547
00:30:24,360 --> 00:30:29,280
Speaker 1: what if the American League or the National League, whoever

548
00:30:29,360 --> 00:30:32,960
Speaker 1: won the All Star Game, you'd get an extra out

549
00:30:33,400 --> 00:30:38,400
Speaker 1: to use anywhere you wanted in the World Series. And

550
00:30:38,640 --> 00:30:41,120
Speaker 1: of course you know they're like, shut up, old man,

551
00:30:41,480 --> 00:30:43,280
Speaker 1: take you Jerry Tall and get get in the corner

552
00:30:43,320 --> 00:30:46,520
Speaker 1: over there. Okay, that was a stupid idea, but you

553
00:30:46,560 --> 00:30:49,080
Speaker 1: can see what was happening now now you got the

554
00:30:49,160 --> 00:30:54,280
Speaker 1: runner on second base. Uh, you have seven inning doubleheaders.

555
00:30:55,120 --> 00:30:58,680
Speaker 1: The things evolved, and I know the old timers are like,

556
00:30:58,720 --> 00:31:00,840
Speaker 1: now you keep the game to weigh up? Was well,

557
00:31:00,880 --> 00:31:04,360
Speaker 1: you know, it's things evolved. I like, yeah. And I

558
00:31:04,400 --> 00:31:08,000
Speaker 1: liked the fact that they are not wasting the crisis

559
00:31:08,040 --> 00:31:11,280
Speaker 1: as it were, and maybe trying some things that, as

560
00:31:11,280 --> 00:31:13,760
Speaker 1: you say, the traditionalist might not be as into. So

561
00:31:13,800 --> 00:31:16,560
Speaker 1: it was interesting to hear him break that down. Listen,

562
00:31:16,640 --> 00:31:19,360
Speaker 1: I'm gonna say it. Baseball has to do it. They're

563
00:31:19,400 --> 00:31:22,320
Speaker 1: losing fans, they are losing young fans, they are losing

564
00:31:22,360 --> 00:31:26,000
Speaker 1: young fans to the NBA, and to some extent, football.

565
00:31:26,080 --> 00:31:28,920
Speaker 1: But also, and we've talked about this on this program before,

566
00:31:29,240 --> 00:31:32,800
Speaker 1: to lacrosse and other things e sports even you know,

567
00:31:32,800 --> 00:31:35,240
Speaker 1: we had that great conversation earlier in the week with

568
00:31:35,320 --> 00:31:38,000
Speaker 1: Ken Hirsch talking about the rise of the sports. So

569
00:31:38,240 --> 00:31:40,880
Speaker 1: they've got to do something. And if you're a content

570
00:31:41,000 --> 00:31:43,440
Speaker 1: guy like Rob McClary is, like all of us are,

571
00:31:43,840 --> 00:31:46,680
Speaker 1: you've got to be thinking about the ultimate product on

572
00:31:47,320 --> 00:31:53,360
Speaker 1: the screen, whatever screen that maybe it feels better to

573
00:31:53,400 --> 00:31:55,640
Speaker 1: be a number one than number five. A number because

574
00:31:55,640 --> 00:31:57,160
Speaker 1: of Mike, we have a chance to go for three

575
00:31:57,200 --> 00:31:58,720
Speaker 1: in a row. Be good. Numbers are a good time.

576
00:31:58,720 --> 00:32:00,840
Speaker 1: When I first started wearing them, Homberg, I would just

577
00:32:00,880 --> 00:32:04,480
Speaker 1: have the improve Floomberg business of sports. The number of

578
00:32:04,520 --> 00:32:07,720
Speaker 1: the week. All right, it is that time, No boy,

579
00:32:07,840 --> 00:32:12,440
Speaker 1: here we go, here we go for the number of

580
00:32:12,440 --> 00:32:17,240
Speaker 1: the week. Play along in the home, everybody, gentlemen, Lebron

581
00:32:17,360 --> 00:32:22,040
Speaker 1: James King, James, he has bought a Newcastle the Laker

582
00:32:22,120 --> 00:32:27,440
Speaker 1: star he is uh just bought a Mediterranean style compound

583
00:32:27,560 --> 00:32:31,280
Speaker 1: in Beverly Hills, according to the Times, l A Times.

584
00:32:31,840 --> 00:32:40,840
Speaker 1: The question, gentlemen, how much did he pay for that match? Um?

585
00:32:40,880 --> 00:32:42,720
Speaker 1: This is the place in Beverly Hills, right, this is

586
00:32:42,960 --> 00:32:48,920
Speaker 1: Beverly Hills. That's where I want to be. Um swimming pool,

587
00:32:49,640 --> 00:33:00,080
Speaker 1: I'm gonna go thirty million. I have the Apendon is

588
00:33:00,280 --> 00:33:04,200
Speaker 1: going second here, so I could I'm gonna go. I'm

589
00:33:04,200 --> 00:33:07,640
Speaker 1: gonna I'm gonna leap frog right over this thirty five million.

590
00:33:09,000 --> 00:33:11,680
Speaker 1: How Lynch, you were on a roll? Man Lynch is

591
00:33:11,720 --> 00:33:14,440
Speaker 1: so good at that. It's a pay thirty six point

592
00:33:14,520 --> 00:33:23,920
Speaker 1: seventy five million dollarge. I didn't go over so like man,

593
00:33:24,200 --> 00:33:26,640
Speaker 1: it's it has put some CBD on that hip Lynch

594
00:33:26,760 --> 00:33:38,320
Speaker 1: and run down like Amos McCoy. Here he comes about

595
00:33:38,640 --> 00:33:41,520
Speaker 1: loot the music again, folks, easy, he'll be here. It's

596
00:33:41,560 --> 00:33:46,320
Speaker 1: two points on two point five acres. Uh and uh

597
00:33:46,480 --> 00:33:51,960
Speaker 1: hey he's I think what is what square feet? So yeah,

598
00:33:52,320 --> 00:33:55,560
Speaker 1: he's doing well well, he's doing well in the playoffs

599
00:33:55,560 --> 00:33:57,000
Speaker 1: so far. I mean, obviously we're taking this on the

600
00:33:57,000 --> 00:33:58,880
Speaker 1: Thursday week. Got game one under our belt. By the

601
00:33:58,880 --> 00:34:01,760
Speaker 1: time some of you listen to this, Uh could be

602
00:34:01,840 --> 00:34:05,760
Speaker 1: tied one one one with the heat. But the way

603
00:34:05,800 --> 00:34:09,440
Speaker 1: the Lakers played h in Game one. And what's interesting,

604
00:34:09,960 --> 00:34:13,880
Speaker 1: just speaking of Lebron James, is he has not usually

605
00:34:13,960 --> 00:34:17,760
Speaker 1: had a very good go of it. In Game one

606
00:34:18,040 --> 00:34:22,200
Speaker 1: of the finals. So this was a surprisingly easy run.

607
00:34:22,280 --> 00:34:24,719
Speaker 1: You had some injuries. Now that the Heat are going

608
00:34:24,760 --> 00:34:27,840
Speaker 1: to have to deal with. I have seen very few

609
00:34:27,880 --> 00:34:32,040
Speaker 1: people predict a Heat win in the finals. But listen,

610
00:34:32,480 --> 00:34:35,279
Speaker 1: it's an upside down the year. But just like he

611
00:34:35,360 --> 00:34:37,840
Speaker 1: locked in on that real estate, the King has locked

612
00:34:37,840 --> 00:34:42,120
Speaker 1: in guys big time. And Anthony Davis, there's no answer

613
00:34:42,120 --> 00:34:44,920
Speaker 1: for him for the Miami Heat, There's no answer. Yeah,

614
00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:47,440
Speaker 1: it's funny. It's funny you say that, Lynch, because when

615
00:34:47,480 --> 00:34:50,200
Speaker 1: I was watching the game, Uh, there was a there

616
00:34:50,280 --> 00:34:54,120
Speaker 1: was a moment in game one where Davis like Mr

617
00:34:54,280 --> 00:34:57,759
Speaker 1: Shot got his got a rebound, got his own rebound,

618
00:34:57,760 --> 00:35:00,279
Speaker 1: put it back up, missed it, got it again, and

619
00:35:00,360 --> 00:35:04,200
Speaker 1: the commentators basically like, he's just he's kind of bigger

620
00:35:04,239 --> 00:35:08,200
Speaker 1: and better than those other guys. It's just true. And he,

621
00:35:08,320 --> 00:35:11,640
Speaker 1: I mean, he is putting on some record setting performances.

622
00:35:11,840 --> 00:35:15,319
Speaker 1: It's this first playoffs, first finals, I should say so. Um,

623
00:35:15,600 --> 00:35:17,960
Speaker 1: any case, we'll see how that goes. Good number of

624
00:35:18,000 --> 00:35:20,600
Speaker 1: the week there, bar I like it. Oh one, I

625
00:35:20,640 --> 00:35:22,759
Speaker 1: gotta add one quick note before we wrap this up.

626
00:35:23,040 --> 00:35:26,600
Speaker 1: By the way, it was used to be owned by

627
00:35:26,840 --> 00:35:29,960
Speaker 1: Lee Philip Bell. He was the talk show host and

628
00:35:30,239 --> 00:35:33,440
Speaker 1: he was the co creator of The Young and the Restless.

629
00:35:34,440 --> 00:35:37,640
Speaker 1: There you go, There you go, Lebron James I think

630
00:35:37,680 --> 00:35:42,520
Speaker 1: would fall into the youngish and determined. So we'll see

631
00:35:42,520 --> 00:35:44,279
Speaker 1: how it goes through the rest of the finals. All right,

632
00:35:44,280 --> 00:35:46,560
Speaker 1: you've been listening to Bloomberg Business of Sports. We're here

633
00:35:46,560 --> 00:35:49,000
Speaker 1: each and every week at the same time, plus online

634
00:35:49,040 --> 00:35:51,120
Speaker 1: wherever you get your podcast. You can catch those Mondays,

635
00:35:51,120 --> 00:35:54,400
Speaker 1: Wednesdays and Thursdays. I'm Jason Kelly. Find me on Twitter

636
00:35:54,480 --> 00:35:58,000
Speaker 1: at Jason Kelly News and I'm Mike Lynch, wonder of

637
00:35:58,080 --> 00:35:59,640
Speaker 1: the Number of the Week and very proud of that.

638
00:35:59,680 --> 00:36:02,360
Speaker 1: By the you can follow me at Lynch w CVB,

639
00:36:02,960 --> 00:36:05,200
Speaker 1: and I'm Michael Barr on Twitter. Going back to a

640
00:36:05,239 --> 00:36:07,920
Speaker 1: small RV at Big Bar. Sports is where you can

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00:36:07,960 --> 00:36:10,560
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