Open Thread: Talk about the game

It’s inevitable that on off-days we tend to shift the conversation to roster issues and other non-game ideas. Without a game to think about that night, we can take the time to stand back and reflect on how the team is doing, what’s going wrong, and what they can do to right it. Thankfully most thing are going well for the Yankees now. Yet the Joba debate rages on, and it was in full-force today. However, let’s get back to the game for a minute, even though there is none tonight.

Earlier this week Dave Pinto made some suggestions for FOX to improve their baseball coverage. Apparently ratings are down and FOX is looking for ways to change that. Pinto’s solution is an obvious one: talk about the game. We like to hear commentators talk about the player at bat, the pitcher who’s dealing, the current situation. Those are what make baseball interesting. That’s what will get viewers — or at least will turn off fewer of them. Who needs to hear endless prattling about PEDs yet again?

The big game of the week is not a soap box on which to pontificate about the state of the game, or the latest scandal, or anything else. That remains the province of studio shows, newspaper columns, and today, the internet. Talk about the game. Don’t spend an inning talking about steroids, with the pitches incidental to the discussion. Don’t interview a guest while a rally is underway. Leave that to Baseball Tonight and Ken Rosenthal’s columns. I don’t want to hear from the managers, I don’t want a special guest in the booth, I want the game covered. I want to know the pitch, the count, the result of the play.

I couldn’t possibly agree more with Pinto. Yet I realize that not everyone is going to feel the same way. Maybe some people do get their rocks off hearing about the latest scandal. Maybe some people would rather hear Buck and McCarver excoriate Alex Rodriguez for his moral shortcomings.

We’ll use this topic to kick off the open thread for the evening. Of course, it will move to other topics, and I have this feelings that Joba’s role will be one of them. Just call it a hunch. As always, any and all are welcome as you’re willing to speak civilly. So have at it.

Notes: From PeteAbe: Melky will travel with the team to Cleveland but will in all likelihood not play. Posada will be activated tomorrow for sure. No word on who will be removed from the roster, though it’s certainly going to be among Cash, Cervelli, and Berroa. Nady went 2 for 5 with a homer in extended spring training.