Silence is golden

A nice idea from Paul over at Nice Guys Finish Third - silence during a baseball game. OK, so those who watch the Expos are used to that, but for the fans of other teams, it could be an interesting experience. Paul has this to say about the virtues of silence:

One of the things I love most about watching [English soccer club] Arsenal on TV is that the English sports announcers know when to shut up - there's usually one guy doing the broadcast, both play-by-play and color, and he doesn't fill every single minute of air time with words. US sports could benefit from the same treatment - let people appreciate the game as they see it, not as an announcer wants them to see it. If nothing else, it would force people to focus more on the game, and that can only be a good thing - there's nothing like having to focus on the game to make yourself learn more about it and how it's played.

I couldn't agree more. A couple of weeks ago I watched a Tigers / Indians game on MLB.com, and there was obviously some technical problem with the broadcast, because all they were showing was a camera view from behind home-plate - there were no fancy camera-angles, no instant replays, and there wasn't even the now-standard graphic showing the inning, men on base, number of outs and ball / strike count. I have to admit that I was a little lost to begin with, but after a while I really started concentrating on what was happening on the field, just as I do when I go to watch my ballclub play.

I don't think that this type of pared-down broadcast would catch on in an age where we're used to seeing every play five times and from every possible angle, but it's nice now and again to get back to basics and just concentrate on each play as it happens. I should get in touch with Paul so that we can talk about marketing the concept:

Nice Guys Finish Third and The Baseball Desert bring you:

"Old-School: No Distractions...No Disturbances...Just Baseball"