YouTubeTV, the World Series and the Oklahoma Sooners

YouTubeTV, the World Series and the Oklahoma Sooners

I hate YouTubeTV. As a matter of fact I hate all paid TV. I have tried Directtv, Dish, cable and YouTubeTV. All have disappointed. I have had YouTubeTv for a while but their disputes and threatening to take off your favorite channels are wearing thin. They were going to take off Fox. I thought my other half was going to have a heart attack. They took off the MLB Network but I didn’t care since I was already subscribing to the MLB package – whose blackout policy is ridiculous. Now YouTubeTV has taken off the Disney channels meaning no ABC and no ESPN. The mega giants are fighting amongst themselves and reminds me of the old African saying about what happens to the grass when elephants fight. I don’t care about ABC since I can get it without YouTubeTV. I do care about ESPN – but only during college football season. I watch college football and their College Football Final is my go to show during my Sunday morning workout. If this dispute is not settled before next Saturday’s games, I will discontinue my service and go old school, listening to the games on SiriusXM radio.

It is Google vs Disney. Someone said that Google (which owns YouTubeTV) dictates what we want to see on the web and now they are trying to dictate what we see on TV. I don’t think either cares about the consumer. I really think that what is going on is that Disney wants ESPN to on its own monthly charge app. Disney would probably rather to have an ESPN pay for view package than to have their networks part of the smorgasbord offered by cable or internet TV. I think this is the rationale for their pricing policy to the providers. Disney has shelled out a lot of money to get sports content. 

But I am not a pro football fan. I am a baseball fan. I know I am in the minority. I watched game three of the World Series between Toronto and the Dodgers rather than the Monday night football game between Kansas City and Washington. I was somewhat amazed that the meaningless football game absolutely crushed the World Series game 17.6 million viewers to 11.4 million. Last year when the Dodgers played the Yankees, their World Series game just edged the Monday Night football game 13.6 million to 13.4 million. Obviously the Yankees would draw more viewers than Toronto, although I suspect that the Canadian and Japanese ratings are off the charts.

It’s a shame because this was the most entertaining World Series in memory. Much has been written about the Dodger’s payroll resulting in their having to pay a $500 million luxury tax. But consider that the $100 million that they paid to bolster their bullpen was irrelevant in the series because none of those pitchers actually pitched. All were hurt. They paid a boatload of money to sign Blake Snell who was injured much of the year but did pitch one – and only one – great game in the series. Shohei Ohtani was great in the 18 inning marathon but was mostly ineffective the rest of the series and on the mound in game 7. He did have a couple of hits but the home runs were not by their superstars. Max Muncy, Miguel Rojas (a total shock) and the game winner by Will Smith – none of whom are accorded superstar status – and a game saving incredible catch by Andy Pages were crucial to the victory. Also Clayton Kershaw, perhaps the greatest pitcher of his generation was a mere spectator. This was the best, most suspenseful game seven in memory.

The biggest surprise was the performance of Yoshinobu Yamamoto (who?), the Japanese pitcher who was signed to a stunning 12 year $325 million fully guaranteed contract. I was stunned because those contracts invariably turn into albatrosses. Yet in the short run the Dodgers and their fans will say it was worth it. Yamamoto was unworldly pitching two complete games and coming back with zero rest to get the final eight outs in game 7. A most deserving MVP. So the World Series champ has the greatest player (Ohtani) who is Japanese, the MVP (Yamamoto) who is Japanese, their closer (Roki Sasaki) who is Japanese and a manager (Dave Roberts) who is Japanese-American.

These games were on Fox but not broadcast simultaneously over the MLB network. Again I don’t really care since we have a Fox affiliate here in Knoxville. But for those loyal baseball fans that would have been forced to find the nearest sports bar had there been a dispute, it would have been a pain.

Finally, I may have been the only one in Knoxville watching baseball rather than the Tennessee Volunteers and the Oklahoma Sooners. After the baseball game I went to bed and only found out the next morning that the Sooners had won. Speaking of which, do you know where the name “Sooner” came from? Legend has it that when the first white settlers got to Oklahoma that they said “I’d sooner be in Texas.”