The Boston Red Sox can take comfort in knowing that media tycoon Rupert Murdoch is in their corner tonight as they face potential elimination from the American League Championship Series at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays. Whether that will help the Sox overcome a 3 games to 1 deficit is doubtful.Murdoch, who probably prefers rugby or soccer to America's past time, is in a pickle with the World Series that will be broadcast over his Fox network. News Corp. (NYSE: NWS) shareholders, whose holdings plunged more than 60 percent this year, are probably gritting their teeth that the Philadelphia Phillies (my team) defeated ex-Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez and the Los Angeles Dodgers to capture the National League championship. Ramirez is one of the game's best known and controversial personalities. Moreover, the Dodgers attract fans from all over the country including older folks who remember them when they were in Brooklyn.
The Red Sox nation are among the most passionate fans in baseball. I bet they are miffed that the ALCS has been relegated to TBS while the much inferior National League basked in the glow of network television. Furthermore. the Red Sox , one of the most storied franchises in sports, are on the verge of being eliminated by a team from Tampa Bay, which gave the world Hooters. Okay, that was Clearwater, but it's close enough.
Much as I love them, I am not sure the Phillies have enough well-known personalities to draw in people to the World Series who might not have followed them all year. The same holds true for the Rays which until they began winning had difficulty drawing crowds. Regardless, a Philliles-Rays series will be a tougher sell than the Dodgers-Red Sox would have been.
Fox, which has had exclusive rights to the World Series since 2000, has scored big when teams such as the Red Sox and New York Yankees play. Almost 21 million viewers watched last year's final game of the series when the Sox swept the Colorado Rockies. Big money is at stake.
Remember, Fox and Time Warner Inc.'s (NYSE: TBS) TBS have a seven-year deal with Major League Baseball worth $3 billion.
That may explain why some of the loudest "let's go Sox" cheers tonight may be coming from Murdoch's ad sales department.
Nuclear power is on the comeback trail
Apple backs AT&T in continuing spat with Verizon
Closing Bell: The recession is still over, still... do you feel it?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-16-2008 @ 4:34PM
Cawhorn said...
Baseball has been very, very good to him!
10-16-2008 @ 4:35PM
Paul Hallam said...
how do you expec t anything to go right when you have -2- idiots in charge of congress,where is change these idiots only have -1- item on there agenda GEOREGE W BUSH make him look bad ,well things were great till 2006 when these -2- idiots charge.
where is change,give us a person to believe in that is what is needed?