Major League Baseball on ABC: Difference between revisions

In {{baseball year|1981}}, ABC planned to increase coverage to 10 Monday night games and eight Sunday afternoon<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=October 3, 1980|title=Saturday 12 noon. ABC, 'Weekend Special.' CBS, 'The New...|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1980/10/03/Saturday-12-noon-ABC-Weekend-Special-CBS-The-New/8631339393600/|work=UPI|location= |access-date= }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=March 4, 1981 |title=Major league baseball will once again be televised by...|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1981/03/04/Major-league-baseball-will-once-again-be-televised-by/1000352530000/|work=UPI|location= |access-date= }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last= |first= |date= |title=The National Pastime: Summer 2015 Issue: North Side, South Side, All Around ...|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sJccCgAAQBAJ&pg=PR154&lpg=PR154&dq=sunday+afternoon+baseball+on+abc+sports+1981&source=bl&ots=6DVXDrNJ_3&sig=ACfU3U1dDn2es_a6TxshhoJm2iMIMhFWKw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj1uoTBgaDkAhVIJKwKHchKC4E4ChDoATAEegQIBhAB#v=onepage&q=sunday%20afternoon%20baseball%20on%20abc%20sports%201981&f=false|location= |publisher=SABR, Inc.|page= |isbn= |author-link=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://sabr.org/research/split-season-1981-chicago-style|title=Split Season 1981, Chicago Style|last=Katz |first=Jeff|date= |website=SABR|publisher= |access-date= |quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Stewart|first=Larry|date=May 29, 1987|title=Not Much Fanfare as CBS, Brookshier Go Separate Ways|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-05-29-sp-1912-story.html|work=Los Angeles Times|location= |access-date= }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Walker, Bellamy|first=James R., Robert V. |date= |title=Center Field Shot: A History of Baseball on Television|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6kPQhpS-X8YC&pg=PA143&lpg=PA143&dq=sunday+afternoon+baseball+on+abc+sports+1981&source=bl&ots=jp3NLAN6qE&sig=ACfU3U2ZEltfRVD2_Hx5SPcL9n8XRX8ccg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjpiMHLgqDkAhVERqwKHcPQA-U4FBDoATACegQICRAB#v=onepage&q=sunday%20afternoon%20baseball%20on%20abc%20sports%201981&f=false|location= |publisher=U of Nebraska Press|page=143|isbn= |author-link=}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Wenner|first=Lawrence A.|date= |title=Media, Sports, and Society|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d6HhgJDGXtQC&pg=PA111&lpg=PA111&dq=sunday+afternoon+baseball+on+abc+sports+1982&source=bl&ots=yjOpaHK0gi&sig=ACfU3U3X8VwxQ_qluniasnF9UyXJ4fil6w&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjiisG6g6DkAhUBWqwKHS5OBN04ChDoATAIegQICBAB#v=onepage&q=sunday%20afternoon%20baseball%20on%20abc%20sports%201982&f=false|location= |publisher=SAGE|page=111|isbn= |author-link=}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Chad|first=Norman|date=April 14, 1985|title=NBC's Adjustments Improve Baseball Coverage|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1985/04/14/nbcs-adjustments-improve-baseball-coverage/fa5fe792-4b26-48ab-9ae5-9ccdf79037d7/|work=Washington Post|location= |access-date= }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=April 7, 1983|title=ABC Sports and Major-League Baseball have reached agreement on...|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/04/07/ABC-Sports-and-Major-League-Baseball-have-reached-agreement-on/1254418539600/|work=UPI|location= |access-date= }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Sandomir |first=Richard|date=April 24, 1995|title=SPORTS JOURNALISM; 'He Made People Listen, Made People Think'|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/04/24/sports/sports-journalism-he-made-people-listen-made-people-think.html|work=The New York Times|location= |access-date= }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Silverman|first=Matthew|date= |title=One-Year Dynasty: Inside the Rise and Fall of the 1986 Mets, Baseball's ...|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zrV8CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA292&lpg=PA292&dq=sunday+afternoon+baseball+on+abc+sports+1986&source=bl&ots=X5F1BY06kJ&sig=ACfU3U3FYKSQhkkgAoSHamc3ZxYsjXxFag&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiGsJjThaDkAhUCXq0KHQj4ATwQ6AEwEnoECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q=sunday%20afternoon%20baseball%20on%20abc%20sports%201986&f=false|location= |publisher= Rowman & Littlefield|page=292|isbn= |author-link=}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Berkow|first=Ira|date=February 2, 1986|title=SPORTS OF THE TIMES; THE TURNSTILES STILL RATTLE|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/02/02/sports/sports-of-the-times-the-turnstiles-still-rattle.html|work=The New York Times|location= |access-date= }}</ref> games, but the [[1981 Major League Baseball strike|players' strike]] that year ended up reducing the network's schedule to three Monday night and seven Sunday afternoon telecasts. Also in {{baseball year|1981}}, as means to recoup revenue lost during a players' strike, Major League Baseball set up a special additional playoff round (as a prelude to the League Championship Series). ABC televised the [[1981 American League Division Series|American League Division Series]] while [[Major League Baseball on NBC|NBC]] televised the [[1981 National League Division Series|National League Division Series]]. The Division Series round wasn't officially instituted until 14 years later. Games 3 of the [[1981 Milwaukee Brewers season|Brewers]]/[[1981 New York Yankees season|Yankees]] series and [[1981 Kansas City Royals season|Royals]]/[[1981 Oakland Athletics season|Athletics]] series were aired regionally. On October 10, [[Keith Jackson]] called an [[1981 Oklahoma Sooners football team|Oklahoma]]-[[1981 Texas Longhorns football team|Texas]] [[college football]] game for [[College Football on ABC|ABC]] and missed Game 4 of the Milwaukee-New York series. In Jackson's absence, [[Don Drysdale]] filled-in for him on play-by-play alongside [[Howard Cosell]]. On a trivial note the ABC's [[List of ABC television affiliates (by U.S. state)|affiliates]], [[WTEN]] in [[Albany, New York]] and its satellite WCDC-TV in [[Adams, Massachusetts]], as well as WIXT (now [[WSYR-TV]]) in [[Syracuse, New York]], did not carry any of ABC's games at that time because of the [[New York Yankees]] games that were simulcasted from New York City's [[WPIX]], movies, and syndicated series and specials among others in order to provide advertising for those extra money.

 

In {{baseball year|1982}}, ABC aired 11 Monday night games and one Sunday afternoon game. Game 1 of the [[1982 National League Championship Series|1982 NLCS]] had to be played twice. In the first attempt (on October 6), the [[1982 Atlanta Braves season|Atlanta Braves]] led against the [[1982 St. Louis Cardinals season|St. Louis Cardinals]] 1–0 behind [[Phil Niekro]]. The game was three outs away becoming official when the umpire stopped it. When the rain did not subside, the game was canceled.<ref>{{cite news|title=ABC's Playoff Coverage Not Flashy, but Solid|date=October 7, 1982|first=Dennis|last=D'Agostino|agency=Associated Press|newspaper=Beaver County (Pa.) Times|page=B3}}</ref> Game 1 began from the start the following night in a pitching match-up of [[Pascual Pérez (baseball)|Pascual Pérez]] for the Braves and longtime Cardinal starter [[Bob Forsch]]. Howard Cosell did not broadcast Game 2 of the 1982 NLCS (alongside Al Michaels and [[Tommy Lasorda]]) because of his commitment of hosting the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]]' 50th Anniversary dinner in [[Pittsburgh]] on October 9, 1982, which was broadcast live on [[Pittsburgh]]'s ABC affiliate, [[WTAE-TV]] and [[Pittsburgh]]'s NBC affiliate, [[WPXI-TV]]. ABC's [[Jim Lampley]]<ref>{{YouTube|title= St. Louis Cardinals 1982 NL Champions 2/2|id=9PLacIKgEug}}</ref> interviewed the winners in the [[1982 St. Louis Cardinals season|Cardinals]]' clubhouse after clinching the National League pennant in Game 3.

 

====1983-1989 television package====