NESN for $30 a Month? No Thanks

NESN, the regional sports network that carries the Boston Red Sox and Bruins, launched an app NESN 360 that allows subscribers access to the network and it's libraries and other exclusive content for $29.99 per month.

At first blush the product seems way over-priced. That's about triple what NESN charges the cable operators to carry the network. But perhaps that's the point. Perhaps the initial price had to be high enough that the cable operators did not feel threatened. In the age of cord cutting - live sports, like Red Sox and Bruins games, are the one last advantage to having a cable subscription.

It looks like the app is free (or minimal charge) to those who already have NESN through a cable operator. I'm guessing that one result of the new app will be NESN 360 passcode info will shortly be more shared in New England than Neftflix passcodes.

Don Orsillo

The Red Sox and NESN have decided not to renew the contract of team TV play-by-play man Don Orsillo. "Not renewing the contract" is a euphemistic way of saying "fired' or in this case "ripped the guts out of". This move was completely unexpected by Red Sox fans and just as unwelcome.

For the past 15-years Orsillo has handled the job in an understated, professional, upbeat manner. As a person who travels and has seen and heard the play-by-play announcers of many other teams - I hope NESN viewers understand just how good we have had it this past decade and a half. Outside of American icon Vin Scully -  Don Orsillo may just be the best in baseball. He was so good that he made everyone forget that Sean McDonough ever preceded him (and McDonough is one of the best all-around play-by-play announcers in my lifetime).

Orsillo will land on his feet somewhere and he will make some team's fanbase very happy. But it won't be the same. Either for us Red Sox fans or for the New England born Orsillo. Because of this move I might have already watched my last Red Sox game of the season and because of the way they just treated Don Orillo - NESN can suck my balls! I hope their ratings tank the next six weeks for what they just did to the good-hearted Orsillo. I hope advertisers pull their commercials to send a message to the NESN brass that they just screwed up in a major way. I hope all of their genitals shrivel up and whither away (maybe that last part is over the top).

The ever classy Gordon Edes describes the situation in a much more professional manner (even though there's no declaration that NESN can suck his balls too - there is no disguising Edes' contempt for this move). I hope Red Sox fans also appreciate Edes because like Orsillo he's one of the best in the business.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

I've said it before but if the Israelis were to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities - during or right before President Obama's speech at the DNC would be the perfect time... Good advice for poker players - how to play Ace/King if you miss the flop... I have to guess that the TV ratings on NESN for this West Coast swing by the Red Sox will be the worst since the new ownership bought the team. There is simply no reason to watch this lousy team full of malcontents... Some people poke fun of the US Coast Guard and others always seem to forget them when it comes to thinking of branches of the US military. I have to wonder though - if you took the Coast Guard on its own - I'm guessing it is bigger than the military's of half the nations of the world... Another example of why Johnny Carson was the King. It is sad that his memory seems to be fading... Protesters dressed as giant vaginas at the RNC. I'm guessing that if male protesters dressed as giant penises at the DNC - they'd get arrested. Seriously - Karl Rove get on this. Pay some frat guys a few hundred to dress up as giant penises (not much of a stretch for many of them) and then put out press releases about the war on men and a man's reproductive rights. So let it be written - so let it be done.

Red Sox Magic Number -131

It seems like many of the reporters covering the Red Sox have been beating fans over the head after Josh Beckett's last game and regarding Will Middlebrooks and the fact if you listened to some of them you would think Middlebrooks was 1 for his last 131 at bats (hey had to work 131 in there somewhere).

Their message comes down to, "Hey dumb-asses do you still want to trade Josh Beckett and Kevin Youkilis?" And my answer is not only "YES!" but to point out that these reporters just don't get it. Even after that great last outing - Beckett still has a replacement level ERA of 4.97 and he still is a petulant self-entitled multi-millionaire. Beckett pays more in taxes than most Red Sox fans make in a year. I don't want to hear him complain about wanting to do what he wants to do on his "18 days off". Screw him.

Trade him. I don't care about him any more. And I know many fans feel the same way. Free up his roster spot for someone who at least will act like he cares about the fans and about wearing the uniform. Get him out of the clubhouse. Get him off the team. He should bring back a good prospect or two from an NL team.

When it comes to Kevin Youkilis - I feel bad for him but my sympathy only goes so far for a guy who will make $13 million this year. The fact is Will Middlebrooks has struggled the last half dozen games. But the fact also remains that Middlebrooks has been much more effective than Youkilis this season (73 OPS+ to 124 OPS+). Besides people want to see what the kid can do. People don't really want to see Youkilis complain after a bad at bat or grimace in the field after making a diving attempt at a ball that is just outside his reach any more.

The Red Sox are still in the hunt for both the AL East and Wild Card spots but that doesn't mean they are likable. Only Dustin Pedrioa and Will Middlebrooks make me want to check the boxscores the next day. Boston ownership will be reaping some pretty poor numbers from NESN ratings because this team is so unlikable. Which will in turn mean less revenue for advertising. The Celtics will probably go deep into the NBA playoffs and suddenly it will be pre-season for the Patriots. That's when you will start seeing some moves.

But by that time it may be too late.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Great win by Iowa State last night! Too bad great the win was marred by the Cyclones playing Sweet Caroline to celebrate. I am so sick of that song... Don Orsillo recently re-signed with NESN with a contract that keeps him at the network until 2015. If Terry Francona takes a TV job that Orsillo turned down - you know Orsillo will never let Francona live it down (good natured ribbing between friends)... Congratulations to the Holy Cross Crusaders who destroyed Boston College last night 86-64... It can be argued that Barry Zito parlayed his only 20-win season into $146 million in career earnings. Could that make his 23-win 2002 season the most valuable 20-win season ever?... I agree with the irony that Shawn Ryan points out:

Joe Paterno's doctor notified JoePa immediately of his cancer diagnosis, so that any future damage might be avoided.

According to the Sports Tax Man - assuming Matt Kemp is a California resident - his new 8-year $160M deal will net him $86.4 million with the rest going to taxes. I am assuming that after realizing this Kemp will join the TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party... Tim Tebow Just Wins is anagram for Must Join Web Twits... In early 1900's there was famous Asian prostitute in Chicago named Suzy Poon Tang whose name became slang for - well you know...

Red Sox Magic Number - 92

With the Red Sox win over the Braves and the Yankees loss to the Marlins - the Red Sox Magic Number now stands at 92.

The average American child eats 92 pounds of sugar per year. My wife calls sugar calories "empty calories" because you don't really get anything nutritionally from them. Too much sugar also makes you sick.

Red Sox fans in New England who watch NESN have to sit through approximately 92 stupid commercials per Red Sox game. These aren't the normal commercials for Bud Light or Ford or like products. These are commercials for NESN original programing or things that you know the Red Sox have an investment in like the local presentation of the show Jersey Boys. Too many of these commercials have made me sick of NESN and the prevalence of these "empty content" commercials in both the pre-game and post-game shows have rendered those shows almost unwatchable.

MLB TV Rights and the Sale of the Braves

Two more thoughts on baseball broadcast rights and the sale of the Atlanta Braves.

1. Do you think there would have been much more scrutiny of the MLB Extra Innings package going exclusively to DirectTV if the order of things were reversed i.e. if Liberty Media first bought the Braves and then got the MLB Extra Innings package (Liberty Media owns at least 38.5% of DirectTV and is by far the largest shareholder)? Can you imagine the hue and cry if MLB sold their TV rights to say George Steinbrenner of the Yankees or John Henry of the Red Sox? Just saying - there's a story here that ain't getting the attention it deserves.

2. Speaking of the DirectTV Extra Innings package - BaseballMusings had an interesting post on how maybe this DirectTV deal is calculated to maximize the value of the on-line MLB.TV product. While I agree with this assessment - I think there is another consequence of the deal. If cable operators can't offer MLB Extra Innings but they still want baseball - why not add a YES channel (Yankees) or NESN (Red Sox) or the channel of some other team like the Dodgers or Mets to a pay sports tier? If they did this then the revenue would go right to the individual team owners. For instance - say a cable operator in Florida added both YES and NESN - then the money from that deal would go right into the pockets of George Steinbrenner and John Henry. I'm not aware of this happening anywhere but I won't be surprised when it does.