The Cardinals staggered to the bottom of the National League Central Division standings last year in a generationally bad season. ESPN followed suit by including them just once in its showcase 鈥淪unday Night Baseball鈥 package.
That鈥檚 after they had been 鈥淪NB鈥 darlings, often appearing the maximum number of times ESPN was allowed to snag a team 鈥 as many as seven games, in 2015 and 鈥17. In records that date to 2013, they had been selected at least four times each year outside of the pandemic-truncated pandemic season of 2020.
But the Birds have rebounded from their gloomy 2023 performance, and while not exactly a powerhouse, they are in contention for a playoff slot as the season has moved past the two-thirds pole. Now, ESPN has them back this weekend, when they play the Cubs at 6:10 p.m. in Chicago, for their fourth Sunday night game of the season.
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Rick Mace, ESPN director of programming and acquisitions, said key factors that he considers while putting together the schedule are team popularity and performance. The Cardinals now hit both marks.
鈥淭hey have a top 10 fan base in our metrics,鈥 he said. 鈥淲hen one of those teams performs well on the field and is winning, we try to get them on our air.鈥
Two of the Cardinals鈥 three 鈥淪NB鈥 appearances thus far this year drew audiences in excess of the series鈥 season average of 1.63 million viewers. There was a caveat for the one that didn鈥檛 鈥 the start of it, a game against the Cubs in May, was delayed for more than 2陆 hours because of rain.
The maximum number of 鈥淪NB鈥 appearances per team this season is five, and Mace said the Cardinals are prime candidates to reach the limit. There are four open slots remaining on ESPN鈥檚 schedule (Aug. 25; Sept. 8, 15, 22) and the Cards have attractive matchups on three of those days 鈥 contests against Minnesota, Seattle and Cleveland, teams that either lead their American League divisions or are in the AL wild-card playoff hunt. Mace said those games are under consideration.
鈥淲e always try to max out on teams we think will draw the best,鈥 he said.
The Birds鈥 other Sunday game in that span is on Sept. 15, in Toronto against out-of-playoff-contention Blue Jays. There is no Sunday night game on the last day of the season, Sept. 29 when, for competitive balance, all MLB contests are set to begin at about the same time 鈥 from 2:05 to 2:20 p.m. (狐狸视频 time).
However it plays out, putting the final pieces into the season-long scheduling jigsaw puzzle will be the completion of a process that Mace said began in December, a plan that changes with the flow of the season as it progresses.
For instance, he said ESPN had not planned to max out the Boston Red Sox this season but has done so with the team exceeding offseason expectations.
鈥淭hat has a ripple effect,鈥 Mace said, adding that 鈥渋t鈥檚 a mix-and-match game鈥 of assembling the schedule. 鈥淚鈥檓 always trying to put together a slate of the best 25 games possible.鈥
Tatum鈥檚 stature questioned
It really can鈥檛 be considered a rip job when someone critiquing a player says he is among the top 10 humans worldwide in that athletic endeavor. But national sports-talk host Colin Cowherd鈥檚 recent assessment of native 狐狸视频an Jayson Tatum wasn鈥檛 exactly a ringing endorsement of his game, either.
Tatum, who has been named to the all-NBA first team the past three seasons and was a cornerstone on the Boston Celtics鈥 league championship club this year, was selected for the U.S. men鈥檚 basketball squad competing in the ongoing Paris Olympics.
But despite all the accolades, American coach Steve Kerr did not use Tatum at all in the team鈥檚 tournament-opening 110-84 blowout of Serbia and afterward said he 鈥渇elt like an idiot not playing him, but in a 40-minute game, you can鈥檛 play more than 10鈥 men.
That led Cowherd to question Tatum鈥檚 stature while talking Monday on his 鈥淭he Herd鈥 show that airs on FS1, Fox Sports Radio and other platforms.
鈥淲hat he lacks is that 鈥榬ip your heart out鈥 DNA, which most of our great players have had,鈥 Cowherd said. 鈥... He鈥檚 highly skilled, he鈥檚 a great guy, but he鈥檚 almost submissive at times.鈥
He said he considers Tatum to be a standout but said, 鈥淚鈥檇 argue he鈥檚 way at the back of the top 10 players. When you put him around all these alphas and all these highly skilled players, he disappears. He shrinks, and I feel bad for him.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a nice kid, but there鈥檚 always been those kids that when you put them around other aggressive kids, they just don鈥檛 fit 鈥 and he doesn鈥檛. It鈥檚 not that he lacks skill.鈥
Tatum started Wednesday in the Americans鈥 103-86 victory over South Sudan but did not produce much statistically 鈥 four points, five rebounds and two assists in 17 minutes of playing time.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no part of his game when you surround him with great players that stands out,鈥 Cowherd added in his commentary Monday. 鈥淪hooting? No, that鈥檚 Kevin Durant. That鈥檚 Steph Curry and Derrick White. Defense? No, that鈥檚 Anthony Davis. That鈥檚 Jrue Holiday and Bam (Adebayo). Leadership? No, that鈥檚 Lebron (James) and Steph. Athletically? No, that鈥檚 鈥楢nt鈥 (Anthony Edwards). There is nothing on this team he鈥檚 best at.鈥
Cowherd added:
鈥淗e鈥檚 B+ at everything, jack-of-all-trades at everything and he鈥檚 a top 10-ish player. He鈥檚 good. He wins. He鈥檚 collaborative. He鈥檚 swell.
鈥淭his is not a shot at him, but ... my eyes are telling (me) and your eyes are telling you he鈥檚 not a top five player. When he鈥檚 surrounded by alphas, he can shrink. It鈥檚 just his personality.鈥
狐狸视频 10th in Olympics ratings
The Paris Olympics have been a ratings success for NBC鈥檚 numerous platforms showing the events, with the live afternoon events and taped evening coverage on NBC averaging 34 million viewers, a 79% increase over the comparable hours for the Summer Games from Japan three years ago.
鈥淲e had a feeling that America was ready for this Olympics,鈥 Molly Solomon, executive producer and president of NBC Olympics production, said on a conference call Thursday. 鈥淭he reaction, the viewership numbers are unbelievable and incredibly gratifying for the 3,000 people working on these Games. We believe in the power of the Olympics, and the audience does, too.鈥
Among major U.S. markets, 狐狸视频 NBC affiliate KSDK (Channel 5) was tied for 10th place in those 1-4 p.m. and 7-10 p.m. time blocks. That鈥檚 through Tuesday, the most recent day for which figures were available and encompassing the first four days of full-fledged competition.
Nielsen, which tabulates viewership, reports that 16.7% of the market was tuning in, the same figure as Pittsburgh. West Palm Beach, Florida, led the way (20.9 rating), followed by New Orleans (20.1). Kansas City was eighth (17.2).聽