Sports TV Weekend: The End of the World Is Mets-Yankees on Apple TV
MAY 15 — The social media screaming is in full swing. The realization that Mets and Yankees are on Apple TV, and only Apple TV, Friday night for the opener of their Subway Series. Progress is painful. Though for a segment of the population, it’s not progress. It’s the beginning of the end of the world as we know it, and they don’t feel fine.
The conversations have become clichés. Those of a certain age like channel surfing and don’t want to give it up. We have cable. We can identify TV networks. We know what channel shows are on. We still embrace appointment television.
The “kids” don’t know what ABC or Channel 7 even means. They watch shows on services, like Disney or Paramount or Peacock or Netflix or HBO Max. And they watch everything on their schedule. If you have kids living away from you, you might know this specifically because you’ve received a version of the following text, “send me the code you just got for X.” My favorite is, “Code please.”
I’ve chosen to embrace the change. I’ll watch the Mets and Yankees tonight and listen to former Mets broadcaster Wayne Randazzo with Dontrelle Willis on the call. At some point, I’ll wince at something they say and wish I had GKR (Gary, Keith, and Ron for the uninitiated). Others will long for Michael Kay.
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On Saturday New York baseball fans will find Fox (Fox One for you app dwellers) and hear Joe Davis and John Smoltz talk about our teams. Am I the only one who thinks Joe Davis sounds like Jim Kaat from years ago? Is that too deep a cut? Finally on Sunday it’s back to the not-so-neutral corners on SNY and YES. A trifecta of networks for a Subway Series.
Speaking of trifectas, the Preakness, the second leg of what used to be Horse Racing’s Triple Crown, is Saturday. The Derby winner, Golden Tempo, is skipping the race, taking much of the spotlight with it. The Preakness coverage starts on NBC/Peacock at 4 p.m. Post time is supposedly at 6:50ish.
Also, the NBA serves up Game 6 in the two remaining Semifinal series: In the East, Detroit is at Cleveland (PRIME - Kevin Harlan/Dwyane Wade/Candace Parker) at 7 p.m. and in the West, San Antonio is at Minnesota at 9:30 p.m. (PRIME, Ian Eagle/Stan Van Gundy). Cleveland is hoping to close out the Pistons at home as the Knicks heal up while scouting their next opponent on Prime. In the West, Wemby looks to take the Spurs to the conference finals and a date with the defending champion OKC Thunder.
Depending on who wins Friday night, here are your four NBA scenarios, which include three streaming/network options for Sunday, May 17:
No Game 7s are necessary:
Cleveland at the New York Knicks (Game 1, Eastern Conference Finals) on ABC at 3:30 p.m.
Minnesota forces a Game 7, but Cleveland wins:
Cleveland at the New York Knicks (Game 1, Eastern Conference Finals) on ABC at 3:30 p.m.
Minnesota at San Antonio on NBC/Peacock at 8 p.m.
There are two Game 7s necessary:
Cleveland at Detroit on PRIME at 5 p.m.
Minnesota at San Antonio on NBC/Peacock at 8 p.m.
Detroit forces a Game 7, but San Antonio wins:
Cleveland at Detroit on Prime at 8 p.m.
For the puck heads, the Sabres and Canadiens meet in their East Semifinal Game 6 Saturday night on ABC (Sean McDonough/Ray Ferraro). Montreal leads the series, 3-2. The series winner takes on Carolina. The Hurricanes are a perfect 8-0 so far in the playoffs.
Don’t forget about the PGA Championship, Golf’s Forgotten Major. Glory’s Last Stand was a much better slogan, but that’s when the tournament was played in August and it was truly the last major on the schedule. Now, it’s wedged in between The Masters and the US Open, with a lot of traffic on the sports calendar, and it’s easy to overlook. That said, ESPN and CBS/Paramount+ are all over it. Friday’s ESPN coverage starts at Noon. On the weekend, you can watch championship golf on ESPN+ at 8 a.m., ESPN at 10 a.m., and CBS/Paramount at 1 p.m. each day.
There is a part of me that longs for the days when you could turn on the TV and instinctively find what you are looking for. Those days are over. The screaming into the social media abyss will not bring them back. It’s also not the end of the world.