Baseball's Seasons is a documentary series on MLB Network. Each episode takes a look at a season in the history of Major League Baseball. It first aired January 7, 2009 in the first week of the network's existence. Like a lot of the network's other original programming, Baseball's Seasons airs during baseball's offseason.
MLB Network counts down its version of the 20 greatest games played since about 1950. The network first came up with 50 games and a "blue ribbon panel" -- aided by fan votes -- whittled that to 20. Hosts Bob Costas and Tom Verducci dissect each game, and given the format, with each episode running at least one hour, there's plenty of time to delve into nuances such as pitch selection, defensive alignment, managerial moves and so on. Also making each episode must-see TV for longtime baseball fans is the ex-players and managers who join Costas and Verducci to provide insight. Bucky Dent, for example, talks about his famous home run in the 1978 American League tiebreak game, and Johnny Bench and Fred Lynn reminisce about Game 6 of the 1975 World Series, the No. 1 game on the list.
Emanating from Studio 42 -- named in honor of Jackie Robinson -- in MLB Network's Secaucus, N.J., headquarters, this series features the Hall of Fame-worthy interview skills of Bob Costas talking baseball with the legends of the game, Hall of Famers in their own right. Guests including Willie Mays, Bob Feller, Hank Aaron, George Brett, Reggie Jackson and Cal Ripken Jr. have graced the replica baseball field-designed studio set, reminiscing with Costas about their days on the diamond while also discussing current events and issues surrounding the game. Costas has also spent time on the show with broadcasters Al Michaels and Ernie Harwell, entertainer and big-time baseball fan Billy Crystal, and fronted episodes discussing baseball in Cuba and the state of umpiring.
Quick Pitch is an American television show centered around showing highlights of baseball games from the previous night. Quick Pitch airs on MLB Network during the MLB regular season at 1 A.M. ET every weeknight, 8 P.M. ET every Sunday, and after Saturday Night Baseball or MLB Tonight every Saturday. Reruns of Quick Pitch are also shown every morning during the regular season.
Chris Russo has never been afraid to bring the heat as a radio host. Nicknamed "Mad Dog," he shows real passion for sports when the subject is baseball. Hearing him rant on satellite radio is one thing; seeing him is electrifying, which is why MLB Network collared Mad Dog to talk hardball each weekday. The hourlong studio show begins with Russo's monologue on the day's big headlines, then accelerates to league news with a roster of contributors including analysts Al Leiter, Dan Plesac, Harold Reynolds, Bill Ripken, insider Tom Verducci, and national/local beat writers and broadcasters.
Hot Stove is the signature offseason program that airs on MLB Network and is simulcast on MLB Network Radio. The show offers the coverage of offseason activities including trades, free agent signings, and rumors. It is taped live in Studio 3 of the MLB Network facility in Secaucus, New Jersey, but also features segments taped in Studio 42. The program airs from after the World Series and before spring training. This show is replaced during the baseball season by MLB Tonight.
MLB Tonight is the signature program that airs on MLB Network and is simulcast on MLB Network Radio. The show offers complete coverage of all Major League Baseball games from 6pm ET till 1am ET during the regular season, and gives news from all 30 MLB teams during the offseason. It is taped live in Studio 3 of the MLB Network facility in Secaucus, New Jersey, but also features segments taped in Studio 42. The program aired from the beginning of Spring Training to the end of the World Series and was replaced in the offseason by Hot Stove, until it started to air in the offseason, and Hot Stove became MLB Network's weekday morning show. The show won the Sports Emmy Award for best Daily Outstanding Studio Show for 2010 and 2011.
Intentional Talk is an hour long and a 30-minute long talk show shown live Monday-Friday at 5:00 ET on MLB Network. Hosts Chris Rose and Kevin Millar talk about the major events in baseball. It is filmed from Studio 42 of the MLB Network facility in Secaucus, New Jersey. Sometimes, when they are not in the studio, they will film the show from their houses. When this happens, the show is shown as a split-screen, using Cisco TelePresence, in which Chris is at his house in Los Angeles, California and Kevin hosts from his house a.k.a. "Studio 1-5" in Austin, Texas.
Viewers are also allowed to Tweet to the hosts during the show to voice their opinions and some of the tweets are shown on a marquee at the bottom of the screen, seen in "Ask Kevin" and/or read by Chris.
During the 2011 season, MLB Network started showing a special one-hour, recorded Best of Intentional Talk each weekend, showcasing the best segments of the show from the past week to be topped off with the weekly, "This Week in MLB Network" segment.
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