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USA Network Thursday Night Baseball

October 20, 2023

USA Network Thursday Night Baseball aired Major League Baseball (MLB) games on the USA Network from 1979 to 1983.

USA Network Thursday Night Baseball
1983 logo
GenreSport
Developed byUSA Sports
Directed byBob Hiestand
John Repczynski
StarringSee announcers section
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producersKay Koplovitz[1]
Jim Zrake[2]
ProducersJerry Romano[3]
Mark D. Stulberger
Jim Zrake
Running time180 minutes (or until game ends)
Release
Original networkUSA
Original releaseApril 26, 1979 (1979-04-26)[4] –
September 29, 1983 (1983-09-29)
Related
Thursday Night Baseball
Major League Baseball on NBC

Background Edit

In 1979,[5] 22 teams (all but the Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros, New York Mets, and St. Louis Cardinals) participated in a one-year cable deal with United Artists Television and Columbia Pictures Television, then-owners of the USA Network.[6] The deal involved the airing of a Thursday night Game of the Week[7] in markets at least 50 miles (80 km) from a major league park.[8] The deal earned Major League Baseball less than $500,000, but led to a new two-year contract for 40–45 games per season.[9][10] The program ran through the 1983 season.[11][12]

With USA's Thursday night coverage, it ended ABC's Monday night broadcast's position as the exclusive national, prime time television franchise for Major League Baseball.[13]

Coverage history Edit

The series began April 26, 1979[14] with a doubleheader: Cleveland at Kansas City[15] (Jim Woods and Bud Harrelson announcing[16]) followed by Baltimore at California[17] (Monte Moore and Maury Wills announcing[18]). The second game of the night was typically broadcast from the West Coast. The games were usually blacked-out in the competing teams' cities.[19][20][21] Once in a while, when USA aired a repeat of the telecast late at night, local cities were allowed to show the rerun.[22]

From 1980 to 1981, Jim Woods[23] and Nelson Briles (replacing Bud Harrelson) broadcast the early games, while Monte Moore and Wes Parker (replacing Maury Wills) called the late game.[24]

In 1982, doubleheaders did not start until June 17.[25] Prior to the doubleheaders starting, Monte Moore and Wes Parker did the individual game until then. When the doubleheaders finally began,[26] Moore and Parker moved over to the late game for the rest of the year. Meanwhile, Eddie Doucette (replacing Jim Woods) and Nelson Briles were assigned to call the early game.[27]

USA continued with the plan of not starting doubleheaders until June in the final year of the package in 1983. Steve Zabriskie and Al Albert filled in for Eddie Doucette in September 1982 (Steve Grad also occasionally substituted) while Albert replaced Doucette for a game or more in 1983.

USA's coverage became a casualty of the new $1.2 billion TV contract[28] between Major League Baseball, ABC and NBC beginning in 1984 and lasting through 1989. One of the provisions to the new deal was that local telecasts opposite network games had to be eliminated.[29]

Memorable moments Edit

One particular game of note was a Los Angeles Dodgers–St. Louis Cardinals game in 1981 (the last game before the strike[30][31]).[32] The game in question featured Fernando Valenzuela picking up his eighth consecutive win to start the season. Valenzuela gave up a home run in the ninth to tie the game 1–1, but Pedro Guerrero hit one himself in the bottom of the ninth for the win.

One year later, during a September 16 game between the San Diego Padres and the San Francisco Giants,[33] Darrell Evans went 3-for-5 with four RBI in Giants' 9–3 victory.

Announcers Edit

See also Edit

References Edit

  1. ^ 1980 10 02 LA Dodgers at SF Giants - USA Network on YouTube
  2. ^ 1983 08 18 USA Network Montreal Expos at SF Giants on YouTube
  3. ^ 1982-09-16 USA Network - Padres at Giants on YouTube
  4. ^ . sabrmedia.org. Archived from the original on 2019-04-18.
  5. ^ Shea, Stuart (7 May 2015). Calling the Game: Baseball Broadcasting from 1920 to the Present. SABR, Inc. p. 373. ISBN 9781933599410.
  6. ^ "Big-League Baseball To Hit Hinterlands On Cable Television". Wall Street Journal. April 13, 1979.
  7. ^ "Majors give cable rights". Lawrence Journal-World. April 13, 1979.
  8. ^ Jane Gross (July 12, 1981). "Sports on cable". The New York Times. USA agreed to the baseball limitations rejected by ESPN and shows a Thursday-night game in cities that do not have a major-league team. In New York City, Manhattan Cable broadcasts USA's programs, but cannot televise the weekly baseball game because the Yankees and Mets declined to grant the waivers necessary under major-league statutes.
  9. ^ Jicha, Jim (April 3, 1982). "Is The Chance To .Ao To The Park ". Miami News. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012.
  10. ^ "Giants Announce Signings of Stennett, May, Wohlford". Los Angeles Times. December 13, 1979.
  11. ^ "Philadelphia Daily News : BASEBALL SWINGS AN UNREAL DEAL". Philadelphia Daily News. March 1, 1983.
  12. ^ "USA NETWORK MAKING SOME MAJOR-LEAGUE CUTS". Miami Herald. February 10, 1984.
  13. ^ Walker and Bellamy, James Robert and Robert Jr. (June 2008). Center Field Shot: A History of Baseball on Television. p. 143. ISBN 978-0803248250.
  14. ^ Holliman, Ray (April 14, 1979). "Cable package likely coming to Channel 7". St. Petersburg Times.
  15. ^ Apr 26, 1979, Indians at Royals Play by Play and Box Score March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  16. ^ "Searchable Network TV Broadcasts - USA Network". rec.sport.baseball.
  17. ^ Apr 26, 1979, Orioles at Angels Play by Play and Box Score September 6, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  18. ^ "Jock leaves bigs again". Daily News. June 6, 1979.
  19. ^ Craig, Jack (August 30, 1981). "CABLE WILL SATURATE SPORTS; COULD BRING OVER 600 BASEBALL TELECASTS FROM OUTSIDE CITY". Boston Globe.
  20. ^ Henniger, Paul (August 31, 1983). "Write To New York To Get Message To A Star In California". St. Petersburg Times.
  21. ^ Stewart, Larry (September 10, 1982). "A Win for Rams on the Air, Too". Los Angeles Times.
  22. ^ Wehrle, Bruce (November 29, 1982). "Cable Networks Join The Fun". The Dispatch.
  23. ^ Craig, Jack (May 4, 1980). "SPORTVIEW / BY JACK CRAIG; ; WHAT PRICE EXCLUSIVITY". Boston Globe.
  24. ^ 8/18/1983 Montreal Expos at San Francisco Giants on USA on YouTube
  25. ^ "Now On .The Air If ". Tri City Herald. August 10, 1982. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012.
  26. ^ "The Sports Scene". The Dispatch. July 15, 1982.
  27. ^ "The Sports Scene ". The Dispatch. September 2, 1982.
  28. ^ Copyright Royalty Fees for Cable Systems: Hearings Before the Subcommittee ... October 19, 1983. p. 703.
  29. ^ Leifer, Eric M. (June 2009). Making the Majors: The Transformation of Team Sports in America. p. 1964. ISBN 9780674040069.
  30. ^ Peck, Dick (August 6, 1981). "Sunday's All-Star Game Puts Baseball Back". Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
  31. ^ "BASEBALL STRIKE FORCES TV TO IMPROVISE". The New York Times. June 27, 1981.
  32. ^ Jun 11, 1981, Dodgers at Cardinals Play by Play and Box Score March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  33. ^ Sep 16, 1982, Padres at Giants Box Score and Play by Play March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  34. ^ . Archived from the original on September 26, 2007.
  35. ^ "Steve Zabriskie". Ultimate Mets Database. Retrieved 2016-05-31.

External links Edit

    October 20, 2023
    network, thursday, night, baseball, aired, major, league, baseball, games, network, from, 1979, 1983, 1983, logogenresportdeveloped, byusa, sportsdirected, bybob, hiestandjohn, repczynskistarringsee, announcers, sectioncountry, originunited, statesoriginal, la. USA Network Thursday Night Baseball aired Major League Baseball MLB games on the USA Network from 1979 to 1983 USA Network Thursday Night Baseball1983 logoGenreSportDeveloped byUSA SportsDirected byBob HiestandJohn RepczynskiStarringSee announcers sectionCountry of originUnited StatesOriginal languageEnglishProductionExecutive producersKay Koplovitz 1 Jim Zrake 2 ProducersJerry Romano 3 Mark D StulbergerJim ZrakeRunning time180 minutes or until game ends ReleaseOriginal networkUSAOriginal releaseApril 26 1979 1979 04 26 4 September 29 1983 1983 09 29 RelatedThursday Night BaseballMajor League Baseball on NBC Contents 1 Background 2 Coverage history 2 1 Memorable moments 3 Announcers 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksBackground EditIn 1979 5 22 teams all but the Atlanta Braves Houston Astros New York Mets and St Louis Cardinals participated in a one year cable deal with United Artists Television and Columbia Pictures Television then owners of the USA Network 6 The deal involved the airing of a Thursday night Game of the Week 7 in markets at least 50 miles 80 km from a major league park 8 The deal earned Major League Baseball less than 500 000 but led to a new two year contract for 40 45 games per season 9 10 The program ran through the 1983 season 11 12 With USA s Thursday night coverage it ended ABC s Monday night broadcast s position as the exclusive national prime time television franchise for Major League Baseball 13 Coverage history EditThe series began April 26 1979 14 with a doubleheader Cleveland at Kansas City 15 Jim Woods and Bud Harrelson announcing 16 followed by Baltimore at California 17 Monte Moore and Maury Wills announcing 18 The second game of the night was typically broadcast from the West Coast The games were usually blacked out in the competing teams cities 19 20 21 Once in a while when USA aired a repeat of the telecast late at night local cities were allowed to show the rerun 22 From 1980 to 1981 Jim Woods 23 and Nelson Briles replacing Bud Harrelson broadcast the early games while Monte Moore and Wes Parker replacing Maury Wills called the late game 24 In 1982 doubleheaders did not start until June 17 25 Prior to the doubleheaders starting Monte Moore and Wes Parker did the individual game until then When the doubleheaders finally began 26 Moore and Parker moved over to the late game for the rest of the year Meanwhile Eddie Doucette replacing Jim Woods and Nelson Briles were assigned to call the early game 27 USA continued with the plan of not starting doubleheaders until June in the final year of the package in 1983 Steve Zabriskie and Al Albert filled in for Eddie Doucette in September 1982 Steve Grad also occasionally substituted while Albert replaced Doucette for a game or more in 1983 USA s coverage became a casualty of the new 1 2 billion TV contract 28 between Major League Baseball ABC and NBC beginning in 1984 and lasting through 1989 One of the provisions to the new deal was that local telecasts opposite network games had to be eliminated 29 Memorable moments Edit One particular game of note was a Los Angeles Dodgers St Louis Cardinals game in 1981 the last game before the strike 30 31 32 The game in question featured Fernando Valenzuela picking up his eighth consecutive win to start the season Valenzuela gave up a home run in the ninth to tie the game 1 1 but Pedro Guerrero hit one himself in the bottom of the ninth for the win One year later during a September 16 game between the San Diego Padres and the San Francisco Giants 33 Darrell Evans went 3 for 5 with four RBI in Giants 9 3 victory Announcers EditAl Albert 1982 1983 Nelson Briles 1980 1983 Eddie Doucette 34 1982 1983 Steve Grad 1982 Bud Harrelson 1979 Ned Martin 1980 Monte Moore 1979 1983 Wes Parker 1980 1983 Maury Wills 1979 Jim Woods 1979 1981 Steve Zabriskie 35 1982 1983 See also EditThursday Night Baseball NBC Sports on USA NetworkReferences Edit 1980 10 02 LA Dodgers at SF Giants USA Network on YouTube 1983 08 18 USA Network Montreal Expos at SF Giants on YouTube 1982 09 16 USA Network Padres at Giants on YouTube SEARCHABLE NETWORK TV BROADCASTS sabrmedia org Archived from the original on 2019 04 18 Shea Stuart 7 May 2015 Calling the Game Baseball Broadcasting from 1920 to the Present SABR Inc p 373 ISBN 9781933599410 Big League Baseball To Hit Hinterlands On Cable Television Wall Street Journal April 13 1979 Majors give cable rights Lawrence Journal World April 13 1979 Jane Gross July 12 1981 Sports on cable The New York Times USA agreed to the baseball limitations rejected by ESPN and shows a Thursday night game in cities that do not have a major league team In New York City Manhattan Cable broadcasts USA s programs but cannot televise the weekly baseball game because the Yankees and Mets declined to grant the waivers necessary under major league statutes Jicha Jim April 3 1982 Is The Chance To Ao To The Park Miami News Archived from the original on July 12 2012 Giants Announce Signings of Stennett May Wohlford Los Angeles Times December 13 1979 Philadelphia Daily News BASEBALL SWINGS AN UNREAL DEAL Philadelphia Daily News March 1 1983 USA NETWORK MAKING SOME MAJOR LEAGUE CUTS Miami Herald February 10 1984 Walker and Bellamy James Robert and Robert Jr June 2008 Center Field Shot A History of Baseball on Television p 143 ISBN 978 0803248250 Holliman Ray April 14 1979 Cable package likely coming to Channel 7 St Petersburg Times Apr 26 1979 Indians at Royals Play by Play and Box Score Archived March 3 2016 at the Wayback Machine Searchable Network TV Broadcasts USA Network rec sport baseball Apr 26 1979 Orioles at Angels Play by Play and Box Score Archived September 6 2015 at the Wayback Machine Jock leaves bigs again Daily News June 6 1979 Craig Jack August 30 1981 CABLE WILL SATURATE SPORTS COULD BRING OVER 600 BASEBALL TELECASTS FROM OUTSIDE CITY Boston Globe Henniger Paul August 31 1983 Write To New York To Get Message To A Star In California St Petersburg Times Stewart Larry September 10 1982 A Win for Rams on the Air Too Los Angeles Times Wehrle Bruce November 29 1982 Cable Networks Join The Fun The Dispatch Craig Jack May 4 1980 SPORTVIEW BY JACK CRAIG WHAT PRICE EXCLUSIVITY Boston Globe 8 18 1983 Montreal Expos at San Francisco Giants on USA on YouTube Now On The Air If Tri City Herald August 10 1982 Archived from the original on July 30 2012 The Sports Scene The Dispatch July 15 1982 The Sports Scene The Dispatch September 2 1982 Copyright Royalty Fees for Cable Systems Hearings Before the Subcommittee October 19 1983 p 703 Leifer Eric M June 2009 Making the Majors The Transformation of Team Sports in America p 1964 ISBN 9780674040069 Peck Dick August 6 1981 Sunday s All Star Game Puts Baseball Back Sarasota Herald Tribune BASEBALL STRIKE FORCES TV TO IMPROVISE The New York Times June 27 1981 Jun 11 1981 Dodgers at Cardinals Play by Play and Box Score Archived March 3 2016 at the Wayback Machine Sep 16 1982 Padres at Giants Box Score and Play by Play Archived March 3 2016 at the Wayback Machine Where Are They Now Eddie Doucette Archived from the original on September 26 2007 Steve Zabriskie Ultimate Mets Database Retrieved 2016 05 31 External links EditSearchable Network TV Broadcasts Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title USA Network Thursday Night Baseball amp oldid 1174085129, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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