This Week in Baseball

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This Week in Baseball
Also known as TWIB
Genre Family / News / Sport / Baseball / Kids / Non Fiction
Created by Joe Reichler
Developed by Major League Baseball Productions
Phoenix Communications Group, The[1]
Written by Mark Durand
James Rogal
Jeff Scott
Presented by Mel Allen
Warner Fusselle
Ozzie Smith
Cam Brainard
Starring Mel Allen
Warner Fusselle
Ozzie Smith
Cam Brainard
Jennie Finch
Narrated by Mel Allen
Warner Fusselle
Cam Brainard
Theme music composer Mike Vickers
Opening theme "Jet Set"
Ending theme "Gathering Crowds"
Composer(s) Matthew Cang
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
Production
Executive producer(s) Larry Parker
Geoff Belinfante
Editor(s) Tony Tocci
Michael Kostel
Marco Lagana
Cinematography Savas Alatis
Richard Wilmot
Running time 30 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel First-run syndication
Fox
Five (in UK)
Original run April 1, 1977 (1977-04-01) – September 26, 1998 (1998-09-26)
April 8, 2000 (2000-04-08) – September 24, 2011 (2011-09-24)
Chronology
Preceded by In the Zone
Followed by MLB Player Poll
Related shows Major League Baseball Game of the Week
External links
Website

This Week in Baseball (abbreviated as TWiB, pronounced phonetically) is an American syndicated television series which focuses on Major League Baseball. Broadcast weekly during baseball season, the program features highlights of recent games, interviews with players, and other regular features. The popularity of the program, best known for its original host, New York Yankees play-by-play commentator Mel Allen, also helped influence the creation of other sports highlight programs, including ESPN's SportsCenter.

After its original syndicated run from 1977 to 1998, and gaining a revival in 2000 (which moved to Fox as a lead-in to its Saturday MLB coverage, TWiB was discontinued at the end of the 2011 Major League Baseball season, replaced by the new program MLB Player Poll.

Contents

History [edit]

When Commissioner Bowie Kuhn first took office in 1969, the only weekly showcase of Major League Baseball was its Saturday afternoon Game of the Week on NBC. On the other hand, the National Football League had produced its own syndicated highlight programs through its in-house unit NFL Films. In response to its competition, This Week in Baseball premiered in first-run syndication in 1977. The show was originally hosted by Mel Allen, the "voice of the Yankees" until his firing by the team in 1969.[2]

The program was typically picked up by stations that also had television rights to major league franchises like WTBS in Atlanta or KTTV in Los Angeles or WGN in Chicago. TWIB would also air on owned-and-operated NBC stations.

According to pages 222-223 of Curt Smith's biography on Mel Allen entitled The Voice: Mel Allen's Untold Story, when NBC lost the rights to the Game of the Week to CBS (who unlike NBC, didn't broadcast regular season games for all 26 weeks of the season) after the 1989 season, TWIB, sans a strong anchor, proceeded to either lose markets or move to weaker (often independent) stations. Even more so, TWIB was now (under the CBS umbrella) averaging a 1-2 rating and in several places, airing at midnight (as opposed to say for example, WNBC New York at 1:30 p.m.).

End of the Mel Allen era [edit]

Veteran sportscaster Mel Allen[3] hosted and narrated the show from its inception until his death[4] in 1996. Warner Fusselle[5][6] filled-in for Allen when needed (Fusselle generally did the TWIB notes[7] in the middle of the show but as Allen's health declined in later years, Fuselle would occasionally host the show himself[8]), and Allen was succeeded for two years by former St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Ozzie Smith.[9][10]

From Syndication to Fox [edit]

While TWIB was originally syndicated to various stations around the country, the Fox network relaunched the series in 2000 (after a one year absence off of television). It returned as a pregame show for its Saturday afternoon Major League Baseball telecasts, replacing In the Zone, which had a similar format to NBA Inside Stuff and was listed as part of the Fox Kids/4KidsTV line-up.

Although all other children's programs were cancelled by Fox on December 28, 2008, TWIB was retained at least for the 2009 season, airing for the first time in high definition. It also aired on the MLB Network.

By the 2011 season, TWIB's ratings declined as the result of such shows as ESPN's Baseball Tonight and SportsCenter, which showed baseball highlights daily. The rise of the internet and the MLB Network also sealed TWIB's fate. As previously mentioned, in 2012, Fox cancelled TWIB and replaced it with a new baseball-oriented show, MLB Player Poll.

Format [edit]

Cardinal great Ozzie Smith hosted TWIB from 1997-1998.

The show also aired on regional sports networks around the country, on Rogers Sportsnet in Canada, and was also often played as part of the pre-game entertainment on the TV screens of major league stadiums. When TWIB moved from first-run syndication to Fox, Cam "Buzz" Brainard became the host/narrator of TWIB, while a current major league player was profiled each week. Also, from 2004-2005, segments of the show were hosted by U.S. fast-pitch softball sensation Jennie Finch.

In 2007, TWIB was slated for 26 episodes running from April to the end of September, focusing on stories of various clubs and different baseball themes each week. The segment "Front Row Fan" features celebrities reminiscing about their favorite baseball memories. Guests have included Tom Hanks, Bernie Mac, Alyssa Milano and Kevin James. There is also a play of the week section and TWIBIA, which is where a trivia question is asked before the commercial break.

Highlights of the past week's action are used less frequently, except for a closing highlight reel set to popular songs. The highlight reel is named How 'Bout That?, in reference to Mel Allen's well-known catchphrase. Video is gathered from each of the 30 Clubs' Stadium Loggers, who compile highlights of each game and send them to MLB Productions in Secaucus, NJ.

The program also uses educational segments to help it qualify for E/I status in the United States.

Music [edit]

The opening theme music to TWIB is "Jet Set," composed by Mike Vickers, a former member of the original Manfred Mann band. "Jet Set" was first used as the theme for the original 1974-75 version of the game show Jackpot. When Fox brought TWIB back, a slightly revamped version of "Jet Set" is written.

The closing theme to the show is "Gathering Crowds," composed by Patrick J. O'Hara Scott, a pseudonym for the same Mike Vickers. It is typically played over a montage of baseball's greatest moments, building to a crescendo with a punctuated 3-note chord as the MLB logo slides into view. The piece has also been utilized to similar effect for montages and credits at the end of local TV newscasts and the like. The theme is a fan favorite and is considered one of the greatest sports themes.

References [edit]

  1. ^ Mushnick, Phil (12 June 2012). "Warner Fusselle dead". New York Post. Retrieved 6 November 2012. 
  2. ^ "'This Week in Baseball' restored Allen's reputation". USA Today. Retrieved 16 June 2012. 
  3. ^ Joe Reichler, a former sportswriter working in the commissioner's office, gave him the job.
  4. ^ Without Allen, 'TWIB' no longer meaningful
  5. ^ Fusselle hosted ‘This Week In Baseball’ after Mel Allen and had a weekly show on ESPN.
  6. ^ "A lot of people didn't know that Mel was even alive," said Warner Fusselle, Allen's backup voice on the show.
  7. ^ "Remembering Warner Fusselle: Brooklyn Cyclones announcer and legend". 15 June 2012. Retrieved 6 November 2012. 
  8. ^ Goldstein, Aaron (14 June 2012). "Warner Fusselle, R.I.P.". The American Spectator. Retrieved 6 November 2012. 
  9. ^ The New Land Of Oz
  10. ^ "Ozzie Smith Gets Job in Television". NYTimes.com. 1997-01-15. Retrieved 2008-03-19. [dead link]

External links [edit]

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