Nightly News Shows Give Ratings Big Boost

In one corner of town this week, members of baseball’s television committee were debating whether future World Series games should start at 7:30 p.m. or 8:30 EDT.

Meanwhile, over at Jacobs Field on Tuesday night, Game 3 of the World Series was making everyone think long and hard about that question.

It was a game that didn’t end until 12:42 a.m. EDT Wednesday in part because it didn’t start until 8:33 p.m. But even though that game ended well past lots of folks’ bedtimes, Phillies president Bill Giles says it’s far from certain that future Series games will start earlier once baseball cuts its new TV deal.

“Do you realize that 5 million more people were watching that game at 11:30 than at 8:30?” asked Giles, a key member of that television committee. “The highest-rated time period was from 11:30 to 12 … and I know why. They were watching the 11 o’clock news, and the sports guy was saying the game was tied, 6-6. So everybody flipped over to watch it.

“There’s no question we get lower ratings when we start at 7:30. For all the games that start at 7:30, the ratings from 7:30 to 8:30 really drag down the whole night’s rating.”

But the question baseball people have to ponder is whether they need to make decisions on the future based on factors besides ratings.

“That’s very true,” Giles conceded. “But it’s a tough decision. Is it more important to have 200,000 kids watching earlier in the night than it is to have an extra 5 million older people watching later?”

Avery turns to Big Unit

When Steve Avery survived the sixth inning Wednesday night with a strategy he stole from Randy Johnson, Game 4 turned Atlanta’s way.

Avery lost a 1-0 lead, lost his balance and appeared to be losing his composure in the inning. His pitch count had just passed 100 and the Cleveland Indians were one hit away from taking over the momentum.

Avery needed to get one more out before Bobby Cox would turn to his tired bullpen. He got it on one of his sharpest breaking pitches of the night, a 1-2 curveball that Herbert Perry waved at for a third strike and the last out of the inning.

“I kind of stole that from Randy Johnson when I saw (Perry) swing over three straight curveballs in the playoffs,” Avery said. “I thought that was the pitch he was going to miss for me, and I used it when I needed it most.”

It was pitch No. 109 for Avery, his last, and it kept the score 1-1. Atlanta pulled away in the next inning.

Hargrove chronicles

The way Cleveland manager Mike Hargrove explains it, the strategy makes perfect sense. The way it has worked out two straight nights has been less than successful.

Just as he did the night before, Hargrove tried to get his starting pitcher through Marquis Grissom and Luis Polonia, the first two hitters in the Atlanta lineup, late in the game before reaching for his bullpen.

It didn’t work Tuesday, and it didn’t work Wednesday in Game 4. And now the Indians, who lost 5-2, face Greg Maddux tonight, trailing 3-1 and facing elimination.

Charles Nagy had a low pitch count on Tuesday and Hargrove left him in to start the eighth inning with disastrous results, a double by Grissom and a single by Polonia touching off a three-run rally that was forgotten when Cleveland came back to win.

Ken Hill was in the same situation Wednesday night and the result was nearly identical. This time, though, the Indians didn’t escape. “Kenny was throwing the ball well,” Hargrove said. “There was no thought in our minds not to send him out.”

Hill had thrown just 82 pitches through six innings in a 1-1 game, and when he struck out leadoff man Rafael Belliard in the seventh for his first strikeout of the game, there was no indication of any problem.

Then he walked Grissom after getting ahead 1-2, and before Hargrove could do anything about it, Polonia doubled on the first pitch and the Braves were in front. Now Hill was done, one batter too late.

Hargrove is consistent. In Game 2, he chose to pitch to Javy Lopez with the bottom of the Braves’ batting order behind him and Lopez homered. Wednesday, he did the same thing in the ninth and Lopez hit an RBI double.

Hargrove smiled when asked if he’d ever read anything in the sports pages that enlightened him as to how to do his job: “No. But I couldn’t do your job. That makes us even.”

Polonia thankful

If not for Darryl Strawberry and George Steinbrenner, Polonia would never have had a chance to become a World Series hero.

Polonia was traded from New York to Atlanta on Aug. 11 so the Yankees owner could make room for Strawberry. While many of his former teammates were home watching on TV, Polonia hit a go-ahead double in the seventh inning Wednesday night, sparking Atlanta.

“I should have been home watching the World Series right now,” Polonia said. “Instead I’m here.”

After leaving the Yankees, Polonia ripped the team for trading him. Now, he’s having the last laugh.

He’s 3 for 9 in the Series and 5 for 14 (.357) in the postseason. Strawberry was 0 for 2 against Seattle in the first round of the A.L. playoffs.

“Too bad they’re there,” Polonia said. “I’m here. I got the best part of the deal.”