A Comment About the MLB Network

While I truly love having the MLB Network as a go-to cable channel and really enjoy MLB Hot Stove, Prime 9, and another chance to catch the sensational documentary on baseball by Ken Burns, I find myself having to comment, a little critically, about one feature that I have seen now three times. I speak of the segment when Harold Reynolds takes to the studio field with a player to demonstrate something or other.

The first segment I viewed was a demonstration by Marlins outfielder Cameron Maybin on fielding a ball hit down the left field line and throwing it back into the infield. In all honesty, I would have to be eight years old to find this interesting or valuable.

The incomparable and personality-filled Kevin Millar was a guest for the second segment that I viewed. Millar was asked to show how to hit a ball over the Green Monster, aka Fenway's left field wall. At first glance, this seemed a logical thing to have Kevin demonstrate, as he was a noted pull hitter in his years in Boston. Reynolds knelt down and proceeded to feed lobs to Millar, who hacked away several times, banging line drives to left center field and down the line, as well as a pop fly that banged and clanged off the studio ceiling. Bottom line: Millar couldn't pull off the trick. I really felt for Millar, who as a free agent in need of a job, failed to hit a ball out of a studio ball field. Worth noting: Millar as a guest panelist is excellent. He exudes logic as well as his patented personality and works well with Reynolds, Joe Magrane, and the gang.

The most recent segment that I viewed was easily the best: 2008 NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum was in town to demonstrate his "different" all-out pitching wind-up. The viewer received a full explanation complete with video of Lincecum's father throwing much the same way as well as Little League shots of a young Tim toiling on the mound. This was an interesting learning experience for me.

I think I can already say that the studio demonstrations can be overdone and overused by the MLB Network. Less is more, guys.