MLB avoids disaster with Yankees-Dodgers streaming decision

MLB

equal time

By Phil Mushnick

Good things come to those who wait. At least to those who wait it out.

MLB on Friday night was forced to show the Dodgers-Yankees to the nation’s two largest TV markets on both YES and L.A.’s cable network, as well as on a previously exclusive paywalled streaming service, because Rob Manfred and Associates bit off more Apple TV+ than it could chew, let alone was willing to swallow.

Thus, the biggest matchup of the season to date, Ohtani vs. Judge for starters, was seen simultaneously on three separate domestic networks, all producing their own telecasts. Otherwise MLB would have allowed a huge audience to again be fractionalized by its own just-show-me-the-dough greed.

Friday was similar to how “Monday Night Football” avoided Congressional subpoena by allowing the competing teams to be seen on local over-the-air channels in addition to ESPN. For now.

Then there was the MLB-asked-for-it calamity two years ago when the Yanks were bolted to Apple TV+ with Aaron Judge already having hit 61 home runs.

And that likely made this past Friday — with multiple radio stations, including Japanese, plus three U.S. TV networks — the busiest broadcast night in the history of all Yankee Stadiums.

I’m terrible at math. I’m not allowed to keep the scorecard in golf because I’ve difficulty carrying the 1. My grade in my high school math final was unprecedented: “See Me!!!” circled in red ink.

So I’ve been reduced to a two-plus-two guy, the kind of problem I can handle. Thus:

Friday, as per a rare lesson learned, MLB did not want to again suffer the ignominy of having an anticipated must-watch appearing only to a minimized audience.

So Apple’s $85 million per deal with MLB would need to be “adjusted” or MLB would have been reduced to explaining — or ignoring — why two of its biggest-market teams were reduced to a boutique viewership.

This three-telecasts decision, I’m told, was reached weeks ago — perhaps was also inspired in some part by the NFL’s absurd, money-talks decision to place January’s Dolphins-Chiefs playoff game in prime time and only on NBC’s Peacock pay streaming channel.

That Roger Goodell-certified decision cost the NFL at least 15 million viewers, and it cost attendees toes as the night was so cold amputations followed.

But as “Hacksaw” Goodell boasts, “It’s all about our fans” — even those who now must use canes to remain devoted in-house out-of-pocket Chiefs patrons.

So, at least for one night, what was prematurely and exclusively sold by MLB for those who’d “cut the cable cord” and were able and willing to purchase Apple TV+ was seen by many, many more.

Imagine! A greater-good decision from a sport in self-assigned popular decline.

Brings to mind the tale told about Mark Koenig, an allegedly disagreeable infielder who played for the 1927 Yankees.

Koenig, legend holds, was known to hold sportswriters in contempt until softening to become friendlier just before he retired. It was thus written of him, “He was saying hello when it was time to say goodbye.”

Throwing harder puts pitchers on shelf longer

One doesn’t know whether to place an emergency phone call to the Hospital for No Longer Special Surgery or to the Humane Society.

There’s something sickly wrong — as in physically disabling — with baseball that continues to be untreated and certainly uncured as it spreads.

Last Saturday, The Post’s “Sports Shorts” box included three items about MLB pitchers:

The Orioles’ John Means and Tyler Wells will miss the rest of the season to undergo surgery to treat “elbow problems,” and the Blue Jays’ Alek Manoah will be on the injured list with “a sprained elbow.”

The day before we learned that Yankees starter Clarke Schmidt will be out for up to two months with a lat strain, but ace Gerrit Cole is rehabbing well after being lost since spring training with an elbow injury.

It was reported as good news that Cole’s fastball hit 97 mph in a rehab session.

Tuesday, the Astros lost pitchers Cristian Javier and Jose Urquidy “to season-ending elbow surgery,” joining several other elbow and shoulder-disabled Houston pitchers.

And on and on. And then on and on.

The need-for-speed, now as requisite as baseball’s game-wrecking addiction to math-centric analytics, have reduced starting pitchers to delicate five-inning, multimillion dollar lab rats.

Just throw as hard as you can for five innings every five games — use your arm like a slingshot — then head for postgame treatment that now often includes MRI exams followed by speed dials to Triple-A. Maybe we’ll see you again in a month, a year, never or at an Old-Timer’s Game.

Everyone sees it, everyone knows it, yet nothing is done about it as media, managers and GMs marvel at 98-102 mph velocities and total strikeouts as if there’s no other way to measure a starting pitcher’s ability to produce an out.

Meantime, transient relievers are treated with analytics-blinded unintended extra care, assigned to produce just three outs, be they on six pitches or 26. Let the next relievers then the “closer of the week” win or lose the game.

See? Says so right here on my dugout laptop! How he pitched Tuesday is how he’ll pitch Thursday. Failproof!

As Ron Darling, who threw 37 complete games, several years ago said while witnessing MLB losing its collective mind and appeal: “They pay millions to starters then ask relievers to win the games.”

This worsening epidemic of arms gone bad is not going to be cured on a wish. It’s not a head cold to be beaten by a good night’s sleep.

But this is MLB, which legislates remedies such as automatic intentional walks and enlarged bases. So don’t just do something, stand there!

Holy cow! What a single!

Wednesday after the Nationals Jesse Winker singled against the Mets, he was seen on SNY standing on first and immodestly gyrating his hips at his dugout teammates’ urging.

Did it matter that the Nats were losing, 2-0. Or that Winker next would be thrown out trying to steal? Or that the Nats lost, 9-1?

Nah. After all, he’d hit a single!

Given that these new Nike-issue “City Connect” uniforms were revealed on Rob Manfred’s watch, he should be compelled to wear one around town. I’d put him in those Padres’ clown suits, those with one pink sleeve, the other one lime green.

Or was Emmett Kelly (Google it or ask your old man) from San Diego?

How does Disney’s ESPN allow Pat McAfee to apologize on the air for being an uncouth lout on the air when he was hired because he’s an uncouth lout on the air?

Or didn’t ESPN see this coming?

Now that I know that it’s not just me — lots of emails from readers who have had difficulty hearing what the ABC/ESPN NBA trio of Mike Breen, Doris Burke and JJ Redick said from courtside during the playoffs — do I bother to again ask that it be fixed?

Oh, well, you know the old lament, “Wait till next year!”