Baseball is an Every Day Game

Most everyone who knows me knows that I’m from Wisconsin. I have a lot of friends there, and the other day I was talking with one who’s a pretty devoted fan of baseball in general and the Milwaukee Brewers in particular. Our conversation went something like this:
“I’m not in a good mood today, Kyle.”
“Why? What's wrong?"
“I wanted to listen to the Brewer game today, but the station I usually listen to didn’t have it.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know, but it p----- me off. I had to find some other station far away and it barely came in.”

What went unsaid is one of the universal truths of professional baseball: It’s an every day game.
The length of the season and the amount of games make it so, and fans wouldn’t have it any other way.
Did your favorite team lose today? They’ll have a chance to win tomorrow.
Is your favorite player on a hot streak? You won’t have to wait long to see if he can keep it going.
Did something historic occur? If not today, it might happen the next day.
Was there a rainout? Don’t worry, there’s another game just around the corner.Is your team in a pennant race? The drama will continue tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that….
Baseball is an every day game.

The nature of baseball as an every day game is something we respect at Classic Rock 102.3 FM The New River – the flagship station of the Princeton Rays. That’s why we’ll broadcast every game the the P-Rays play, no matter where or when it is.
Baseball is an every day game.

Baseball is also a wonderful sport on the radio. Yet, as a low minor league, the Appalachian League – of which the P-Rays are a member – doesn’t attract a lot of radio or broadcast coverage. In fact, last season, Princeton was the only one of the league’s ten teams to have all of its games broadcast on the radio.
Some Appy League teams will broadcast a portion of their schedule. For example, Greeneville has had many home games and select road games on radio. Bluefield has had its road games on the radio, but not home games. But we’ll bring you each and every P-Rays on game on The New River.
Baseball is an every day game.

It’s also woven into the fabric of summer. Who amongst us hasn’t been working on the yard, camping, or just sitting on the porch and shooting the breeze -- with a baseball game on the radio? It’s as much a part of summer as cookouts and heat waves.
Baseball is an every day game.
(Except for off days, of course, but there are only three during the 71 days of the Appy League season.)

I live in a city within the broadcast area of a radio station affiliated with a Major League team. But the station doesn't carry all the team's games. I never know from one day to the next if a game will be broadcast, even if it's on the schedule. So I don't rely on that station and will instead tune into out-of-town stations to hear other Major League teams, or will listen to a minor league game online.
Baseball is an every day game.

The Tampa Bay Rays' front office sends me a daily update on the club’s minor league affiliates. It helps me follow the progress of former Princeton Rays as they work their way up the ladder. Some will make it all the way to the Majors; most will not.
Every daily update brings with it something new. Every day the numbers are different. Every day the fortunes change for the young men who are trying to reach the pinnacle of their sport.
Baseball is an every day game.

There are many reasons why some Appy League teams don’t have their entire seasons broadcast, whether on the air or online. It requires a major commitment by a radio station and/or team to present a full-season schedule, even for the short-season Appy League. It can be difficult to find adequate staffing, and it can be a challenge for salespeople to sell baseball broadcasts to potential sponsors.
What’s more, some teams in Minor League Baseball believe that broadcasting their games – particularly home games – will harm attendance.
However, the Princeton Rays saw their attendance rise in 2008 – the first year all their games were broadcast on the radio.

We’re fully aware of the challenges involved with broadcasting a full season of Princeton Rays baseball. We’ve embraced those challenges.
So when the 2009 season comes around – Opening Night is June 23 – you’ll hear every game on Classic Rock 102.3 FM The New River.
We can’t wait to get started.
Baseball is an every day game.