To pick up the thread comparing college hockey with college baseball for a
moment...
 
One point none of my esteemed colleagues has raised is that both sports are
lousy TV sports.  This is due to the sheer immensity of the playing field
and the nuances of the game away from the play off camera.  Think about it:
basketball and football players tend to bunch up more often than not and the
ball is big enough to be seen from a distance.  Lots of neat things (stolen
bases, hip checks, etc.) tend to occur out of the camera eye if they are not
directly involved with the key play of the moment.
 
Baseball has been on TV longer so some of their problems have been solved
over time (i.e. zoom shots from center field showing pitcher, hitter and
catcher in one frame).  Hockey does not have as much experience with TV as a
medium, though the CBC could probably teach ESPN a thing or two.  As many of
you can no doubt attest, local TV attempts at televising hockey games often
look more like amateurish home video than actual broadcasting.  Most college
rinks built for the purpose (not multi-purpose or basketball arenas) do not
offer good TV facilities and often force broadcasters to show bad angle
shots or the backs of heads in the student section.
 
So, before we berate ESPN too terribly (not that they don't deserve it - I'm
still pissed over the Maine-Michigan game!) let's keep the limitations of
the sport itself in mind.  Maybe, for the moment, the best solution is to
move back on campus and watch the games in person...
 
Regards,
 
Mark
 
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