Tuesday, October 29, 2002
Record-low rating: The highest-scoring World Series ever turned out to be the lowest-rated, too. Despite an exciting, seven-game Series, Fox got an 11.9 rating and 20 share for the all-California matchup, Nielsen Media Research said Monday. That rating is 24 percent below Arizona's seven-game victory over the New York Yankees last year, which got a 15.7/25, and is 4 percent below the previous record, the Yankees' five-game win over the Mets in the 2000 Subway Series (12.4/21). In the past 11 years, the rating for the Series has gone down by 50 percent. Minnesota's seven-game victory over Atlanta in 1991 got a 24.0 rating and 39 share. The top Series rating was a 32.8/56 for Philadelphia's six-game victory over Kansas City in 1980. Anaheim's 4-1 victory Sunday night got a 17.9 preliminary rating and 28 share, down 24 percent from Arizona's 3-2 win in Game 7 last year, which received a 23.5/34. With the Yankees not in the World Series for the first time since 1997, the Series set record lows for an opener (9.4), Game 2 (11.9), Game 3 (10.8), Game 4 (11.8), Game 5 (10.0), Game 6 (11.8) and Game 7. Still, Fox estimated the seventh game was seen by 57.9 million viewers, the most-watched program of the new television season. The World Series averaged only one-third the rating of the most recent Super Bowl (40.4/61) and was less than this year's NCAA basketball championship game between Maryland and Indiana (15.0/24) and Miami's national football championship-winning Rose Bowl victory over Nebraska (13.8). Still, it was higher than this year's Daytona 500 (10.9/26), the NBA Finals (10.2) and the NHL's Stanley Cup finals (3.6/7).
Record-low rating: The highest-scoring World Series ever turned out to be the lowest-rated, too. Despite an exciting, seven-game Series, Fox got an 11.9 rating and 20 share for the all-California matchup, Nielsen Media Research said Monday. That rating is 24 percent below Arizona's seven-game victory over the New York Yankees last year, which got a 15.7/25, and is 4 percent below the previous record, the Yankees' five-game win over the Mets in the 2000 Subway Series (12.4/21). In the past 11 years, the rating for the Series has gone down by 50 percent. Minnesota's seven-game victory over Atlanta in 1991 got a 24.0 rating and 39 share. The top Series rating was a 32.8/56 for Philadelphia's six-game victory over Kansas City in 1980. Anaheim's 4-1 victory Sunday night got a 17.9 preliminary rating and 28 share, down 24 percent from Arizona's 3-2 win in Game 7 last year, which received a 23.5/34. With the Yankees not in the World Series for the first time since 1997, the Series set record lows for an opener (9.4), Game 2 (11.9), Game 3 (10.8), Game 4 (11.8), Game 5 (10.0), Game 6 (11.8) and Game 7. Still, Fox estimated the seventh game was seen by 57.9 million viewers, the most-watched program of the new television season. The World Series averaged only one-third the rating of the most recent Super Bowl (40.4/61) and was less than this year's NCAA basketball championship game between Maryland and Indiana (15.0/24) and Miami's national football championship-winning Rose Bowl victory over Nebraska (13.8). Still, it was higher than this year's Daytona 500 (10.9/26), the NBA Finals (10.2) and the NHL's Stanley Cup finals (3.6/7).
Kids out: Baseball might stop all that child's play in the dugout. Many fans got a kick out of those cute kids serving as bat boys for the San Francisco Giants during the World Series. But commissioner Bud Selig doesn't think it was harmless fun and plans to consider new rules regarding who is allowed in the dugout. "Nothing's been decided. I know it's an issue that will be addressed," Rich Levin, a spokesman for Selig, said Monday. Darren Baker, the 3 1/2-year-old son of Giants manager Dusty Baker, was nearly hurt at home plate in Game 5 last Thursday when he ran out to retrieve a bat while the ball was still in play.
Man stabbed: Police believe a man who was found dead near Edison International Field was stabbed at a tailgate party in the stadium's parking lot after Game 7 of the World Series. Investigators followed a trail of blood leading from the south parking lot of the stadium to 27-year-old Leopoldo Bastida, who walked nearly two blocks before collapsing Sunday night, Anaheim police Sgt. Mike Hidalgo said.