MLB: Baseball, Remade for TV

Major League Baseball Commissioner "Bud" Selig made a bold move to keep the Expos in Montreal for the long term by approving the sale of the team to Universal Studios. Universal, quickly forming a partnership with DreamWorks Studios, immediately announced the arrival of Steven Spielberg as the Director of Baseball Production for the next three seasons.

"Steven and DreamWorks bring a lot of talent that the Expos will benefit from," explained Katherine Hendly, the head of Universal’s new Sports Entertainment Division. "The first is special effects. Computer graphics will provide us with digital fans. People watching at home will never see an empty stadium again."

Kyle Durango, the computer specialist in charge of adding tens of thousands of computerized fans to every game, predicted that this should be available by opening day. "First of all, most of the technology exists already, so it’s not like we’re reinventing the wheel here. Second, the fans will be Canadian, which is a huge advantage. They don’t have too look that different or be very animated. And with our pitching staff, they won’t have much to cheer for—at least in the beginning of the season—so we should have some time to lay the groundwork for the exciting season finale."

In addition, Spielberg plans to launch a weekly broadcast on Friday nights on UPN. Slated as Expos, starring Vladimir Guerrero, the show will be a condensed version of a Thursday game. What’s more, teams that are out of the pennant race can sign on to let Spielberg direct the action. This is quite a deal for cash-strapped teams. "And they don’t have to worry about being the bad guys," assured Spielberg. "I have some very good writers, and we won’t be casting anyone in a bad light. And if the writers call for it, the Expos might not even win. It’s all about the dramatic affect and keeping our audience guessing."

The news of these plans sent shock waves across Major League Baseball. Fox Entertainment was the first to respond by transferring James Cameron from his role on the hit show Dark Angel to the lead in producing the season for the network’s team, the Los Angeles Dodgers. Fox owner Rupert Murdock explained that the season was most likely a wash under any circumstances, so he saw no problem in turning the results over to Cameron. For his part, Cameron indicated that his weekly show—Avenging Dodgers—would be longer and rougher than Spielberg’s. "I’m not going to sugarcoat baseball," said Cameron. "I am going for the suspense and action of the sport rather than drama of wins and losses. Plus I figure that once we reveal that Gary Sheffield is a cyborg, that will actually help explain his behavior quite a bit."

Disney, on the other hand, reacted by moving in the opposite direction. Its team, the Anaheim Angels, will also have a weekly show on ABC and its Disney cable channel. Angels manager Mike Scioscia will have a great deal to do with the shows. Describing his vision, Scioscia said, "We don’t have the same talent as the Expos or the same locker-room fireworks as the Dodgers, so we wanted to focus on aspects of the game that minimized the play on the field." The first show will make use of injured first baseman Mo Vaughn. Touched by an Anaheim Angel will follow Vaughn as he aids fans across the world in their quests for healing and self-actualization. The second, 2000 Gene Autry Way, will be about how the players cope with their home lives and the stress of playing on the road. The season premier will bring in Robert Downey Jr. as a crazed fan who boos new pitcher Ismael Valdes. Both Valdes and Downey will go through a great deal of introspection to solve their mutual and individual problems. The cliffhanger at the end of the season will leave Jose Canseco in turmoil as he is asked to play outfield and suffers flashbacks from the time when a ball hit him on the head and bounced over the wall for a homerun.

The Atlanta Braves and the Chicago Cubs enjoy their own cable stations and could also enter the race for sports-drama. Cubs President Andy MacPhail speculated that a reality-based show might be the best option for his organization, where fans vote off one player a week. Meanwhile, Braves owner Ted Turner said that he considers a game show spin to be the best for his team. Still, both teams might wait to see if the new trend is a short-lived fad or a long-term success.

"Baseball has a long history and a great tradition," said Turner. "You just don’t mess with that. Unless there really is a lot of money to be made."