SYRACUSE, New York – Think Outside the Box: For some reason, networks have begun to show a growing number of replays with various split-screen effects. Here’s a thought: STOP! It began with Fox’s baseball coverage in the last few years and can now be seen on some of ABC’s college football telecasts.While some viewers may be able to follow two replays going simultaneously at opposite ends of the screen, no network seems to be able to integrate that with a background that doesn’t look absolutely hideous. Fox used its mind-numbing cookie-cutter shapes rather than simple polygons, and ABC’s background looked so pixelated that it was practically unbearable to watch. Whatever happened to the good ‘ole days when it was sufficient to show the isolated shot of the quarterback throwing and the subsequent pressure from the opposition’s defensive line and then seeing the receivers in isolation from a separate angle. I don’t remember anyone complaining that they couldn’t see both at the exact same time.

Aside from it being cumbersome viewing, these little techie tricks are taking away from the nuances that separated the best directors from the rest of the pack. For instance, in baseball, on a base hit to deep center field with runners on 2nd and 3rd base, directors traditionally had to be precise in cutting: show the pitch from the center field camera; cut to the high home camera on the hit, following the ball; cut to the low dugout camera on the first base side, scoring the lead runner; cut back to the high home camera to show the outfielder playing the ball; cut to the low dugout camera on the third base side, showing the second base runner coming around 3rd; then, cut to the low first camera to score the runner or cut to the high home camera to cover a play at the plate, all the while reminding the audience where the batter is on the bases. This is one of countless ways to attempt to cover one play. With the advent of technology like TBS’ “SuperShot,” a picture-in-picture graphic box that drops down from the score to show a runner scoring, the skill is taken out of the entire process.

Oops, They Did it Again: Just when I was beginning to think that Fox wasn’t going to do anything to infuriate its competitors this month, everyone’s least favorite Aussie, Fox chairman Rupert Murdoch, struck again. After entering the fray with its bid on the NFC in the early-90s, leaving CBS out of the mix and ultimately causing the National Football League’s rightsfees to skyrocket, Fox Sports made its first serious foray into college football. According to the Associated Press, Fox officially announced Monday that it had reached an agreement with the controversial Bowl Championship Series (BCS) to broadcast the Fiesta, Orange and Sugar bowls, beginning at the conclusion of the 2006 season. Fox is paying $320 million for the four-year deal, effectively ruling out any possibility of an end to the much-maligned BCS system. Fox, which had covered only one college football game each year, the Cotton Bowl, stepped in when ABC, the only network to have covered the BCS, dropped out of the bidding last week. Unlike ABC/ESPN, CBS and NBC, the Fox Network does not cover any regular season college football games.

Had it not been for Fox’s bid, the lack of interest from the television networks could have been the catalyst in changing a flawed system. Instead, fans will have to endure another four years of the BCS.

Filed under: Music/Variety, Opinion/Editorial, Sports TV, Television