SECAUCUS, N.J. -- The Mariners could be lurching toward a 101-loss season as they were late last summer and Harold Reynolds would still want his game highlights.
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Seattle's former All-Star second baseman figures many fans are like him, loyal to their favorite team whether it's in first place or last, and hankering to see what happened each night as quickly as possible.
The MLB Network is set to launch Jan. 1, and it might seem that a 24-hour channel is aimed at fans who passionately follow the entire league. But as their numbers dwindle, they aren't the viewers president and CEO Tony Petitti is relying on to sustain the network.
The reality of TV sports today is that World Series ratings fluctuate greatly from year to year depending on who's playing. Still, many teams draw large audiences in their home markets. So while the MLB Network is national, Petitti likes to think of it as a conglomeration of regional interests.
"We want to complement the way fans watch their local team," Petitti said during a Dec. 17 tour of the network's studios.
For the first year at least, the network will be more focused on highlights and analysis than live games. It will air only 26 regular-season matchups, but will broadcast an eight-hour highlight show six nights a week. The lengthy time slot will require two shifts of commentators.
Matt Vasgersian and Victor Rojas will serve as hosts, with former players Reynolds, Al Leiter, Joe Magrane and Dan Plesac as analysts.
Petitti hopes that fans seeking an update on a particular game will learn to automatically flip to MLB Network, confident they will be quickly rewarded. The network will be able to do live look-ins and show highlights while the game is still going on.
"If we establish a pattern, we've done a good job," he said.
It's no secret the program's main competition will be ESPN, specifically its Baseball Tonight franchise. The new network's highlight show is even similarly named: MLB Tonight.
Petitti diplomatically notes that because MLB Tonight lasts so much longer than Baseball Tonight, a different structure is inevitable. But it's also clear the new network seeks to capitalize on the perception, fair or not, that ESPN spends most of its time focusing on a few teams.
So Petitti is promising an egalitarian approach. Pennant chases and major controversies will get plenty of coverage, of course, but fans of every team can expect regular and complete highlights no matter how small the club's market or poor its record.
Petitti, a former CBS Sports executive, compares the balancing act to airing the early rounds of the NCAA men's basketball tournament, something he was quite familiar with at his old job.
