July 27, 2008

ESPN Gets Both Starting Pitchers Wrong

Everyone at Fenway Park last night knew the starting pitchers were Sidney Ponson and Jon Lester ... everyone except ESPN, the network that was broadcasting the game.

In the top of the first, the Worldwide Leader showed us which Red Sox were in the field:


Josh Beckett? ESPN did not broadcast Beckett's start against the Yankees on Friday night, but that could still be an honest goof, I suppose -- although it did come right after the graphic showing Lester's season stats.

Now, assuming some production person spotted that error, the logical thing to do next would be to double-check the Yankees graphic to make sure it was correct. But ...

In the bottom of the first, ESPN presented us with this:


Carl Pavano! If he was watching last night's game, he must have been surprised. Pavano last pitched in a major league game back on April 9, 2007! But there he was -- on the field with his new teammate Xavier Nady!

In case you are wondering -- since there is a Red Sox logo and an outline of Fenway Park on the graphic -- Pavano last pitched in Boston on June 27, 2003 (as a member of the Marlins in the infamous 25-8 game). Pavano's only other appearance at Fenway was in a 15-0 loss on July 2, 1998 when he was with the Expos.

6 comments:

Shelly said...

Oh duh. At least ESPN is only in the 6th circle of hell and not the 7th like FOX.

Dr. Jeff said...

They also put up a graphic about Jim "Longborg", which Jon Miller corrected on the air.

Jack Marshall said...

None of which was any dumber than the "analysis" of Manny's remarks put forth by Miller and pompous failure Steve Phillips, the GM avatar of Kevin Kennedy, who said that Manny's message was that he didn't want the Sox to pick up his option after the season because he thought he'd make more on the open market. Whatever it is that Manny's thinking, I think it is pretty obvious (except to ESPN's "experts") that this isn't it.

Wait...Carl Pavano???

Jere said...

And everyone knows the Green Monster gets its name from the fact that the rest of Fenway's fences are BLUE.... that graphic's been annoying me for years.

nixon33 said...

haha, awesome. PAVANO? why not jared wright? or chicon!

allan said...

Hell, why not Scott Kamieniecki?

Or Whitey Ford?

Or Jack Chesbro?