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Safe at home [AP photos] San Francisco Giants' J.T. Snow, left, grabs 3-year-old batboy Darren Baker, son of Giants manager Dusty Baker... ... and drags him away from home plate, above, and the path of oncoming baserunner David Bell after scoring in the seventh inning of Game 5 of the World Series in San Francisco on Thursday. Angels catcher Bengie Molina and homeplate umpire Mike Reilly are at rear. At right, Snow holds Darren in his arms.

Ratings at a record low

Compiled from Times wires
© St. Petersburg Times
published October 25, 2002

LOS ANGELES -- An outstanding Angels-Giants World Series is a dud with television viewers because of national indifference to a California Classic.

This Series is on pace to be the lowest-rated of all-time.

"The games are fantastic, among the best baseball that nobody's ever seen," sports industry analyst David Carter said Thursday. The "regionalization" of the Series is one factor working against it, he said.

A single state is represented and the teams are wild-card underdogs with relatively low national profiles -- especially the Angels, in their first Series.

Even Barry Bonds, the San Francisco slugger who set a World Series record by hitting a home run in each of his first three games, hasn't been enough to entice more viewers.

"This is a World Series without the same kind of rooting interest that might have been there -- love them or hate them -- with the Yankees, Atlanta Braves, or any of the other more nationally followed teams," TV industry analyst Bill Carroll said.

The Series is averaging an 11.0 rating, to 14.4 last year, according to Nielsen Media Research. The lowest-rated Series was another instate matchup, the Yankees against Mets in 2000, which posted 12.4 over five games.

"The pace seems inexorable," says TV consultant Neil Pilson, former president of CBS Sports.

Anaheim's 10-4 victory Tuesday drew a 10.8 national rating, the lowest for the third game of the Series. In comparison, it earned a robust 32.3 rating in Los Angeles and 32.0 in San Francisco. The 11.8 rating for Wednesday's 4-3 Giants win was the lowest for a Series Game 4.

Hall of Famer Joe Morgan cites the intentional walks issued to Bonds as a ratings factor.

"You're missing the star," Morgan said. "To be blunt, there weren't a lot of big stars in this Series. It's not like the Yankees. There's not Curt Schilling. There's not Randy Johnson. There's Barry Bonds. And he's taken out with walks."

MEETING PETE: After the Game 4 pregame ceremony, Pete Rose walked into the Anaheim dugout and asked to meet leadoff hitter David Eckstein. Like Rose, Eckstein runs full speed to first base after drawing a walk. "I got to say hello to him. It was a great honor," an exuberant Eckstein said. "He told me leadoff batters are the most important part of the game, so go get it done. I was so honored that he came up and talked to me."

RAIN FORECAST: The National Weather Service says rain is likely in Southern California today and will continue into Saturday morning -- but stop in time for Game 6. There have been only 10 rainouts in Anaheim since the Angels' stadium opened in 1966.

EXTRA SECURITY: About 10 San Francisco police officers on motorcycles escorted the Angels' bus into the parking lot, trying to prevent confrontations with fans.

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