S01.E01: Pilot

[possibilities]

They could also add another female player at some point. I can imagine quite a few stories that spring from that, without repeating what Ginny's story already did.

[piequinn35]

Came here because of Mark, I'm also a blue jays fan and I'm curious about Ginny, 

Good acting so far, Ali Larter is here as well and the dad which I remember him in the 100

I hope we see Ginny bat next episode :)

Edited September 26, 2016 by piequinn35

[twoods]

I liked it. I genuinely got teary eyed when Ginny went on the mound for the first time- I really hope that I see that in my lifetime. 

MPG is still smoking hot. I also liked the other characters, even though they can tone down Ali's. 

Bummed that they killed off the father- was looking forward to having scenes with him and Ginny while she struggles with the repercussions of being in the Majors. I hope there are more flashbacks, including how Ginny felt about baseball after he passed away.

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, twoods said:

I hope there are more flashbacks...

I think that's pretty much guaranteed.

[CabotCove]

Quote

. Personally I'm hoping whatever love interests she has will be kept off the field. Going down the "she's screwing someone on the team" route is not where I want to go with the premise of a female MLB player, but I acknowledge the possibility a workplace romance could happen.

AGREE! I rather she doesnt date anyone on the team nor any teams she competes with.

Quote

7) They're already going down the new manager path. What if the new manager coddles her because she's the owner's darling? Or go the other way and he's more of a hardass then the old one?

Unless the actor has got another job, I think and hope that the old coach will stay. He didnt seem so bad with Ginny, I would rather see their relationship develop than Ginny having to start from scratch with another coach.

Edited September 26, 2016 by DCLeague

[Nanrad]

I could see either or no dating teammates policy or her dating a fellow baseball player due to her living, sleeping, and breathing baseball.

[CabotCove]

Quote

I could see either or no dating teammates policy 

Yeah I could see that rule being passed. Though it may sound sexist since the industry doesnt believe gay males exists in sports nor want them to. 

[DearEvette]

5 hours ago, twoods said:

I hope there are more flashbacks, including how Ginny felt about baseball after he passed away.

I just watched the Paleyfest panel of the cast and producers and there will be more flashbacks and not just for Ginny.

Also I was interested to hear about how they are approaching telling the stories going forward because the question did come up about how they are planning to sustain storytelling over the course of the series.  They were pushing that it is just as much about the characters as it is about the baseball.  For instance it was nice to hear that Blip  isn't just Ginny's friend but has an inner life of his own and his wife is integral to that.

[ShellSeeker]

As the mom of 7 year old uber-jockette, I loved this. She is the only girl on her flag football team, and she's the quarterback because she has the strongest arm on her team. Her coach has told us that his favorite thing about having her on the team is watching other teams roll their eyes and write them off because they've got a girl playing quarterback, and then seeing the "Oh, shit" look come over their faces when they see her throw. I knew Ginny would snap out of it, but I was still tense watching that scene in the second game. I also like MPG in this -- just the right combo of wiseass and sage. 

I'm not a big baseball fan, but I really enjoyed this...except for Joe Buck. He irritates the crap out of me when he announces football.

[twoods]

4 hours ago, Netfoot said:

I think that's pretty much guaranteed.

I just meant that I would like to see as much time dedicated to flashbacks as her current storyline. I am interested in her brother's reaction to their dad paying more attention to her, how she fared in the minors, dad's death, etc. I think there is a lot of good material there, and would hate to see it glossed over for current drama and sexy times with Ali and Mark's character.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

One thing they got right was the age.  Ginny is 6 or 7 years out of high school, so she is 24/25.  The actress is 27.

It's super picky and complicated, but essentially, MLB rights are very different from NFL rights.  To get a mid-week and a weekend game would be super unrealistic for FOX.  MLB does not offer any "nuclear" picks, where the big network can move heaven and earth within a week of a given game being played.  FOX would not know to ask for the next Ginny game as the manager didn't have her set for, say, a 4-game, or 5-game rotation.  Given her super short initial stint, she would have been available within two days.  

I have most definitely more enjoyed reading this thread than the show itself.  Thank y'all!

[biakbiak]

10 hours ago, Lonesome Rhodes said:

One thing they got right was the age.  Ginny is 6 or 7 years out of high school, so she is 24/25.  The actress is 27.

It's super picky and complicated, but essentially, MLB rights are very different from NFL rights.  To get a mid-week and a weekend game would be super unrealistic for FOX.  MLB does not offer any "nuclear" picks, where the big network can move heaven and earth within a week of a given game being played.  FOX would not know to ask for the next Ginny game as the manager didn't have her set for, say, a 4-game, or 5-game rotation.  Given her super short initial stint, she would have been available within two days.  

I have most definitely more enjoyed reading this thread than the show itself.  Thank y'all!

They stated she was 23.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Check the dialogue when she talks about having won the state championship.  Her age is not spoken, assuming she was at least 17 (I would argue she would have been held back a year by her Dad, so she would have been at least 18, and likely 19 as a Senior), that would most likely put her at 25 for her MLB debut.  

Small continuity point, to be sure.  

[ClareWalks]

I could have sworn Ali Larter referred to her as "the 22-year-old sitting next to me." Maybe I misheard though. It definitely seemed young to me.

[calliope1975]

5 minutes ago, ClareWalks said:

I could have sworn Ali Larter referred to her as "the 22-year-old sitting next to me." Maybe I misheard though. It definitely seemed young to me.

They definitely say exactly how old she is - I think it's 23, though it could have been 22. I just rewatched it with a friend at lunch. 

[biakbiak]

11 minutes ago, calliope1975 said:

They definitely say exactly how old she is - I think it's 23, though it could have been 22. I just rewatched it with a friend at lunch. 

That's how I remember it too but whether it was 22 or 23 it was specifically stated in the car on the way to the stadium.

[Mikita]

It was in the car on the way to the stadium. She is 23.

[Danielg342]

16 hours ago, Lonesome Rhodes said:

One thing they got right was the age.  Ginny is 6 or 7 years out of high school, so she is 24/25.  The actress is 27.

It's super picky and complicated, but essentially, MLB rights are very different from NFL rights.  To get a mid-week and a weekend game would be super unrealistic for FOX.  MLB does not offer any "nuclear" picks, where the big network can move heaven and earth within a week of a given game being played.  FOX would not know to ask for the next Ginny game as the manager didn't have her set for, say, a 4-game, or 5-game rotation.  Given her super short initial stint, she would have been available within two days.  

I have most definitely more enjoyed reading this thread than the show itself.  Thank y'all!

The obvious reply would be "how many times does Ginny Baker happen?" I imagine MLB and FOX might bend the rules considering this special circumstance- plus the Padres' local broadcaster is owned by FOX.

Thinking about it, how the media handles her and broadcasters competing for her games could make a good episode.

[shoregirl]

It probably made more sense to have it air on the mlb network. They often have out of market games and just use in the team feeds. On the other hand me yelling "Shut Up Joe Buck, I hate you" at my television added some realism.

    I liked that when they were showing the game they were running the scores of the other games. The Phillies and mets were actually playing that day so that was cool

Edited September 28, 2016 by shoregirl

[Falafel]

I don't like baseball but I was interested in the premise and I actually thought it was good. The dad being dead at the end was a serious plot twist I didn't expect. I don't have much else to say except I'm looking forward to giving this show a shot.

I will say, Fox really went all out with using its sports broadcast operation to make the show feel real. The clips of Colin Cowherd, Katie Nolan and Skip Bayless from FS1 felt very real and natural. It's not like that time Sex & The City showed TRL and Lala's lines were totally ridiculous. (Not sure why that reference popped into my head, ha, but a lot of times trying to use real television personalities falls flat on scripted shows. Fox did a great job.)

Quote

I recognized the guy from the MTV boyband 2gether but not Mark-Paul?!

Wait, which guy? (I remember 2gether and You + Me = Us but didn't notice anyone. Ha.)

Edited September 28, 2016 by Falafel

[biakbiak]

1 hour ago, Falafel said:

 

Wait, which guy? (I remember 2gether and You + Me = Us but didn't notice anyone. Ha.)

He's a player, his name is Shrek. He was Mikey on 2gether. He got called out in the locker room for his looks and was in the bathroom scene that she overhears.

[missbonnie]

On 9/23/2016 at 1:09 AM, Jediknight said:

The All Star Game this year was in San Diego, so that's why there were patches and billboards.  We also don't know when this game takes place, in all likelihood it's taking place in June, so it's before the ASG.

I'm sorry, I should have clarified myself. What I meant was why on earth was she wearing one and that obviously wasn't the ASG. 

[Maximum Taco]

12 minutes ago, missbonnie said:

I'm sorry, I should have clarified myself. What I meant was why on earth was she wearing one and that obviously wasn't the ASG. 

The team that hosts the All Star Game gets to wear a patch on all of their jerseys for the whole year. She's a Padre, so she gets a patch on her jersey.

That picture is from yesterday's (Sept 27th) game. See the patches?

Edited September 28, 2016 by Maximum Taco

[springbarb]

Thanks for IDing the guy as being from 2gether! I loved that show and still have some of their songs in regular rotation on iTunes.

[CabotCove]

Quote

That picture is from yesterday's (Sept 27th) game. See the patches?

Did they make the play offs?

Edited September 28, 2016 by DCLeague

[jennifer6973]

no

[LydiaMoon1]

I finally got around to watching the pilot.  I liked it, although not as much as I thought I would.  I'll definitely continue to watch though.  I think the fact that the lead character and her dad were supposedly from Tarboro threw me off.  Whenever they spoke, I didn't hear Tarboro or Edgecombe County or Eastern North Carolina.  That was a huge distraction for me.

[innocuouspuff]

On 24/09/2016 at 2:25 PM, DCLeague said:

They wont hook up, he looks way older than her. They will be more like brother and sister. They are at different stages in their careers and life, I just dont see it.

If Lawson is still hooking up with fans he meets in bars, I don't know that he's really at a different stage of life than Ginny. In fact a romance plot could use the idea of her being the more mature one in that sense, not that I particularly think they should do one.

Did anyone else think it was mean to make Ginny and Mark-Paul Gosselaar argue about whether a 90s teen heartthrob was still hot, lol. He was great though. The entire cast is killing it.

When the announcer at the beginning said Ginny was the first lady to play for the majors in any sport, did they specify as a starter or regular season? Because I'm not even a hockey fan but I was unimpressed with the erasure of Manon Rhéaume.

I love a good sports soap or underdog story. And Mark Consuelos, since no one else is willing to admit to that! I'll be back.

[Danielg342]

2 hours ago, DCLeague said:

Did they make the play offs?

(sorry, couldn't resist)

[CabotCove]

^Thats the question, yes?

[Court]

I missed something. Who is Consuelos character and why is he there? He seems unnecessary and a waste of time.

[twoods]

15 minutes ago, Court said:

I missed something. Who is Consuelos character and why is he there? He seems unnecessary and a waste of time.

He's the team General Manager, which is a pretty important job. He's the gatekeeper between ownership and the players/coach.

No, the Padres did not make the playoffs. They suck, but they celebrated because their rookie had 7 RBI's that game and won.

Edited September 29, 2016 by twoods

[Court]

23 minutes ago, twoods said:

He's the team General Manager, which is a pretty important job. He's the gatekeeper between ownership and the players/coach.

No, the Padres did not make the playoffs. They suck, but they celebrated because their rookie had 7 RBI's that game and won.

Aha! I know what a GM is, :). For some reason, I missed that's who he was. Thank you!

[Raja]

On 9/23/2016 at 6:06 AM, Danielg342 said:

I should clarify that I don't think it's implausible that Ginny Baker went right into the starter's role- just that I think, mainly from a narrative perspective, it would have been better to see her start in the bullpen and have her work her way up during the season. It's easy character development, at least, and lots of players- like Joba Chamberlain and Aaron Sanchez- started in the bullpen before becoming starters (the rationale being to lessen the impact of having to endure a MLB start for the first time), so it's not unprecedented.

I noticed a couple of times the manager mention she was a "spot starter" meaning not meant to be in the rotation but brought up to fill a hole perhaps an injury not thought to be lasting or bereavement leave from which the pitcher will return to the rotation from. As a show will they have the guts to show her being sent back down to the minors as many star rookies and veteran players have? 

On 9/23/2016 at 8:25 PM, marina to said:

She also has a fastball. In the commentary, they talk about how she was in a 0-2 count and expecting a fastball and were surprised she threw a third fastball. Sounds similar to RA Dickey's repertoire. He has a slow fastball as well as the knuckler and when he's on they're both effective. 

A fastball sure everybody that throws throws a "fastball" until taught how to do other things with the ball but with a fastball which is so slow that it is useless except in the traditional don't swing no matter what situations

[PamelaMaeSnap]

On September 23, 2016 at 0:22 AM, Maximum Taco said:

Another note: was anyone else annoyed that her dad called the pitch a screwball? She's very obviously throwing a circle change.

LMAO ... My dad (RIP) was a superstud pitcher in high school (in the 1940s) -- to the point where he was named his area's MVP his senior year and his runner-up was Whitey Ford -- and he used to tell me about his super-secret weird unusual pitch.  Finally, once I was working as a full-time baseball writer and understood grips better, I asked him to show me the pitch and ... ta da ... it was a circle change.

[Randomosity]

On 9/28/2016 at 4:22 PM, innocuouspuff said:

When the announcer at the beginning said Ginny was the first lady to play for the majors in any sport, did they specify as a starter or regular season? Because I'm not even a hockey fan but I was unimpressed with the erasure of Manon Rhéaume.

I actually AM a major, major hockey fan, and as a hockey-playing girl, Manon was such a great person to have to look up to in the '90s. But she only played pre-season in the NHL, not a regular season game that counted. She did later play some regular season games for various minor league teams, as well as the short-lived pro roller hockey league. I believe at least one other woman from that time period also played regular season in the minors (Erin Whitten). More recently, I believe Shannon Szabados (spelling?) is/has been goalie for minor leagues. And Hailey Wickenheiser has played in men's pro leagues in Europe.

That said, there still has not been a woman in the regular season in the NHL, so I was perfectly ok with that line in the show. (There may never be, if the women's pro hockey leagues can keep going and grow.)

[FurryFury]

I really liked the feminist angle, and I occasionally like the competition angle s well, but it frustrates me that I have NO IDEA how baseball works (I mean, she throws the baseball, OK, but what's the difference between a successful and unsuccessful pitch? They look the same to me). Otherwise, I'm in.  

I'm not American and  baseball isn't really popular in many other countries. I already had to drop Friday Night Lights because I had zero idea about American football, I wouldn't want to repeat that.

Edited October 2, 2016 by FurryFury

[dargosmydaddy]

On 9/29/2016 at 5:53 PM, Raja said:

I noticed a couple of times the manager mention she was a "spot starter" meaning not meant to be in the rotation but brought up to fill a hole perhaps an injury not thought to be lasting or bereavement leave from which the pitcher will return to the rotation from. As a show will they have the guts to show her being sent back down to the minors as many star rookies and veteran players have? 

She was starting for an injured pitcher, the skinny blond guy with the bad attitude who started the fight in the clubhouse. I'm assuming he'll be hurt for awhile, and if she pitches well, she could replace him permanently (I think it was mentioned his record wasn't great) or replace someone else who is struggling or hurt by the time he's better. And realistically the team would not want to send her down unless absolutely necessary because of what a big story/ draw she is. Though perhaps being sent to the bullpen might be a future story line.

[jennifer6973]

3 hours ago, FurryFury said:

I really liked the feminist angle, and I occasionally like the competition angle s well, but it frustrates me that I have NO IDEA how baseball works (I mean, she throws the baseball, OK, but what's the difference between a successful and unsuccessful pitch? They look the same to me). Otherwise, I'm in.  

I'm not American and  baseball isn't really popular in many other countries. I already had to drop Friday Night Lights because I had zero idea about American football, I wouldn't want to repeat that.

It's hard to explain, bu I will try my best:  There is a strike zone the width of home plate and from your armpits to your knees (I think).  Anything between that zone is a strike (which is good for the pitcher) anything to the outside of the plate, inside and looks like it's brushing back the batter, below the knees and above the shoulders is a ball, 4 balls=walk 3 strikes and you are out.  A successful pitch can anything to a perfect strike right down the middle of the plate where the batter is caught looking, or it can be just that right pitch that batter thinks he can hit but make him look quite stupid if he chases it.

[Raja]

4 hours ago, FurryFury said:

I really liked the feminist angle, and I occasionally like the competition angle s well, but it frustrates me that I have NO IDEA how baseball works (I mean, she throws the baseball, OK, but what's the difference between a successful and unsuccessful pitch? They look the same to me). Otherwise, I'm in.  

I'm not American and  baseball isn't really popular in many other countries. I already had to drop Friday Night Lights because I had zero idea about American football, I wouldn't want to repeat that.

If you are in the part of the world that plays cricket a strike which a baseball pitcher needs three to record an out is like a bowler hitting the stump. The pitch has to be accurate enough to give the striker equivalent, the batter a chance to hit the ball. The umpire in black standing, or squatting behind the player who catches the ball is the judge of whether the pitch was hit-able, thus a "strike" or not a "ball". Three strikes you are out and your team has two remaining outs in the inning, four balls you are awarded the base and the next batter comes up 

[FurryFury]

Nah, it's basically just football and hockey here, as far as team sports go. I did get that it matters which part of the catcher's body you manage to hit (?), thanks. Still, the whole scheme sounds weird to me.

On another hand, I read that the bearded guy is supposed to be an LI and I'm squicked out. Not sure I'll continue watching.

[biakbiak]

23 minutes ago, FurryFury said:

Nah, it's basically just football and hockey here, as far as team sports go. I did get that it matters which part of the catcher's body you manage to hit (?), thanks. Still, the whole scheme sounds weird to me.

On another hand, I read that the bearded guy is supposed to be an LI and I'm squicked out. Not sure I'll continue watching.

It doesn't have anything to do with hitting the catcher's body, in fact you dont want  to hit the catchers body, you just want to make sure he catches it if the batter doesn't swing because otherwise it's a wild pitch and base runners can advance. 

[Dowel Jones]

The main thing to remember about the rules of baseball is that the most common word in the rulebook is "except".  A third strike and you're out, except when the catcher drops the ball; A pop fly in the infield is playable except when there are two runners in force positions; and so on.

I thought MLB rosters were limited to 25.  If Ginny is brought up, wouldn't someone, likely the injured pitcher have to be sent down?  I get that he's disabled, but in that case he shouldn't be suiting up for the games.

[Moose135]

18 minutes ago, Dowel Jones said:

I thought MLB rosters were limited to 25.  If Ginny is brought up, wouldn't someone, likely the injured pitcher have to be sent down?  I get that he's disabled, but in that case he shouldn't be suiting up for the games.

I assume the injured pitcher is on the Disabled List, so she's filling his roster spot until he returns - I don't remember the exact rule, but I've seen a few of the Met pitchers, and even David Wright in the dugout during games while on the DL.  Usually they're wearing a sweatshirt rather than the usual uniform shirt, but I don't know that it's a big deal for them to be out there.

Edited October 3, 2016 by Moose135

[jennifer6973]

3 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

The main thing to remember about the rules of baseball is that the most common word in the rulebook is "except".  A third strike and you're out, except when the catcher drops the ball; A pop fly in the infield is playable except when there are two runners in force positions; and so on.

I thought MLB rosters were limited to 25.  If Ginny is brought up, wouldn't someone, likely the injured pitcher have to be sent down?  I get that he's disabled, but in that case he shouldn't be suiting up for the games.

It is until September, but even then while the players are rehabbing they can be in the dug out, like when my favorite team the Nationals had a few injured players this year, their replacements were there and so were the injured players.  so it was quite a full dugout.

[PamelaMaeSnap]

If a player is on the DL, he can absolutely be with the team in uniform in the dugout.  And, in fact, he usually will be unless he's either hospitalized (say, surgery) or off rehabbing a serious injury.  The other likelihood would be that he'd be off at the team's spring training complex (in either Florida or Arizona, depending on the team) ... nowadays, I think pretty much EVERY organization has expanded what might have once just been a rundown old stadium in Florida (I'm looking at you, Tigers) into a state-of-the-art complex for not only spring training but spring/fall instructional leagues for their minor leaguers, as well as an active stadium for rookie-league teams (where the newly-signed kids play a short-season league in the summer) and, as is the case with a bunch of teams with complexes in Florida, in the Florida State League (a High-A minor league).  They also serve as locales for injured players to rehab.

So this is my wordy way of saying it's absolutely not unusual for a player on the DL to be with the team in uniform. Not required but not unusual.

Edited October 4, 2016 by PamelaMaeSnap

[jhlipton]

On 9/28/2016 at 2:35 PM, DCLeague said:

Did they make the play offs?

Oh you scoundrel!

On 10/3/2016 at 7:14 PM, Dowel Jones said:

The main thing to remember about the rules of baseball is that the most common word in the rulebook is "except".  A third strike and you're out, except when the catcher drops the ball; A pop fly in the infield is playable except when there are two runners in force positions; and so on.

And let's not even talk about fouls!

[nkotb]

We actually just watched the premiere episode (thank GOD for DVRs, we love this show!), so I hope I'm not too late to the party. 

So many things about this episode...

1. I am a woman with no athletic ability at all, save for typing, & I'm a baseball-aficionado in my own mind. I also have a 2-year-old daughter, who, side note, told me last night "Mommy, I wanna watch beeseballs", so when Ginny pulled up to Petco & they showed all of the Ginny-love signs, I got misty-eyed. When she got #43, one number up from Jackie Robinson, I had a tear roll. When she took the mound, I literally cried. Totally crying again typing this. They were just special moments, & they all felt authentic. 

2. I definitely did not see the Dad dying coming, but then I felt as stupid as I did the night I watched "The Sixth Sense" for the first time. So obvious in retrospect. Damn, though, Doc from "Third Watch" is badass, smacking his son right across the face!

3. I was actually so relieved that her first game was a total meltdown for her. I figured they'd have her set a strikeout record or something. I'm going to show my regionalism, but it is very realistic for that to happen in a big game situation. Full disclosure: we're Cardinals' fans. In 2000, we had a young kid named Rick Ankiel. He got called up in '99, but 2000 was his first full season. During the 2000 playoffs, he started a few games, & appeared in relief in an NLCS game. He was pulled from each game for throwing wild pitches. In one of the games, he threw 20 pitches in the 1st inning, & 5 were wild pitches. I bring all of that up, because I've never forgotten that, & how nerves can get the best of a pitcher, so I found her meltdown totally realistic. No worries on Ankiel, though, he was sent down to the minors, then he came back up in like 2007 & was a converted outfielder, with a bullet for an arm, & he threw out several players at home. Also, he looks like Kenny Chesney's younger brother. 

4. I totally forgot that MPG was in this show, but when I remembered, I actually didn't even recognize that he was the catcher. Zach done got all Slatered-up! 

5. Loved seeing Mr. Arnold as a manager, & he so fits that role! Kudos to whatever poster upthread said he looks like he's been an MLB-manager for several decades.

We just love this show, & we'd love to see it make it all season. Great casting, great, realistic baseball, & a great story. Great!

[SlackerInc]

I feel silly for not having caught the twist.  I actually caught the one in The Sixth Sense very early, despite not being spoiled; but this one "cheated" a bit by doing things like showing her dad actually catching the pitches at the training facility.  (I did wonder why he wasn't throwing them back to her instead of having her continue to throw more balls at him: that should have been the key clue.)

It was definitely good.  I don't know how sustainable it will be as an ongoing series, but we shall see.

[Trini]

I didn't suspect the reveal, but I did think that it was weird that her father didn't defend himself when she was yelling at him for making her a robot.