S01.E04: The Break

[Tara Ariano]

Quote

Mike sustains an injury that threatens his spot in the MLB All-Star Game. Meanwhile, Ginny attempts to balance her career and personal life; and the Padres are blindsided when Oscar signs a star catcher from Cuba.

[Primetimer]

...Not like that; more realistically. And could you throw out the Dramastical Issues O' Baseballing checklist, 'cause it's kinda obvious.

View the full article

[Enero]

Very awkward moment when Ginny received the call letting her know she'd been named to the All-Star team.

Ginny's dad was an asshole. I understand him wanting to push her to be the best but good grief. The fact that they had to sneak out to get her ears pierced was telling.

No mention of Ginny's brother again. You'd think if their relationship was all good he would've at the very least been mentioned wishing her well at the All-Star game if he wasn't able to make to the game due to work or whatever. 

I really like Amelia and Mike. I hope they last for a while.  Still only seeing Ginny and Mike as friends. 

This was an okay episode. 

[wanderingstar]

Eddie Winslow!

Glad we got some insight into Ginny's relationship with her Mom.

Next week looks good.

[SimoneS]

I enjoyed that episode a lot. I felt for Ginny and her mother. I wondered why Ginny seemed to be overacting to her mother dating that guy. I thought Ginny was kind not to tell her mother that she saw her with him as a teenager. 

Poor Mike. That new guy wants his job. Of course, he won't be traded, but in real life the team would probably turf him out at the trading deadline. I thought Mike was calling Amelia, but guess I shouldn't have been surprised that it is Ginny that he reaches out to when he needs emotional comfort. I like Amelia so I hope that she doesn't fall for him. 

Blip was an ass, but I was surprised that he didn't throw it in Evelyn's face that it was his huge salary that was giving them this affluent lifestyle.

I think that the preview is misleading. I bet Ginny is trying to use her leverage to keep them from trading Mike.

[mtlchick]

Quote

Very awkward moment when Ginny received the call letting her know she'd been named to the All-Star team.

The synopsis from my provider gave it away but Ginny's "Um...so that happened" to Blip was so painful.  

So we see her mom who was there for her, but then Ginny shuts her out when she sees her being cutesy with her man (both names that I'm forgetting so that's not good.)  Only to realize that she robbed herself of time of someone who WOULD back her and wanted to have a normal life. Oy, Ginny has some ISSUES>  That said, I kind of wished she had told her mom "I saw this, I didn't know how to react but I get it now."

Please show, I want to ship Mike and Ginny as FRIENDS.  This late night phone session isn't helping me!  Especially Amelia isn't that horrible, she just came off badly in the pilot!  

(This all means that the show still has some kinks which I'm annoyed by which means I love the show and I doomed it.) 

 

Quote

Eddie Winslow!

(gasps) I didn't recognize him AT ALL. 

Edited October 14, 2016 by mtlchick

[In2You]

I watched the All Star Game so I remember them promoting this show during the game. Those shots of the Alll Star Game sliced in with Ginny's pitching were so fake looking I had to laugh. 

This was a better episode than the last too episodes but the overuse of flashbacks continues to drive me crazy. 

I remember when they were first promoting this show they mentioned Mike and Ginny would bring new meaning to the term "team chemistry" looks like they're going full steam ahead with the ship.

[SimoneS]

1 hour ago, mtlchick said:

So we see her mom who was there for her, but then Ginny shuts her out when she sees her being cutesy with her man (both names that I'm forgetting so that's not good.)  Only to realize that she robbed herself of time of someone who WOULD back her and wanted to have a normal life. Oy, Ginny has some ISSUES>  That said, I kind of wished she had told her mom "I saw this, I didn't know how to react but I get it now."

I don't think that it is Ginny who robbed herself of time, it was her mother's poor judgement that alienated her daughter and lost her respect. I thought that Ginny showed herself to be capable of forgiveness and strength by not taking that opportunity to lash out at mother. Instead, Ginny decided to forgive her and move on.

[Artsda]

I understood and don't blame Ginny from distancing herself from her mom as a child. She had a mom that she idolized, doing nails together, getting her dresses, going to the mall, getting ears pierced with, q mom she was rushing home to tell she wanted to choose the dance, only to find out she was having an affair with another man. As a young girl that had to have ruined her perception as her mother forever and tarnished her where that image was all she saw.

I didn't get the Orlando vacation plot. They apparently had it planned but then when they got there, they were online buying the tickets? Shouldn't they have had those already too or since he's a famous baseball player have a VIP tickets? I guess since it is a show on Fox they didn't want to give ABC/Disney the promotion by using the logic of the family staying at the resort and their tickets being included. 

I like Amelia with Mike. Poor Mike, the new guy already wants his job.

Edited October 14, 2016 by Artsda

[Raja]

If money is so tight for Lawson why would he take the American League and the late career as a designated hitter off of the table? 

[Irlandesa]

3 hours ago, Enero said:

No mention of Ginny's brother again. You'd think if their relationship was all good he would've at the very least been mentioned wishing her well at the All-Star game if he wasn't able to make to the game due to work or whatever.

I don't mind so much that we weren't told whether or not he wished her well.  He could have texted her that.  But I did wonder, if they're in communication, why he didn't mention that their mother had a new boyfriend.  If he really did go back to be with his mother once Amelia took over, it seems like that'd be something he'd mention since they've officially been dating a year.

3 hours ago, SimoneS said:

Blip was an ass, but I was surprised that he didn't throw it in Evelyn's face that it was his huge salary that was giving them this affluent lifestyle.

If he were an asshole instead of temporarily acting like one, he probably would have.  He responded poorly when she didn't give him the proper enthusiasm but was at least smart enough to listen to what she had to say.

3 hours ago, mtlchick said:

That said, I kind of wished she had told her mom "I saw this, I didn't know how to react but I get it now."

I do too.  Ginny may have evolved to understand her mother better as an adult than she did as a young woman, but I think it would help their relationship to share with her mother the full context of her feelings which would allow her mother to drop the act of this only starting a year ago.

Quote

Please show, I want to ship Mike and Ginny as FRIENDS.  This late night phone session isn't helping me!  Especially Amelia isn't that horrible, she just came off badly in the pilot!  

I tend to be a shipper and when I see chemistry between two actors/characters like I see between Mike and Ginny, I'm gonna ship it.  (Not always leads and not always canon.) So that phone call?  Owned me.  Not that I want it soon or anything but I'm pretty down for whatever they throw at me.

I like Amelia but I just can't help but shake that Amelia and Mike is a way to give Amelia something to do.  They just kind of feel there for me.

Edited October 14, 2016 by Irlandesa

[twoods]

Eddie Winslow! I was wondering why Ginny was being uncharacteristicly rude and unlikable but after that flashback, yikes. I do feel bad for her mom watching her daughter slip away. 

I'm liking Amelia more. They have toned her down since the pilot. I would still like to keep Mike and Ginny as friends- please don't go there writers.

[Maximum Taco]

9 hours ago, Raja said:

If money is so tight for Lawson why would he take the American League and the late career as a designated hitter off of the table? 

That was suggested by someone in the show, his lawyer I wanna say? It seems important to him that he ends his career as a Padre. He's probably been a Padre for his entire career and he's just not interested in playing for another team.

You bring up a good point, the BoSox probably would offer him a pretty lucrative short term deal, with Ortiz retiring they'd need a bat, and having a DH who could also be their back up catcher would be useful.

[SimoneS]

9 hours ago, Raja said:

If money is so tight for Lawson why would he take the American League and the late career as a designated hitter off of the table? 

I think that money being "tight" for Lawson is relative. He and his lawyers were talking about his soon to be ex-wife taking half of his dealerships. I don't think that he is going to starve with several car dealerships, but athletes do have to think about how to keep their revenue streams going to maintain their expensive lifestyles. Clearly for the show, he cannot leave the Padres, but I agree that he should be open to a lucrative short term deal with another team. 

[wanderingstar]

Quote

I like Amelia but I just can't help but shake that Amelia and Mike is a way to give Amelia something to do.  They just kind of feel there for me.

It feels very path-of-least-resistance to me. I more readily buy the friendship connection between Ginny and Mike than I do any romantic connection between Amelia and Mike.

[Sweets McGee]

That new catcher is not going to work well with Ginny...

[SimoneS]

8 minutes ago, Gillian Rosh said:

It feels very path-of-least-resistance to me. I more readily buy the friendship connection between Ginny and Mike than I do any romantic connection between Amelia and Mike.

I think that is because Mike isn't even trying with Amelia. She is clearly attracted to him and likes him, but his focus is on Ginny. That phone call was flirty and chemistry.  I think that if Mike paid attention to Amelia that would be a romantic vibe between them.

[ClareWalks]

At first I was like "Ginny, WTF, you are being a bibbity-bobbity-BRAT to your mom and her new boyfriend." Then the flashback, and I'm like "oh SNAP, you've been dating Eddie Winslow for decades, you trollop!" I'm actually surprised at dinner Ginny didn't pointedly ask them how long they'd been dating.

[CabotCove]

Well Pitch has turned into a Mike/Ginny show, the show is starting to lose me.

[Enero]

2 minutes ago, DCLeague said:

Well Pitch has turned into a Mike/Ginny show, the show is starting to lose me.

I'm not there yet, but I agree.  If the show goes there with Ginny/Mike, it will be consumed by it and become just another show about shipping, which would turn me completely off.  I do think they have great chemistry. However, I REALLY hope they don't go there. For one he looks way too old for her and two I just think it would undermine the premise of the show if they got involved.

I knew Ginny's mom had cheated with the "friend" as soon as I saw Ginny's reaction to him.

Though I like Mike and Amelia, I agree with whoever that said it seems like they're putting them together to give her something to do and to also build towards major drama if they ever hook up Ginny/Mike. RME. 

[vibeology]

50 minutes ago, SimoneS said:

I think that is because Mike isn't even trying with Amelia. She is clearly attracted to him and likes him, but his focus is on Ginny. That phone call was flirty and chemistry.  I think that if Mike paid attention to Amelia that would be a romantic vibe between them.

Agreed. For Mike, Amelia is there and when she's there she's easy to get along with and fun, but he isn't going out of his way for her at all. They were cute in their morning scene and cute in their moment after Ginny and her family stormed off from dinner, but she's doing all the work. She's staying at his house, she's finding career opportunities for him. When it comes time for Mike to reach out and connect with someone, he called Ginny and yes, that phone call was so flirty. Add in the limb he went out on to defend her on TV and it's clear that Mike's attention isn't on Amelia.

The only reason I don't think the show is quite ready to go there yet, is that Ginny doesn't seem to have the same level of interest in Mike that Mike has for her. Ginny has a thousand things going on right now and she doesn't at all seem in the right headspace for a romance. So I love their chemistry and I think if the show lasts, it will eventually go there, but I would be surprised if it went there soon.

Amelia's assistant guy? What does he do? I would love to see what his purpose is and for him to get a plot at some point soon. I think of all the characters introduced in the pilot he is far and away the least developed to the point I think his name is Eliot but I'm not sure. He's had maybe 10 lines so far and I'd like something there. I get that some characters are going to be supporting, but I know more about the Cuban catcher than I do someone who has been there since the beginning.

[CabotCove]

http://www.spoilertv.com/2016/10/ratings-news-14th-october-2016.html

Looks like some viewers jumped from Pitch to Supernatural. 

[piequinn35]

Was that Lawson's poster on Ginny's bedroom?

[DaBigDave]

This show keeps having good ideas for storylines, and doing them badly. There are literally hundreds of baseball players who have done TV studio spots. Teams give players media training.

If Mike Lawson has been in the majors for over a decade (he was enough of a star when Ginny was a kid for her to have his poster) then he would have interacted with the Media plenty. They could use all of those random people around to show how you train a guy to do a studio spot.

This show is moving way to fast - it tries to cram too many things into each episode and is trying to check off to many story points... but it just hits them superficially.

And also - the All Star Break is only four days off, and the Padres were on the West Coast. No way a family would have done an Orlando Disney World trip over that break, especially if you thought you were going to the ASG. That's an off-season trip and some stupid drama.

In short, I'm really glad I watched my Team get knocked out by the Dodgers last night, and this in no way affects how frustrating this "could have been good" show it.

[Ms Blue Jay]

1 hour ago, ClareWalks said:

 Then the flashback, and I'm like "oh SNAP, you've been dating Eddie Winslow for decades, you trollop!" 

This sentence is so fucking funny.

I don't pay 100% attention, my own fault.  But I didn't think Blip was being an ass.  Maybe I missed something.  He should go to the All Star game.  LOL.  I'm a huge baseball fan.  Who cares about Disneyworld, can't you go after the game, there is still a day or two break in there.  What's the big deal.  I kind of hate when wives/girlfriends/women are portrayed in television or movies being like "I want this irrationally NOW, or NEVER, and if you say no for a reasonable reason I won't understand!"

It seems like nobody mentioned the girl who played Young Ginny.  She is adorable and she is from Mistresses, and she is fantastic.

If any baseball fans know of the bearded catcher Russell Martin I always joke that this show is basically his life.  Mark Paul Gosselaar is styled to look soooo much like him.  It's so funny.  And then he's always icing his knees which I heard Russ does all the time too.  Haha.  Also interesting is that Mark and Russell are both half white; Mark is half-Indonesian and Russell is half-black.

Edited October 14, 2016 by Ms Blue Jay

[piequinn35]

^Are you talking about Blip? he is not Ginny's brother

I thought of that too, I like RM as well, good luck to them in ALCS 

[Ms Blue Jay]

Thanks, I will correct it.

Why is his name Blip?  And who is Ginny's brother?  LOL.  I'm so lost.  I will go check Wikipedia.

And thank you very much for the good luck wishes :D :D :D :D

Edited October 14, 2016 by Ms Blue Jay

[piequinn35]

I think we have seen Ginny's bro in the flashbacks only, correct me if I'm wrong

I had to laugh too with the fake inserts of them during the All Star Game :D so obvious :)

[Tarasme]

2 hours ago, Maximum Taco said:

That was suggested by someone in the show, his lawyer I wanna say? It seems important to him that he ends his career as a Padre. He's probably been a Padre for his entire career and he's just not interested in playing for another team.

Yep, and on the Padres, Lawson's a "B" big deal. He might not be the sensation but he knows his efforts have a big effect in keeping the team on course. For his character, it seems like that's important to him.

 

58 minutes ago, vibeology said:

Amelia's assistant guy? What does he do? I would love to see what his purpose is and for him to get a plot at some point soon.

More than speak two phrases in Korean, right? Funny, his flashback scenes (last episode) made me think of him as the Dorothy Boyd to Amelia's Jerry McGuire.

Edited October 14, 2016 by Tarasme

[DaBigDave]

Thanks, I will correct it.

Why is his name Blip?  And who is Ginny's brother?  LOL.  I'm so lost.  I will go check Wikipedia.

And thank you very much for the good luck wishes :D :D :D :D

Perhaps they are channelling former Padre outfielder, Leon "Bip" Roberts

[Artsda]

1 hour ago, piequinn35 said:

Was that Lawson's poster on Ginny's bedroom?

Yup, over her bed. 

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

 don't pay 100% attention, my own fault.  But I didn't think Blip was being an ass.  Maybe I missed something.  He should go to the All Star game.  LOL.  I'm a huge baseball fan.  Who cares about Disneyworld, can't you go after the game, there is still a day or two break in there.  What's the big deal.  I kind of hate when wives/girlfriends/women are portrayed in television or movies being like "I want this irrationally NOW, or NEVER, and if you say no for a reasonable reason I won't understand!"

But that's not how Evelyn was portrayed....at all.  She said she was looking forward to something that looked like a family vacation. (4 days is enough time, IMO.)  But when Mike pulled out, she was happy for Blip that he might get to play.  When they got the call in Orlando, she knew that it was a good thing for him and told him so.  But she also was disappointed that the family visit to Disney wasn't going to happen.   Being disappointed that something she was looking forward to wasn't going to happen doesn't make her unreasonable.  Her crime was not being able to fully suppress that disappointment while congratulating Blip.  And Blip, instead of being empathetic and understanding her disappointment,  gave her grief about her 'support' because she didn't automatically change her excitement level to match his.

2 hours ago, SimoneS said:

I think that is because Mike isn't even trying with Amelia. She is clearly attracted to him and likes him, but his focus is on Ginny. That phone call was flirty and chemistry.  I think that if Mike paid attention to Amelia that would be a romantic vibe between them.

True.  Although Amelia was the one who set the ground rules of not telling anyone which, if I heard that, would interpret as not looking for something serious.  Honestly,  if she thinks this would bother Ginny, as her agent, she probably shouldn't be doing it.

But my problem is mostly with the story so far in that I don't think they quite know how to seamlessly integrate her into the narrative and this was to give her something to do since she can't negotiate deals every week.

[SimoneS]

2 hours ago, vibeology said:

Amelia's assistant guy? What does he do? I would love to see what his purpose is and for him to get a plot at some point soon. I think of all the characters introduced in the pilot he is far and away the least developed to the point I think his name is Eliot but I'm not sure. He's had maybe 10 lines so far and I'd like something there. I get that some characters are going to be supporting, but I know more about the Cuban catcher than I do someone who has been there since the beginning.

I would like to learn something about Amelia's assistant. I hope he isn't just a token Asian character. 

Well, the ratings aren't great and went down further which doesn't bode well. However, MLB is a partner with the show which should buy it a bit more time on FOX.

[Maximum Taco]

2 hours ago, vibeology said:

Amelia's assistant guy? What does he do? I would love to see what his purpose is and for him to get a plot at some point soon. I think of all the characters introduced in the pilot he is far and away the least developed to the point I think his name is Eliot but I'm not sure. He's had maybe 10 lines so far and I'd like something there. I get that some characters are going to be supporting, but I know more about the Cuban catcher than I do someone who has been there since the beginning.

Eliot is supposed to be Amelia's social media director. He handles her clients' twitter, facebook etc. so they don't go all Donald Trump and tweet dumb things at 3 AM.

I guess they could have a storyline where he tweets something he shouldn't and that causes problems for Amelia/Ginny/the Padres etc.

Edited October 14, 2016 by Maximum Taco

[Netfoot]

Still boring.

[mtlchick]

I wouldn't completely write it off yet in terms of ratings. 

 

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/dvr-ratings/broadcast-live-7-ratings-sept-26-oct-2-2016/

I didn't look up the +3 numbers yet but since Fox is not relying on same day audience as much anymore (see Scream Queens) and is in dire need of a "female driven drama" I can see Fox give them a "full" season (not 22 episodes, but less.  Lethal Weapon received a full season order of 18 and it's doing pretty well.)  Football is wrecking havoc on the night now so I think the concern will be more focused once that is done for the year on CBS. 

[Kirsty]

Very enjoyable episode. But I'm a little worried about the show's survival, as the ratings are very bad.

I don't know how this stuff works; would the Cuban catcher they just signed be expected to join the team this season? Like, will he be showing up in San Diego in a couple of weeks? I don't want the show to rush into anything between Mike and Ginny, so I am ready for the handsome Cuban to be a love interest for Ginny. Or a sexy antagonist. Or both.

[miracole]

Good show. All of the character interactions were once again really good. When Ginny was upset with her mother over Eddie(for good reason it turned out) all thought was, You can't be mad, don't you know family matters... But seriously I actually thought Ginny showed a lot of maturity not calling her Mom out. I totally get and even agree with Ginny shutting her mom out as a child. But it seems adult Ginny realizes that even though what her mom did shaped her life and who she is, maybe for the better maybe for the worse, dredging through that potential mess won't change the past. It's just better that they move forward from where they are.  

I don't think Mike is obligated to try in a "relationship" with Amelia.  From Amelia wanting to keep everything on the low it seems like this was just meant to be a little temporary fling until it fizzles out. Also I don't think her using her connections for him was that big of a deal. She manages, it's what she does and she was briefly managing him then too. First her coming down to the field in the beanball epi and now this, her trying to manage him will probably be something that becomes a point of contention later on(this show better get a later on!). 

Ginny totally did have a Mike Lawson poster over her bed.

All of Ginny and Mike's interactions are golden.

The all-star game fake-mixed-with-the-real footage didn't bother me.

I'm guessing blip gets his name from a hit he made or he's known for hitting blip singles or something.

Edited October 14, 2016 by miracole

[romantic idiot]

I also remembered, almost the first thing that Ginny said when she came into the room in the pilot, was asking after Mike Lawson. 

And if the show runners feel the they only have the 9 episodes or so to go to tell their story (which is not unreasonable given the ratings), then I can understand their burning through plot quite fast. Including the Mike / Ginny end game. 

[mojito]

Quote

It seems like nobody mentioned the girl who played Young Ginny. 

Okay. I will. I wish they had picked someone who knew how to throw a ball better.  That arm was not at all convincing. 

[rippleintime17]

2 hours ago, Kirsty said:

Very enjoyable episode. But I'm a little worried about the show's survival, as the ratings are very bad.

I don't know how this stuff works; would the Cuban catcher they just signed be expected to join the team this season? Like, will he be showing up in San Diego in a couple of weeks? I don't want the show to rush into anything between Mike and Ginny, so I am ready for the handsome Cuban to be a love interest for Ginny. Or a sexy antagonist. Or both.

He is already 26 which means he has likely been playing baseball for awhile. It was mentioned he was going to El Paso, the AAA team, but it's definitely possible if he does well there, he would be called up much like Ginny was. 

I must shout-out to the Pitch writers for making sure Brandon Crawford at least made the 2016 All-Star Team in the Pitch universe. It was also funny to see the actual game footage spliced in (Sal Perez even hit a homer!). Loved Blip chatting with Evelyn about Buster Posey too.

I really liked this episode. I am starting to develop heart eyes for Mike Lawson. I feel like they are doing a really good job with his struggles as he gets older and sees his days are numbered. When he was practicing his broadcasting, I actually thought he was good! It seemed really natural, even if specific. But I LOVED when he ended up speaking from the heart live. It seemed genuine and then they had to go and drop that bomb on him, so rude.

I was wondering how they were going to reconcile Ginny and her mom's relationship with what it seemed like they had when Ginny was younger. It was big of Ginny, I think, to not mention exactly what it was. I hope they can restore a little bit of a relationship. Really inexcusable that her mom didn't go to the game though. 

I like Blip and Evelyn a lot and loved how she called him out. I follow a few baseball wives on Twitter and have always wished to learn a little more about the balance of their lives and their perspective. I loved when Evelyn said that she would be willing to pack it all up if another old man wanted Blip to play for him instead, since I can't imagine what it's like on a family when a player is traded, especially far away. I think this show seems to be getting them right, and I'm glad they sticking with the two of them having a healthy, long-term relationship. 

I hope this show hangs on. This episode felt the most consistent to me, even though it would be nice if they incorporate a few more players eventually and not just have Tommy and Other Guy making snarky comments about Ginny being on TV. 

[In2You]

8 hours ago, mtlchick said:

I wouldn't completely write it off yet in terms of ratings. 

 

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/dvr-ratings/broadcast-live-7-ratings-sept-26-oct-2-2016/

I didn't look up the +3 numbers yet but since Fox is not relying on same day audience as much anymore (see Scream Queens) and is in dire need of a "female driven drama" I can see Fox give them a "full" season (not 22 episodes, but less.  Lethal Weapon received a full season order of 18 and it's doing pretty well.)  Football is wrecking havoc on the night now so I think the concern will be more focused once that is done for the year on CBS. 

I keep seeing people mentioning football effecting the ratings but honestly how many football fans would be tuning into this show?

11 hours ago, Artsda said:

Yup, over her bed. 

See that just added another element of skeevy by reminding us he was a grown ass man when she was a young teen girl.

[biakbiak]

Quote

 

Mike Lawson has been in the majors for over a decade (he was enough of a star when Ginny was a kid for her to have his poster) then he would have interacted with the Media plenty. They could use all of those random people around to show how you train a guy to do a studio spot.[/quite]

Not to mention his ex literally hosts her own television news program!

Not to menion his ex wife hosts a studio television news program

Edited October 15, 2016 by biakbiak

[Irlandesa]

34 minutes ago, In2You said:

I keep seeing people mentioning football effecting the ratings but honestly how many football fans would be tuning into this show?

Oh I'm sure plenty of football fans would watch Pitch.  They might just watch delayed.  But I doubt that the absence of football is what is keeping them away from Pitch since there is time delayed viewing and other shows seem to do fine even though football is also their competition.

I do wonder how much of the ratings last night were affected by a DVR glitch.  I have this show set as a series recording but it didn't record last night.  I was lucky in that I was home to watch live and wondered why the red light wasn't on. I thought it was just me but I saw it mentioned in another thread from someone else.

30 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

Mike Lawson has been in the majors for over a decade (he was enough of a star when Ginny was a kid for her to have his poster) then he would have interacted with the Media plenty.

I'm sure he has had training.  He wasn't completely out of his element.  He understood cameras...etc.  But most of his experience is being interviewed rather than studio work. It's not the same sport but I've seen plenty of football players try their hat at being sports analysts.  Some are good.  Some are bad.  Some are bad but get a lot better with real time/real life practice.  I would venture that Mike could fit into that category.

[Moose135]

13 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

I do wonder how much of the ratings last night were affected by a DVR glitch.  I have this show set as a series recording but it didn't record last night.  I was lucky in that I was home to watch live and wondered why the red light wasn't on. I thought it was just me but I saw it mentioned in another thread from someone else.

I mentioned I had the same problem last night, but I was watching baseball and didn't realize it failed to record.  It did show up on demand tonight, so I got to watch one day delayed.

[Nanrad]

I enjoyed the episode, but I seriously wished that Ginny had mentioned why she drifted away and not in an accusatory sense. I know people get caught up in moments, but fooling around in your house??? That alone was worth Ginny letting her mom know how she found out about the affair. I also wonder why the mom didn't leave either.

[ahisma]

13 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

It seems like nobody mentioned the girl who played Young Ginny.

 It didn't strike me in the pilot, but I noticed right away watching again in the previouslies that they did a really good job of finding a young actress that actually looks like her older counterpart. Not exactly, but far more plausible than most young versions. And she is a good actress, too—played all the emotional developments in this episode well. 

One thing in the flashback storyline I saw was not just her rejection of her mother, but her sudden commitment to baseball over dating. She had been torn between the dance (boys) and baseball, and grudgingly picked baseball. But the camera really lingered on the other kids at school having a romantic life, flirting, coupling up. That's when she raced home, excited about the idea of going to the dance after all (and maybe meeting someone). Then she saw the flip side of chasing boys—"ruining" her parents' marriage. She rejected that (and her mother) hard, and I would bet that really fueled her stance on not dating players: baseball is the most important thing, definitely more important than any boy. Which explains a little more why she was so hardline on her ex in last week's show. It was very mature of her to realize that her mom hadn't just been "chasing boys" but had been a baseball widow who wouldn't leave her kids. (Blip has it lucky he only had one moment of less than full-throated enthusiasm in his marriage.)

Amelia's assistant guy? What does he do? I would love to see what his purpose is and for him to get a plot at some point soon.

I watch online, and he and Ginny are in an ad for Kohl's that gives him more lines and action than he's had in the entire series so far. This episode actually would have been perfect to give him just a minute of being excited to show Ginny and Amelia that the hashtag was blowing up before cutting to MLB HQ where they actually decided to #PutHerInTheGame. Justice for Elliot—let him do his job!

Oscar recruiting the Cuban catcher was the first storyline of his I've actually liked. It's actually a smart move to recruit him 1) to prevent anyone else from getting him, and 2) develop the next generation of the team since their star catcher has bum knees and a bad back. (Really, with Mike's back that bad, he thinks he has two more years? Yeouch.) Catchers are the smartest players on the team, and usually the heart as well (loved the Buster Posey shout outs!), so the attitude about "I'm not going to play behind Mike Lawson” isn't going to go over well. IRL, the smart thing to do would be starting to talk to Mike about transitioning to third base coach or something. If he doesn't get recruited by Fox sports. But it's a tv show and Mike is one of the lead characters, so cue catcher drama.

I'm on the friendshipper train (and I thought Mike and Amelia were adorable in the "three phase" scene), but the music and shooting choices during the phone call were the first real warning signs for me that Fox might really be thinking of going romance. Great chemistry, BAD characterization. 

[Falafel]

So, I don't watch baseball. Is the All-Star Game really considered a huge honor? The outfield guy told his wife it was the biggest moment of his life. Really? I only follow soccer and MLS has an All-Star Game, but the players see it as a huge waste of time and a distraction. The league had to actually make a rule that players who skipped the All-Star Game due to injury (sincere or not) will be suspended for a game as a penalty.

Eddie Winslow from Family Matters is a homewrecker! Amazing, haha. It was honestly a little odd to see him with Ginny's mom, who I guess is supposed to be in her 50s or 40s. Eddie Winslow will always be a guy who looks like he is 20 to me.

This episode focused a lot of characters other than Ginny and I honestly I didn't care that much. But I do like the Ginny/Lawson thing, even though I know a lot of people here don't seem to. It's going to go badly when Ginny finds out he's been sleeping with her agent.

Quote

And also - the All Star Break is only four days off, and the Padres were on the West Coast. No way a family would have done an Orlando Disney World trip over that break, especially if you thought you were going to the ASG. That's an off-season trip and some stupid drama.

I didn't understand that. Mostly because why would they go to Disney World in Orlando? They live in San Diego and could've just gone to Disney Land. Also, how is Orlando an upgrade from San Diego? It just seemed like a dumb vacation, haha. But yeah, going on vacation in the middle of a baseball season also didn't seem to make sense to me either.

Edited October 15, 2016 by Falafel

[Lonesome Rhodes]

I am sick over what the writers just did to this show.  All My Padres?  The Young and the Cuban?  Oh, I know...General Stoopidity.

I wrote last week how awesome TPTB had been about congruent and consistent characters, earning really cool moments/scenes.  All of that was trashed this week.

The final one is the one I'll mention first:  The GM tried to give Mike the heads up about the Cuban.  Mike didn't take the call.  The record of the timing of the call is still on Mike's phone and Mike would be CERTAIN to have looked so as to remind himself he did get that personal call.  He would absolutely return that call, too.  But noooooooo.  The writers decided they had to have Mike bitch to Ginny about finding out about the signing on Twitter (which itself was a lie since Mike found out on the air at Fox).   Such an unnecessary miss.  Mike had any number of things he could have moaned about without resorting to that BS.  Oh.  So now he will proceed on unfounded antipathy towards the GM.  Brought to you by Wisk laundry soap!

The type of chill which took over the Baker household, with a patriarch like Ginny's dad?  He would never let Ginny get away with not fessing up about what happened.  Even if I could buy she would have kept that secret, I find it impossible to buy that she would have kept quiet when the divorce happened - she would have had Daddy's back allllll the way at that point.

I was furious that they ramped up tension with Blip.  As if that guy would all of a sudden turn into Mr. Clueless about the familial implications of that phone call - WHILE HE WAS IN A DISNEY WORLD HOTEL!  They destroyed the character and for what?!!  They had a chance to create an awesome and measured moment where each side won and each side lost.  And each side would have fully felt all of it.  Laughter through tears of anguish.  Tears of mixed blessing and ironic laughter.

How on earth could Mom have been oblivious to the groundswell of #putherin????  Her being named to the team would have led every news report and social media would have exploded.  OK.  So, if Mom were that purposefully ignorant?  THAT would be genuine cause for Ginny to be pissed as hell with her.  Of course, that piece of legitimate angry energy?  Ignored.  Completely.   Have you ever seen Ginny to not be savvy as all get out about anything of importance?  I've seen nothing but the opposite.  It's how that girl has survived this wild ride.

Final one - Mike being booked by the hot new agent and his current agent didn't lose his freaking mind?!  Mike had never disclosed his desire to his agent for a media landing?  Puhleeeeeeeze.  

A long time ago, I actually worked with Chris Myers, the host of the post game show Mike was on.  He was an uncommonly mirthful talent.  He was very warm to everyone.  I would have loved to have another scene where he might could have taken Mike aside and used his gentle good humor to get Mike to chill out and just be himself.  For sure, after Mike came to Ginny's defense, he would have followed up in a more supportive manner than the show depicted.  A minor sin, but I just wanted to share with y'all that Myers was/is a pretty great guy to work with.  

[Raja]

6 hours ago, Falafel said:

So, I don't watch baseball. Is the All-Star Game really considered a huge honor? The outfield guy told his wife it was the biggest moment of his life. Really? I only follow soccer and MLS has an All-Star Game, but the players see it as a huge waste of time and a distraction. The league had to actually make a rule that players who skipped the All-Star Game due to injury (sincere or not) will be suspended for a game as a penalty.

 

I didn't understand that. Mostly because why would they go to Disney World in Orlando? They live in San Diego and could've just gone to Disney Land. Also, how is Orlando an upgrade from San Diego? It just seemed like a dumb vacation, haha. But yeah, going on vacation in the middle of a baseball season also didn't seem to make sense to me either.

The All-Star is traditionally a big deal, for most of baseball history there where no extensive playoffs or special interest games so you had the regular season and if you won the league pennant you played in the World Series against the other league's champion.  Unlike other sports the nature of baseball dictated that it is played all out at full speed like a real game, the most famous example was in 1970 when Pete Rose injured a catcher (like Mike Lawson) Ray Fosse who was blocking the plate to try to score. Another recent change would be the pulling of pitchers so an All-Star game manager can't mess up a team's regular rotation to get the win. With that came a mandate to attempt to get  towards an everyone must play.

 

As for Disneyland and Southern Californians, it is probably the thought that it is not a "special vacation" just a day at an amusement park for us. Blackish, based in Los Angeles also just did a Disney World vacation episode.