ESPN Doesn't like the Dodgers
 

Ok.. I watch SportsCenter and Baseball Tonight, and I hardly see ANY coverage of the Dodgers. We got a really interesting race going and we have some awesome pitchers. However, some nights, they don't even play highlights. The Devil Rays get more attention than us.

East Coast bias.

It's happened before and it will happen again. It's the same reason a west coast player didn't win the Heisman for about 20 years until Carson Palmer last season.

They boys who cover the boys like the eastern time zone.

The fact that their night games are still going on while the show is on might explain part of the bias :P

also the whole espn/disney/channel 7 versus fox. since fox/11 owns the dodgers why give exposure to your corporate adversary?

Isn't there some kind of law stating they can't show highlights until the game is over??

most major media outlets, like ESPN, are east coast based and, thus, have more interest in showing games from that region. even with two west coast teams winning the world series the past two years, all they talk about is whether the Red Sox, Yankees, Braves or Phillies will win the world series. Being from the east coast myself and living in Arizona, I definitely see a lack of respect by east coast media. The same can be said for west coast not reporting much on the east but they are a minority compared to the overwhelming media coverage the east coast gets.

Yeah, it's the East Coast Bias at it's worst man.

It's a mix of east coast bias along with the fact that the Dodgers have the third highest payroll $109,248,680 and for most of the season they were underachieving. They were expected to contend and for the most part have been watching the Giants run away with the pennant. At one point the BabyBacks were in second place in the division without Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling.

Oh and another reason is the Marlins and Dontrelle Wiliis. The Dodgers won't get any respect when they are chasing a team with a payroll of $63,281,152 who were expected to do absolutely nothing this year.

And still another reason are the AL and NL central races. Those six teams have been scrapping all year and its been dramatic and interesting. Plus the fact that both Chicago teams are in first place is another reason why the Dodgers media coverage is not the Sportscenter highlight.

I'm inclined to agree with the business rival spin. The Dodgers are much more interesting to watch than most of the teams out there.

Ceasar Izturis? Gold Glove shortstop, hands down.
Edwin Jackson? Debuted last night, 1ER in 6 innings.
Eric Gagne? I dont think I need to explain.

For the last week, I have only seen ONE highlight of the Dodgers. It sucks.

I'm not sure it's all about the east coast bias. It's a lot easier to write commentary for games that are over. A lot of the sportscenter/baseball tonight stuff is prepared before the show.

Of course, on the flip-side, you can watch live updates at midnight eastern when my Pirates are already done losing :)

Re: ESPN Doesn't like the Dodgers
 

That's cause nobody likes the Dodger (ha ha I'm a Giants fan)

I think it has something to do with the fact that the show is taped before the west coast games are over, or at least shortly there after.
As I have said before, the Network started out good, but like anything else, success goes to thier head. It is now starting to show movies. Sports Center probably is on for 10 hours a day and it is basically a 1/2 hour program, repeated over and over.

Hell, most Dodger fans don't even like the Dodgers.

If there is one team in one city that has the worst fan reputation, it's the LA Dodgers. The stereotypical Dodger (and LA fan in general) shows up to the game late, talks on his cell phone all game, and leaves after the 7th inning stretch.

Hal, you are an exception to this rule and I salute you for it. Call it East Coast bias if you want, but until the average West Coast resident (not fan, but general member of the population) demonstrates they MUST live, eat, drink, and breathe sports as passionately as a New York/Boston/Philly resident, they will continue to suffer second rate sports coverage. Those of us here on the East Coast know what Bonds, Gagne, Terrell Owens, USC and the Lakers are doing even though they get less coverage, because we care and read up on them ourselves. We want to know and we'll find the articles, even if that means reading LA and Seattle sports pages online. But ESPN, SI, and the rest of the sports media figure that if you don't care, why should they?

-Mikey