Sadly, the rumours have been confirmed. After over a decade of bringing us insightful and entertaining coverage of MLB, Five have decided to drop the ‘Baseball on Five’ show for the 2009 season.  The news is made worse for British baseball fans as no other free-to-air channel has picked up the rights (as yet).
The chances of being able to watch the Braves-Phillies game next Sunday if you don’t have an ESPN America or MLB.tv subscription appear slim.   Â
While many of us were basically resigned to the news, that didn’t make it any easier to read Jonny Gould’s message to the FantasyBaseballUK players:
Welcome Fellow-Baseball Nuts……. God I’m going to miss saying that.
I’m sure most of you have heard the rumours. Five TV have ended their association with our beloved sport, or at least they have not committed to another season of Baseball on 5 every Wednesday and Sunday night. The rumours have been many and mixed, and I’m sorry that I’m not in a position to fully clarify the situation for you. What I can tell you is that if this is the end, it has been one hell of a ride. Understandably many of our hardcore viewers are pretty pissed off with Five, but rememeber they have made a 12-year committent and for that alone we should all be very grateful.
So what’s next? Well first and foremost the movers and the shakers in UK Baseball are still committed to finding a home for Baseball on UK television. There is no guarantee as to when or even if that will happen, but we are committed to keeping the Baseball family intact. To that end we are continuing the Fantasy League this season regardless of whether my Baseball TV career has legs. So get your Fantasy Caps on tilt because it’s time to play ball!
For all the details go www.fantasybaseballuk.com and sign up now.
Baseball – it’s a Hardcore thing!!
Jonny Gould
The second main paragraph provides a glimmer of hope. Of course, we expect nothing less than for Jonny, Josh, Erik and the rest of the team to be doing all they can to get the show back on the road. Unfortunately, their passion and skill can only go so far. They need a willing TV partner to give them an opportunity to continue their fantastic coverage of MLB.
The first paragraph also suggests things may not be quite so black-and-white in regards to Five. It is possible that they will broadcast some games without the studio element, most likely the Wednesday night games (‘Sunday Night Baseball’ being available on ESPN America). As mentioned previously, that would be better than absolutely nothing, but it would be a poor substitute to the coverage that we have enjoyed for many years.
The news is a massive blow on many levels.Â
The ‘Baseball on Five’ team certainly do not deserve to have their show cancelled when judged on the high quality of their coverage, but we all know that it is other factors (primarily financial) that have influenced the decision.Â
‘Baseball on Five’ was committed to fostering a baseball community and their support and promotion of British baseball events and teams was invaluable.Â
As a loyal viewer for over ten years, I will greatly miss watching the programme and I know many others will as well.Â
But perhaps most importantly, it was Five’s coverage that got me hooked on the sport back in 1998. They’ve made me a baseball fan for life and for that I will always be grateful. Now, potential newcomers keen to discover if baseball is for them will not have a free-to-air option to watch games, accompanied by Jonny and Josh explaining and entertaining along the way.Â
Everyone in Britain with an interest in baseball can only remain hopeful that the team will return at some point. If they don’t, it will be a very sad loss.
OK firstly im going to miss the games on C5 more than i care to admit i loved listening to the guys and even though i have MLB.TV i still tuned in to sunday and wednesday games
I think however its a little unfair to blame C5 for not showing it anymore after 12 years of great service it never seemed to get advertising throughout the year and therefore must of been a money losing programme why MLB themselves cant help and work out a deal is a worry maybe Buds 18 million a year doesnt require him to think that much!!! afterall the viewers for the baseball classic in states were terrible it seems MLB is only worried about there own market and pay lip-service to overseas!!
So to Josh Johnny and the boys thanks a lot for great memories and to channel 5 thank you for 12 years of joy may it soon return
I cant believe this is happening. I’m totally gutted!
Re #98. Thanks for the link to Jonny’s blog, Richard. I’ve added it to my links list. Great to hear that the team are still doing all they can to get baseball back on TV in the future.
still upset about this so i decided i needed to watch my sunday and wednesday night baseball so i signed upto mlb.tv premium (mainly for the HD) gotta say i still love baseball after watching it on this site but it doesn’t have the same family feel about it….. but atleast i can still watch the braves !!!!
come on terrestrial TV someone make a move and cut out the late night garbage that nobody watches like quiz call
Sad Days or Nights things wont be the same till some Muppet gets his/her finger out and realises we dont care a Hoot about Nascar and some of the other tripe that will fill Josh&JGs space. Give us our Baseball dont water down the show get Eric & the rest of our insane Baseball Family Back we deserve better been a fan and Hardcore since the Bearded 1 was with Johhny and well cant think what poor slop we loyal fans will have to put up with???!!
Mitch East Kilbride
What’s the chance of a weekly roundup show lasting about 30/45 mins J & J? MLB.com just isn’t the same of your humour and what are we going to do without our Johnny saying, “What A Cracking Match Up WE Have Tonight”?
//// walks off in tears :-(………
P.S. Another poster mentioned Virgin, well my broadband is with Virgin, so I’ll have to look into it, even though it wont be a touch on ‘Baseball On 5’!
R.I.P. Johnny and Josh..
what a joke, they have some good shows on Five, but will waste air time for football (soccer) when every man and his dog is showing it, and the have Five US … wyf is that for if not north american sports and tv ?
The BeeB have so many channels and so little to show bumping some of the b0ll0x they currently air… or dont would be NO problem.
So Five is committed to thjose late night quiz show money generator things that NOBODY wants
what a freaking joke… i am well pissed off
There is FAR too much duplication on the free to air chanenels already, ditch the news programs,… you have dedicated channels for that now, that would free up some time for sure
Being an American living in the UK 5 baseball was the only way I could watch my beloved sport now it’s gone, boy am I gutted. Johnny and Josh were the best!!! please bring it back!!!!
Hi all.
Decided today to look for when the MLB coverage started on Five for this season (especially as my Mariners have decided to turn up!) but my worst fears have been confirmed 🙁
To everyone who is/was involved with bringing the coverage to our baseball family, from Jonny to the person who shut the door after they went home, THANK YOU so much for entertaining and enlightening me. It has been pleasurable from the first time I watched way back in the year the Diamondbacks won the World Series.
I can’t see the BBC covering it, especially after paying out for F1, but Channel 4 is supposed to cater for minority viewing groups, surely this is right up their remit?
Just absolutely gutted I won’t be able to watch anymore, ABSOLUTELY GUTTED. Still, the poker will really get my attention, HA! Yeah, right!! Or the repeats of Neighbours & Home And Away in the middle of the night as they’re only on twice during the day! What’s on tonight? Boxing ‘classics’ and yet more motor sport (because nobody else covers that do they), great. Switch off time.
Poor POOR decision to stop being the home of North American sports Five. VERY VERY POOR.
Iwas lookin forward to the program
Gutted that channel 5 have stoped showing the program after all the years
Let hope they change there minds about this
Can´t believe this terrible news. I have been a baseball fan for over 20 years now, & have followed the Seattle Mariners through some good & bad seasons. I have seen them play at home in the old Kingdome & the new Safeco field, & away in New York, Boston & Chicago. Hope travelling to the USA isn´t now my only hope of seeing them play.
The guys at Channel 5 have done us proud for over a decade – please, someone, somewhere, give them a new home!
This has come as a surprise to me. I’ve been watching baseball for the full 12 years & have been desperately trying to find out where it has gone. Let’s keep our fingers crossed…
A Scotsman Red Sox fan for over 20 years! Channel 5 and their coverage really did the business. Poor old general public. A travesty. no doubt the NFL will be next.
Who wants drag racing and quizzes at 2am!!
Respect to Jonny,JC and Eric!
Gutted by the news – Come on MLB.com link up this broadcast team for UK fans (and any new fans). This was the only broadcast to do something with the ad breaks – use them to educate us ignorants, to build a love of the sport, I’d pay for that as part of an overall subscription package.
Talk about cutting of your nose to spite your face! The whole strategy of 5 was to build a brand based on a cult following. A very intelligent proposition with the threat of the Internet. And thats what they did with nfl, mlb, nhl etc.
Now with declining add revenue they cutting of their legs and destroying their brand. Classically when the market picks channel 5 will be finished. (I do have MBA etc so I have some idea of what I am talking abt)
Who cares about UEFA cup football. Even the teams taking part have devalued it. Waste of money. No following and the channel skipping fan will easily move on.
MLB fans are hardcore and stay loyal. Bad bad mistake. Maybe they will come to their senses and negotiate a new deal.
I suppose I will have to watch live roulette or live blackjack, on Channel 5 or when we go digital I can watch all the re-runs from the 70’s and 80’s. How wonderful!
Am I wrong for thinking, but, if a TV company over 10/12 years developes a programme into excellent viewing figures and spin offs like developing the sport in this country and then decides to close it off surely they are shooting themselves in the foot. Will this mean more time for them to broadcats Quiz Call or Neighbours or Boxing Classics from the 70s and 80’s when all they have to do is transmit a DVD of the fight and have no one in the studio presenting it.
Its the end of civilisation as we know it! God help us.
Think we can forget using Phill Jupitus as a high profile mouthpiece. He wrote in The Times on monday about watching the FA Cup semi on Setanta on saturday.
Shame – he could have used his powers for good!
As i don’t have my own internet access, i’ve only just found out that channel 5 has dropped baseball. So my reason to watch channel 5 has gone just like the BBC when they dropped World Superbikes(Real Men) in favour of MotoGP(Girlies). Why not put it on FiveUSA off video instead of CSI-MIAMI-NEWYORK-BRADFORD repeats? Bring back Gouldy and the team at a reasonable hour on a Sunday afternoon?
If it wasnt for the show i’d have never got into/understood baseball, and they replaced it with what? more of these generic late night quiz show things where the presenters have less talent than my big toe.
Nice choice Five
pfft
This is terrible.
I was turned onto baseball by the “Five” team when i couldn’t sleep and wanted to watch something. I slowly became a baseball addict. I became a Cards fan (the year before they won the title 😀 ) and I am devastated that i can not watch the sport i have grown to love in the evenings. Its a sad day when five will show basketball (end to end drivle) and NHL (i like but has nowhere the skill of baseball) over what we all know and love as the best sport of the Americas. Hope it can be shown on another channel soon. TBH they will get a bargain price for it and ALOT of people will watch, New viewers and old.
Anyway. One outraged baseball fan to you all. Chin up and hopefully our sport will be back up and running soon.
Gram
This nation will mourn this passing, Five have done a lot of good trhings recently i.e. getting NBA on five, NHL, NHRA and NASCAR but to drop Baseball is a crime of magnitude not seen since the NFL Superbowl went to ITV. God help us when that new season starts, and another thing just WHERE is the NBA playoffs Five????
I am still in total grief of this loss
FIVE, what are you thinking? “QUIZ CALL” is better than Baseball? WHAT?
If this is not rectified next season I don’t know what i’ll do.
Over n’out
Extremely Disgruntled (Oakland A’s) Fan
Dear all,
I was the author of the first petition and seeing as it is now out of date, I have made a new petition. Please sign it and pass on to others to sign. We need as many signatures as possible over the next month(s) to get it working…
http://www.petitiononline.com/bb2009c5/petition.html
MH
Not fair to blame Five – they gave us 12 seasons of fantastic live baseball with excellent presenters.
Wrong of Setanta to charge people a subscription for something they dont pay for – these are the people you should be aiming your venom at. Despicable behaviour by a desperate corporate body.
Five brought baseball to the masses – without this exposure there is little chance of the game succeeding in the UK.
Just proves what Channel 5’s mission in life now is: to provide “entertainment” for the hard-of-thinking! Quiz Call instead of baseball? Come on!
What is wrong with putting baseball on FiveUS, instead of some of the garbage with which it is currently infested??
In a word G U T T E D i’m a newcomer to the game,had a gut ful of blanket coverage of football.Turned to baseball for a complete new experiance and culture and was hooked especially 5’s coverage fronted by the dynamic duo of Josh and Johny.
Bit rough criticising Five after their efforts over the last decade. Any poison darts should be aimed at firstly Setanta for charging for a free broadcast & then MLB International (“spreading the world of baseball” !?!??!?) for allowing baseball to go to a subscription service.
I suspect MLB international havent got a clue what has happened & how much harm is being done to baseball in the uk.
It’s a terrible shame. I started watching in October 1997 during a period of illness when I couldn’t sleep. I think it used to be on Channel 4 originally. Tommy Boyd was involved. Maybe I’m wrong. Anyway the Cleveland/Florida World Series was in progress and the whole thing had me hypnotised.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Silly, silly channel 5. Long live Johnny and Josh!!
I’m going to have Baseball withdrawal symptons. I can’t afford to pay a subscription to MLB.tv and I don’t have ESPN America. I’m already freaking out!
couldn’t beleive this when I was searching for the listings on opening day. Johnny and co on five got me involved in this sport after a trip to the US as a kid about ten years ago and haven’t stopped watching since – it’s getting more irritating each week.
Channel 4 did the same thing with professional cycling, which was another thing I got into in through terrestrial coverage, although satellite coverage of this has since picked up. My main worry is that if all the US sports on five are being cancelled, NFL and NBA will be picked up by free-to-air stations first.
This is a massive blow!!!! we get all this other rubbish on the TV and one of the best shows around is pulled what absolute rubbish. I dont think I could watch the show with out JC & JG they make the show. I hope someone else like BBC (wouldnt count on it they wouldnt see a great show if it slapped them in the face), ITV or C4 (I seem to remember years ago C4 had WWE. Baseball is a great sport and Please someone get it and hire JG & JC they are the best commentators around (A part from Jeff Sterling). Man what a year Norwich relegated and now Baseball gone : (
I couldnt figure out where the baseball was and the season has been on stateside….rang channel 5 today 020 7421 7270.
Could not believe it , the guy said due to financial cut backs that 5 will not be showing baseball…. I am so disappointed and let the guy know this… All he could say was sorry….
I asked if he knew where I could see it and he said try Sky sports, espn, Virgin 1… its disgraceful.
Dawn
As an ex-pat I was always comforted by the fact that a live MLB game was only a couple of days away throughout the season.
Perhaps the game got too popular for its own good, now that a small and committed fan core base exists maybe the corporates feel they could take advantage of that market with premium channel subscriptions!
No other channels have picked up he baseball, this is terrible…
I have signed the petition http://www.petitiononline.com/bb2009c5/petition.html, will it have any hope of making any difference?
Ch 5 are doing this due to financial cutbacks saying its the climate and they have no choice, do you think we should plead to MLB or ESPN, who I presume are selling the show to 5 ?
Dawn
i heard a rumour that the feed was offered from MLB for practically nothing to ensure their (and our sport) was available and encouraged to grow in fan base, leaving channel 5 only needing to supply studio time (hardly prime time viewing) and this was turned down by Channel 5, lets face it we have constantly got the short end of the stick with live feeds being cut short because they could not fail to air the kids tv at 6am (god forbid !) …. what a stupid stupid decision, and it’s replacement ? …. dont get me started, some noisey under dressed bint screaming call me now … honey go work on a porn site !
Could it be that there is another reason for the cancellation. I just found this article that ofcom have planned to allow tv shopping on channels in the uk for some time. Ok perhaps a crackpot theory but seeing as money has been mentioned more than once by five for the cancellation…
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/broadcasting/a157110/ofcom-to-allow-teleshopping-on-psbs.html
thanks Ocean… interesting article..
How many people are going to shop through the night. You only need to look at QVC as an example , after 1am they put on repeats till 7am due to lack of customers…. I hope this isnt the reason for letting the baseball go. 5 will soon see they wont benefit from night shopping.
Just want the baseball back… managed to watch the yankees game live on bank Holiday Monday via MyP2P, which was in Japanese but great to see live pics. Made me miss it even more on 5.
Dawn
i am gutted,i got into the game by accident in 2001+every weds+sunday id eagerly await the show+unlike football-it dint matter who was playiun for me,just to see this fascinating game+learn it was great for me,all from rentin a game at the dvd shop=the guy gave me baseball instead of football.its real sad but do you know what the most televised sport is in the uk?
horse racing?=no
football? -there is less football on tv now than there was in 1988! approx 1 game per 2 weeks
snooker/darts/rugby,no no no
ITS POKER-CARD RELATED GAMES+THAT IS SO MINGIN+SAD-THE FACT WE HAVE LOST OUR SLOT ON CH5 FOR NUMPTYS+SHOWS THAT CANT HAVE ANYWHERE NEAR THE VIEWERS WE HAD ON BASEBALL.
Come on someone get yer stuff 2gether+get this fantastic game back.
look at the fa cup final+the world series
sum fat bird sings god save the queen(again)
or the stealth bomber to a glorious rendition of star spangled banner?
anno which game was better+always will be!
R>I>P ch5 🙁
Also on another article OfCom are allowing , or will be, more adverts during peak and off peak tv scheduling, giving a bit more credance (sp) to a motive why Five have gone the way they have.
I’m gutted.
In the year 2000 I became the manager of a pub and, subsequently, my days off were Mondays. Obviously, I was keen to have a few beers on a Sunday night, but my friends were winding down from their weekends. So, I was left to my own devices and found Baseball on 5 started at around the same time that I got home from work.
My 9 year love affair thus began. It took me about 6 months to get my head around all of the intricacies and stats and abreviations and rules, as i was starting from scratch – on my own! This cemented my passion for the sport.
Since then, so much entertainment, so much drama. I would never have imagined I would have had such diverse new sporting heros such as Byung Yung Kim, Tim Wakefield, Mike Mussina (remember the televised game when he was 1 pitch away from a perfect game?) Manny Ramirez and Sammy Sosa. From Todd to Josh (anyone remember the co-presenter who lasted about 5 weeks… reading scores was a bit tricky!)to Gouldy himself – all of them legends!
My baseball pinnacle was 3 years ago when I saw K-Rod close a game for La Guaira Tiburones at a stadium in Caracas, Venezuela. Something I wouldn’t have experienced if it weren’t for Baseball on 5.
So, the news that my new passion has been taken away is genuinely upsetting. Baseball was my 3-4 hours of MY time. A time to reflect, a time to plan ahead. It will be sorely missed.
I emailed MLB commissioner in Britian – Clive Russell and sent him Ch 5 baseball petition in the hope he might help..
Mr Russell response confirms channel 5 production costs for late night programming has been cut and will effect all Ch 5 US sports.
Mr Russell says he is committed to finding free to air home for MLB.
At least MLB are still trying. I cant see us getting baseball back on 5, the production costs must be more that quiz night!
Dawn
I really can’t believe this show has came to a end, I really enjoyed the show. It’s a shame they had to cut cost, on such a enjoyable, popular show.
Please send the petition for the show, as I would like to sign it and hopefully, 1 vote closer to getting the show aired again.
Please air the show again channel 5…..
i have enjoyed following the baseball for last 3 seasons and am really gutted 5 will no longer show this brill programme with the best sport presenters ever, a joy to watch. is there any way we can help bring this programme back, surely it cant cost as much as the other rubbish sports programes 5 have kept late at night, monday night not the same.
I’ve been patiently waiting for my midnight (or later) saviours to reappear, hoping they were just on break until after the NHL/NBA finals.
This news is a hammer blow to my niece & I who count Johnny, Erik, Josh and the gang as good friends for the countless hours of joy they’ve given us.
There is nothing else on Terrestrial UK TV (or anywhere else that I know of) that had such a great feeling.
You are sadly, genuinely lamented – please someone at five reconsider for next year if not sooner – we need them back.
Just back from 4 weeks in Chicago. Already missing being able to watch all the Cubs games live. I was looking forward to baseball on 5 with Jonny and Josh so it is a big disappointment to learn of its demise. ESPN coverage is good but I’m missing the 2 J’s comments from the studio. Hope they will return soon.
Sorry Dawn
Dont believe MLB International give 2 hoots any more about baseball viewers in the uk – otherwise why give coverage to a subscription only service?
On the plus side Satanta are in big trouble (apologies to those who are affected job-wise) & there will be developments in next few days. Keep an eye on the news.
Will miss the game badly, gonna have to sort out sky and espn channel now!
The coverage was great with johnny and josh a great duo, good luck to both, other channels take note and pick these two up for your coverage, fantastic double act
Thanks for the memories five and maybe bbc should take note of the number of loyal followers and have a look at bbc two, three or four giving this sport aa chance
I think you’re being unfair on MLB International there ‘Magnus ..’.
The ESPN America deal is completely separate to the free-to-air deal and was signed back in 2006. The plan was always to have a free-to-air outlet and then a subscription service which allowed baseball fans to pay for extra games if they wanted, rather than having to settle for two per week.
Five have dropped all US sport for financial reasons and they were not really about the rights, but about the production costs (not extremely large, but much bigger than the cost of airing their current alternative). That’s not MLB International’s fault.
I agree with what you have said Matt , this is not MLB fault, its 5 production costs.
Jonny and Josh need to work for nothing!!!!!!! 😀
How are people getting the ESPN channel ? How many games are on it ? Is this on sky? I dont get sky….
I hope the watching figures for 5 drop so low they will consider getting the baseball and NFL back, I cant imagine a year without either.
Dawn