Play of the what?

Ah yes, sponsored stupidity. I forgot. I'm watching Twins-Royals right now a) in the hopes that the Tigers can pick up a half game and b) because I have difficulty watching a well-produced football game, and ESPN, um, anyway ... it's the top of the eighth, and the Royals' announcers (not sure why, it's at Minnesota) just gave us the Ford Bold Moves Play of the Game.

This is stupid on a number of levels (for one, the way things have been going, the Bold Move should have been Kansas City demoting a player to AA), but the most obvious one is that it's the top of the eighth. In the only team sport not limited by time, you really shouldn't be awarding things before the game's over, whether or not you're afraid that people won't stay tuned after the game, especially not now. Let's face it: if you're watching a Royals game in the eighth, you'll probably be watching later too. Anyway, it's just stupid. If the Royals mount a late rally to win, the play of the game will be ... something completely unrelated.

Sponsors are idiots. It's not as bad as when it's a tie game, though. Those are the best, like during NCAA football when they announce the players of the game in a tie game in the fourth quarter, especially when it's clearly heading to overtime.

But that's all right. All these commercials help keep ticket prices down. What's that? They don't? Oh, well, at least they keep the price of Extra Innings down. What's that? ...