Don't Touch That Dial

   They never seem to get old. I'm not speaking of the players from little league, because as we know they grow up too fast. No, I'm talking about the taped replay of games from '91 to '93 Menomonee Falls Little league.  There are over 100 video tapes from those initial 3 years of Little League baseball that are stored in protective cases in the Cable Access studio.  They quietly wait to be snapped off the shelf and plopped into the only S-VHS machine we have, so they can once again entertain the cable subscribers in Menomonee Falls. 
    Last year when we ran the games from 1992 on the first weekend in July, we not only got calls and emails, but people were taking the time to stop by during the July 4th Parade to tell us how great it was to see them again.  It seems watching kids play baseball is infectious.  Some watched because they wanted to see all the old friends, some watched to remind them how cute their kids use to be and others watched to see people they didn't know at the time but know now.  So there they are waiting to see just who the next batter is at ...3 am.
   Although the replays do show some questinoable parent conduct and some bad coaching, they are few and far between all the priceless moments and wonderful smiles on parents and players.  Football has become a marketing monster, and basketball (despite some image problems) continues to command a good share of our attention.  But....as James Earl Jones so eloquently puts it in Field of Dreams, "The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time." When you add children to that mix it is Americana at it's best.  Nothing will take you away from your troubles faster than a good Little League game, live or on TV.
   So tune in this weekend and see if you can watch just one.  This year we are runniung all three years but we scheduled the '92 games in the wee hours since they ran alone last year.  Next year we will run all the games again, but in prime time during the week and between 8 am and Midnight on the weekend. As they are always saying down in Cubsville..."Wait'll next year!"

THIS WEEK on Channel 14

   Tom Makowski, the producer of "Bridges VI" has just finished his tour of the fire stations in Menomonee Falls and with the help of Paul Wickesberg has put together an hour long look at the MFFD.
   Reel Movie Talk with Matt and Paul airs their 10th show this week with Guest Host Nick Stoetzel joining Matt Grennier, while Paul Unger is on vacation.
   The "Concert in the Park" series starts again with the Ellen WInters Group performing at the Village Park Gazebo.
   And for all the preschoolers out there, a new Morning Story highlights some Jungle Animals dancing in our studio.
   The 4th of July Parade will run again this year but we are going to try and put the fireworks on "Live" on July 3rd.

As always....Stay tuned!