This Week in Baseball

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This Week in Baseball is a weekly television program, originally designed to show highlights of the previous week's Major League Baseball action.

TWIB (the acronym is often familiarly used by viewers, and came to be used by the host also) debuted in 1977. Veteran sportscaster Mel Allen hosted and narrated the show from its inception until his death in 1996 (although Warner Fusselle filled-in for Allen when needed); he was succeeded for a time by former St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Ozzie Smith.

[edit] From Syndicaton to Fox

While TWIB was originally syndicated to various stations around the country, the Fox network relaunched the series in 2000 (after a one year absence off of television) as a pregame show for its Saturday afternoon MLB telecasts, replacing In The Zone. The show also airs on regional sports networks around the country and is also often played as part of the pre-game entertainment on the TV screens of major league stadiums. Buzz Brainard is the current host of TWIB, while a current Major League player is profiled each week. Also, currently segments of the show are hosted by U.S. fast-pitch softball sensation Jennie Finch. Highlights of the past week's action are used less frequently, except for a closing highlight reel set to popular songs. The highlight reel is named How About That?, in reference to Mel Allen's well-known catchphrase.

[edit] Music

The snappy opening theme music to TWIB is called Jet Set composed by Mike Vickers, a former member of Manfred Mann's Earth Band. Jet Set was also the theme for the game show Jackpot. It has also been used as introductory music for such mundane productions as company training films.

The dramatic, spine-tingling, horns-violins-drums closing theme is called Gathering Crowds, composed by Patrick J. O'Hara Scott, a pseudonym for the same Mike Vickers. It is typically played over a montage of baseball's greatest moments, building to a crescendo with a punctuated 3-note chord as the MLB logo slides into view. This tune has also been known to be used to similar effect for montages and credits at the end of local TV newscasts and the like. In addition, the music was also used by ABC News for their ABC Evening News during the 1970s.