Researchers and television graphics producers have a thankless job, pressing countless buttons behind the scenes to give us an entertaining product, usually while getting only a fraction of the credit with most of our praise reserved for on-air talent. That live broadcasts have as few hiccups as they do is a testament to their skill and polish, the unsung heroes of their industry.
But as all of us, at one time or another, have experienced in sports media, the demand for content, whether it’s a mind-blowing stat or the answer to an obscure trivia question, can sometimes outpace our admittedly mortal capabilities. That’s especially true in Game 124 of 162, with production minds, fried from a long season and having exhausted every last drop of evergreen content, desperate for any new material, scraping the absolute bottom of the barrel in their quest to fill three hours of live programming.
Which would explain this head-scratcher of a graphic, a hilariously random attempt to connect Orioles rookie and former first overall pick Adley Rutschman to Yankees legend Babe Ruth, and, for some reason, Josh Rutledge, who you may remember from his three-year stint with the Colorado Rockies from 2012-14 (he’s also married to Laura Rutledge, who, since 2020, has hosted NFL Live on ESPN).
You might be wondering, what do Rutschman, the Sultan of Swat and a journeyman infielder all have in common? Well, not much, except for the first three letters of their last name. Also, Rutschman, who leads all major league rookies in wins above replacement (3.6), and Ruth were both born on February 6th.
The graphic, which ran during Thursday night’s game on MASN, was widely mocked on social media, though, if the goal was to get a reaction out of people, the absurdly specific nugget could alternately be viewed as a smashing success. As they say, there’s no such thing as bad publicity.
Ludicrous, patently ridiculous imaging aside, the Orioles continued their storybook season with a signature win Thursday night, overcoming a ninth-inning deficit to stun the White Sox in extras (Anthony Santander ended it with a walk-off single in the 11th inning). Against all odds, the Orioles, a team many expected to compete for the worst record in baseball, find themselves in the thick of a wide-open playoff race, trailing the Mariners by 2.5 games for the AL’s third and final Wild Card berth.
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