College World Series on CBS

From 19882002, CBS Sports televised a portion of the annual College World Series.

College World Series on CBS
Also known asCBS Sports NCAA Championships
GenreCollege baseball game telecasts
StarringGary Apple
Joe Carter
Rick Cerone
John Dockery
Ron Fraser
Steve Garvey
Greg Gumbel
Armen Keteyian
Jerry Kindall
Ray Knight
Fred Lynn
Sean McDonough
Rick Monday
Joe Morgan
Brent Musburger
Michele Tafoya
Jeff Torborg
Lesley Visser
Narrated byWilliam (Rosko) Mercer
Don Robertson
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons15
Production
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time180 minutes or until game ended
Production companyCBS Sports
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseJune 11, 1988 (1988-06-11) –
June 22, 2002 (2002-06-22)
Related
Major League Baseball on CBS
CBS Sports Spectacular

History

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From 1988-1990, CBS only televised the championship game. From 1991 until the end of their coverage in 2002, CBS televised one game on the first Saturday of the World Series besides the championship game.

Format change

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Prior to 1988, the College World Series was a pure double-elimination event. Beginning in 1988,[1] the tournament was divided into two four-team double-elimination brackets, with the survivors of each bracket playing in a single championship game. The single-game championship was made for broadcast television, with the final game on CBS on Saturday afternoon.[2] CBS paid approximately $500,000 for the broadcasting rights to the championship game.[3]

The end of CBS' coverage

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In 2003, the tournament was shifted entirely to cable on ESPN,[4][5] which had begun covering all of the other games of the CWS since 1982 (and a partial schedule since 1980). The championship final became a best-of-three series between the two bracket winners, with games scheduled for Saturday, Sunday, and Monday evenings.

In 2015, college baseball returned to CBS Sports in the form of a multi-year agreement between the American Athletic Conference and CBS Sports Network.[6] Under the terms of the package, CBS Sports Network would air three Houston Baseball games in 2015, as well as the first two contests of the 2015 American Athletic Conference Baseball Championship. Carter Blackburn provided play-by-play for all seven games of the package, while analyst duties would be handled Darryl Hamilton and Ray King along with Brandon Tierney.

Commentators

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1980s

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YearPlay-by-playColor commentator(s)
1988[7][8][9][10]Brent MusburgerRick Monday[11]
1989Brent Musburger[12]Joe Morgan[13]

1990s

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YearPlay-by-playColor commentator(s)
1990[14]Greg GumbelJim Kaat
1991[15]Greg GumbelJim Kaat
1992[16][17][18]Greg GumbelJim Kaat
1993[19]Greg GumbelJim Kaat
1994[20][21]Greg GumbelJeff Torborg
1995[22][23]Sean McDonoughJeff Torborg
1996[24]Sean McDonough[25]Steve Garvey
1997[26]Sean McDonoughFred Lynn
1998[27][28]Sean McDonoughFred Lynn
1999[29]Sean McDonoughJoe Carter

2000s

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YearPlay-by-playColor commentator(s)
2000[30]Greg GumbelJerry Kindall
2001[31][32]Greg GumbelRay Knight
2002[33]Greg Gumbel[34]Rick Cerone

References

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