So, I’m sitting here drinking lukewarm coffee, and the news drops that MLB is actually bringing back ‘This Week in Baseball.’ You remember that show, right? The iconic anthem, the old-school highlights—it’s honestly a blast from the past. It started way back in 1977, hosted by the legendary Mel Allen, and it ran for decades before finally closing up shop in 2011.
Now, they’re dusting it off for the digital age. It’s moving over to X, airing every Friday at 11 a.m. Chicago time right through the postseason. No, it’s not going to be the half-hour broadcast we grew up with. These new episodes are slated to be between 5 and 10 minutes long. Probably for the best, given how we consume stuff now—fast, bite-sized.
MLB Studios is handling the production. It’s going to feature a lot of the same stuff we used to love, like player profiles, those classic blooper reels, and the ‘TWIB Notes’ segment. It’s weird to think about it without Mel Allen, but—well, life goes on. Kait Maniscalco is taking over the hosting duties for this run, which starts soon.
It’s interesting, actually, seeing how they’re pivoting to social media for this. They’ll be posting to the official MLB account and @XOriginals.
I wonder if they’ll keep the same pacing. The original was so slow, so methodical. This new version will definitely feel faster, obviously, but maybe the nostalgia hits the same.
It’s just baseball, but sometimes that’s enough. Bringing back these old memories, even if they’re just 10-minute digital clips on your phone screen while you’re waiting for the bus or something, it’s a nice touch. I hope they don’t change too much, though, or maybe they should? I don’t know. It’s hard to modernize something that felt so perfect in its own era.