If you've ever listened to a Blue Jays broadcast on the radio, you've heard them. And heard them. And heard them. Although if you're like me, you may never have really paid much attention to them. They're the endless mini-ads that sponsor everything that happens in a game from the original line-up card, to an out of town scoreboard to a pitching change. 

One critic is fed up with them, complaining there's nothing left in a baseball game that a radio network won't sell. Although he spends a bit too long in the linked article talking about his father in a retirement home, when he finally gets to the meat of the order, he makes a point about what he recently heard on a typical Yankees game. 

When it comes to baseball radio broadcasts today, everything seems to be for sale. Consider these examples from the May 31, 2017, Yankees broadcast:

• “The game-time temperature is brought to you by Brothers Supply, your number one source for ice air PTACs, water source heat pumps and fan coils.”
• “The national anthem salute to America is brought to you by Mutual of America.”
• “The starting battery is brought to you by Interstate Battery Distributors of New York and Connecticut. Every battery for every need.”
• “The first walk of the game is brought to you by Intel Power 2 in 1, flexible as you are.”
• “The call to the bullpen is brought to you by Geico, 15 minutes can save you 15 percent or more on your car insurance.”
• “The defensive alignment is brought to you by Black Bear Forest Fresh deli meats, franks, and cheeses, only at ShopRite.”
• “Scoreboard update is brought to you by Mercedes-Benz Tri-State dealer.”
• “Today’s game attendance brought to you by Columbia Bank, serving New Jersey for 90 years.”

I'm not sure if they still do this on the Yankees broadcast, but they actually did an ad about throwing to a break! ("You're listening to New York Yankees baseball, driven by Jeep.") They do the same thing on the Jays games, where there's a sponsor for everything from an injury report, a home run update and the play of the game to the "what do they have to do to win tonight?" segment. I suspect if they could, they'd try to sell "my next inhalation is brought to you by Tic Tacs, saving your breath for nearly 50 years."

Actually, they don't bother me that much because they're so short and not really that disruptive. But after reading this, I sure will notice them a lot more. (This post brought to you by Home Hardware, Home of the Handyman.)
 
Drop-in ads on baseball radio broadcasts are getting out of hand