Simpler times: ESPN broke Karl Ravech and America with Baseball Tonight decision

While Baseball Tonight still exists in some form -- typically shown before Sunday Night Baseball weekly, or for a special event -- it's far from the show it once was. ESPN's baseball showcase used to make an appearance every night during the MLB season, providing highlights and analysis for fans. Baseball analysts like Karl Ravech, Harold Reynolds, Peter Gammons, Bobby Valentine, Tim Kurkjian and more made frequent appearances.

Ravech posted a tweet on X just over a week ago, which suggests that he's as nostalgic for those times as many baseball fans are.

In the end, ESPN's philosophy is simple -- they tend to have more exposure for the sports they pay the most to cover. This is why NBA and NFL are king, while MLB (and even NHL to some extent) lag behind.

“I’ll be honest,” said Ravech via Boston. com. “That tweet was obviously a reaction to the program, which I know they loved. And I understand that with the people that were on it, with Peter [Gammons] and Harold [Reynolds] and [John Kruk] and [Bobby] Valentine. There was no other place to get something like that."

Baseball Tonight nostalgia symbolizes simpler times

There are a few shows that emulate Baseball Tonight's style, namely on MLB Network. However, ESPN is typically available in more households across the United States than MLB Network, hence the nostalgia. However, Ravech hit on a different point entirely, suggesting baseball highlights and analysis symbolized a simpler time in the American psyche.

"It felt almost as much about the difference in the temperature of the country and the world back then that people were also longing for, as opposed to the climate we all live in today and the animosity that’s everywhere. It was about both things. I’m grateful people remember it fondly, and I’m saddened by it, too, that none of it exists in that way anymore," Ravech continued.

The mid-2010's were a long time ago. Baseball's popularity as a brand had been decreasing for a while, but has since rebounded well in attendance and viewership numbers. ESPN's baseball coverage, in the meantime, isn't remotely as attentive as it used to be.