ESPN's "Baseball Tonight" will no longer be the standard bearer of all that is baseball for 30+ minutes each and every day. Change is a-foot, and "Baseball Tonight" -- a bags and ball cornerstone -- is moving on out. Disney, the parent company of ESPN, announced that "Baseball Tonight" would no longer exist in a daily format. Instead, it would be replaced by a weekly format, immediately ahead of the Sunday Baseball Game of the week. Additionally, many of the reporting regulars throughout the ranks of "Baseball Tonight" were also given their pink slips, with staffing needs for the Sunday-only show being much smaller and more compact.

Thus, with little fanfare, another long term baseball tradition bites the dust.

Why change now?

"Baseball Tonight" has been a mainstay for the past 27 years. Debuting in 1990, it was a one-of-a-kind sport summary of all things baseball each night. Its segments included coverage of players/teams on the rise or headed for demise, the most important baseball story of the day, and the day's greatest home run replayed for all to see -- along with the star of the night. "BT" had a fleet of stock hosts and broadcasters, blended nicely with one of the most interesting lists of heavy-hitting guest hosts.

At its inception, it was the only daily show of its kind, bringing 3D life to the standard baseball news found in daily newspapers.

"BT" was cutting-edge for its time. But, time has moved forward. Live streaming of major league games, instant replay, YouTube, and other social media outlets have brought changes to the way the world watches all sports -- including baseball. It was time to change.

What took so long?

Major League Baseball (MLB) has become more than just a conglomeration of the teams of the National and American leagues.

MLB has its own network, its own streaming services, and its own version of "BT" with "MLB Tonight." The competition from MLB may have dealt ESPN's "BT" its final, fatal shot.

Just like baseball fans may no longer need the daily sports section of a home delivered newspaper to get box scores from every baseball game played 24 hours earlier, they also no longer need a daily baseball television show.

Most baseball fans have cell phones to stream games and highlights live. Social media offers insight into topics like the play of the evening and that play can be replayed as often as a viewer prefers.
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