While the NBA and Stanley Cup Finals get warmed up, let’s get off base, MLB Network’s ‘Off Base‘ to be exact. This daily baseball program, hosted by Lauren Gardner, offers a slick and satisfying viewing experience with a nice mix of analysis and antics.
The June 4 episode of Off Base opened with its regular “Comin’ In Hot” segment – no pre-produced open or host introductions. Gardner and the panel of Ariel Epstein, Russell Dorsey, and Xavier Scruggs jumped right into the discussion.
The overall look of Off Base definitely skews to a more contemporary audience. The talents are sporting casual clothing and seated in comfortable leather chairs amid a very relaxed game room or man/woman cave set design.
This particular hot open focused on the latest Top 10 MLB pitchers list compiled by MLB Network’s Dan Plesac. The panel offered real talk with a solid exchange on Ranger Suárez, Zack Wheeler, Tarik Skubal, Seth Lugo, Corbin Burnes and Tanner Houck. Dorsey was excellent explaining his likes and dislikes with Plesac’s choices.
After the back and forth, Gardner introduced herself and pitched to the show’s open. I enjoy this unique aspect of Off Base. Viewers get about five minutes of show content before the actual open. The show open itself is extremely well-produced with quick edits and colorful video incorporating both modern and vintage baseball visuals.
The effervescent Gardner is quickly becoming one of the most electrifying hosts on television, and Off Base is a tremendous vehicle for her talents.
Whether it is on Apple TV +, NHL Network, or MLB Network, she brings verve and excitement to every broadcast. Gardner legitimately loves her job and brings out the very best in her panelists. More than that, she gives a needed shot of emotion to a sport that has become stat stagnant, and analytics anesthetized. Gardner actually likes to talk baseball and brings you along for the ride.
The show’s “Moving the Needle” segment gave Scruggs, Dorsey, and Epstein a chance to engage in conversation about Rhys Hoskins’ return to Philadelphia as a member of the Brewers. Their chit-chat was accompanied by great b-roll of the Phillies’ fans and players giving Hoskins an emotional standing ovation.
Dorsey, a National MLB insider at Yahoo! Sports, talked about Hoskins’ impact in Philadelphia while producers showed a clip of Hoskins’ memorable 2022 NLDS Game 3 home run. This provided some cool context to the Hoskins story.
Off Base blends traditional baseball fare with a freewheeling, conversational style, and the mix is extremely entertaining. Unlike many modernized shows that move from one story to another in cheetah-like pace, Off Base will stay on an interesting topic and give it the weight it warrants.
If Gardner is the match that lights the Off Base flame, then Epstein is the firecracker. She brings enthusiasm, edge, and education to the show, schooling viewers on the betting and odds making aspect of the game while joining in the general discussion as well. Epstein, known in multimedia platforms as the Prop Queen, is MLB Network’s Senior Betting Analyst.
She is seemingly omnipresent on social media with her betting advice, lines, and plethora of props. Epstein is expertly riding the current wave of sports betting on television. She is an unabashed fan of the game, and her candor comes out in all of her media ventures.
Gardner and company offered an early look at the NL postseason picture debating whether a sub .500 team could make the playoffs. Kudos to the Off Base production team for a relevant graphic displaying current division leaders, wild cards, and teams in the hunt. Of the 13 teams listed, eight of them had records under .500.
Epstein talked about one of those teams, the Cubs, joking that they have to get better because she has the over on their win total for the season. She also said that there has not been a sub .500 team yet in MLB’s expanded playoff format, which means these teams are going to improve as the season progresses.
Scruggs, the ex-Cardinal and Marlin whose analyst credits include MLB Network and ESPN, disagreed with Epstein, saying that he feels the Cubs are actually getting worse while the Cardinals have a chance to move up in the standings. This cool quartet is unafraid to challenge each other, and I like that the show’s producers give the talent the leeway to move from hard baseball commentary to unrehearsed banter. I mean, if you create a casual feel in a casual setting, then let the on-air personalities be casual, right?
Gardner’s demeanor comes out in free flowing and often humorous exchanges with Dorsey, Scruggs, and Epstein. There is a lot of show here by the way. The program did not go to its first break until more than 17 minutes into the hour-long broadcast. Commercials keep programs on the air, but hearty, thick, and unfettered commentary keep viewers coming back.
Off Base shifted its tone with stories on Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara pleading guilty to bank and tax fraud charges with a possible maximum sentence of 33 years. The panel also touched on Tucupita Marcano of the Pirates being banned for life for violating MLB’s sports betting rules.
I would have liked to see Epstein talk more about the effect of more accessible sports betting given her expertise on the subject, but it was Scruggs who took the lead saying that players should know the consequences at this point.
Off Base is typically a lighthearted show, so I give the group credit for getting into this heavy topic. Gardner’s ability to pivot from fluff to facts is one of her strengths as a host. When the show returned from the second break, NL Player of the Week Willy Adames of the Brewers joined the panel from the ballpark. All four of the particulars jumped in with questions making it more of a conversation than an interview.
Gardner and Scruggs then left the set for a stand up segment on that day’s pitching matchup between Tyler Glasnow of the Dodgers and Jared Jones of the Pirates. Scruggs provide a nice video analysis of both pitchers.
In the show’s “Shred It and Forget It” segment, each personality took a turn talking about players or teams who should try to forget how things have gone so far in 2024. They literally stand up and shred a photo of that player or team with a paper shredder on set. It’s always risky using props, but Gardner thoroughly enjoyed starting the process, perhaps staking her claim as a second prop queen.
Dorsey talked about Seattle’s Julio Rodriguez. Scruggs mentioned Manny Machado of the Padres, and Epstein focused on the defending champion Texas Rangers while a timely graphic displayed recent World Series Champions that struggled early in the following season.
Off Base provides each of its on-air talents with ample space for their respective areas of expertise. I really like the casual ambiance and easy-going rhythm of the show along with the unbridled sports bar repartee. The show may be called Off Base, but when it comes to entertaining baseball television, it is squarely on point.
John Molori is a weekly columnist for Barrett Sports Media. He has previously contributed to ESPNW, Patriots Football Weekly, Golf Content Network, Methuen Life Magazine, and wrote a syndicated Media Blitz column in the New England region, which was published by numerous outlets including The Boston Metro, Providence Journal, Lowell Sun, and the Eagle-Tribune. His career also includes fourteen years in television as a News and Sports Reporter, Host, Producer working for Continental Cablevision, MediaOne, and AT&T. He can be reached on Twitter @MoloriMedia.
