After A 15-Year Hiatus, “This Week in Baseball” Is Back!
Up in my attic, in an old Alta Dena milk crate, are a bunch of dusty VHS cassettes with episodes of This Week in Baseball from the 1980s. They say you become a true baseball fan between the ages of 12 and 14. For me, that was 1984-86, the golden years of TWIB. And I never wanted to miss an episode. Back then, I would crib my mom’s copy of TV Guide to get a quick look at what time NBC’s “Game of the Week” would be broadcast, and then I could back out thirty minutes, as I knew that my favorite show always preceded the game – even if it wasn’t always listed on the schedule.
My Saturday morning routine had me setting the timer on the VCR before I left for my own baseball game, to make sure that the show recorded. And then I would come home in bathe in everything that Mel Allen had to offer. “Hello there, everybody,” is a phrase that still rings in my ears even forty years later. TWIB Notes, top plays, bloopers, and oddities, and who could ever forget the “Gathering Crowds” theme song, written by John Scott. The editing of the video highlights with the chords of that song was – and continues today – to be award-worthy.
The original TWIB ran from 1977 to 1998, with a revival from 2000-2011. So, imagine my shock when I got the MLB.com newsletter the other day and they reported that TWIB was coming back. And coming back in a very 2026 way: On X (formerly Twitter), with a short-form broadcast every Friday at noon ET. The show will include highlights of the best plays from the past week, amazing moments, fun stories, and, according to MLB.com, “all while keeping the vibe that made ‘This Week in Baseball’ a hit with fans for decades.”
The new version of the show will be hosted by Kait Maniscalco, the host of “The Hot Corner” podcast that seeks to bring in a younger generation of baseball fans. The show will bring back the TWIB Notes segment. And, most importantly, the iconic music will be back as well. One can only hope that modern technology has allowed the producers to incorporate the iconic voice of Mel Allen, if, for no other reason, than to add a touch of nostalgia for the viewers who remember the original with such fondness, and to give the youngsters a taste of how the greats used to do it.
I no longer have a VCR, and most likely don’t need any recording devices to make sure I can watch This Week in Baseball on a regular basis, which, I promise you, I most definitely will.
PLAY BALL!!
