[ml/nj]

many of the teams' TV sponsors were beer and tobacco companies

My recollection is that beer and cigarettes were the ONLY sponsors when NYC had three baseball teams.

Giants: Chesterfield and Knickerebocker

Dodgers: Lucky Strike and Schaefer

Yankees: Camels and Ballentine

As for announcers doing commercials, they do it here in spades now. "This payoff pitch is brought to you by Wendy's," or "This call to the bullpen is sponsored by you local Good Olds Guys." It really is annoying.

ML/NJ

[justiceseeker93]

"This payoff pitch is brought to you by Wendy's," or "This call to the bullpen is sponsored by you local Good Olds Guys." It really is annoying.

Agreed. One of the many reasons why baseball on the radio now is no where as popular now as it was in the fifties and sixties.

Walk around the streets of a major city when a game is in progress now and you'll very seldom hear the call of a game blaring from a store, a private home, or a car. Quite a contrast from years gone by.