VP Debate, Phillies Game Compete for TV Viewers

KYW Team Coverage

The stage is set for a big TV night in the Delaware Valley on Thursday. The Phillies play the Brewers in game two of the NLDS and VP candidates Joe Biden and Sarah Palin faceoff in a nationally televised debate from St. Louis.

KYW's Tony Romeo reports that the Phillies post-season saga could create a distraction from the presidential race in the crucial battleground state of Pennsylvania. One political analyst thinks it might be the other way around.

Thursday night’s Phillies game is scheduled to begin at 6:07pm and the debate between the vice presidential candidates at 9pm, creating the unlikely but not-out-of-the-question possibility of some overlap.

If that happens, St. Joseph’s University professor and political analyst Randall Miller believes viewers will have a difficult choice, and might not choose the Phillies.

He believes this year’s campaign has got as much or more drama than the ballgame:

"They’re going to get the first sense of Sarah Palin unpackaged, and Joe Biden who is seasoned in many ways, but can also surprise you sometimes with gaffes. And so there’ll be a lot interest to see what happens. It’s the greatest show in town."

Miller also points out that baseball is a game with a lot of pauses and down time, and he suspects a lot of remotes will get a workout if there’s a conflict.

KYW's Larry Kane reports that the debate between VP candidates Joe Biden and Sarah Palin takes top billing on a busy night for primetime TV.

What a doubleheader. Phils at 6pm. Delaware Sen. Joe Biden and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin at 9pm. In baseball terms, the questions are: Does Palin need a homerun or just a double to help her team, and how does Biden deploy himself.

Despite the shouts of the pundits, this is not a make or break night, but Palin's goal will be to try and stop the poll-erosion for McCain and Biden will just want to look knowledgeable without fanfare.

Battleground state polls show Obama growing, especially in the F&M poll in Pa. so this is a delicate act tonight -- It's a prelude to the big event next Tuesday between McCain and Obama.