Game Show NewsNet - State of Play

Give Him What He Wants - July 20

Let's Go Yankees! (Clap, clap, clap clap clap)

Yes, I am a true blue New York Yankee fan. They are my favorite sporting team and I am not afraid to admit it. Sure, they are the 'best team money can buy', but 11 straight years into the postseason (and hopefully 12, if they can get into it) you are getting your money's worth.

That leads us to, of course, CBS and their dilemma. Who is going to host their flagship daytime show The Price is Right? There is no 'right' answer, but there are two possibilities emerging in the form of Ryan Seacrest and Drew Carey. Yes, Seacrest may have priced himself out of the competition, but Carey is your guy, and he's the one that CBS needs to get in their fold.

This is someone who has a nice little game show resume. He is also hosting The Power of 10 in August and he has a pretty decent-sized fan-base. Most importantly, he has been quoted as saying that he wants to keep the culture of The Price is Right the way that it is - something that none of the other contenders have said.

Now this is not saying that Todd Newton or Mark Steines are good hosts. They are both very good hosts and if I was ever to create a show, I would love to see Todd or Mark get a shot at hosting it. But as of right now at this point in time, Todd and Mark is equivalent to a Johnny Damon or a David Eckstein - they are nice pieces to have, but what you want is A-Rod. CBS needs an A-Rod to host their version of the Daytime New York Yankees.

Memo to CBS - don't let Drew get away. Don't be like the New York Rangers, who didn't pay Mark Messier what he wanted and hasn't sniffed the NHL finals since. Don't be like the New York Mets, who didn't sign A-Rod and are desperately looking for offense. Don't be so cheap that you don't get the best that you can to keep your 35 year old show strong and healthy.

Drew Carey is the answer. You know it. We all know it. Just give him what he wants.

Speaking of Price, here are 3 more pricing games...

Pick a Number - Don't go for a number that's already in the price.

Pick-A-Pair - Want to change a game from a 33% chance of winning to a 50% of winning? Go after the least expensive products. You get to see half of the products and you should be able to eliminate the more expensive ones.

Plinko - Look at it more as a True/False game, like 5 Pricetags. If you don't think the item is 'True' in terms of the first number, then select the last number, As for the chip, put it directly in the middle.

Gordon Pepper bleeds pinstripes. E-mail him at gordon@gameshownewsnet.com.