ESPN’s big swing! ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ reboot.

After the coffee. Before asking for Stephen Strasburg’s work schedule.

The Skinny: Being single with no kids sure can make one feel left out of the political process. At least that was my takeaway from Ann Romney’s speech. Wednesday’s headlines include ESPN’s new baseball deal, Eddie Murphy’s plan to milk “Beverly Hills Cop” for one more payday and a look at Chinatown’s long history as a key location for filmmakers.

Daily Dose: Apparently New Orleans isn’t the only place bracing for Hurricane Isaac. Tuesday night, Fox-owned KTTV-TV Los Angeles ran a weather graphic that placed the storm in the middle of California. I guess Bob Dylan was right, you don’t need a weatherman to tell you which way the wind is blowing because apparently they don’t know!

Hit by an expensive pitch. Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN struck a new deal for Major League Baseball that will see its rights fees double from $350 million a year to about $700 million a year. In return, ESPN gets more games including a postseason game and more rights for digital, radio and international. Still that is a hefty increase. Major League Baseball still has to renew deals with Fox and Turner. With NBC out there wanting some games for its NBC Sports Network, don’t be surprised if the price tag for those packages also goes up. Coverage from the Los Angeles Times, New York Times and Sports Business Daily.

Don’t fall for the banana in the tailpipe. Vulture reports that Eddie Murphy and producer Shawn Ryan (“The Shield”) are working on a TV “reboot” of the comedian’s hit movie “Beverly Hills Cop.” A reboot, for the uninitiated, is Hollywood’s way of trying to create something new out of something old. It is different than a remake. The reboot reciepe is as follows: Take the title of a popular movie or TV show, add one or two other familiar elements to make marketing easier, create new characters to blend with said elements, shake well and pray, since most flop in the baking process. In this case the show would be about the son of Murphy’s Axel Foley character, although Murphy himself will probably pop up in an episode or two.

What I really want to do is direct. DirecTV will play itself in a web series about a disgraced college football conference that loses its television deal and turns to the satellite broadcaster to help rehabilitate its image. The irony is that in real life DirecTV is trying to take a hard line against sports networks given their high price tag. More on the project from Variety.

Raising the stakes. Liberty Media’s creeping takeover of Sirius XM Satellite Radio inched a little bit closer. Liberty bought stock that lifts its ownership of Sirius to amost 49%. The company has made clear it wants control of the satellite radio company. The latest from the Wall Street Journal.

Buyer beware. File this under someone didn’t do their homework. It’s no secret that radio personality Howard Stern is no Jay Leno fan. The two used to be tight and Leno was a regular presence on Stern’s show. But that changed when Leno hired John Melendez (“Stuttering John”) away from Stern. Since then, Stern has attacked at Leno with every chance. Now NBC, which hired Stern to be a judge on “America’s Got Talent,” wants him tone down the Jay bashing. Good luck with that. Details from Deadline Hollywood.

Inside the Los Angeles Times: Chinatown is once again a hot location spot. TLC’s “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” has captured the nation’s heart or taken it to new lows. It depends on who you ask.

Follow me on Twitter. I tweet and you decide. @JBFlint