Watching MLB without Cable or Satellite in Los Angeles

THIS BASEBALL SEASON, I DECIDED that it was time to pull the plug on my cable tv subscription and instead opt for MLB.tv to watch my local Angels battle it out for another A.L. West title. My new setup consists of a $120 subscription to MLB.tv, $100 for a Roku box that allows me to stream online games to my tv, and a $30 over-the-air antenna to pick up local channels for both FOX11 and KCOP13 baseball broadcasts. For all that planning, boy, did I get a rude awakening on Opening Day a couple of weeks ago. Not only did MLB & ESPN blackout the Yankees/Boston opener nationwide (though you could watch it on ESPN3), but I realized after reading the fine print that I would be blacked out from watching my Angels LIVE.

While some fans are very much aware of MLB's blackout policy that prohibits users from watch ing LIVE, in-market games, the majority of fans aren't aware of this arcane restriction. For $120, most fans expect to be able to watch their local teams play LIVE. In fact, I would gladly pay the $120 to watch ONLY Angels and Dodger games. Unfortunately, I was one of the duped. As a result, I'm forced to watch archived games 90 minutes (yes, nine-zero) after their conclusion. That means that if an Angels games ends at 10 PM, I must wait until 11:30 PM to begin watching it. For most fans, 11:30 PM is bedtime, NOT prime time — at least not that same day.

So, without cable or satellite, I quickly came to the conclusion that MLB.tv does NOT replace cable or satellite, where I can watch an additional 130 odd games on FoxSportsNet, but instead serves as a supplemental tool for those who wish to follow teams outside their market area. Anyone considering buying MLB.tv, should seriously consider this.

However, where it doesn't seem fair is that MLB.tv inadvertently rewards fans who live outside their team's market area, rather than the majority of fans who live in the same market as their favorite team. So, an Angels fan in New York can watch every single game live on MLB.tv (except when they play the Yankees or Mets), but an Angels fan in L.A. cannot watch any of their live games (nor the Dodgers) on MLB.tv because he lives in the Angels' and Dodgers' market area. This silliness is just one reason why the blackout policy is bad for MLB. The whole MLB blackout controversy is well documented on the web, so I won't go into that, but what I did want to share is how many games an Angels fan can watch up until the end of prime time, both live and archived.

In taking a closer look at the Angels 2010 Broadcast Schedule, WITHOUT cable/satellite, here 's the breakdown for watching LIVE Angels games:

KCOP13 (26 games)
FOX11 (6 games)
ESPN3 (2 games online)

That's a total of 34 games or 21%. Paltry to say the least.

Then, I remembered that since the Angels play at least 23 day games on FSN and at least 2 day games on MLB.tv (starting by 1:10 PM), this means that these games will most likely be archived by MLB.tv before 7 PM prime time, give or take a 17-inning nailbiter. Awesome. I could fire up the archive version and watch the game after dinner and still make it to bed on time. So, in terms of prime time or LIVE viewing, I can watch a total of 57 games (2 other games on FSN have start times pending).

So, 57 games or 35%. Not happy, but I'll take it for now.

But there's a big caveat as I write this. Currently, Roku has had numerous issues delaying the launch of their MLB Channel, now already two weeks into the season. So right now, it's either wait for those rare KCOP13 broadcasts or FOX's Saturday Baseball Game of the Week or watching games via my desktop or laptop. As much as I love watching baseball every day during the regular season, perhaps a longing makes the heart grow fonder.

Now, I could resubscribe to cable for 6 months and pay $300 just to follow every Angels game or stick with my current setup and watch 35% of the games at $120. In this current economy, it's a no brainer as on those blackout dates, I can immerse myself in the art of listening to baseball on radio, which isn't necessarily a bad thing with Terry Smith in the booth.

2010 Angels Baseball TV Schedule
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MLB.TV EXCLUSIVE Day Games = Prime time archive viewing
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6/20 CHC (TBD)
8/22 MIN 11:10 AM
9/19 TB 10:40 AM
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FSN Cable/Satellite Day Games = Prime time archive viewing
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4/11 OAK 12:35 PM
4/13 NYY 10:05 AM
4/14 NYY 10:05 AM
4/17 TOR 10:07 AM
4/18 TOR 10:07 AM
4/25 NYY 12:35 PM
5/1 DET 10:05 AM
5/2 DET 10:05 AM
5/22 STL 11:15 AM
5/31 KC 11:10 AM
6/3 KC 11:10 AM
6/6 SEA 1:10 PM
6/10 OAK 12:35 PM
6/18 CHC 11:20 AM
6/19 CHC 10:05 AM
6/27 COL 12:35 PM
7/8 CWS 11:05 AM
7/21 NYY 10:05 AM
7/28 BOS 12:35 PM
8/11 KC 12:35 PM
8/25 TB 12:35 PM
9/26 CWS 12:35 PM
9/29 OAK (TBD)
10/3 TEX 12:05 PM
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FOX Channel 11 (6 games)
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4/24 NYY
5/29 SEA
6/5 SEA
8/21 MIN
9/4 OAK
9/11 SEA
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ESPN3 (2 games free online viewing)
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5/3 BOS
7/4 KC
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KCOP Channel 13 (26 games)
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4/2 Fri LAD 7:00 PM
4/7 Wed MIN 7:00 PM
4/11 Sun OAK 12:30 PM
4/18 Sun TOR 10:00 AM
4/25 Sun NYY 12:30 PM
5/9 Sun SEA 1:00 PM
5/16 Sun OAK 12:30 PM
5/23 Sun STL 11:00 AM
5/30 Sun SEA 12:30 PM
6/11 Fri LAD 7:00 PM
6/12 Sat LAD 7:00 PM
6/13 Sun LAD 1:00 PM
6/23 Wed LAD 7:00 PM
6/24 Thu LAD 7:00 PM
7/3 Sat KC 6:00 PM
7/11 Sun OAK 1:00 PM
7/18 Sun SEA 12:30 PM
7/25 Sun TEX 5:00 PM
8/1 Sun TEX 12:30 PM
8/8 Sun DET 10:00 AM
8/15 Sun TOR 12:30 PM
8/29 Sun BAL 12:30 PM
9/5 Sun OAK 1:00 PM
9/12 Sun SEA 12:30 PM
9/18 Sat TB 4:00 PM
9/25 Sat CWS 6:00 PM

It's Official: GA in LA in 2010

IT'S OFFICIAL, GARRET ANDERSON WILL PLAY the 2010 season as an LA Dodger, having secured his spot as the team's lefthanded pinch hitter and backup for Manny Ramirez. Most people won't find this to be much news, but as most baseball fans have a favorite player, GA is that guy to me. And although he's definitely in the twilight of his career, I'm absolutely thrilled to be able to watch him play for another year. Beyond that, who knows. See, it's not so much about whether he'll do well this year, but rather you never want to see your favorite player retire. So, here are a couple of screenshots of him in MLB2K10, which not only a videogame, but an awesome photo-generating baseball application.

Joe Mauer Dips into Mr. Pohlad's Wallet

WOW, THAT'S A HUGE CONTRACT the Twins just gave Joe Mauer. $182 million for only eight years! But you know what's even more amazing? That the Pohlad empire has finally loosened the purse strings after so many years of creative bookkeeping and supposed negative cash flow. All money talk aside, this easily trumps the bad news about the other Joe (Nathan) in the Twin Cities.

Albert Pujols Painting Finished

THE FINISHED VERSION of Albert Pujols after adding the dots. This is the first in a series of ballplayer portraits I'll be doing. This one took roughly half a year to complete in working around my normal work schedule. Will be working on a Jackie Robinson portrait next.

David Wright's Matching Helmet & Bat

ALL SIGNS POINT TO A SERIOUS POWER FAILURE OVERHAUL when the team's best player opts for an extra-padded, extra-large batting helmet and the outfield wall is chopped down in half. It's hard to say whether New York Mets' third baseman David Wright's power numbers were hurt due to shattered confidence after getting beaned or the 16 foot high wall in center field at Citi Field. So rather than guess, Wright and the Mets took measures to overcome both possible hindrances. Personally, I think his power drop had more to do with the team finishing 23 games behind the Phillies than anything else.

Tim Lincecum's Bullet-Proof Arbitration Vest

IT MIGHT BE ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED EVENTS this offseason, Tim Lincecum's arbitration case, that is. $8 million or $13 million? It probably would be more exciting if the Lincecum party asked for, say oh, $18 million. I mean, not since Roger Clemens have we had a 2-time, back-to-back Cy Young Award winner go to arbitration. It's silly to even think about reasons why Lincecum should not deserve to win, and that's exactly what the Giants have to do. The back-to-back Cy Young Awards are like a bullet-proof vest that ought to deflect any criticism. The Giants are in a tough spot. They don't necessarily want to give Lincecum a deal yet like the one Justin Verlander got if they can go cheaper by going the arbitration route. But I can't imagine either party wanting to go to arbitration for the next two years as well. Lincecum will get his $13 million, but the Giants should really begin considering a long-term package for their franchise of a player.

McGwire's Steroid Admission & the Heavier Load

THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF TALK and anger towards Mark McGwire since his admission to using steroids during the bulk of his career, and much of that anger is justified. There's nothing like rooting so hard for a guy only to find out that he was a fraud. Baseball fans have been left with feelings of anger, sadness, disappointment, betrayal and other negative feelings juxtaposed against these incredible memories of greatness from 1998. It's impossible to reconcile the two types of feelings. One thing is sure, McGwire's admission only puts additional pressure on guys like Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens to come forward and admit their wrongdoing.