Extra Innings Exclusively on DirecTV

[soupcan]

You make me laugh Mr. Dickshot.

Dude - can I help it if I tend to be in the right places and the right times?

[Guest cooby]

I hate to break this to you, but meeting Billy Squire is not pee your pants exciting.

Meeting Rusty Staub is.

[soupcan]

I never claimed that the Billy Squier incident was anything more than an embarassing 'DOH!' moment for me.

'Twas Dickshot that alotted him 'starfucker' status.

[Willets Point]

Takes a Dickshot to know a Starfucker.

[metirish]

What's with Billy Squier?...

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Billy Squier and Soupcan are drinking buddies. Sometimes they go out on the town with Bob Bowman of MLB Advanced Media.

[metirish]

Johnny Dickshot wrote: Billy Squier and Soupcan are drinking buddies. Sometimes they go out on the town with Bob Bowman of MLB Advanced Media.

WOW..I mean Squier used to be famous......soupcan,does he regale you with stories of his heyday?

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

It wasn't quite that way. Soup met Mr. Squier at a party, but didn't know who he was until Squier was leaving.

[Guest ABG]

This thread has really taken a turn for the lame.

[seawolf17]

Has Billy Squier met Rusty Staub? That'd be a boring conversation.

[soupcan]

metirish wrote: WOW..I mean Squier used to be famous......soupcan,does he regale you with stories of his heyday?

Absolutely. He even wears the pink teddy when we go out.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

ABG wrote: This thread has really taken a turn for the lame.

I'm really being a douche lately. I killed Edgy's Yogi berra thread yesterday too.

Sorry.

[Guest Edgy DC]

It ain't dead until it's dead.

I wonder if the UMDB can tell us when the last time the Mets had a winter this inactive.

[metirish]

Edgy DC wrote: It ain't dead until it's dead. .

Bingo

[Farmer Ted]

Jilted again?
As usual, MLB about to give the shaft to its fans

If you want me to be completely honest with you, I'll just come right out and say it: I'm not sure that I'm in love with you anymore. OK? Do you feel better, now that it's out there all honest and raw? Because I don't. And I'm not even sure that I mean what I'm saying.

Look Baseball, it's been a while since we talked. But you know as well as I do, that's the type of relationship we've always had. We fall in love all over again each February, we're torrid from March through June, things get stagnant in July and August, and then we go all out in September and October. Then Football shows up and I hang out with her and Basketball throughout the winter. You know I'm coming back though, and each and every spring, like clockwork, we get together again.

So why am I thinking of moving on? After all, we've always had good times, and you've allowed me to watch my favorite team win an unheard of 14 straight division titles.

Well, to be honest, you've been acting differently lately. Not good different, strange different. I've always paid attention to you. You've always fulfilled my needs. And then I heard about this, about how you're trying to take away my Extra Innings package. After three straight summers of my being able to spend more or less unlimited time with you, you're leaving cable TV behind? For a satellite system I'm not allowed to have in my apartment building? Why? Why would you break something up that's worked so well?

There was a time when I would've done practically anything for you. I rushed home from school every day to throw a tennis ball against the wall of my parent's house. I loved the summer months when it was light outside later in the afternoon, so my dad could come home from work and throw pop flies for me to catch. There was that grand slam that I hit during little league, that game-winning RBI I had playing JV in high school. My knees still crackle and pop when I walk from too many years of crouching behind the plate.

I'll never forget sitting in an almost completely empty Fulton County Stadium, watching some miserable Braves teams get pounded. I won't forget Sid Bream sliding into home plate in 1992, and being with thousands of college students as we poured into downtown Athens to celebrate in the streets. I was there at Turner Field in 1999 for Game Six of the NLCS, when Kenny Rogers melted down. I saw the Braves win a World Series.

You're probably not America's game any more, now that Football is hanging around, but you remain beloved. There is no way to quantify how much I look forward to coming home from work most nights and hanging out with you. I find a groove in the couch, turn down the lights, listen to old friends like Skip and Joe and Pete while I try and guess the location of the next 250 pitches.

What I don't understand is why you chose now to flirt with DirecTV. I get that you're thinking about launching your own TV station down the road, and I get that DirecTV is offering you more money than cable TV did. Fine. And I understand that if you go through with this deal, all the games will still be available on your MLB.TV Web site. But as much as I love you, Baseball, there's no way I'm spending eight hours at work staring at a computer screen and then coming home and sitting down for three hours to stare at herky-jerky action on another computer screen.

If you leave, I'm not sure what I'll do. I'm not allowed to have DirecTV, I don't want to look at my computer any more than I already do, and I want to watch the games, not listen to them (sorry, XM). So if you're really running off to satellite TV, I think I'll just have to break it off with you. I don't know for how long, but at least for a while. No games in person, no games on TV, maybe even not even using your sponsors anymore. I'll get Yankees and Mets games on my cable system, but I don't like either of those teams. I want to watch my Atlanta Braves. And you're telling me I'm not allowed to watch my team play?

That's what you're telling me, isn't it? I get that the Braves aren't spending huge money and they probably won't be favored to even win the NL East, much less a championship. But the Braves trigger my memories and make me feel closer to home. And that makes me feel good.

And now, baseball, you're saying that you don't want me to feel good. Because making a deal with a network of satellites is more important to you than my feelings.

Your decision isn't final yet, I understand, and maybe there's a part of me that's hoping that this letter will make you change your mind. But I don't expect it to. You're going to make the choice that benefits you, not the choice that would benefit me or us. I know you think you're perfect, but you've made your share of mistakes. Remember the lockout, and how you had to have the players throw balls into the stands to try and generate some positive karma? Remember when you were going to put the Spider-Man 2 logo on bases? So you're not perfect. You can make bad decisions. This is one of them. This seems like just another bad choice that you're just determined to make.

And you're going to leave me with no choice at all.

Lang Whitaker is the online editor of SLAM magazine and writes daily at SLAMonline.com.

[Guest cooby]

Like I said yesterday, it's as much the Mets fault as MLB's. Everything was just fine until they had to get their own channel.

But maybe Mr. Slam still lives somewhere we he can watch his favorite team.

] and I want to watch the games, not listen to them (sorry, XM). So if you're really running off to satellite TV

This is an interesting point. I wonder how long it'll be until we can't listen to them on WFAN anymore either

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

From bizofbaseball.com

="Maury Brown"] DirecTV Deal Tied to New 24-Hour MLB Channel Written by Maury Brown Monday, 29 January 2007 Some more details are emerging this AM via Eric Fisher, John Ourand and the Sports Business Journal and MLB's effort to make Extra Innings available exclusively through DirecTV. If you do not have a subscription to the Sports Business Journal, I highly recommend it.

Here are some more details on the deal, as it is now known.

• MLB and DirecTV are in the final stages of negotiating the $700 million deal, and that a formal announcement will occur within the next 2 weeks.
• Extra Innings as an exclusive on DirecTV would begin this year.
  
• The MLB channel slated to air in 2009 and provisionally titled in the past as The Baseball Channel, will be provided on the basic tier of DirecTV
• As reported by the SBJ, "Programming will include some regular-season games, in particular some nonexclusive Saturday night contests that were not sold last year in the national broadcast deals with Fox and Turner."
• Some Arizona Fall League, spring training and minor league games will be shown on the channel, as well.
• Extra Innings would be co-marketed with MLBAM's online out-of-market product, MLB.TV.
• In related news, MLB.TV will see an increase in the quality of the feeds this season. As reported, "Game video will be streamed at a rate of 700 Kbps instead of the 350 Kbps to 400 Kbps rate of last year."

As to how the press -- both mainstream and alternative -- have slammed the deal due to the restrictions on consumers, one executive is quoted as saying:

]"There will be some people unhappy at the outset, but this is exactly what the NFL, the alleged market leader, and the NCAA have already done" said an MLB executive, referring to their DirecTV-only deals for out-of-market game packages. "This is a chance to reinvigorate the product and, with the channel, get to some underserved areas of the sport.

 

Apparently, the deal hinged on DirecTV's willingness to place Major League Baseball's long-planned 24-hour TV network on an expanded basic tier, which InDemand was unwilling to do. Since MLB has been working toward a 24-hour baseball-only channel since 2004, this appears to be the tipping point in relationship to fan backlash due to removing Extra Innings from cable and the Dish Network.

[soupcan]

Just so I understand -

This is all really about putting the soon-to-come MLB channel on a basic tier. Cable was/is not willing to do that but DirecTV is if they get the exclusive on the Extra Innings package for 7-10 years.

MLB wants the MLB channel on basic because it reaches more people and they can charge advertisers more as a result.

I'll assume that cable was not willing to make that deal.

So by 2009, if one wants either the Extra Innings package or the MLB channel one would have to get DirecTV.

I'm thinking I'll hold off on the satellite and see how the MLB.com feed is this summer.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

I'm thinking I'm going to have to sign up for DirecTV.

[Frayed Knot]

And, gee whiz, what a shock that Mike & the Mad Dog are:

A) just now getting word of this

misunderstanding it

C) dismissing it as "not a big deal"

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

How are they misunderstanding it?

And of course, it's not a big deal because it doesn't affect them.

What a pair of jerks. I don't miss them at all.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

If I had any hope that this DirecTV thing wouldn't go through, it's dashed by the news that John Kerry is going to try to stop it.

="THE ASSOCIATED PRESS"] Kerry takes up 'Extra Innings' issue WASHINGTON -- A proposal to make Major League Baseball's "Extra Innings" exclusive to DirecTV has drawn the ire of Sen. John Kerry. The Massachusetts Democrat said he plans to raise the matter with the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission at a hearing Thursday. "I am opposed to anything that deprives people of reasonable choices," Kerry said in a statement. "In this day and age, consumers should have more choices - not fewer. I'd like to know how this serves the public - a deal that will force fans to subscribe to DirecTV in order to tune in to their favorite players. A Red Sox fan ought to be able to watch their team without having to switch to DirecTV." "Extra Innings" is a service that allows viewers to watch games involving teams not in their local markets. In past years, the service has been available through a range of providers, but a pending deal would make the service only available to DirecTV subscribers. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin is a scheduled witness at Thursday's hearing of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.

[Guest cooby]

]"Extra Innings" is a service that allows viewers to watch games involving teams not in their local markets.

That's horsehockey, I couldn't watch the Mets last year on Extra Innings and I'm not in their local market, I don't care what they say.

Everybody (Yancy I know you already have checked it out), please check into it before you invest in all that stuff (a dish, Extra innings subscription, etc, etc, will not be cheap) before you spend one cent and make sure you are in the right market.

Even if you are, I don't think it's worth it.

[Frayed Knot]

]How are they misunderstanding it?

They were confused as to this affecting the 'Extra Innings' package and, were instead, seemingly under the impression that MLB was somehow trying to prevent ALL telecasts from going out of market; ie. stopping Yanqui games from appearing on 'YES' broadcasts except on systems within the NYC area, etc.
I know they've been in Florida all week talking SB 24/7 but it's not like this issue has been kept secret for the last 10 days or so. Also, now that I think about it, night-time host Steve Somers was totally unaware of the issue also the other night when asked about it by a caller - although in his case I'm used to him being clueless & uninformed. M&MD, to their credit, are usually up to date on their facts before staking out an elistist's positions.

[Frayed Knot]

Kerry: "I am opposed to anything that deprives people of reasonable choices, ... a Red Sox fan ought to be able to watch their team without having to switch to DirecTV."

Does that go for Patriot fans too Senator, or is the NFL somehow exempt from offering "reasonable choices"?

This sort of duplicity drives me nuts.
I'm all for the gov't looking into the ethics of this (although I suspect there's nothing legally that can be done) - but radio talk show hosts (not just M&MD) have been conducting virtual daily commercials for DirecTV over the last few years since the NFL started offering their "Sunday Ticket" package, giving testimonials to listeners that DirecTV is the only way to go due to the glories of "Sunday Ticket". Now, not only are some of the same voices tripping over themselves to knock MLB for going the same route but we have elected officials doing the same.
Have you no sense of decency, sir?

[Centerfield]

="Frayed Knot"]Have you no sense of decency, sir?

Um, let me check....nope! No decency here.

[Frayed Knot]

Actually, I was directing that line at Sen Kerry in a lame attempt to emulate the time the same line was said to Sen Joe McCarthy under very different circumstances ... but it works for MadDog too.
Or maybe; 'Have you no brains, Sir?' would work even better in his case.

[metirish]

Neil Best who covers TV and Radio for Newsday..

] JUST WONDERING: Kerry flipping over MLB flop Can Congress save "Extra Innings" from DirecTV exclusivity? Probably not, but some politicians likely will get some political mileage out of the issue. Last week, John Kerry said he will not run for president in 2008. But he sounded like a candidate this week when he questioned MLB's plan to sell its out-of-market package only to DirecTV (while, it hopes, driving some to its own mlb.tv out-of-market option). "A Red Sox fan ought to be able to watch their team without having to switch to DirecTV," Kerry said, perhaps forgetting that Bosox fans in Massachusetts are safe; those in New York have the problem. Anyway, at least Kerry was thinking of fans' interests. While joining Mike Francesa in spectacularly botching the basics of the MLB / DirecTV controversy Wednesday on WFAN, Chris Russo blithely dismissed concerns of tens of thousands of "Extra Innings" subscribers as not being a big deal. Russo might have been confused because he wasn't feeling well and left the show early. Or not. Two weeks ago, he similarly pooh-poohed the grievances of Brooklynites threatened with being booted out of their homes for the Atlantic Yards project. Eminent domain fever! Catch it!

Best also reports that on SNY the NY Titans lacrosse team scored higher ratings than the Islanders game on FSNY and the Devil's game on MSG..had hockey ever been more dead?

[Guest ABG]

M&MD have a vested interest in the widening subscriber base of Direct TV--YES is picked up through DTV, bringing them a wider audience.

]Does that go for Patriot fans too Senator, or is the NFL somehow exempt from offering "reasonable choices"? This sort of duplicity drives me nuts. I'm all for the gov't looking into the ethics of this (although I suspect there's nothing legally that can be done) - but radio talk show hosts (not just M&MD) have been conducting virtual daily commercials for DirecTV over the last few years since the NFL started offering their "Sunday Ticket" package, giving testimonials to listeners that DirecTV is the only way to go due to the glories of "Sunday Ticket". Now, not only are some of the same voices tripping over themselves to knock MLB for going the same route but we have elected officials doing the same. Have you no sense of decency, sir?

This is, quite frankly, crap. It's not duplicitous to raise a relevant point under consideration while not debating an already-answered question.

[nbf] Extending our your rationale, you would tell John Kerry he was being duplicitous for criticizing a troop surge in Iraq while not taking President Johnson to task for sending more troops to Vietnam. [/nbf]

[Guest Edgy DC]

Mmmm....

I don't know. It's not like Vietnam is an active situation.

The "decency" thing is a distorition, but lawmakers can't say certain behaivor is OK on Tuesday but worthy of government intervention when the same party engages in it on Thursday. It's not like Kerry is explicitly saying the NFL contract is OK (that's merely inferred by Knotty), but neither does the Vietnam analogy work.