yay, bud selig maybe doing something good for baseball

[rocket]

about time someone acknowledged mlb's ridiculous blackout rules.

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=jp-blackouts071106&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

[bhogg]

it's sad that they piss off thousands of fans and nothing gets done.

 

piss off Bud and now things might change.

[soccer10k]

And I still won't get to watch the Cubs on Saturday unless they are playing the Giants in SF.

 

Fox will keep the World Series, the All-Star Game and its Saturday-afternoon game, during which all other games are blacked out.

[goonys evil twin]

I do not understand the point of the Saturday blackouts. There is no benefit to baseball, or Fox.

[MikeyLikesCubbies]

I do not understand the point of the Saturday blackouts. There is no benefit to baseball, or Fox.

 

I think they figure that a baseball fan will choose to watch their national game if they don't have the option of watching their favortite team.

[goonys evil twin]

I do not understand the point of the Saturday blackouts. There is no benefit to baseball, or Fox.

 

I think they figure that a baseball fan will choose to watch their national game if they don't have the option of watching their favortite team.

 

Which is completely absurd. Why not just show all the games at once, like the NFL's Sunday ticket. My only choices on Saturdays are Mets or Yankees games, and I have never watched any of their Saturday games in the more than a decade that I've lived here. It draws away viewers.

[NCCubFan]

The Saturday blackout is inexcusable. I pay for Extra Innings. I feel that should give me the right to watch the games I want, not the ones Fox chooses to give me. I couldn't watch the 2003 division clincher because of the stupid Saturday blackout.

[macuser2]

Well let's see. I am in a blackout area for the Astros and the Rangers both.

 

Arlington is about 200 miles away, which, given high fuel costs means it's unlikely I would go there to view a game.

 

Houston is about 260 miles away. The same problem applies.

 

If Fox is carrying one game, why blackout the other on mlb.tv? What gets me is they do the blackouts even if Fox Sports Southwest isn't showing either game. It really is stupid. I may choose not to get mlb.tv next year. That's what Selig ought to be worried about, money. :evil:

 

On the Saturday blackout thing, it may be due to the extortion levels rates for ads they can charge if there aren't any competing games.

[NCCubFan]

On the Saturday blackout thing, it may be due to the extortion levels rates for ads they can charge if there aren't any competing games.

But that logic is based on the assumption that people will watch the Fox game if they can't watch the game they want to. I don't know how true that is for most people, but it isn't for me. I'll actually boycott the Fox game if it's preventing me from watching a game I'd rather see.

[soccer10k]

I do not understand the point of the Saturday blackouts. There is no benefit to baseball, or Fox.

 

I think they figure that a baseball fan will choose to watch their national game if they don't have the option of watching their favortite team.

 

Which is completely absurd. Why not just show all the games at once, like the NFL's Sunday ticket. My only choices on Saturdays are Mets or Yankees games, and I have never watched any of their Saturday games in the more than a decade that I've lived here. It draws away viewers.

 

I get Giants or A's and occasionally the Dodgers.

[soccer10k]

If Fox is carrying one game, why blackout the other on mlb.tv? What gets me is they do the blackouts even if Fox Sports Southwest isn't showing either game. It really is stupid. I may choose not to get mlb.tv next year. That's what Selig ought to be worried about, money. :evil:

 

Agreed. I'm sure they know which games are being televised where around the US. They also know which area code I put in for MLB.TV when I registered which is why they know to black out the Giants and A's. Why can't they allow me to watch the game since it isn't being televised here? Is it that hard to do?

[thedaymen]

The Saturday blackout is inexcusable. I pay for Extra Innings. I feel that should give me the right to watch the games I want, not the ones Fox chooses to give me. I couldn't watch the 2003 division clincher because of the stupid Saturday blackout.

 

I actually stopped paying for extra innings and sent MLB a letter saying that I stopped because I couldn't get all the games like I can for my NBA package. I didn't see a point to pay to watch two games a week as my erratic work hours prevent me from catching games on a consistent basis.

 

They wrote back and said,

 

"Thanks for your support of Major League Baseball. We're sorry to lose you as a subscriber to MLB Extra Innings, but hope to see you at the ballpark soon!"

 

Good thing my wife's firm is doing traffic studies for the Mets, or they wouldn't even see that. Also a good thing my cable carries WGN.

[Proven Veteran]

Get a slingbox and a friend in whatever area you want to see games from. :-$

[RonnieWooWooSanto]

I do not understand the point of the Saturday blackouts. There is no benefit to baseball, or Fox.

 

I think they figure that a baseball fan will choose to watch their national game if they don't have the option of watching their favortite team.

 

Which is completely absurd. Why not just show all the games at once, like the NFL's Sunday ticket. My only choices on Saturdays are Mets or Yankees games, and I have never watched any of their Saturday games in the more than a decade that I've lived here. It draws away viewers.

 

Well, the thinking is that they would rather have you boycotting the FOX broadcast rather than having the option to view another game on another channel(even a local channel). They don't want another MLB game on because it then provides an opportunity for viewers to flip around the the stations and miss commercials on the FOX broadcast. Granted you'll probably still flip around even if there isn't another MLB game, but it does make the situattion more appealing to advertisers. They recognize that MLB/FOX is doing the best they can from having their viewers miss those advertisements.

[macuser2]

On the Saturday blackout thing, it may be due to the extortion levels rates for ads they can charge if there aren't any competing games.

But that logic is based on the assumption that people will watch the Fox game if they can't watch the game they want to. I don't know how true that is for most people, but it isn't for me. I'll actually boycott the Fox game if it's preventing me from watching a game I'd rather see.

 

I also boycott the Saturday games. I don't think FOX realizes how many people may do that.

 

The fact that FOX is clueless shouldn't be a surprise. Consider the cluelessness of some of their announcers.

[bhogg]

i love having things forced on me. . . bring on saturday baseball :(

[scs_paradise]

If Fox is carrying one game, why blackout the other on mlb.tv? What gets me is they do the blackouts even if Fox Sports Southwest isn't showing either game. It really is stupid. I may choose not to get mlb.tv next year. That's what Selig ought to be worried about, money. :evil:

 

Agreed. I'm sure they know which games are being televised where around the US. They also know which area code I put in for MLB.TV when I registered which is why they know to black out the Giants and A's. Why can't they allow me to watch the game since it isn't being televised here? Is it that hard to do?

 

they look at the location of the IP address not your zip code. I go to publicproxyservers.com and pick one that is out of the country and then I get whatever game is blacked out. Not all the servers are available all the time so sometimes you have to try four or five. Most of the time the servers aren't available during business hours in that country, so keep that in mind when trying servers.

[beowulf28]

about time someone acknowledged mlb's ridiculous blackout rules.

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=jp-blackouts071106&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

 

Dang, I thought you were going to say he was going to step down as the Commissioner of MLB, then Andy MacPhail could step in! :D :cry:

[Soul]

about time someone acknowledged mlb's ridiculous blackout rules.

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=jp-blackouts071106&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

 

Dang, I thought you were going to say he was going to step down as the Commissioner of MLB, then Andy MacPhail could step in! :D :cry:

 

Selig says "we'll figure it out."

 

LOL. Alrighty there Bud. You do that. So in 2025 the people of Milwaukee will finally be free of the "Chicagoland" blackout rule?

 

Woot! I'll be sure and alert the media......from my wheelchair.