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J.R.

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Everything posted by J.R.

  1. J.R.
    WGN shows so few games anymore, it's to the point that it's not worth worrying about. MLBEI or MLB.tv are a must for anyone who got used to seeing 150+ games back in the day.
  2. J.R.
    Ah. You really should check into it. Buy one HD set and you'll forget all about the other six plain TVs in the house.
  3. J.R.
    This is true.
  4. J.R.
    I really can't understand why so many feel it's such a stretch to switch to DirecTV. I have no interest in the company, but can't overstate just how valuable the service is to the sports-minded man. It's so great that it's worth taking pains to get reception — at the least I'd fell a bunch of trees, and if that failed, I'd move to a suitable location. Huh?
  5. J.R.
    I am. The government has no business telling MLB who they can and can't deal with. Of course, the lure of pure, virgin HD could lead me to compromise my principles.
  6. J.R.
    Suit yourself. Never mind that there's going to be some damn good baseball played over the next few centuries or so. I'm sure there were some stragglers who boycotted the Cubs' 2003 season because of ill will borne of the strike. Those are some sad, pathetic people.
  7. J.R.
    This is the crux of my stance. DirecTV's MLBEI will be much better than what's available now.
  8. J.R.
    I'm sure the Saturday blackout deal is in FOX's contract, so it's not likely to end. Same with Sunday night and ESPN, when there is more than one game. When does the FOX contract expire? According to Wiki, 2013. The contract was just renegotiated, so it's possible that they took possible MLBEI changes into consideration.
  9. J.R.
    Yeah, the Braves on TBS thing is pretty much over.
  10. J.R.
    Yes, making an agreement with DirecTV is definitely on par with canceling a World Series. The strike was 13 years ago. Let it go, man.
  11. J.R.
    The "bilk" comes in when the company loses the customer with a deficit. I'm not suggesting wrongdoing. WOR. I probably should have said "mitigate churn" rather than "stop churn." The point is to draw enough customers like you — who will pay for stuff like MLBEI, and won't bolt — so that the impact of inevitable customer turnover is lessened. Sounds like you're splitting hairs.
  12. J.R.
    Agreed, although i think the decrease in WGN Games has a lot more to do with WGN going to a "network" affiliation and choosing not to broadcast all the Cubs games...someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think that's a MLB call. The days of kids across the country becoming Cubs fans because it was the only thing on in the afternoons are long gone. The only way this would bite them is if they lost current fans (doubtful), or lost enough potential fans to offset the financial gain. I don't think that will happen. Unless their father's are already Cubs fans, kids in other states aren't hanging out watching the Cubs on summer afternoons and falling in love. i wonder if the braves have a big nationwide following given their superstation and recent success? they didnt have a harry caray to listen too, though. I know some people around here (Kentucky) that are Braves fans because they saw games on TBS. It's a big national following, albeit not as celebrated as the Cubs'.
  13. J.R.
    No. They bilk the company out of four receivers and a dish, pay two years' worth of lowest-tier programming and then bail. Until someone pulls the string on such a suit, it's meaningless. If they won't take action over the NFL, they won't take action over anything, and such action would mean the end of cable exclusives as well. Good to know.
  14. J.R.
    Eh, no. You'll find bottom feeders among the rosters of all the providers. Most stay through the commitment, but the two-year term often times isn't enough time to recoup the investment in subsidies and such, especially with the type of customer we're discussing here, who often buys the cheapest packages. What you as as "anti-competitive," I see as just plain business. Cable companies frequently use similar tactics — even the holy Cox Communications, which withholds the Padres RSN from the dish nets.
  15. J.R.
    They offered them a week ahead as part of seven-game packages, similar to the way the Sox used to sell Cubs tickets. I waited that out and still wound up with six at the general onsale.
  16. J.R.
    Isn't that Muskat's job?
  17. J.R.
    DirecTV is bidding for the exclusive rights primarily as a means of reducing churn, or the constant merry-go-round of providers that many consumers go through. Contrary to the attitude of many here, many, many folks will switch from cable to dish and back over and over, based on who's offering the best deals. The payoff to MLB isn't all that impressive when you consider the cash spent for similar reasons on equipment subsidies, freebie months, mover's connection and the like. A customer who is happy with the service is far more profitable than one who has to be bribed constantly. Sales to sports bars, while lucrative, aren't the motivating force.
  18. J.R.
    Looks like the Cubs decided the flirtation with going navy all the way is over.
  19. J.R.
    I WILL go to this next year.
  20. J.R.
    Wow...that should rank us as one of the highest increases in ticket prices. AFAIK, it's +$5 on the premium seating, +$2 on everything else.
  21. J.R.
    No. The "average" fan is not ponying up for EI. This is, no pun intended, a "superfan" product, aimed squarely at folks just ravenous enough to switch providers for the sole purpose of getting the games. As I've said, the package will be greatly enhanced in short order. MLBEI is going to be a major cog in DirecTV's churn-reducing efforts, and as such, must provide a significantly better service than that offered online via MLB.tv. This package hasn't been bettered in its ten years of existance. That's a sham that will at last be put to bed. No one is getting screwed. You act as if DirecTV is some kind of elitist option, unavailable to 90% of the country or some such nonsense.
  22. J.R.
    Aside from an occasional HD game, MLBEI is the exact same package as was offered in 1997. Same ridiculous blackouts, same awful picture quality on the backwoods (and some metro) RSNs. If it's not mediocre, it's certainly moldy. Sunday Ticket has improved immensely in the same timeframe. With a vested-and-controlling interest in the product, DirecTV will lavish some much-needed attention on the baseball side.
  23. J.R.
    More HD games, the MLB Channel, a chance at ending the Saturday blackouts. What's not to like? A better product exclusive to DTV > a mediocre product available to the masses.
  24. J.R.
    I like to say that there are no hard tickets, only expensive ones.
  25. J.R.
    Fantastic.
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