In regards to blackouts, the Direct TV folks told me something to the point that I'm blacked out of market games. In my case, I'm in the region that has Fox Sports Net Ohio. Because of that, I'm blacked out of any Cubs/Reds games on MLB EI that FSN Ohio shows. It's complicated, but that's how it worked last year. Last year was my first year of MLB EI and I absolutely loved it. I'm with Vance in that I enjoy being able to watch lots of games in addition to the Cubs. Being in the central time zone, I enjoy being able to stay up and watch the games on the west coast. If you love baseball and have the money to spend, it is well worth it.