macuser2

Sarcasm? Who, me? Never. Funniest thread I have read in a long time. Oh yeah, I forgot. Funniest thread I have read in a long time, irregardless. :D

I switched to Direct TV because the local cable system has deteriorated seriously. First it was local, then part of Time Warner, and now part of Comcast. There have been numerous television and newspaper articles about how bad the service has become. Last season, EI would go out on me during games, thanks to Time Warner. I wasn't willing to chance it this year. I picked Direct TV over Dish simply because this deal was brewing. I feel for those of you who may have to do without EI. It isn't just because of the Cubs; that package makes baseball more enjoyable, period. I also think Selig's comments about this are out of place. If I couldn't get EI, I might get the MLB.TV thing, since I have good internet access (from the phone company by the way). Or, I could do without somehow like I did until three years ago. Somehow I managed. Some have commented about how short sighted MLB has become. I agree. There's lots of competition for sports viewing and dollars, especially among younger people. Last weekend I watched a pay per view thing from the UFC. One of the comments made was that "this (MMA) was a lot more exciting than baseball". I think baseball had better be very careful.

If somebody has already posted about this then lock it. But I looked and couldn't find any other references. Anyway Michael Barrett has an official website here. You can find Desipio's critique of it here.

There's more of us than I thought. :P

Oh @#$%! What a way to end the day. My issue of SI came in the mail just now. To think I wasn't going to drink because it's Ash Wednesday. Now where did I put that bottle....... :P

I always thought that was more of a liquid thing and it depended on how well the teams were doing? Who wants to listen to Joe Morgan anyway? :lol:

In my case, it was my grandfather who was my inspiration. I would go to visit him in Milwaukee, and he would take me to see the a team called the Braves play at a park called County Stadium. Those were the days. I guess I should have relaized that that baseball began to change when the Braves left Milwaukee, and baseball began to evolve more into a business. So what's a fan to do now? Well I suppose that the streaming broadcasts from mlb.com are one way. But there are a lot of people such as myself who became Cubs fans by watching the games on WGN on basic cable. The same is true for WTBS and the Braves. But everything is different now, and I am not too sure I like how it is going.

Except of course that mlb.com doesn't really like Safari, and the media player doesn't work well even if using Firefox. At least that was my experience last year. I hope they improve the service. It needs it.

My initial install date was pushed back by one day. On the original day, there was a "winter mix". The installer showed up when scheduled, and finshed in about an hoir and a half. This was an install of the high def DVR box. The installer mentioned that those boxes had been hard to get; according to an article in the Wall Street Journal, the shortage is especially acute in certain regions. So there is a regional thing here. But I have had horrible problems with local Cablesvision, which became Time warner that was also horrible. That became Comcast which is ghastly. So if Direct TV turns out to be horrible as well, I will just cancel it all, start reading more, and be relying on streaming broadcasts/satellite radio for baseball.

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'. Except that WTBS is doing the same thing as WGN. More Braves games will be shown on either Comcast South or Turner South. So the trend is clear.

Here's the thing for me: being able to travel to Wrigley to see a game live is next to impossible for me. So a tv package of some kind is the only way I can enjoy the games. But I have my limits. The price for Extra Innings hasn't been announced. If Direct TV increases it too much, I'll go back to the streaming videos. Simple as that. It works well enough for me to be able to follow certain teams, especially the Cubs.

Welcome to the family! The local cable system had changed hands twice suring the years I was a subcriber. Each time, first with Time Warner, and then with Comcast, the quality of service deteriorated and the effective cost of the same channel coverage went up. Time Warner and Comcast both seemed to be oblivious to the need to do major line replacement in older neighborhoods such as mine. The signal dropouts were so bad, I gave up on cable internet access. So there was more than watching baseball involved here. But to answer the concerns Cheesehead has, I have found that basic DSL service (1.5 down and 300 up) was sufficient for streaming video. I got a free upgrade to faster service, and the reception was a litle better. But if you can get 1.5 down it should work. Also, I have been able to connect a computer to my LCD TV. Watching the streaming video on a larger scrren is nicer. The only limitation with that is the speed of a home computer network if it's wireless. You would need what is called 11g for it to work well. 11b just won't cut it, and is subject to interference.

It's turns out that I can get Direct TV afterall. Some recent tree removals, plus a mast installation make it possible. The installer comes today. A little problem with ice came yesterday delayed things. There was more than just the baseball thing involved with my choice, and it's too early to rant. Anyway, the sales person didn't know anything about a baseball exclusive, but did say the early bird special on EI would be available March 1.

I just happen to appreciate a company that actually has to work to satisfy its customers. The cable companies have devolved into a world of warped business practices thanks to years of government-sponsored monopoly. "Effectively taken away?" What's stopping you from signing up for satellite? Here in Florida we have DirectTV, Dish Network, Bright House (Time Warner) Digitial Cable, and Verizon Digital Cable. With all that competition I don't see how any one of these companies has to work any harder than another to satisfy it's customers, but if it makes you feel better to think you are sticking it the man by not having cable then more power to you. Personally I have Verizon digital cable because I like to actually be able watch TV when it is raining outside, but that's just me. In any case, I don't know how good of a business move it would be for DirectTV to throw a lot of money at getting exclusivity on EI. http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6404687.html Only 280,000 total subscribers and I have to think a pretty large percentage of those are not dedicated enough to actually switch providers to get the package. The information in that link was interesting. I did not realize the subscriber base was so low by comparison. So if they go exclusive it won't affect a large number of people, but where's the big gain for Direct TV? This would probably kill Extra Innings if you ask me. My big gripe with Extra Innings and the MLB streaming service were the blackout rules. Also, sometimes that streaming service didn't work too well. Well we have this local semi pro team. I would probably switch to support them. Screw MLB.

Some of us cannot use a satellite based TV service such as Direct TV. How are we supposed to feel about something like this? It won't be so awesome for us. I guess I would just give up baseball.

Why doesn't this surprise me? :D :wink: It's actually a good book. 8-)

I could go with that one too. I also liked Covering the Bases. Of course those who are disciples of Bill James won't like it.

I like that picture in your sig. 8-)

Might could someone tell me what is wrong with regional slang? Any of y'all might could respond. :wink:

Bored now that skool is out for awhile? :P :wink:

He should come go to the Cubs and wear number 21. :P

This from today's Heckler. :P

I know it is, but being a GM involves taking calls at all hours, negotiating million dollar deals all day long and balancing a bunch of issues at once. It's highly stressful under normal conditions, and even more so when your job is on the line. My dad had the procedure done 20 years ago when it was new. He's about to celebrate his 91 st birthday. I think Hendry will be fine. 8-)

I just lost my appetite for supper. Say there isn't a barf smiley is there? :D

I can confirm that having read that one myself.