2009 MLB Regular Season Thread
 

I know it's not the regular season yet, but I'm listening to the Royals opening spring training game on MLB.com so close enough.

(And, for the curious- Rangers up 6-1 in the 2nd. Error by Teahen, playing 2B today, in the 1st opens the door for 6 Rangers runs off of Horacio Ramirez, who hopefully will not get a spot in the Royals starting rotation. Blalock got a homer in that mess and Butler got the Royals on the board with a monster shot of his own)

SI

Oof. Now it's 9-1. 2 more homers for the Rangers

SI

Did you pay for an account or is there some sort of promotion?

Mets up 9-3 on the orieols (sp). $ RBI from Castillo and 3 from Church. I hope they good at least average production from them this year. A healthy Church last year and the Mets probably make the post season.

I paid for the account, but it's only $15 for the entire year for MLB audio- home and road feeds for all teams, no blackouts. Since I won't be able to hear or see the Royals any other way, I figured it was a nice bargain. The tv packages are $80 and $110 and that was a little too much for my taste.

SI

$15 no blackouts? I might have to grab that.

I had the internet package for years and really enjoyed it. Last year I got the TV package since Mets games start at 4:00 here I can be done watching in time to watch TV shows with my wife. I think the TV package is about $160 for the season, but IMO is well worth it.

Yeah- you can't beat the no blackouts plus the home and away feeds so you can listen to different teams if you want to see how their guys do. MLB.tv has blackouts (in Richmond the Orioles and Nats are blacked out, for instance) so that was kindof a consideration for me, but cost was much more so.

SI

Both TV packages also include the MLB audio package.

They dropped it $10 this season: $120 for premium and $80 for regular, I think. But I opted to just go the lesser route. If there were more day games, I'd probably go with tv but as that's not the case.


I know, but in the end, I still didn't want to pay the extra $70.

SI

By TV I meant through Comcast, not the internet TV package. I wasn't clear on that.

I'll have to check if there's a trial -- I would only use it at work, and it is likely blocked here. At home I can just turn on the radio to listen to the Nats. :)

Seriously. I used to have that, but they blacked out the Dodger games when I was in California, so I ended up just dropping it. I already intended to snag it this year since I'm not in CA anymore, but it'll be nice to be able to get the Brewers' feed on Dodger off days.

My radio doesn't get great reception in this apartment.

Brewers games are some of the best radio broadcasts.

I'm tempted to get this for the White Sox games.

I subscribed this year and am really enjoying it after a few years of not having it. $109 for the entire year is a pretty good deal IMO. I'm a huge baseball fan, so having condensed games is a big plus for me.

There are very few non-Nationals games I would want to see, and mlb.tv would black those out for me, so it's certainly not worth it. However, I don't have cable, so I only get about 20 games per year.

Nice to hear, but that still makes them second best, at best.

For three innings, anyway.

Yeah, for those of you who are really only interested in watching your home market games, this probably isn't for you. The Phillies always come first for me, but I'm enough of a baseball fan that if I can watch 20-30 games late in the day at work a year, I'll be happy.

Major league baseball really needs to embrace the internet and get rid of the local blackout rule.

Watching 20-30 baseball games a day at work? I want your job! :)

Ha! Yeah, my job really isn't that great. When I say "watching" I really mean having the game on and catching glimpses here and there to keep up with the overall flow of the game.

In fact, I'll probably end up using the audio feature a lot more than the video, as it's easier to listen and work, than watch and work.

Same here. I last subscribed in 05 or 06. I went for the $80 option because the 800k picture was good enough for me and I found the video a little choppy with the higher speed connections. I also don't care about the multigame options as most games are too late for me.

Most of the games I watch live are afternoon games, and I also watch the condensed games regularly.

ESPN is Reporting ARod has to have hip surgery and looks to be out 10 weeks.

I signed up last weeek for the MLB audio since I couldn't resist the price ($15/yr), but I don't think it is even worth that price. The audio is absolutely *atrocious* (extremly low bit rate) and it is blocked if you're behind a proxy or firewall, so of course that means I can't listen while at work, which is where I spend 80% of my waking hours. It's not that my work network is specifically blocking things (I can still see video from most other sources, youtube, cnn, etc) - I just think that the feed can't work *anytime* a proxy exists.

Game on!

SI

Brian McCann gets his season off to a nice start by going upper deck, 2-0 Braves.

Postive vibes for my fantasy team.

I am enjoying this so far

myers up to his old tricks

This is making me want to fire up OOTP 6.5 again.

Welcome to the regular season. :) I'm only bummed that the BoSox opener is tomorrow at 2, when I'm sort of obliged to be at the ground station. :(

/tk

DVR it, the first week of MLB extra innings is usually free

I'm in NJ til the 13th, by the time I got home to it, I'd have long known the result and my DVR's already pretty full from the last week of not being there.

I am going to try to listen to the audio while there, I subscribe to the MLB.com audio package.

/tk

NJ, thats right.

Did you ever find the liquor store?

I did! It was actually a lot bigger than it looked from the outside. Got some yummy beer that's all gone now. ;) Turns out, it WAS right next to the grocery store, I'm disappointed that I hadn't noticed it on my own.

/tk

I ended up snagging the GameDay Audio package. What sold me was MLB.com allowing you to opt out of automatic renewal and making it easier to cancel said automatic renewal if you wind up with it and later decide you don't want it.

Really liking how the Braves are looking this game. They're really getting a good hold of Myers pitches.

Schafer with a HR in his first at bat.

2-2, HR, and an intentional walk for Schafer. Nice debut so far.

Nice try by Lowe with that bunt attempt.

yeah. stupid 2pm openers - wtf??

i'll have to just have the radio going at work and dvr it

It very well could be rained out too.

very true. but then it'll just be tuesday at 2pm or whatever so it'd still apply

Yeah, nice to see the defending world champs open up the regular season, right? :)

39 degrees at Busch tomorrow... no thank you. :)

in this manner, absolutly

Why is Atlanta wearing those uniforms? I thought spring training was over for them.

Getting a little nervous now.

Hey, no prob. Bash on the Phils after the Mets win a world title this century, k thanx. :D

'Course we have to temper it somewhat. That was Brett Myers on the mound for the Phils.

yawn.

it's a new season troll

Tigers 6-9 hitters tomorrow might be the worst ever assembled .. But thankfully all of them play amazing defense.

6. Gerald Laird - C
7. Brandon Inge - 3B
8. Adam Everett - SS
9. Josh Anderson - LF

Dola, the Tigs team D might be the best in the MLB, with only Magglio Ordonez in RF as a liability, but they need lightning in a bottle from 2 starters, plus Verlander to bounce back and Galarraga, who was the luckiest pitcher in the bigs last year, to bounce back.

Btw, if anyone noticed, Baseball-reference.com has undergone a redesign:

Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Baseball Statistics and History

With FAR more stats. Just look at the advanced stats, the fielding stats (including advanced) and sortable stats. Also more career breakdowns (like the stats with one team compared to another or one league compared to another) I'm drooling!

edit: Some of the stuff on the detailed batting stats is ridiculous, like baserunning stats like extra base taken percentage, and ratio stats like extra base hits percentage. Wow!

Im probably going to go ahead and get the Gameday Audio package for my phone. I mean, 14.99 is crazy cheap. For 6 months of XM, which i'd primarily use for baseball, I'd spend about 100 dollars.

You start the opposing team bashing, and I'm the troll?

Sucks that the Royals-White Sox game has already been cancelled. I was looking forward to getting it started. I guess they didn't think they could play in 2-4 inches of snow. They'll play it tomorrow on the built-in off-day instead.

Wonder if Obama will come in to throw the opening pitch on Tuesday instead?

Random note from the Braves beat writer's blog yesterday ...
Casey Kotchman tonight will become the 10th different Braves opening-day first baseman in 11 seasons. The list: Ryan Klesko in ‘99, Andres Galarraga in 2000, Rico Brogna in ‘01, B.J. Surhoff in ‘02, Robert Fick in ‘03, Julio Franco in ‘04, Adam LaRoche in ‘05 & ‘06, Scott Thorman in ‘07, and Mark Teixeira in ‘08….

Bobby Cox is the anti-Dusty Baker. Lowe with 97 pitches and throwing a 2 hitter into the 9th with a 4-0 lead and Bobby brings in the closer. Dusty would have kept him out there for at least another 30 pitches.

It's an annual ritual here in Kansas City. Joe Poz pens yet another 'The Royals will win' article before the season opener.

Joe Posnanski | This could be the year of the Royals — honestly - Kansas City Star

This link's for SI. Nice run-down of all the changes at the 'new' Kauffman Stadium.

The improved Kauffman Stadium - Kansas City Star

I'm also extremely happy that the Royals organization has kept the 'Military Mondays' going. It's a great deal where anyone can present a military ID for any Monday home game and receive 4 free upper deck tickets. I wish this was done in all MLB ballparks.

Red Sox opener postponed as well.

I once backed into "opening day tickets" in this manner.

A. I didn't bash, I poked a little fun

B. I did it in the MLB thread. I didn't come trolling in a thread designed for fans of another team.

You would think MLB would have a way to open games in warm weather cities.

Then again it may not be fair for certain teams to always open on the road.

I could be wrong, but I think they've done that in the past, hence the reason that the Red Sox haven't opened at home in 7 years. This was the first season opener since 2002 in Boston.

The Phils start out slow...plus they like to make it interesting. They just want to see how many games they can spot the Mets and still win the division late in the season :p



Lathum takes plenty of crap from Phillies fans here and he takes it well. Let him get his jabs in while he can ;)

this is the kind of banter I enjoy.

Well played sir, well played.

#1. Hey, I held my word and haven't posted in that thread since the win.

#2. I add a smiley at the end of every post, just so that you know it's in jest.

#3. No matter what I say or how I say it, you'll get your pussy in a twist whenever I post about the Phillies or the Mets. :D

when you come trolling in a thread designed for Mets fans you're correct.

The way you acted last season makes you a troll in my mind. It was pathetic how you enjoyed the Mets losing more then the Phillies winning and felt the need to come crap all over the Mets thread and show what a horrible winner you are. Your a typical d-bag Philly fan, plain and simple.

I'm done with you now, I prefer to talk about baseball.

No, I greatly enjoyed the Phillies winning, and I'll enjoy this season too. If you're too sensitive to read take everything I post too personally, that's your problem.

Agreed, less talk about your vagina twisting and more about this baseball season.

..if only I followed a team good enough that people took jabs at me in unrelated threads. ;)

Thank you, kindly. Glad to know about the new stadium and even more fun to read Poz's annual "why the royals will win it" :D

SI

It took a bit of fighting, but Reds-Mets starting on MLB Audio to really start off Opening Day :)

SI

Infield single and sb by Reyes makes things interesting, but Harang strikes out Wright and escapes the 1st

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What else is new.

I'm listening to gameday audio through the iphone app ($9.99) and it's fantastic so far.

The new ESPN HD BottomLine is SHARP. Not sure when it began as I tend to avoid ESPN like the plague, but wow.

Wow. For one of the top players in the last 50 years, I am shocked Reyes could not manage to steal every base. What a bust.

Also, I am glad the Final Four is in Detroit as the Tigs usually open up at home but were forced to Toronto. Would've been snowed out today otherwise.

Santana needs to shelf his slider for the rest of this inning. I know it's not his best pitch at all, but he is all over the place with it early.

GO O's! If we win today we'll be in first place!

You weird states with you weird rules. Grocery stores should have all the liquor one needs. Glad I live in CA.

That was the worst part of living in Maryland. What kind of state makes you buy eggs and vodka in two different places? Thankfully, I'm back in Missouri now and don't have that issue.

yeah. booo. hiss

I'm stuck listening to the Reds audio feed. Marty has loved calling Daniel Murphy "Dennis".

edit: And he called him Dennis again even after hitting a HR. Good job Dennis!

Be glad you dont live in Pennsylvania.

Steve Phillips should not be allowed to talk about baseball. Ever.

It sure doesn't feel like opening day with all the night games.

The Super Wal-Mart here has a liquor store attached to the side of the main building, but they still also sell beer and some of those malt beverages inside the main store. I wonder if what the local alcohol ordinances are aimed at is the really hard stuff - sell those in a separate liquor store, which closes at 9 when alcohol sales at stores are supposed to be cut off.

Cliff Lee picks up right where spring training left off - almost same ERA, good BB/K ratio...and pounded to hell.

HAHA Barry Larkin on MLB Tonight 1st and 3rd, I'm going to love the MLB Network!

I'm thinking about getting this for the BB Bold ($14.99), but (a) it says audio is available AFTER opening day (which sucks for, like, RIGHT NOW), and (b) with the way this thing drains batteries, I bet I'd have to plug it in to listen to more than 3 innings. So I'm not sure it's really worth getting, as most games after this week will be at night and I'll be home to watch them or in the car to listen to them. And when I'm away from TV/car, my phone will be useless if I actually use this too much.

Odd. Opening day is working on the iPhone.

I'll see how the batter does -- at work it won't be a problem -- and at home one of my big uses will be to plug it straight into my receiver, which I could plugin if I need to. I'm not far from a plug that often where I would be in a position to listen to the game. I'm actualy interested in having it for when I'm at the games so I can see better stats than the scoreboard has.

Bottom line is that the Mets couldn't have started the season any worse. Couldn't have finished it any worse and the Phillies didn't blow one game all year and they still just beat out the Mets.

Too bad that seems to hapen every year for the Mets.

Yeah let it go man.

In other news, hopefully this is a sign of things to come. Santana goes 5.2, 1 run, 3 hits. Sean Green finishes the inning and pitches a hitless 7th. Putz doesn't allow a hit in the 8th, same for K-Rod in the 9th.

Does K-Rod celebrate like he just won the World Series?

I don't care for it myself, but I thought he just pointed to his lord and savior twice. Pretty tame for him

Whereas I was thinking last night how refreshing an addition he was to Sunday Night Baseball, an analyst that I could actually stand to listen to as opposed to the blithering idiot that sits next to Jon Miller regularly.

They would need to add the great Orel Hershisher for that to happen in my book. He's the best analyst I've ever heard.

I signed up for it with my Storm. I think you're right about the eating the batteries thing. I'll be using it in my car primarily, when it's plugged into the charger. I just don't get much range with the Pirates radio carrier, and no chance of getting the Phils. Make sure you go to the site to purchase with your BB in the BB internet browser. I know it took me a minute to figure this out(i was using IE at the time).

I've never lived in a state where you could get liquor in a grocery store or convenience store.

In Maryland, it seemed to vary by county. In Howard & Prince Georges Counties, I had to go to a liquor store for beer, wine, and liquor. In PG, I couldn't buy liquor on Sundays. In Frederick County you can get beer and wine I think in grocery stores and even gas stations. In Frederick and Montgomery Counties it seems that you have to go to a special store for liquor.

In Loudoun County, Virginia you can get all kinds of beer and wine in grocery stores but liquor must come from state stores (ABC stores).

All in all, this area of NJ isn't much different from Howard County for me. :)

Back to the real topic of this thread, though, was sort of glad to see the Red Sox get postponed, at least I have a greater chance of catching some of the game tomorrow. Watching Yankees at Orioles right now. Even though I think of Boston as "my team," I cheer for the O's as long as they're not playing Boston. I love their ballpark and really think it's too bad what Angelos does to that team. He's been better lately, but still...

/tk