I was in the same boat as you and I loved mlb.tv last year. For me it's totally worth the money, as long as you will actually use it.
MLBTV would be 3x as good if they removed all their existing blackout restrictions, but I understand that this is the way it is because MLB makes a disgusting amount of money from the cable companies willing to shell out insane dollar amounts to get broadcasting rights to games. Still tho, $20/mo is good but not great if you're, say, an Orioles fan living in Baltimore (where O's games would be blacked out through MLB.TV) as opposed to an Orioles fan living in San Francisco (where such an issue is not present because you're not in that franchise's direct media market zone). Rangers IF Jurickson Profar undergoes shoulder surgery, he'll miss all of 2015. He missed all of 2014 attempting to rehabilitate the same injury. Rangers exercise the $16,000,000 2016 team option on 3B Adrian Beltre's contract. Cubs 3B Kris Bryant named the top prospect in baseball going into 2015, one spot ahead of Twins OF Byron Buxton, who is currently rehabbing from surgery. Orioles strike a 1yr/$2.4mil deal with IF Everth Cabrera, with plans for Cabrera to man shortstop for Baltimore. BJ Upton decides to have baseball fans call him by his real name. He'll go as Melvin Upton Jr. in 2015, dropping the Bossman Junior nickname. Blue Jays C Dioner Navarro has requested a trade out of Toronto. Navarro was pushed to a backup role with Toronto's signing of C Russell Martin on a 5yr/$82mil deal. Navarro has 1yr/$5mil left on his contract. Red Sox's Triple A franchise moving from Pawtucket to Providence, RI. Speaking of the Red Sox, they're the big winners of the Yoan Moncada sweepstakes. He's already being touted as a top-ten prospect in all of baseball and the #1 prospect in Boston's pipeline. The 19-year-old got $31,500,000; the Red Sox, for exceeding the international bonus pool, must pay a 100% tax, so they will pay an additional $31,500,000 to MLB. Meanwhile, the Yankees are dealing with CC Sabathia showing up to spring training, coming off knee surgery, weighing 305lbs. Oh, and of course, http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2...ng-training/they're already "fuming" at A-Rod. Check your calendars, it's fucking February 24th, and the Yankees are already pissed at Alex Rodriguez. Man, that relationship is the worst franchise-player relationship I've seen in twenty, thirty years. Longtime Phillie Darren Daulton beat cancer. Way to be, D-Dault.
it sounds like those blackout restrictions would take away most of the point for me then. main reason I was considering it was so I could watch tigers games on my playstation. (only have cable in living room, share that tv with room mates, it's not hd, long story). although since I live about halfway between chicago and detroit maaaybe I'd slip through, but I doubt it since I get FSD but not CSN. and lol at BJ/Melvin Upton changing his name. I guess he's run out of ideas for things to change to get his batting average back up.
They were in talks to remove those restrictions but idk whether that came to fruition or not. I'd look it up before making a concrete decision tho.
If you live in your team's market you're fucked. Blackouts are probably going to end soon, but I doubt it will be this year.
if u live in your team's market you should just get basic cable where they will show all of their games. its not much more than what these specific mlb services cost Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum
Josh Hamilton had a relapse again. Mark Ellis retired at age 37. Dodgers sign swing pitcher Chad Gaudin. Carlos Quentin may be playing some 1B in San Diego for the first time in his career, in an effort to stay on the field with that revamped Friars OF. Yes it is, in the majority of the country. For example, where I live, if I was a fan of the local team it'd cost me $60-80/mo for the cable subscription versus $20/mo for MLB.TV on its own. I dunno where you're living, but everywhere I've been you can't get a basic cable package and still get the local games, esp. if the broadcasting rights are owned by a big conglomerate (ESPN, FOX SPORTS, NESN, etc.)
right now im in pennsylvania and with cheap basic cable i get the ROOT channel among others which gives me all the penguins and pirates games. not exactly my preference but just an example
yeah where I live basic cable will get you fox sports detroit, which shows all of the tigers/pistons/red wings games that aren't national broadcasts. idk how much it costs but I'm pretty sure it's not more than $40 a month. I get it for free though. it's actually kind of weird how much the bottom rate tv cable packages get you. I get mlb network and shit too. and like the golf channel and shit. but then channels that are a lot more popular are left out.
Can't believe the news regarding Josh Hamilton... After all he went through to get from that place to where he was, and then goes right back to that place... I don't have the words for it, but I hope the dude can someday stay off the hard drugs and booze. Optimistic for the Twins this year, we got some pitching help with Ervin Santana who will probably be the #2 behind Hughes. Our linup will be significantly improved with just that one addition. We got Torii back, hopefully he still has some left in the tank, and then when he decides to call it a career sounds like he is going to be on the staff somewhere. Pretty excited about baseball this year, can't wait for the regular season to start.
ARods first at bat gets a pretty nice hand from the fans..kinda surprised. Line drive base hit to left. Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum
if the yankees were going to win more than 80 games this year I'd probably be kind of mad about a-rod. honestly he makes the yankees worse, so I don't mind.
Come on mariners!!! adding Nelson Cruz and a few other small peices hopefully will bring them over the hump into the offseason! We were only one game away last year....
Got three drafted fantasy teams so far. One league is weighted heavily towards hitters and especially 1B, and I landed a big chunk of the top 1B to play around the diamond (Buster Posey C/1B, Chris Davis 1B/3B, Jose Abreu 1B, Joey Votto 1B, Anthony Rizzo 1B, Lucas Duda 1B, Freddie Freeman 1B, Carlos Santana C/1B/3B). Another league uses advanced pitching metrics and I managed to land a rotation of Kershaw-Wainwright-Zimmermann-Taijuan Walker-James Paxton/Danny Duffy with a relief crew of Andrew Miller, Sean Doolittle, Wade Davis, and Dellin Betances. Got that Doolittle/Miller/Davis trio in 2 of 3 leagues and the 3rd league places minimal importance on pitching. Gotten a lot of shares of Carlos Martinez of the Cardinals...I think this is his breakout season one way or another here. Got Jorge Soler in 2/3rds of my drafted leagues so far...like his value but apprehensive of his first full season. Same goes for Javier Baez and Yasmani Tomas (got Tomas in 1 league). Been tryna get more shares of Jon Lester...so far, just 1 of 3 teams. Might draft another team tonight depending on how I'm feeling. Been tryna get an NL Only league this year. I've done most formats except NL Only, and I played AL Only last season. Other notes for y'all to use in your drafts and not against me in said drafts: * If I was in a standard 5x5 this coming season, I'd go with one ace starter and let the rest come to me later in the draft. Starting pitching is pretty deep this season and you're bound to find some 10-15-game-winning starters late or after the top 200 picks. For example, in one league, these are the pitchers that were drafted after Pick #200/Round #6: Scott Kazmir, Drew Smyly, Zack Wheeler, Jake Odorizzi, Bartolo Colon, Carlos Martinez, Danny Duffy, Matt Cain, Collin McHugh, Wei-Yin Chen, Jason Hammel, Danny Salazar, Jenrry Mejia, Matt Shoemaker, Yovani Gallardo, Matt Garza, Chris Tillman, RA Dickey, Mike Leake, John Lackey, Ervin Santana, Wily Peralta, Brandon McCarthy, Tanner Roark, Rick Porcello, Taijuan Walker, James Paxton, Jesse Hahn, AJ Burnett, Henderson Alvarez, Alfredo Simon, Dallas Keuchel, Jarred Cosart, Drew Hutchinson, Kyle Hendricks, Jake Peavy, Yusmerio Petit, Josh Collmenter, Jon Niese, Kevin Gausman. Just out of that list, that means you can spend the first five rounds filling out areas of need (1B, 2B, 3B, SS, OF spot or ace starter) and then use the remaining rounds to clarify your rotation. Lot of young value to be had in the late round (Hahn, Hendricks, Pomeranz, Walker, Paxton, Gausman, Alvarez, Odorizzi et al). * Avoid Mike Minor in your upcoming drafts...dude is visiting James Andrews in the coming days and it appears potentially grim. * AL-Only leagues or super deep leagues, keep an eye on Marcus Semien. Former CWS top prospect flipped to Oakland in the offseason Samardzija trade; dude is flourishing thus far in ST with Oakland. * Build your pitching staff around strikeout-heavy arms and guys in good situations (that means pitchers in Oakland, Queens, Seattle, etc., and more NL than AL pitchers)
Which pitching staff, if all pitchers stay healthy, do you guys think will be doing the best in the al and nl?
nats and probably white sox. you guys wanna do a gc fantasy league? I've actually never played fantasy baseball over all these years but I know a lot about stats and shit so I think I'd like it. I mean I've drafted a team before but the league I was in everybody stopped setting their lineups before the all star break lol
We've had one the past 2 years, I think bigdub was the commissioner? I haven't seen him post in a while.
I'm down for another GC league. Just quit my money league after seven years...dudes had a 4-move weekly limit on add-drops (i.e., you can make four adds a week) and for years would not budge on increasing it or removing it, so I dipped. Long as we have the draft latenight I can do it.