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Otto von Ballpark

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Everything posted by Otto von Ballpark

  1. Otto von Ballpark
    It's not a matter of OTA space. Have you seen what's on most digital subchannels? It's not a place where networks want to place any content of value (either MLB baseball or the primetime programming it would displace). I love OTA TV, but baseball (and basketball, and hockey -- basically everything but the NFL) are cable sports, and have been for a very long time. Most anyone with any interest in the Twins or baseball already knows that, so they're already prepared. The biggest bandwagon jumpers probably won't get on until the World Series anyway, which will still be OTA. (Some ALCS games might be OTA too.) Edit to add: also, internet doesn't have to be too "high speed". I've got a pretty limited connection, but I've been able to stream MLB.TV and other services just fine (albeit not usually at max quality).
  2. Otto von Ballpark
    There might be something to that. MLB Network games aren't blacked out during the season either, unless it's your local team and they have their own broadcast. Not sure how that's supposed to apply to the postseason, though. Something for folks to try out Friday, I guess!
  3. Otto von Ballpark
    Robbie Grossman gets the start tonight in LF for the A's! https://www.mlb.com/athletics/roster/starting-lineups He was 0-for-4 with 3 K's in the 2017 wild card game for the Twins...
  4. Otto von Ballpark
    Maybe that's why they re-branded.
  5. Otto von Ballpark
    Yes, any full season MLB.TV subscription should continue to work into the postseason -- except blackouts still apply. And all postseason games should be blacked out in the US, so you'd be left listening to the radio stream only or watching them after they're over. I've never tried it, but you can apparently authenticate with a pay TV provider through MLB.TV to watch postseason games too: https://www.mlb.com/live-stream-games/subscribe/postseason Not sure how your phone managed to play it, but more power to you if that's the case!
  6. Otto von Ballpark
    Yes, I am sure you can get it on traditional DirecTV, but I was referring to "DirecTV Now", the streaming service. But even that reference was outdated, as it is now apparently "AT&T TV Now" -- but it's also hella expensive. $93 base package, and $110 for the package with MLB Network -- yuck!
  7. Otto von Ballpark
    MLB just renewed with Fox Sports (their biggest contract) last fall, though 2028. Teams are renewing local contracts all the time. They're not shelling out Super Bowl money for it right now, because it's not the Super Bowl. I'd guess that raw viewership counts are getting harder to estimate, and becoming less meaningful as there are other levels of engagement too. If ballpark and merchandising revenue is holding steady, and online activity is increasing, is it really likely that millions are just dropping interest in the sport because a system isn't capturing them as live viewers of the event? I'm sure they're already seeing a shift from traditional commercial revenue ($1 mil for a 30 second spot repeated X times) to stadium brand placement and other less direct forms. In terms of owners vs players, MLB, just like most entertainment industries, probably gained a ton of revenue the past few decades -- cable TV, new stadiums, etc. And the owners and players had plenty to split. And it's probably leveling off a bit now, as to be expected -- it's not sustainable to expect a new MLB stadium to open every year -- and both sides are maybe getting a bit more protective of their shares and their meager gains. So I wouldn't be surprised to see some labor friction, but I don't think it's because of any precipitous, avoidable media collapse.
  8. Otto von Ballpark
    National TV ratings are down for MLB, but down for a lot of other things too. It's a completely different media consumption landscape, and changing more every year. MLB is still getting good prices from networks, so I suspect their product is still selling just fine, even if it doesn't show up in the Nielsen ratings anymore.
  9. Otto von Ballpark
    You don't need a TV to get YouTube TV at all. You can also watch it in a browser on a computer, phone, or tablet.
  10. Otto von Ballpark
    For most regions, there is nothing particularly idiotic about the blackout policy. Networks purchase exclusive rights to broadcast games in those regions. For national broadcasts (like postseason games), the region is the entire US. And these networks pay a lot more than what MLB.TV subscribers could ever hope to pay. It's only idiotic in a few spots, like Iowa where I think 6 teams claim overlapping territories. Although it's getting better -- YouTube TV, for example, will deliver multiple networks to subscribers in Iowa (FSN, Fox Sports Midwest, NBC Sports Chicago).
  11. Otto von Ballpark
    To clarify, for anyone wondering: YouTube TV and Vue both have MLB Network, and both offer free trials. No free trial for Sling anymore (and they're missing Fox/FS1 at the moment, so I wouldn't recommend them for the postseason right now!). And MLB Network isn't currently carried on Hulu, DirecTV Now, or AT&T Watch TV.
  12. Otto von Ballpark
    It's not clear to me that MLB is making unreasonable demands upon providers. Sling has MLB Network in a $10 "sports extra" addon, and Comcast does too. Is it MLB's fault if Hulu declines to offer something like that, as well as refuses to put them in their regular programming tier? At what point does the burden shift to Hulu, or to the consumer to differentiate between providers? As an aside, why did you choose Hulu?
  13. Otto von Ballpark
    Remember when Liam Hendriks was the surprise "opener" for the A's in last year's wild card game? Now he's the A's closer, so he can relax for the first few innings.
  14. Otto von Ballpark
    Tonight (Wednesday Oct. 2), AL Wild Card Game Tampa Bay Rays at Oakland Athletics Time: 7:09 CST TV: ESPN (and MLB.TV for international viewers) Radio: ESPN or MLB At Bat
  15. Otto von Ballpark
    In fairness to Grisham, once that hit dropped, the game was tied for sure and likely already lost for the Brewers, regardless of his error. Would have been runners on 1st and 3rd, I think, with Kendrick due up, Hader cooked, and no one of note remaining in the Brewers pen. (While the Nationals still had Hudson and of course Corbin if they game went to extras.)
  16. Otto von Ballpark
    Scherzer had been pretty mediocre since his back issues cropped up midseason: 8 GS, 43 IP, 4.81 ERA, 3.75 FIP. Hasn't completed 7 innings since July 6. Meanwhile, Strasburg has been great down the stretch -- 1.76 ERA, 2.90 FIP, 51 IP in his last 8 starts. Plus Strasburg was fully rested, and they had him on the WC roster and were apparently planning to use him first out of the pen anyway. (And Strasburg was pretty incredible in 2017, his previous/primary postseason work - 2 GS, 14 IP, 0 R, 0.643 WHIP, 22 Ks -- while Scherzer's been more of a mixed bag in his -- albeit more extensive -- postseason career.) Not that starting Scherzer is really wrong, but I can definitely see a non-hindsight argument for starting Strasburg and giving Scherzer some extra rest instead.
  17. Otto von Ballpark
    Is there a sports league that doesn't spread it games over a few channels? Especially with as many games are required in baseball, as compared to football. I don't think it's realistic to expect MLB to have their games on only one channel, or make sure every single provider carries every network. If Hulu doesn't want to pay X cents per subscriber for MLB Network, what can they do? To their credit, MLB has arranged a free preview of MLB Network to coincide with these exclusive broadcasts. Unfortunately, it only reaches DirecTV/Dish/Sling customers, and apparently some Comcast customers, but it's not like they're hiding the games -- they're just trying to balance distribution with promoting MLB Network.
  18. Otto von Ballpark
    I have not heard of YouTube TV "breaking down during sports" at all. But at least the free trial should be a good way to assess that. Even if you pay for the month, $50 for the whole MLB playoffs, with DVR (timeshift the games! skip commercials! essential for the playoffs IMO), with no contract, seems like a pretty fair deal. That's 46-63 games total.
  19. Otto von Ballpark
    You missed ESPN too, although that's just for the AL Wild Card game tonight. The only contract dispute affecting these networks is the Fox dispute with Dish/Sling. And that's not just a MLB problem -- it's also affecting every other pro and college sports league too. But if you're not a Dish/Sling customer, you're not affected at all. (And if you're a Twins fan who is a Dish/Sling customer, you've had ample warning since they dropped FSN a while ago. And if you're a Sling customer, since there is no contract, it's trivial to drop Sling and sign up for YouTube TV instead.)
  20. Otto von Ballpark
    People in Minneapolis can quite easily watch the game on MLB Network: 1. YouTube TV (free trial) 2. Vue (free trial) 3. Sling free preview, if you are already a customer 4. DirecTV free preview, if you are already a customer 5. Dish Network free preview, if you are already a customer 6. Comcast with a $10 addon package if necessary
  21. Otto von Ballpark
    Cron had a 101 wRC+ this year. The other guys at that level had pretty disappointing seasons (Smoak and Votto). League 1B posted a 108. He was at 111 wRC+ entering September, but given how cautious the Twins were about health, I'd hesitate to assume they were sending Cron out there with serious issues. And it's not like Cron was the only guy to play through an injury in 2019 -- maybe the league average 1B at 100% health would have been 118 wRC+. Cron could still be useful, but keep in mind, he had zero trade value last winter, coming off a 123 wRC+, healthy, with a $4.8 mil salary attached. No way I'd pay him $5 mil for 2020 at this point, off a 101 with injury concerns, unless he has a monster postseason or something. He's a non-tender, and you probably try to get him back significantly cheaper (maybe with a very low guarantee plus incentives, if you are concerned about his health).
  22. Otto von Ballpark
    Have any pitchers gotten a rehab deal like this right after shoulder surgery? Honest question. Most of them are Tommy John surgery cases (i.e. Pineda). I think Dyson's recovery might be too unpredictable to bother with any kind of guaranteed contract for 2021 at this point. I guess if we didn't sign him until spring training, we could put him right on the 60-day DL, but I don't think it would hurt to wait until after 2020 to see where he is either. I don't think he's a critical piece for us, nor do I think there'd be any kind of great bidding war for his 2021 services if we wait.
  23. Otto von Ballpark
    Tonight (Tuesday Oct. 1), NL Wild Card Game Milwaukee Brewers at Washington Nationals Time: 7:08 CST TV: TBS (and MLB.TV for international viewers?) Radio: ESPN or MLB At Bat Nationals roster -- only 5 relievers, but 3 starting pitchers in addition to Scherzer: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2019/10/nationals-wild-card-roster-features-only-5-relievers.html Brewers roster: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2019/10/brewers-wild-card-roster-includes-lorenzo-cain.html
  24. Otto von Ballpark
    Here's thread for general (non-Twins) 2019 MLB postseason discussion!
  25. Otto von Ballpark
    Romo has made $3 mil or less, on one year deals, each of the last 3 seasons. There isn't much of a financial argument to not bring him back. Actually, that modest salary should make him more attractive as cheap insurance, in case one of the younger pitchers gets hurt, isn't ready, is trade bait, or is needed in the rotation instead.
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