MLBtv

I just purchased MLBtv for $79.95. That includes a $20 discount for agreeing to receive Sports Illustrated for 3 months. I'll have to cancel my subscription before the 3 months is up or I'll be charged $39.99 for a year's subscription. As long as I remember to do that, it's a good deal.

The first year I subscribed to MLBtv was 2008, when I lived in Los Angeles and then San Francisco (I think I moved north to SF about 2 months into the season). The package made a lot of sense then- only A's and Giant's games would be subject to blackout, which means I could watch every Sox game that wasn't on ESPN. Having the Giant's and A's games blacked out wasn't a bother because I went and saw them both regularly.

This year, it's a little different.

Since I'm now hanging my 1945 vintage-style Red Sox hat in Maine, and the Red Sox are my "local" team, their games are blacked out on MLBtv. I can still watch them, just not until 30 minutes or so after the game has ended, when the broadcast is uploaded onto the website. If I wanted to get a whole Sox game in, I wouldn't be able to start watching until around 10 when the team is on the east coast. But that's OK with me. I can still listen to them on the radio and there are 29 other teams in the majors to watch.

The teams I plan to watch the most this year are the Rangers and Mariners. The Rangers have several exciting young players and what could be a prodigious offense if they can stay healthy. The Mariners have always been a favorite of mine and they now have a team that could compete. It'll be nice to watch Felix and Cliff Lee pitch and see how many infield hits Ichiro can muster.

If I end up watching 40 games this year, that's 2 bucks a game. Well worth it.

I'm watching my first spring training game right now. I hope Russ Adams can get on base.