Comcast in Sacramento
by jayberwanger on Apr 6, 2008 10:29 PM PDT
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I was looking at the A's schedule a few weeks ago and I saw that they were going to play Cleveland at home. I was noticing that the A"s were not going to be on t.v for all three games.
Last week I saw that Comcast was offering a free week of the baseball package. I was happy, because I thought I was going to be able to watch the A's play. The A's were not on.
I know that I am hated on this board, but could someone please tell me why I wasn't able to see them?
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Because the MLB doesn't want your money...
Sacramento is considered part of the A's market so the archaic blackout rules apply to you.
Pretty much, decades ago someone with a stick up their ass thought that if you were allowed to see a baseball game on TV you would have no reason to go to games anymore (because obviously there is no difference between watching a game on a 30 inch tv and the sights and sounds of actually being in the park). So they decided that if you lived in an area big enough to cover anyone who might happen to drive to any game anywhere, (even if it's a 6 hour drive), you shouldn't be able to pay to watch your team play because it might cost the team money at the ballpark.
The reason nothing has been done about it, is because now instead of greedy MLB owners with sticks up their asses not willing to allow you to pay to watch more of your team's game, you gave greedy cable sports channel owners who are afraid that if you bought an MLB package that let you see ALL of your teams games, you wouldn't watch CSN-BA (or the Sac equivalent) which only airs about 2/3rds of the games.
Strangely--and this is something I will never understand--the AN community seems more willing to start letter writing campaigns to shorten radio delays then to get all their games aired on TV. I currently write a letter a year about it, but I have yet to enact any change myself.
Sometimes life will strike you out on a curve ball and the only choice you have is to flip off the umpire and walk to first base anyway.
Because MLB.TV wants your money
Baseball is not necessarily an obsessive-compulsive disorder, like washing your hands 100 times a day, but it's beginning to seem that way. We're reaching the point where you can be a truly dedicated, state-of-the-art fan or you can have a life. Take your pick. ~Thomas Boswell, Washington Post, 13 April 1990
There is one problem
You see, since he is in the A's blackout zone he's blacked out from MLB.tv too.
What other business actively goes out and refuses to take it's customers money in the magnitude that the MLB does?
Sometimes life will strike you out on a curve ball and the only choice you have is to flip off the umpire and walk to first base anyway.
by Threepwood XX on Apr 6, 2008 10:56 PM PDT up reply actions
yeah
that sucks.
Try finding a friend out of market who has mlb.tv. You can log into their account.
Baseball is not necessarily an obsessive-compulsive disorder, like washing your hands 100 times a day, but it's beginning to seem that way. We're reaching the point where you can be a truly dedicated, state-of-the-art fan or you can have a life. Take your pick. ~Thomas Boswell, Washington Post, 13 April 1990
One last question. What if the A's are on channel 36? As you might know, we don't get that channel in Sacramento. Would I still be able to watch the A's on the baseball package? This scenario would be for home games and away games. Thanks for the help and for not getting sore at me.
To be honest
I live in San Jose, so the MLB refuses to let me pay for Extra Innings or MLB.tv too, so I have no idea how the channel 36 games are handled.
They are produced exactly like a CSN broadcast with the same cast (just different logo) if that helps.
Sometimes life will strike you out on a curve ball and the only choice you have is to flip off the umpire and walk to first base anyway.
by Threepwood XX on Apr 6, 2008 11:04 PM PDT up reply actions
Most of them aren't on ...
occasionally KICU games are shown by a local network (I don't recall off hand which it is -- maybe the UPN affiliate?) but not very many. In general we only get national games and CSN games.
It's better than Warriors games -- the only ones shown here are national games and games against the Kings.
"It's for your own good. Big strong Devo knows whats best for Poppy" -- Mossback
The difference in Baseball and Basketball though, is I can purchase the NBA League Pass
and see all the Warrior games, but I can't for MLB. The Sacramento channel that carries the few A's games they broadcast is UPN 31.
by theblackpearl on Apr 7, 2008 7:45 AM PDT up reply actions
It's channel 12, KMAX.
And we get 17 of the 45 KICU games, the first of which occurs 5/24. They're really trying to plant the seed early.
So it goes.
KICU affliate schedule...read it or move to chico!!!!
http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/oak/schedule/tv_affiliates.jsp
That link has the list of all KICU games and the list of affliates AND the games each affliate will be carrying. Chico's affliate is carrying all TV36's games except for two games.
Scenarios
If the A's are playing the Red Sox in Boston and the game is only on channel 36. If I live in Sacramento, will I be able to see the game with the Comcast Baseball (MLB) package.
My other question has to do with sportsbars. Last week the A's were only on channel 36. We could not see it on the baseball package in Sac? Would a sports bar be able to show this game. I'm not sure about the rules of Sports bars. I know about the NFL blackout rule with the Raiders, but that is the only thing I am sure about. Any info would be great..
I'm thinking about buying the baseball package, but I am trying to find out the pros and cons. Maybe I should just move to Chico.
You will never be able to watch A's games on an "out of market" based package
regardless of whether or not they are actually shown in Sacramento. Period -- no ifs ands or buts ...
Buying an additional package is only potentially worth it if you want to watch a significant number of non-A's games.
"It's for your own good. Big strong Devo knows whats best for Poppy" -- Mossback
Thanks
Thanks for your help. I guess I should move to Chico, Medford, or Hawaii.
by jayberwanger on Apr 9, 2008 10:29 AM PDT up reply actions
Not a problem ...
wish I had better news ... since I'm here in Sac, too.
"It's for your own good. Big strong Devo knows whats best for Poppy" -- Mossback
In Sac you're screwed
The KICU games are typically road games, so broadcast rights belong to the local affiliate. In your case that's KMAX. KMAX broadcasts Kings games and CW network programming, so they choose not to show more games. In many other markets the A's are broadcast on the local MyNetworkTV affiliate. MNTV has far less programming so they can go with the A's more often.
With the MLB cable/satellite package you may be able to get some of these games via the A's opponents' home broadcasts. There is a good chance you'll be blacked out anyway due to KMAX's control over the market.
All 30 owners just submitted new definitions of their broadcast territories for MLB to sort out before their new broadcast package and the Baseball Channel launch next year. I don't expect it to be sorted out anytime soon.
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