but I can only hear it, I can’t see it!! :( is it just my dumb computer again, or is anybody else having trouble?

I’ve got nothing to write about for tomorrow’s front page. If anyone wants to write a quick review of today’s MLB Network programming, or previews of future shows on the channel, etc., feel free.

Man, this is great. I wonder if they’re going to televise live MLB games. I have really enjoyed the NBA TV and NFL Network channels.

Excellent post. I was actually in the midst of writing a post very similar to this. With MLB Channel, NHL Network and Fox Soccer Channel, I honestly have no need for the ESPN family of networks anymore except when they show one of my favorite teams.

NHL On the Fly every night is the best highlights show around because they essentially just let the highlights speak for themselves rather than trying to be cutesy and have catch phrases in the highlights. It’s a sports highlight show done PERFECTLY because they then come back and have the experts given their insight after the highlight is over. I hope MLB Network does something similar.

for deleted deleted. I still cannot stand to even see his name.

I hate that porn ‘stache and all he stands for. Were I Michael Corleone, I would’ve given him a Moe Greene special.

No Fox Soccer Channel and no MLB Network yet :(

“Not authorized” – what’s up with that?

I was watching the station alot the other day. They announced that they will have a special on Rickey Henderson soon, but don’t think I heard when it will air. Does anyone know?

so the launch this the first day i don’t have to go to work – do they never want me to get a new job or something???

I have astound and they dont have it.

As far as style goes, it reminds me of Fox Sunday NFL coverage. (so far)

Entered my zip code and it gave me channel #419 on Comcast…..but the station says “To Be Announced”

It includes the 1956 commercials. Gillette razor blades for a buck.

and it won’t let me go to the channel =/

I think I’m going to love this channel.

mlbnetworktorrents.com

That, or live streaming video from MLB Network itself. Unfortunately, I’m not holding my breath for either.

I just got home from watching with Skigurl, who has DirectTV..and I get a “not authorized” message from Comcast.
I called and can’t reach them on phone..Any ideas?

It was pretty cool to see what baseball broadcasting was like back then. Even showed young Vin Scully during one of the half inning breaks.

Although… Gilette : 1956 : : FrankTV : 2008

didn’t miss replay as much as seeing the pitches from a center field camera (WGN had used it by then but took a few years for the networks to catch on). Scully was very straight till the ninth when he got into the no-hitter thing without ever mentioning that or perfect game, he got a lot better by the time Koufax’s perfect game came along and he was free of all that superstition.
  I really want my razor, double edged blades and pocket Baseball Encyclopedia from Gillette, all for $1! They say it’ll make me look younger!

…it’s cool to see the difference in the feel of the game, the difference in the broadcast, etc.

I’m watching on DirecTV. Ch. 213. Non-HD. They do have an HD version, but I don’t subscribe for HD.

A bit of a slow start, as expected with a brand new network in its first day of official operation for the public, but I liked some of what I saw so far:

• Of course, the (almost) complete broadcast of Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series. They had Larsen and Yogi Berra in studio with Bob Costas and they mixed in some talk about the game along the way, a little more as the game progressed to its later stages. Seeing the game, especially in the more limited, basic way the broadcasts were then (just baseball, no annoying, meaningless extra crap) was nice. Having Mel Allen and Vin Scully doing the first and second half of the game respectively was also something, considering the careers they went on to have. Particularly neat was the way they handled showing that last inning along with the reactions of Larsen and Berra at the end.

• Some hot stove talk, including a bit about Joba Chamberlain and whether or not he should continue to be used as a starter or go back to the bullpen. I think the best role for him would be succeeding Mariano Rivera as the closer, especially now that they have an even better pitching staff than they did before. You have to get the ball to your closer and the Yankees really had that in the past with people like Rivera, Stanton and Nelson to get to Wetteland, then to Rivera himself. Chamberlain’s biggest value to me is as their future closer.

• Talking to Harold Reynolds, Al Leiter and Barry Larkin about their own experiences around no-hitters or perfect games with Reynolds sitting there grinning as if to say “Sorry guys, I got nothing. I used to play for the Mariners, remember?” Actually, he did play when Randy Johnson got a no-no against the Detroit Tigers on 6/2/90 in the Kingdome, but he didn’t bring it up after Larkin talked about how they’re definitely thinking about it because you don’t want to be the one to make a mistake to screw it up.

• Talking to Jimmy Rollins about last season, Cole Hamels, Jamie Moyer, etc. including Hamels calling the Mets “choke artists.” Whether the Mets or their fans like it or not, Hamels is right at this point based on the last couple years.

• Showing a little piece on Roberto Clemente. They can do things like this for tons of players, both past and present. Coming soon is one on Rickey Henderson.

I’m really looking forward to their planned eight hours or so of live coverage a day during the regular season along with them planning to cut away to specific games and/or situations as they warrant. If you don’t have the Extra Innings package, that should be very nice. It’ll probably be good even for those of us that do. If they do their daily highlights anything like the way the NHL Network does it with their “On The Fly” program (which is just the broadcast highlights without any stupid catchphrases and so on) then analyze each game it’ll be great, so much better than SportsCenter just giving a game 15 seconds before moving on. This has the potential to pull people away from ESPN if they devote more time to all aspects of the sport.

It should be good to have the amount of discussion and debate it seems they have planned plus their studio setup looks good for allowing them to demonstrate various things instead of just talking about them. There are lots of little things they can go into detail about, such as Jackie Robinson stealing home so many times (19) in part because he got such great jumps thanks to pitchers having long windups. That’s something that has definitely changed in the game, along with things in those old broadcasts where pitchers don’t step off the mound and they go to the rosin bag right there, and hitters stay in the batter’s box.

I’m also hoping they can dig deep into the history of the sport and show a lot of old games like Larsen’s. It’ll be easy for them to replay things that are more recent, but it’d be great for any fan to be able to see an old, classic game that’s more than just a memorable highlight most of us have seen dozens of times already. They could definitely do more things that involve bringing in older players to talk about the games and so on.

As for the network itself, I’m a little split on one thing related to it: Bud Selig. I’d say he deserves a “thank you” for helping get it up and running, but at the same time he deserves a “what took you so long?” because the NBA, NFL and NHL all had their own networks up and running before MLB.

way up here in sonoma county, not going to receive it on channel 412 comcast till about jan 19. according to comcast when i called last week after seeing ch 412 identifying itself as mlb network.. if you have the sports package, will be included.

I’ve been trying to watch, but it cuts to black so much that it’s unwatchable. (Comcast, Brentwood, CA)