MLB Network: A Review (so far)

I have to say, to be honest I don’t care as much about the hot stove show and all that. Right now I’m more interested in seeing what other kinds of programming they develop in terms of documentaries, history of the sport, game coverage and so on.

They’re just getting up and running so I expect there to be growing pains. I also don’t expect them not to focus on teams like the Red Sox and Yankees because, well, they’re the Red Sox and Yankees. They should have more than enough time to devote some attention to everyone else as well. I’m not worried about that.

I’m high on the potential for this channel. I hope they also eventually focus on stuff like the minors, fall league, etc. In fact, I’m sure we can contact them and make suggestions.

I don’t get the MLB Network cuz we have ATTuverse :’(

…Larsen’s perfect game was fun to watch. Alot of fun. Also saw a couple ‘9’ shoes, which were interesting.

I don’t have alot of faith in MLB to pull off a truly objective Hot Stove show, but I can’t say right now as I haven’t watched it yet. I expect alot of pointless positive spin and self-promotion…. used car style, if ya know what I mean.

I always liked Harold Reynolds when he was with ESPN and was disappointed when he got fired. Glad to see him back doing something. Hazel Mae is always pleasing eye candy.

Overall, better than I thought it would be, but haven’t watched enough to be comprehensive, either.

So I am not getting this channel and who knows if they will ever carry it.

But not amazing either. I do appreciate the news aspect of it; if they stick to reporting every last bit of breaking news, especially signings, trades, scandals, general team news, etc, then they can compete with the web. Hard to imagine it being the “go to” source though; but I guess if I need my bball fix and I’m in front of the TV I’ll certainly flip over to ch. 412 and not ESPN.

Of course, it remains to be seen how good it is during the season, when it really counts. If they do something truly special or exclusive, it might really take off. I can imagine complete press conferences, more thorough analyses of players and teams, and, as mentioned above, more stats and stats education. Less repetition will count for a lot, as will focusing on minor leagues, winter leagues, early rounds of the draft, and fair coverage of the A’s and other non-Northeastern franchises.

I suppose the danger – as it is with most marketing-driven, insular organizations – is that they’ll assume what we want to see (the conventional, mundane, and traditional) without actually getting feedback from fans, kind of like ESPN. If, on the other hand, they throw out some truly creative, diverse, and special programming that truly enhances the ebb-and-flow of the season, we’ll come to really appreciate the MLB Network.

much blows. The other documentary type stuff on the channel is it’s only redeeming value in my eyes. Their “profile” of what to expect of the 2009 A’s consisted of a 30 second talk on whether or not they would trade or keep Matt Holiday.

What did you really expect? MLB, led by Selig, is always the last to catch on with new innovation.

I’m in.

• Minor League Baseball – I think there’s a lot of potential here, especially with the minors being more popular than ever, to give fans a good look at what some of their team’s prospects are doing along with seeing more of this level in general. Maybe there could be a weekly show, some late-night programming including games, a focus on the best ballparks in the Minors, etc. This could even include things like the Arizona Fall League and so on.

• International Baseball – the World Baseball Classic coverage is something I’m very interested in, having been to WBC games the first time around along with plans to go to more this year, and I wonder if other things like the Mexican or Caribbean leagues could be touched on, possibly Japanese baseball as well.

• Team-specific coverage – examples could include more team documentaries that are out there or even new ones, in-depth looks at various things that make each ballpark unique, planned segments each week highlighting a team or division, etc. I don’t know what kinds of things are already scheduled around things like this. Everyone knows how popular the Yankees and Red Sox are but I think fans expect to get a lot more than just them being focused on with this channel.

• History of the sport – more old games, a look at the history of ballparks that are no longer around, etc. I liked the use of the studio to bring in Yogi Berra and Don Larsen and with so many great, retired baseball players out there it’d be nice to see more of them brought in (or visited) to talk about their playing days, the game itself and more.

I have barely watched any of it yet. It’ll definitely come more in handy when it’s baseball season. Baseball is the only sport on all summer long, so the MLB Network will be at the top of my TV list.

Barry Larkin. He said Orlando Hudson could steal 40 bases next season. :facepalm:

I can’t wait to watch tonight and see if they talk about the A’s a bunch :)