Bleed Cubbie Blue

He needs a vacation.

It’s not a party without a couple of buddies!

(SWL should photoshop this into something grand. I’m too lazy to do it myself.)

Flatley - February 15, 2012 reply

...

McCutchenIsTheTruth - February 18, 2012 reply

Lol

Cool

So i’ll definitely be missing these games, being in Atlanta… Great news

ryanbaker08 - February 15, 2012 reply

Sigh

Gonna be out of luck again in VA

GateCity, VA Cubs Fan - February 15, 2012 reply

Say, for example, you’re a Cubs fan in Los Angeles on a Saturday night when Fox is carrying regional games, but the Cubs aren’t being carried in LA. It would be simple for someone with a MLB.TV subscription to get the Cubs game, with the commercials from LA’s Fox station inserted.

Thank you Al, my situation exactly, so frustrated by this news

UscCubs2189 - February 15, 2012 reply

"Don't let Ted Turner deface my movie with his crayons." — Orson Wells

Seeing the map above brought this quote to mind.

Zeke - February 15, 2012 reply

OT: I Didn't Like Colorizing of Old Black and White Movies

Look, if the movie was originally made in black and white, keep it in black and white. If the movie was originally made in color, keep it in color. To make the issue more current, if the movie was originally made in 2D, keep it in 2D.

2D or not 2D - that is the question...

I kinda want to see Jaws in 3D, though.

NobodySpecial - February 15, 2012 reply

OT: I Hope You Mean the Original Jaws

I believe Jaws 3-D with Dennis Quaid soured me on the whole 3-D thing.

There is no Jaws3-D, there is only Jaws.

Or so would be the case in a just world.

NobodySpecial - February 15, 2012 reply

speaking of Jaws...I just got a first edition copy (its a book club copy tho) for Valentines day :)

cooliogirl47 - February 15, 2012 reply

I got Catcher in the Wry for Valentine's.

It’s by Bob Uecker.

Sioux City Cubs Fan - February 15, 2012 reply

I already read it...

you’re going to love it! Great stories!

If you got a copy of JAWS for Valentine's Day...

…dare I ask what did you get for Halloween?

Shanghai Badger - February 15, 2012 reply

these...

cooliogirl47 - February 16, 2012 reply

There is no Dana, only Zuul

Does anyone remember when Jaws III came out on Ch 32 WFLD,

and they were selling the goofy red & blue glasses at 7-11 or White Hen?

When was this, mid 80’s? One of you must remember.

I may have the channel wrong, but I’m pretty sure it was a Chicago affiliate vice national network.

Tat14 - February 15, 2012 reply

I do vaguely remember something like that, yes.

I’d guess it was more early 80s, though.

Jaws III

came out in 1983. So I suppose within a year of that?

Damn, I was 11. I’d like to be 11 again. But then that could mean I’d never play outside and would text instead of going to a friend’s door and “yo, yo-ing” for them to come outside, but I digress…

Tat14 - February 15, 2012 reply

Ha, yeah, I was 13.

Maybe it was more mid-80s. Did we actually believe the 3-D glasses would work on our old TV sets? I guess we did.

daver - February 16, 2012 reply

Once again,

Selig shows why he doesn’t care about the fans. When is this clown retiring again???

How can they be so stupid?

Two words.

Bud Selig.

Madison Cub Fan - February 15, 2012 reply

Is it just him or is it the people around him encouraging the decision

Yes he has lots of power. But once he is gone how do we know we won’t end with very similar person. Us as fans have no power @ all to change it we don’t have a vote.

Good point

Shanghai Badger - February 15, 2012 reply

Blackouts in the NFL and Des Moines

Somehow, I don’t think that the Packers, Bears, Chiefs, Rams, and Vikings are all blacked out on NFL Sunday Ticket in Des Moines. I imagine one or two of those teams are but not all five. I believe that the team(s) that are blacked out on Sunday Ticket in Des Moines can be seen on broadcast TV there. I bring up Des Moines because of the Cardinals, Royals, Twins, Cubs, White Sox, and Brewers, all claiming that territory. There aren’t enough regional sports networks in Des Moines to cover six MLB teams.

Iowa is one of the places that's hurt the most.

Especially considering that Des Moines is the home of the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate. Not likely there are a lot of fans of the five other teams there.

Is this Hell?

No, it’s Iowa thanks to Bud.

Yabbut

you could go here, eat a meal, get a haircut, take a shower, catch a disease and FILL UP ON GAS!!

Not sure but I think you

can also see a dentist while visiting there too.

sue369 - February 15, 2012 reply

I think you're right

At the Dentists ten year dental school reunion:

hey Bob, you still working in beverly hills? yeah george sure am, you still practicing dentistry at that truck stop in iowa? um, yeah Bob, you dont have to sound so condescending about it…

epsilon - February 15, 2012 reply

Ahhhhh the memories

The world’s largest truck stop was 1 of my 2 favorite landmarks going from the burbs to Iowa City- the other was the Mississippi River. The other 2 hours and 55 minutes of travel time were less than memorable.

Bigp2287 - February 15, 2012 reply

Hey that place looks familiar.

It’s pretty much a 15 minute drive from my house to get there. Here’s the funny part, I’ve never set foot in the Iowa 80 truckstop. That place is actually in Walcott, Iowa.

WindisBlowingOut! - February 17, 2012 reply

I'm from Davenport,

so I’ve driven past the truckstop hundreds of times. Thank God I live in Austin now…

As an Iowan, it's very frustrating...

Which is why I just say to hell with TV during the season and turn the radio on and listen to Pat and Keith.

I’m looking forward to the day when the Cubs get their own TV station, though I bet Selig will figure out a way to black that out, too.

IowaCubs- - February 16, 2012 reply

I hear

That Bud Selig walked around Des Moines with chalk to mark off the territories. Well, he didn’t walk. He had a lackey do the walking and Bud followed behind in a Buick from his old dealership.

RiskyBusiness - February 15, 2012 reply

Central Iowan here

With the NFL on FOX around here its ALWAYS one of those 5 teams Bears, Packers, Chiefs, Vikings not to many Rams games just because alot of those teams here in the Central when at home usually play at noon then if its FOXs week with 2 games its usually a Cowboys, Giants, Niners the 3:15 game for some reason. With baseball ya its blackout for Brewers, Twins, Cards, Royals ya but I just get the Sports pack for 10 bucks thru Directv and then I can cheer for the Brewers everyday lol and watch Twins, Cards games to

Eric16 - February 15, 2012 reply

But you cant watch games on MLB.tv

On your phone, computer, iPad, etc.

There are zero mobile options for Cubs fans living in Iowa.

Dear Iowa AG…

SecTaylor - February 16, 2012 reply

Oh well

I have been able to watch every Cubs game the last 5 yrs except the ones on WCIU or whatever that channel is. As WGN is on every cable company here in Iowa and Comcast Chicago is in every package with Directv I think, so Im set.

Eric16 - February 16, 2012 reply

Yeesh

What a mess this continues to be.

Brett Taylor - February 15, 2012 reply

You're preaching to the choir here Al. We all agree this is just stupid.

Because I’m IN market for the Cubs in Iowa, I can’t get games on my cell or computer. There are times I would pay to watch or just have it available when there is not a TV around. So, I pay to have radio on my phone which makes no sense at all. I can have radio “in” market but not TV? Brilliant!

mrcubsfan - February 15, 2012 reply

I love this Idiocracy

I love how MLB TV says this in big print

Baseball everywhere. Watch every out-of-market game LIVE or on demand on your favorite devices.

And then this in fine print

Blackout and other restrictions apply. Please click here for more info. Blackout restrictions subject to change. Please check this page periodically for updates.

And then this on another page

In addition, note:
•These blackout restrictions apply regardless of whether a Club is home or away and regardless of whether or not a game is televised in a Club’s home television territory.
•All live Toronto Blue Jays games are blacked out throughout the entire country of Canada.
•Additional teams may also be subject to blackout in parts of Canada based on their region.
•All live games will be blacked out in the U.S. territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands during the MLB regular season.

This product is more about what’s blacked out instead of what I can see.

I can’t believe that they don’t understand baseball fans yet. I’m going to watch what I want to watch. But if I can’t see that, I’m probably not going to watch what you try to force down my throat.

RiskyBusiness - February 15, 2012 reply

Jeez.

They’re trying to say how much is blacked out instead of making games available. And to think I am planning to spend my honeymoon with Mrs. VCF in Guam…

You should change your honeymoon plans

I’d recommend Bikini Atoll, as it is not listed on the Blackout list. Only 800 miles from Guam. Sure, they tested atomic bombs there. But you’ll be blackout free.

RiskyBusiness - February 15, 2012 reply

Well, considering it's for a honeymoon...

…I’d recommend No Bikini Atoll.

We just set them up for you, ballhawk ;-)

Emelie - February 16, 2012 reply

yeah, it's almost too easy sometimes... :-)

ballhawk - February 16, 2012 reply

Advertising

This is something I just don’t get. Why, are they not taking advantage of the commercial breaks on either gameday audio, which typically goes silent, or mlb.tv, which airs inane MLB and yahoo ads, over and over again.

I am always perplexed why they don’t take advantage of those eyes/ears. Frankly, I sometimes even miss the commercials (especially the Cub-centered local ads, like those classic Square D spots).

Does anyone have any reasonable guess as to why they don’t do a better job of selling this ad space?

WGNstatic - February 15, 2012 reply

Nope.

It’s just more stupidity.

wisconsinwillie - February 15, 2012 reply

Blackouts are a pain, but fairly easy to get around with a decent VPN or proxy.

At least on a PC. Doesn’t help much on a phone.
One of the greatest things MLB has done under BS is putting out MLB.TV and keeping it affordable. Blackouts though are still one of the dumbest things that continue under his reign.

FWIW

though I (and I think everyone here) is aware of ways around blackouts, please do not post specific links or info to illegal streams here. I’ll delete any such references without notice.

Exactly my plan

But do blackouts affect MLB.TV? It’s a pain to add the extra step for me to go through a proxy or such, but if it screws Bud and his master plans, then it makes me smile as i kick back and enjoy my game.

unretrofied93 - February 15, 2012 reply

But do blackouts affect MLB.TV?

Yes.

I like your moniker for Bud Selig.

It’s certainly appropriate.

...

Thank goodness I didn't eat lunch yet.

this guy really cant f***ing hear

He needs some different colored ties too.

RynoHoF - February 15, 2012 reply

You need to speak louder Al. Looks like Bud can hear you... every single time the blackout subject is brought up he can't hear any of us.

*can't

By Santo's Grace - February 15, 2012 reply

Just watch...

It will eventually get revealed he’s almost deaf and his obliviousness is due to him not being able to hear people. Add that to not really paying attention and I think we have the reason behind Bud’s (in)actions.

So, maybe the way to reach Bud is with a hearing aid?

ddoubleheader - February 16, 2012 reply

Sunday NFL Ticket

Wouldn’t it make sense to handle the Saturday Fox Games similar to the NFL Ticket assuming you have bought MLB.TV or EI? Just my two cents.

Well, of course it would.

But that would make too much sense.

The NFL ticket is awesome

I love the 30 minute games they have with no commercials

Saw this blurb yesterday about NFL getting pressure from Congress to end their blackout policy

TALKING BUSINESS
“It is time for the NFL’s blackout policy to end,” five U.S. senators said in a statement Tuesday, calling on the National Football League to stop barring television broadcasts of games that lack a sellout crowd: MORE>>

and here’s the link to the article:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-14/nfl-should-drop-blackout-policy-for-games-not-sold-out-senators-tell-fcc.html?track=ct-bizwrap-21412

That's only you're two cents though.

Unfortunately, Bud Selig is much more interested in more than two of your cents.

It just kills me how they think this is a good idea. I have so many good memories of watching Cubs games on local TV channels with my family. If I was a kid now, my working class parents wouldn’t have been able to afford MLB network (or hell, basic cable, for that matter). Local TV and the occasional newspaper was how I followed my team. And it’s how I and the rest of my family became “a Cubs family.” I really feel like MLB is robbing that experience from a lot of potential fans with their dartboard/gerrymandered blackout map. It’s not the end of the world, but it’s definitely not making it any better.

Mapanator - February 15, 2012 reply

Selig takes another important step

to insure that baseball eventually falls permanently behind the NBA (of course the NFL is ahead) on the sports in America pecking order. Next up… MMA and “action” sports (just wait until the current tween / teen generation, who doesn’t give a flip about baseball thanks to Bud, gets to be the primary demo) on the way to leveling down with hockey in terms of viewership.

I really hate that this fossil is ruining the game I love.

fsuapollo - February 15, 2012 reply

I think ice hockey is next in the pecking order.

Then MMA. I think that professional tennis might pass baseball at some point…

Doshi - February 15, 2012 reply

I don't understand how it would be so easy to insert local ads into the games from out of market.

The ad slots don’t line up and aren’t universal in length. Wouldn’t you have to have someone overseeing that? Probably a lot of people overseeing it, right? Considering the number of markets and the number of games available in each market. Then consider that every game isn’t going to be watched in every market, so you’d be allocating people to those games that aren’t really needed but they’d have to be there.

Or is this all automated? What happens when a game takes a quick break? I know the when I’m watching a local game on tv, the commercials are ran by the production crew, correct? How would this be done when there are 15 games in every single market?

Tackle Box - February 15, 2012 reply

I can answer those questions.

… since I worked in TV for many years.

This kind of process CAN be automated. Yes, the inning breaks don’t come at the same time, but they can put automated signals in so that the right commercials would air in the right places at the right times. The lengths of the commercial pods are in fact identical.

Some TV networks do this already. Some local TV stations are run from central “hubs” that insert commercials for many local stations. It would be just as easy to do this for baseball games.

It’s a computer programming issue, not a personnel issue.

OT: Broadcasting Automation

I’m glad that I learned how to run radio automation. I wouldn’t have a job now, if I didn’t know how to do that. In TV, for a time, in the 1990’s, I ran commercials manually from VTR’s, but that process is automated at most stations now. I’d be in real trouble, if I was coming out of college now with the scarcity of jobs.

santoswoodenlegs - February 15, 2012 reply

But Al, MLB has already spent all their "COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY" budget on QUESTEC and the SCHEDULER 5000 machine...

there’s simply no more $ left in the budget for any fancy newfangled computer automated commercial software development.

I can refer a couple of computer programmers who'll solve this with a catchy 80's montage.

Flatley - February 15, 2012 reply

N E R D S ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

NERDS

There's also another option

Treat it the way networks treat video on demand. When network shows are broadcast in real time they have market-specific blocks of advertising, with a mixture of national ads and local ads. But if you go watch the same show “On Demand”, you get one or two ads from specific national brands that have signed on to sponsor that particular video.

There’s no reason the same idea couldn’t work here. Sell Fox the broadcast rights for this many games if you must. But include a stipulation that allows fans outside the broadcast area to get a version through EI or mlb.tv that is run with a different batch of national ads. As someone else pointed out above, that should actually enhance total ad revenues (even if it makes the deal somewhat less attractive for Fox, who would pay less) because right now EI and mlb.tv often have dead airtime in place of showing commercials. Adding in a limited set of national ads for each game that someone watches through the internet or PPV would be a big new revenue stream.

I’m not sure piping in local ads based on viewer location makes quite as much sense, as you have to account (for example) with ads in which a player from the hometown team endorses a car dealer or restaurant being played for an audience watching a different set of teams. I could understand why an advertiser didn’t think they were getting value from that. And depending on the number and length of pitching changes, you might have occasions where the local advertisers get more ads run, or fewer, to the fans in the same market watching different games. But the takeaway point should be: there are many possible solutions, the first one we need to make is getting a real commissioner.

Orval Overall - February 15, 2012 reply

This will never happen, because it makes too much sense.

There are alternatives......

A number of years ago I purchased an XM radio for 2 reasons (1) they carried all the baseball games and (2) they didn’t carry Howard Stern. I have a satellite radio in my truck and in my house. I also purchase Extra Innings on Comcast almost every year so I can watch most games (I know this will be blacked out) and I pay ~$20 for a Game Day audio subscription so I can listen at work. All in all, it works and I can see just about any game. Maybe not the cheapest solution, but it has worked for me.

CubSteve - February 15, 2012 reply

STERN RULES!

BABA BOOEY!

ChrisInFla - February 15, 2012 reply

...

In case anyone is wondering,

I was writing a comment here, but Bud Selig chose instead that it should be blacked out. Sorry guys, I had no choice since my comment is only available to be seen in my home market.

I rec'd both posts

Ace Venom - February 15, 2012 reply

Best post I've seen all year, VCF.

EalyEagle - February 15, 2012 reply

I'm headin' to Vermont just to read it!

McCutchenIsTheTruth - February 18, 2012 reply

awesome!

There will be two lines in front of Bud Selig's grave

One for dancing, and the other for pissing.

EalyEagle - February 15, 2012 reply

speaking of lines

you just crossed one

Three in a row, go for one more....

Flatley - February 15, 2012 reply

That sounds like something from an old Clint Eastwood movie.

Classic line from Outlaw Josey Wales

Senator: The war’s over. Our side won the war. Now we must busy ourselves winning the peace. And Fletcher, there’s an old saying: To the victors belong the spoils.
Fletcher: There’s another old saying, Senator: Don’t piss down my back and tell me it’s raining.

Fletcher was played by John Vernon, more well-known as Dean Wormer from Animal House.

Maybe that's what I'm thinkin' about.

santoswoodenlegs - February 15, 2012 reply

I bought MLBtv last year

And was blacked out of “every” Saturday game the cubs played, and quite a few on Sunday’s.

Notsnud - February 15, 2012 reply

Yea well, the reason "Football Night in America" works...

Is because there’s only one damn game on a Sunday night when it’s broadcasted, not five others. This is seriously starting to get ridiculous now…

bmasson11 - February 15, 2012 reply

I can't recall a time where I agreed with something that Selig has done

I feel like someone created a clone of me, got him permanently drunk on opposite juice, named him “Bud Selig” and appointed him as commissioner.

Zah - February 15, 2012 reply

It is 2012 right?

Goodness Bud and MLB just wake the hell up.

Grockcubs - February 15, 2012 reply

...

FWIW, I was told on Twitter this morning...

…that MLB is contractually obligated to retain the blackout rules and can’t do anything about them until said contract (or contracts) runs out. Does anyone know anything more about this?

My immediate response is that any presumably long-term contract dealing with a medium as fluid as the Internet should be open to renegotiation. Maybe MLB didn’t anticipate online baseball viewing to have taken off the way it did. But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t do more to rectify the situation.

But isnt this an expansion of their prior deal?

If they had to renegotiate to give Fox more games, then presumably all issues were open to renegotiation. That wouldn’t be true if Fox had the option to do this under the existing contract, but otherwise, if MLB wanted to end blackouts it could have used a renegotiation like this as an opportunity to do so.

My guess is Fox will pay more if there are blackouts, and Bud isn’t savvy enough to see how he could actually make more money from other sources if he refused.

Orval Overall - February 15, 2012 reply

My guess is Fox will pay more if there are blackouts, and Bud isn’t savvy enough to see how he could actually make more money from other sources if he refused.

Right. And this isn’t even talking about the territorial blackouts, which Fox has nothing to do with.

GrizzledCynicalVeteran - February 17, 2012 reply

Renegotiate

All contracts are always open to renegotiation. All it takes is for one party to give the other something to make the change worthwhile.

Another thing that irritates me about FOX besides the rediculous blackout restrictions...

The MLB on FOX theme song. It’s not even the MLB on FOX theme song anymore, it’s the freaking NFL on FOX theme song for any sporting event on the national FOX network. They should switch it back to the MLB theme song, because it sounds more appropriate.

When FOX got their new man in late 2010, he wanted to make the NFL on FOX theme song the universal theme song for any sports broadcast. He wanted the song to represent the entire FOX Sports network. When they did the switch in 2010, I didn’t like it at first. Then I thought I would get used to it. I am still not used to it and still don’t like it. The NFL song should be played with NFL games only, the MLB song should be played with MLB games only, and so on, and so forth with all the other sports that are broadcast on FOX.

At least on the regional FOX networks, they still play the MLB on FOX theme… for the time being.

Check that, I meant on the regional Fox Sports Networks, they still play the MLB on Fox theme.. for the time being.