Ladies and gentlemen, there are 5 days left till Hannukah, 9 days left till Christmas and 16 days left till the premiere of the MLB Network. It's about time. Those of you that enjoy MLB.com's original programming, it may be a while till your favorite hosts appear on The MLB Network. The announced TV schedule is not similar to MLB.com's online schedule. MLB.com's studios are in NYC, and the MLB Network's studios will be in Secaucus NJ...so that's another bump in the road. Cross overs, while possible, might be less likely.
The great internet programming on MLB.com includes morning and afternoon talk shows, a midday fantasy advice call-in show, a lunch time talk show and variety half hour formatted show, and of course the nightly wrap up, as well as other original programming that focuses more on the history of the game. MLB.com's programming started as streaming radio shows, then upgraded to a visual medium when video feeds were provided for the same shows. Podcasts have steadily been available for most programming in recent years also. It remains to be seen if MLB Network will launch any of their internet shows onto television.
The aforementioned Network studios will include a replica baseball field that analysts will use for demonstration purposes. The infield will be half-scale, and the outfield wall will feature an out-of-town scoreboard modeled after the one at Citizens Bank Park.
Phormer Phillie Dan Plesac will be a studio analyst for MLB Network. Plesac, a 3 time all star was the last Phillies pitcher to appear in a game at Veterans Stadium.
For those of you with cable, the MLB Network is slated to be part of the NBA TV and NFL Network package. Satellite customers will have the MLB Network available also.
To touch on some other news from recent posts here....
-Raul Ibanez's deal is actually for 3 years, $31.5 million.
-In last week's Rule 5 draft, the Phillies selected RHP Robert Mosebach from the Angels, OF Javis Diaz from the Padres, and IF Kyle Haines from the Giants. Diaz and Haines were selected in the minor league portion of the draft, which means they are not required to stay on the Phillies' ML roster, or be offered back. Brett Harker, Ronald Hill and John Suomi, all Reading Phillies, were taken by other teams during the Rule 5 draft.
-Jamie Moyer's 2 year deal is worth $13 million total, with incentives. $6.5 million each year, with bonuses that could add $1.25 million each year for innings pitched totals and starts made.
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