Thursday, November 6, 2008

MLB Network Coming 1/1/09, Baseball Fans Everywhere Say; "It's About F*****g Time!"

This is actually an older story but there was so much other Brewers stuff going on I put off writing about it but now there is actually a Brewers tie-in to this story. Starting January 1st of 2009 a television network dedicated entirely to the great game of baseball will launch. Comcast, DirecTV, Time Warner and Cox Communications have a minority ownership in the network and because of that it will be in many more homes then the NFL Network. And yes don't worry Wisconsin subscribers to Charter Communications cable service the network will be carried!

As far as content on the network it will air 26 regular season games most likely as a "Saturday Night Game of The Week", some World Baseball Classic 2009 games, plenty of archival material and a nightly news and highlight show similar (but probably better) then ESPN's "Baseball Tonight".

As for who will be the on-air personalities of the MLB Network? Well former Brewers play-by-play announcer Matt Vasgersian will probably be host of the nightly show and it is all but confirmed that the Brewers on-field reporter from last year on FSN-WI and Wisconsin native Trenni Kusnierek will leave FSN to be part of MLB Network. It kind of sucks to lose Trenni after 1 year, she was very good at her job as a reporter/interviewer. She seemed to have a real love and passion for the Brewers and the game. It also didn't hurt that she was easy on the male eye. Some other names "rumored" to be in negotiations with the network are Hazel Mae (NESN) and Bob Costas (NBC/HBO).

I am super psyched for the launch of an all baseball all the time channel. The games they show will be good games, the nightly highlight show should blow "Baseball Tonight" out of the water and being able to see "classic" games will be a breath of fresh air since ESPN Classic hardly EVER shows baseball because they are to busy showing billiards, poker and bowling.

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