LadyStanley
Registered User
MLB owners barely tried to save opening day. Rob Manfred's own words prove it
MLB did not try very hard to negotiate to save opening day.
MLB did not try very hard to negotiate to save opening day.
MLB work stoppage almost certain on Dec. 2
- Thread starter sawchuk1971
- Start date
LadyStanley
Registered User
MLBPA, MLB launching funds for workers impacted by lockout
Union details their financial support for stadium workers impacted by labor stoppage. League commits to support but provides no details.
Union details their financial support for stadium workers impacted by labor stoppage. League commits to support but provides no details.
LadyStanley
Registered User
Four MLB owners opposed increasing the luxury tax at all: reports
4 owners oppose any increase to luxury tax
4 owners oppose any increase to luxury tax
LadyStanley
Registered User
First Big League Weekend games canceled at LV ballpark
March 12-13 weekend preseason games cancelled. (March 18/19 games in doubt)
March 12-13 weekend preseason games cancelled. (March 18/19 games in doubt)
LadyStanley
Registered User
Baseball fans blame owners for MLB lockout in new poll. What's driving the shift?
45% of MLB fans blame owners for labor stoppage. 21% blame the players. (Rest had no opinion or didn't know)
45% of MLB fans blame owners for labor stoppage. 21% blame the players. (Rest had no opinion or didn't know)
LadyStanley
Registered User
I know expansion and realignment wasn't discussed but it needs to happen by the end of the new 20s.
MLB's current broadcast deals run through 2028.
They could possibly time expansion - and ideally, my proposed realignment - to coincide with the start of the new TV deals in 2029.
The playoffs would expand to 16 teams permanently - the top 4 teams from each of the four leagues - at that point.
The new TV deals that would start in 2029 would ideally run for 12 seasons through 2040, with all subsequent deals being 12 seasons long too.
Here is a breakdown on when each platform would televise games during the regular season.
Sunday afternoon: ABC (starting third week of May), a national game
Sunday night: ESPN
Monday night: Apple TV+
Tuesday night: TBS*
Wednesday night: Peacock*
Thursday night: MLB Network
Friday night: Paramount Network (produced by CBS Sports)*
Saturday afternoon: Fox Sports 1*
Saturday night: Fox, 4 regional games
* - indicates doubleheader (except for FS1 in September, single games that month due to college football coverage)
Games on pay TV platforms except Apple TV+ and ESPN are non-exclusive and blacked out in the territories of the participating teams. The other two are exclusive.
The playoff TV rotation for the first two rounds would be this
2029/33/37: AL on FS1, NL on TBS, CL on ESPN, PCL on PN
2030/34/38: AL on TBS, NL on FS1, CL on PN, PCL on ESPN
2031/35/39: AL on ESPN, NL on PN, CL on FS1, PCL on TBS
2032/36/40: AL on PN, NL on ESPN, CL on TBS, PCL on FS1
All first round (now best-of-3 LDS, first game at lower seed) games would be played at 1 or 7 PM local time, time in ET depends on where the game is played.
Second round (now best-of-5 LCS) games are played at 1, 4, 7 and/or 10 PM ET, PCL can't play at 1 PM, and only PCL can play at 10 PM
The best-of-seven National Semifinal Series, which seeds the pennant winners 1-4 based on regular season record, would air on FS1 and PN in Odd years and ESPN and TBS in even years. Each network can move a game 7 to a sister broadcast network: FS1 to Fox, PN to CBS, ESPN to ABC, and TBS to The CW.
Early round playoff games on weekdays to which FS1 has the rights can be moved to Fox if played in the afternoon, night games remain on FS1 to protect Fox's primetime lineup. ABC on the other hand will usually not air any pre-WS playoff games, as ABC usually has daytime programming 7 days a week. Fox itself would not air any Saturday afternoon playoff games before 4 PM ET, to protect Big Noon Saturday.
ABC would air the World Series in odd years and Fox in even years. The inverse would be true for the All-Star Game.
ESPN can also move broadcasts of early round playoff games to FX or FXX based on its other sports commitments, like college football on Saturdays.
MLB's current broadcast deals run through 2028.
They could possibly time expansion - and ideally, my proposed realignment - to coincide with the start of the new TV deals in 2029.
The playoffs would expand to 16 teams permanently - the top 4 teams from each of the four leagues - at that point.
The new TV deals that would start in 2029 would ideally run for 12 seasons through 2040, with all subsequent deals being 12 seasons long too.
Here is a breakdown on when each platform would televise games during the regular season.
Sunday afternoon: ABC (starting third week of May), a national game
Sunday night: ESPN
Monday night: Apple TV+
Tuesday night: TBS*
Wednesday night: Peacock*
Thursday night: MLB Network
Friday night: Paramount Network (produced by CBS Sports)*
Saturday afternoon: Fox Sports 1*
Saturday night: Fox, 4 regional games
* - indicates doubleheader (except for FS1 in September, single games that month due to college football coverage)
Games on pay TV platforms except Apple TV+ and ESPN are non-exclusive and blacked out in the territories of the participating teams. The other two are exclusive.
The playoff TV rotation for the first two rounds would be this
2029/33/37: AL on FS1, NL on TBS, CL on ESPN, PCL on PN
2030/34/38: AL on TBS, NL on FS1, CL on PN, PCL on ESPN
2031/35/39: AL on ESPN, NL on PN, CL on FS1, PCL on TBS
2032/36/40: AL on PN, NL on ESPN, CL on TBS, PCL on FS1
All first round (now best-of-3 LDS, first game at lower seed) games would be played at 1 or 7 PM local time, time in ET depends on where the game is played.
Second round (now best-of-5 LCS) games are played at 1, 4, 7 and/or 10 PM ET, PCL can't play at 1 PM, and only PCL can play at 10 PM
The best-of-seven National Semifinal Series, which seeds the pennant winners 1-4 based on regular season record, would air on FS1 and PN in Odd years and ESPN and TBS in even years. Each network can move a game 7 to a sister broadcast network: FS1 to Fox, PN to CBS, ESPN to ABC, and TBS to The CW.
Early round playoff games on weekdays to which FS1 has the rights can be moved to Fox if played in the afternoon, night games remain on FS1 to protect Fox's primetime lineup. ABC on the other hand will usually not air any pre-WS playoff games, as ABC usually has daytime programming 7 days a week. Fox itself would not air any Saturday afternoon playoff games before 4 PM ET, to protect Big Noon Saturday.
ABC would air the World Series in odd years and Fox in even years. The inverse would be true for the All-Star Game.
ESPN can also move broadcasts of early round playoff games to FX or FXX based on its other sports commitments, like college football on Saturdays.
The new agreement would see every team play every other team starting in 2023.
They're making the travel situation worse.
They need to make it better.
I bet by the time this CBA expires, there will be a lot of disenchantment with this schedule format.
And having MLB have broadcast deals with every big five media conglomerate for either linear TV or streaming (those conglomerates being Disney, Fox Corporation, Warner Bros.-Discovery, NBCUniversal, and Paramount Global) would make them unique among the big 4 sports leagues.
During the current TV contracts, I expect that Charter Communications, which operates two RSNs in LA that are co-owned with the Lakers and Dodgers, will buy a controlling 51% stake in Paramount Global, with current majority owner National Amusements maintaining a minority 49% stake.
Spectrum's regional news and sports networks would thus be integrated into the CBS Entertainment Group and rebranded under the CBS name. Paramount Global would then purchase the Dodgers and Lakers to gain full ownership of the LA RSNs, and both teams would stream their games not already on national TV on Paramount+, subject to blackout restrictions.
Due to an ownership conflict, the Atlanta MLB team (which should be renamed the Thrashers) would have to be sold, and perhaps former owner Time Warner, now WB-Discovery, could step in to re-acquire the team. This would allow most of that team's games to stream on HBOmax.
Paramount Global could also bolster its RSN lineup by acquiring the NBC RSNs, and luring the teams once on FS Carolinas and Tennessee to launch new RSNs.
ESPN, TBS, and Paramount Network can occasionally produce kid-oriented alternate telecasts of MLB games they air nationally for Disney Channel, Cartoon Network, and Nickelodeon, respectively, inspired by the latter's NFL Wild Card Game telecasts. If a game on Nick has the Detroit Tigers, one of the commentators can be Jessica DiCicco in character as Lynn Loud from the Michigan-set series The Loud House.
They're making the travel situation worse.
They need to make it better.
I bet by the time this CBA expires, there will be a lot of disenchantment with this schedule format.
And having MLB have broadcast deals with every big five media conglomerate for either linear TV or streaming (those conglomerates being Disney, Fox Corporation, Warner Bros.-Discovery, NBCUniversal, and Paramount Global) would make them unique among the big 4 sports leagues.
During the current TV contracts, I expect that Charter Communications, which operates two RSNs in LA that are co-owned with the Lakers and Dodgers, will buy a controlling 51% stake in Paramount Global, with current majority owner National Amusements maintaining a minority 49% stake.
Spectrum's regional news and sports networks would thus be integrated into the CBS Entertainment Group and rebranded under the CBS name. Paramount Global would then purchase the Dodgers and Lakers to gain full ownership of the LA RSNs, and both teams would stream their games not already on national TV on Paramount+, subject to blackout restrictions.
Due to an ownership conflict, the Atlanta MLB team (which should be renamed the Thrashers) would have to be sold, and perhaps former owner Time Warner, now WB-Discovery, could step in to re-acquire the team. This would allow most of that team's games to stream on HBOmax.
Paramount Global could also bolster its RSN lineup by acquiring the NBC RSNs, and luring the teams once on FS Carolinas and Tennessee to launch new RSNs.
ESPN, TBS, and Paramount Network can occasionally produce kid-oriented alternate telecasts of MLB games they air nationally for Disney Channel, Cartoon Network, and Nickelodeon, respectively, inspired by the latter's NFL Wild Card Game telecasts. If a game on Nick has the Detroit Tigers, one of the commentators can be Jessica DiCicco in character as Lynn Loud from the Michigan-set series The Loud House.
KevFu
Registered User
Manfred seems hell-bent on ruining the game. We all know expansion is inevitable (gotta get those fees). And therefore the 6 divisions of 5 will have to change. But Manfred seemingly just wants to copy the NHL/NBA style of aligning -- I think in his eyes, NBA is more popular than MLB, and it has to be because of East-West instead of AL/NL and not because NBA teams shoot/dunk every 20 seconds.
It's been rumored for years now that his plan was radical realignment to East/West, everyone play everyone in one series, and 12 games vs the rest vs your 8-team division.
This would be very bad, as we've discussed before; But the plan to have 48 interleague games, 3 each vs the other league is a step in this direction.
MLB is about incremental change. They kept interleague limited with 15 games in two weeks at first. Then added a third week. and 18/20 interleague games. Then 12 years later went to year-round interleague when the Astros moved to the AL. Now they'll expand interleague. And once people get used to that, here come two new teams and it's "Why do we play the Mariners and Yankees the same number of times when Seattle's all the way over there and the Yankees are next door?"
The argument I've had a decade now that these leagues are too big to play everyone and playing everyone home and way every season is bad in hockey and home or away every year is bad for baseball popped up on a Mets message board I post on when this news came out. I made my usual rant.
"But everyone wants to see the visiting players come to town once."
And I said "In your entire lives, have you ever wanted to see a player in the AL play in person so badly, that you bought Yankees tickets?" There's an AL stadium 9.8 miles from the NL stadium and not a single one of these baseball-obsessed dudes posting on a message board during a lockout had decided seeing Trout, Ohtani, Vlad Jr, etc was worth buying tickets to the OTHER stadium! Sure, they've all been to the other stadium when a friend had tickets or something. But none of them bought tickets simply because they wanted to see an AL player in person.
And of course, while I listed Trout, Ohtani, and Vlad Jr, I struggled to come up with compelling AL players for most the other teams. Like Jose Ramirez, sure, but no one on Seattle, Oakland, Kansas City, Detroit, Tampa, Balitmore really moves the needle.
Certainly not enough to devote 10 of the 54 series MLB plays a year into getting this done.
