MLB.TV 2010 Prices

MLB.com has released the details of the 2010 MLB.TV and MLB.TV Premium subscriptions.  A British perspective on the new offerings, and the new prices, is available now at BaseballGB.co.uk

http://www.baseballgb.co.uk/?p=6595

Fantasy competition, Giambi, Burrell and Bradley

BaseballGB Fantasy League – a fantasy competition invitation.

Giambi brings hope for good times ahead – The signing of a former favourites gives A’s fans extra cause for optimism.  Braves fans might struggle to match it right now.

Rays and Cubs take context into consideration – Taking a look at a couple of free agent outfielders who have finally found a new home.

1974 World Series, the WBC, the economic crisis and more

World Series – the 1974 version – The A’s versus the Dodgers courtesy of MLB.com/live.

A-Rod and the D. Rep batting lineup – A-Rod’s decided to join the Dominican Republic for the 2009 WBC.  Here’s a look at the frightening lineup they could put on the field next March.

Baseball Economics – the global economic crisis, how it effects baseball in the States and how it effects being a baseball fan in Britain.

You Are the Scorer: Number 5  – the latest in our regular feature

Baseball Books for Xmas – Stuck for an Xmas present?  Here’s a guide to some baseball books you might want to try.

European club rankings 2008 – Comparing the rankings by Mister-Baseball and BaseballdeWorld

MLB 2008 Season Annual

Download the WHGB 2008 Annual (pdf)

It seems much longer than one month ago since the Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series.  After the 2,430 game regular season (2,431 in the end this year) and the drama of the postseason, MLB comes to an abrupt halt and an established part of your daily routine (checking the scores, maybe watching a game) disappears. 

It’s a bit of a shock to the system, but in some ways it is a necessary process.   An MLB season is packed full with action and incidents, heroes and villains, astonishing feats and costly errors, and you need a period to sit back and reflect on what has happened. 

To help you do just that, we are publishing today the ‘Weekly Hit Ground Ball 2008 Annual’.  WHGB is a feature column published every Sunday during the regular season here at BaseballGB. The twenty-six columns from the 2008 regular season have been brought together in a pdf alongside an overview of the first two rounds of the postseason and a series of articles about the World Series.

Some of the events you can read about include:

Jeff Kartsens’ near-perfect game, the week when three managers got the chop, and when the Rays headed to Disney Land before ending up in the dream land of a World Series.

Interleague play, the All-Star Game, Bud Selig’s attempts to speed up the game (predictably forgotten within weeks) and the introduction of instant replay.

Historic feats (Griffey’s 600th home run), rookies making a mark (Jay Bruce), and a Dutch international making his Major League debut.

But no one had a more remarkable year than CC Sabathia.  From his slow start to the season with the Indians, his move to the Brewers, the disastrous four-game sweep by the Cubs at the end of July, the no-hitter attempt that controversially went by the wayside and the sacking of his team’s manager, it was quite a year for CC and it promises to get even better with a lucrative multi-year free agent deal just around the corner.

MLB Team Picker

Once a Brit has started to take an interest in baseball, they have to make a potentially life-changing decision: which team should they call their own?  At BaseballGB, we’ve decided to try and make this decision a little easier by coming up with a Team Picker system.  Our first attempt is in many ways a trial run, designed to provoke some debate and hopefully lots of useful suggestions on how it can be improved.  Our plan is to take the comments on board and bring out a new set of rankings in March in time for the 2009 season.

• BaseballGB Team Picker – An introduction
• BGB Team Picker 3rd place: Pittsburgh Pirates
• BGB Team Picker – 2nd place San Francisco Giants
• BGB Team Picker – 1st place Chicago Cubs
• BGB Team Picker – Full results

Karstens, the Olympics, Book reviews and British baseball

‘Weekly’ Hit Ground Ball 2008 – Week Nineteen – Looking at the amazing start Jeff Kartstens has made with the Pirates.

Olympics coverage part two – BBC interactive services.

Olympics – Baseball and Softball TV Schedule – Live in Britain?  Want to know when and where you can watch Olympic baseball and softball games on your tele?  Here’s the definitive guide.

A history of European Baseball – A preview of the latest book by Josh Chetwynd

A’s Essential by Steven Travers – A book review of this guide to the A’s franchise.

Brewers bust-up: the side-effects of a sweep – The Prince and Parra get pushy.

Roundshaw oddities and sporting milestones – Strange plays from games in the British National Baseball League and some thoughts on the merit of milestones.

All Stars and the Olympics

The main topic this week has of course been the All Star Game:

‘Weekly’ Hit Ground Ball 2008 – Week Sixteen – The All Star Game rules need to be changed.  Here’s why and how.

All Star Exhaustion – An initial review of the marathon event.

All Star Game Preview – Looking forward to the game.

Elsewhere, there was some potentially important news this week about baseball’s Olympic future.  Will the 2016 All Star break last for two weeks?  How important is the Olympics to baseball and vice versa?

MLB and Baseball’s Olympic future

Finally, the A’s are continuing apace with their rebuilding exercise. 

The A’s Extreme Makeover

Injuries and All Stars, plus baseball news from Britain and Europe

‘Weekly’ Hit Ground Ball 2008 – Week Fifteen – The DL gets every player in the end.  Do some avoid it through skill, or is it simply luck?

Gameday gets better and better – MLB.com’s Gameday feature is continually undergoing development.  Here’s a review on it’s current incarnation.

Final Four details announced – Click the link for more details on September’s Final Four tournament: the climax of the British baseball season.

Europe’s top fifty teams – Looking at Mister-Baeball’s latest European rankings.

Harden joins the Cubs – The Cubs answer the Brewers.  The A’s continue to rebuild.

The Bad Guys Won by Jeff Pearlman – A review of this great book about the 1986 Mets.

All Star rosters announced – After millions of votes were cast, the All Star rosters were revealed this week.

Brewers sign Sabathia – The rumours turned to reality in a short space of time.