Baseball time is here again, and there was some big news worth sharing:
With the departure of Stephen Nelson to join the Los Angeles Dodgers in January, MLB Network's longest running program Intentional Talk will feature former Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox pitcher Ryan Dempster and Siera Santos, former FOX 32 Chicago sports reporter recently worked in Phoenix.
They will team up with Kevin Millar and seeing what fun and exciting things that come up each weekday afternoon.
https://www.mlb.com/press-release/world-series-champion-ryan-dempster-and-siera-santos-join-kevin-millar-as-new-co
It starts on Friday, March 31, the day after Opening Day at 5 p.m. Eastern. It will air every weekday all season long.
Also, two huge pieces of news from Wednesday regarding the Apple TV+ Friday night package.
First, the exclusive games will no longer be free for all viewers as they were in the package’s first season last year. They will be available without local blackouts for subscribers to the $6.99-per-month Apple TV+ service.
Replacing Katie Nolan and a few others from 2022 are:
Wayne Randazzo (play-by-play), Dontrelle Willis (analyst), Heidi Watney (dugout reporter), Alex Faust (play-by-play), Ryan Spilborghs (analyst), and Tricia Whitaker (dugout reporter).
The first three months of games has already been announced, but game assignments will be announced weekly.
Also of note, Lauren Gardner returns and will be joined by Siera Santos for all live pre and postgame coverage. Former MLB players Xavier Scruggs and Matt Joyce will serve as analysts alongside reporter Russell Dorsey. As well, former MLB umpires Brian Gorman and Dale Scott will join the coverage to “break down MLB’s new rules” (the pitch clock and the banning of the shift among such rules.)
I can only imagine how many millions of fans will be turned off by the decision of people having to pay just to watch their favorite team play on Friday nights. I know it is the way things are these days, but with too many streaming options to count--we midas well pay the players' salaries, as opposed to the mostly money hungry owners who care very little about the fans in general (sky high prices for tickets, hot dogs, even parking is horrible in most cities.)
Anyways, here are the details if anyone wants to check out the schedule (and how to sign up):
https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2023/03/friday-night-baseball-resumes-on-apple-tv-plus-on-april-7/