baseball

Sling called out by Major League Baseball

Is watching an out-of-market baseball game illegal? Potentially yes, according to Major League Baseball.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Esq. a lawyer for the league's Advanced Media division said Slingbox's capability to placeshift MLB content--that is, allow owners to watch their subscription channels from a remote location--is illegal, and MLB is mulling a lawsuit.

"Of course, what they are doing is not legal," MLB general counsel Michael Mellis told the publication. "We and other leagues have formed a group to study the issue and plan our response. A lot depends on ongoing discussions. … Read more

Can Silverlight hit this one outta the park?

Baseball fans will want to keep an eye on this promise. Microsoft's Silverlight could be used to bring live Major League Baseball to your mobile phone. The MLB folks were on stage at MIX in Las Vegas, showing off the next generation of baseball video services. Their capper was a live game on a Windows-enabled cell phone. We've embedded MLB's presentation to the left.

Take me out to the ball game

The Washington Nationals may not have the best record, but they're ahead of the game in creating new ways to use your cell phone. As of April 26, the team is letting fans use digital tickets on their handsets to gain admission to games. After buying a ticket from the team's Web site, you can request to have it sent directly to a phone in a multimedia message (MMS). You then take your phone directly to the admission gate where they scan the bar code from your handset's screen. Then it's off to enjoy the ball … Read more

Take me out to the iTunes Store

Well, the NCAA tournament is winding to a close, which means that it must be just about time for baseball season. And because Steve Jobs is eager to take over your whole life, including your sports-watching experiences, you're going to be able to get your MLB fix at the iTunes Store this season. Apple will be selling 25-minute daily recaps of the season for $1.99 (or $7.99 for a month's worth) and two featured full-length games each week, also for $1.99 (or $19.99 for a "season pass"). A selection of "classic&… Read more

Update: Manny Ramirez goes from RBIs to ribs

Update: According to Boston.com's Extra Bases blog, the grill on eBay doesn't belong to Manny Ramirez. The grill reportedly belongs to Ramirez's neighbor; Ramirez is just helping drive up the bid price.

Major League Baseball players get paid a lot of money. But the sad truth is, they don't get a lot of downtime to enjoy all the things they can afford.

Case in point: Boston Red Sox outfielder Manny Ramirez is selling his high-end grill on eBay, claiming he can't use it much because he's "always on the road." In … Read more

MagicSports picks big game highlights

This is something for all you sports fanatics who can't bear to miss a single highlight. Just as TiVo revolutionized television by allowing viewers to rewind and fast-forward live programs, a "game highlights analyzer" called MagicSports 3 speeds things even further by filtering through games and identifying the action.

The software allows fans to record baseball games on their PCs and "will automatically identify highlights ranging from pitches to home runs, then add thumbnail images of each high point at the bottom of the screen for quick review and access," according to its manufacturer, CyberLink. … Read more