mlb

MLB brings live game streaming to YouTube, but not in U.S.

Major League Baseball is about to begin live streaming America's pastime to fans on YouTube for free, but there is a catch: The arrangement will pass over fans in the U.S. and a handful of other countries where the sport is already dug in.

YouTube announced on Monday that fans in countries other than the U.S., Canada, South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan will be able to view two live games per day during the regular season on the video-sharing site. Fans in all countries will be able to view game highlights "about a day or two&… Read more

See a pro photog's beautiful Instagram view of baseball

San Francisco Bay Area photographer Brad Mangin -- a veteran shooter of baseball games and other sporting events for Sports Illustrated -- uses a high-powered dSLR for most of his work, but turned to an iPhone and Instagram to capture a more personal view of the 2012 Major League Baseball season. His upcoming book, "Instant Baseball: The Baseball Instagrams of Brad Mangin," features many sights only a pro photographer would have the chance to observe. The book comes out in late April. … Read more

MLB expands use of Passbook for mobile ticketing -- report

Major League Baseball (MLB) is increasing its reliance on Apple's Passbook application, according to a new report.

This year, 13 teams will allow customers to buy paperless tickets and redeem them through Apple's Passbook. The Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles, and Chicago Cubs are among the new teams to support the application, according to GigaOm, which spoke with MLB officials on the move. Two more teams will be announced soon.

MLB gave a tryout to Apple's electronic ticketing system last year with four teams. Out of the 1,500 e-ticket buyers, 12 percent chose to receive their tickets … Read more

Groupon scores Major League Baseball partnership

Groupon announced a partnership with Major League Baseball today, promising discounted game tickets and exclusive perks for all 30 of the league's teams.

The multi-year agreement with MLB's media arm is good news for the daily deals company, which has had trouble convincing Wall Street of its worth. It's a big name for Groupon to add to GrouponLive, its local live entertainment offerings, and builds on Groupon's baseball game discounts offered during the regular 2012 season and the post season.

GrouponLive General Manager, Greg Rudin said fans can expect exclusive access, luxury seats, and clubhouse and … Read more

Listen to and follow the World Series online

Want to watch the World Series online? Sorry. Fox Broadcasting seems to have made that impossible (or just illegal) in 2012. But have no fear: when you're away from your TV, you can still listen to or follow the MLB championship games easily with a few choice Android apps.

Listen to the World Series live on your Android device

If you've sprung for a subscription from MLB At Bat, you're already covered. Those of us on the cheap can get our World Series broadcast on our Android phones for free with the ESPN Radio Android app. ESPN … Read more

Apple's Passbook scores home run with Major League Baseball

Passbook has already found one big fan in Major League Baseball.

Still in its initial innings, Apple's new electronic ticketing system scored well in a recent test conducted by MLB. In the final two weeks of the regular season, four teams tried out Passbook. Among 1,500 e-ticket buyers, 12 percent chose to receive their tickets via Apple's service, reports The Wall Street Journal's MarketWatch.

"That adoption rate really floored us -- there is no question our fans want digital tickets," Bob Bowman, CEO of MLB Advance Media, told MarketWatch. "Fans can use the … Read more

The 404 1,052: Where we meet the million dollar man (podcast)

2K Sports held its annual "Perfect Game Challenge" last night with a million dollar prize, and today we'll chat with the winner of the MLB2K12 tournament, Mr. Chris Gilmore.

Twenty-year-old Gilmore bested Charles Bates 10-1 in the tournament final that pitted him against eight other highly ranked players. We'll obviously ask him what he plans to do with the bounty, but we also want to know about his history with competitive video games, his preparation process in the weeks leading up to the event, and how it felt to breathe the same air as Kate Upton.… Read more

Play ball! Here's your MLB 2012 gaming roundup

Spring is in the air so you know what that means: the start of the 2012 baseball season. It's also the time of year where two game developers are competing for your hard-earned cash. So what's the best baseball game to pick up this year?

That will all depend on which console you own. Those with a PlayStation 3 have a choice, either MLB 12: The Show or Major League Baseball 2K12. On the other hand, Xbox 360 owners are locked in to only one title to satisfy their baseball itch. Unfortunately for the latter, this year's best baseball game is exclusive to the PlayStation 3.… Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1525: Patent catfights and the hot rod plow (Podcast)

Google and Microsoft continue their highly public patent-related catfight, which is either raising awareness of the issue of overbroad software patents or just turning into an embarrassing public battle that's making us all uncomfortable. Also, facial recognition is a trap, and security researchers are rushing to unveil the real Shady Rat. Plus: Computer Love!

Ford adds fantasy baseball stats to Sync

Fantasy baseball is a way of life. If you're a real die-hard player, then you probably play in several leagues and check team statistics several times a day. It can get borderline obsessive.

Ford Motor has added a new Fantasy Update option to its Sync vehicle communication and entertainment system that allows baseball fans to get weekly player updates over their car speakers. Accessing the information is fairly easy, and much safer than checking your cell phone while driving. You wouldn't want to careen your car off the side of a mountain just to see on your cell phone when Stephen Strasburg is returning from Tommy John surgery.

Unfortunately, the baseball stats aren't tailored to your team, but rather are a simple broadcast of weekly leaders in the American and National Leagues, including stats such as batting average, home runs, RBIs, stolen bases, and runs scored. Active pitching stats are also mentioned, including strikeouts, saves, and if your favorite hurler won or lost. The setup works with select 2010 models or newer Ford and Lincoln Sync-equipped vehicles, a Bluetooth-enabled phone, and an active Sync services account.

We hope future versions of Sync will be able to integrate with popular Fantasy Baseball leagues hosted on ESPN, CBS, and Yahoo to truly make this service a home run. … Read more