It's Christmas in March!

by jpalaska on Mar 6, 2008 1:01 PM CST

I just discovered that my local Anchorage cable company now has WGN-HD as part of my cable package.
I'll be able to start seeing the Cubbies in crystal clear high def, starting with Saturday's game vs Arizona.
I'm so happy, I could bust!

Now here's a question for you Chicago residents that are in the know:
Is it likely that the pending sale of the Cubs will have an impact of the number of Cubs games that WGN will carry in the future? It seems to me that there are far fewer Cubs games carried on WGN than they had back in the 80s when I started watching on cable.
What do you all think?

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of SB Nation or Al Yellon, managing editor (unless it's a FanPost posted by Al). FanPost opinions are valued expressions of opinion by passionate and knowledgeable baseball fans.

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It's impossible to say...

... although I would imagine any new owner will revisit all the broadcast rights deals. Most likely there will be fewer WGN games in the future; they've been going in that direction for the last 10 years.

You should investigate getting digital cable if it's available and then you could buy MLB Extra Innings, and get the rest of the games.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al Yellon on Mar 6, 2008 1:01 PM CST reply actions

Eventually...

all MLB games (with the exception of any big Network deals like Fox has) will probably only be available on the MLB Channel. But don't worry, I'm sure Selig will make it really really easy and readily available to anyone who wants to get it. Except for people who don't have DirectTV or who live within 500 miles of any ML park.

As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.

by santoswoodenlegs on Mar 6, 2008 1:04 PM CST reply actions

What no picture?

I'm a bit bummed there was no image for this.

Check out Road To Wrigley, my NEW Cubs Minor League System website: Road To Wrigley

by jonpyardi on Mar 6, 2008 1:07 PM CST up reply actions

Or...

... anyone who is sentient.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al Yellon on Mar 6, 2008 1:13 PM CST up reply actions

Just look at the Braves...

Once upon a time they had about every game on TBS minus the network game of the week. Over the years some games got farmed off to new Turner networks who were bought out by Fox Sports. Now TBS will be carrying 0 Braves games. They have set up a new network called the Peachtree Network that will handle the 40 or so games TBS carried last year. It's sad, but PPV is here. Now if you could just watch what you pay for (blackout sarcasm...)

by LT on Mar 6, 2008 2:19 PM CST up reply actions

I'm actually glad

WGN has been putting out piss poor broadcasts, both when compared to the CSN broadcasts and to the other baseball-carrying tv networks around the league (I have mlb.tv and watch other teams frequently).

I think WGN's coverage has gotten very disappointing. I'm in my early 20s, so I haven't been paying attention to the quality of broadcast for that long, but I'm told WGN used to be an industry leader. Right now, they're very below average, IMO.

by Thelonious on Mar 6, 2008 1:52 PM CST reply actions

Exactly

I only have limited cable, so my comparison is either the fox weekend game or Braves on TBS. Switching back and forth between TBS & WGN is like time-transporting a decade.

Prince Fielder a vegetarian? Run, carrots, run for your lives!

by TC Cubby on Mar 6, 2008 2:19 PM CST up reply actions

I can't speak for TBS...

but from the actual live game coverage 'GN is still way better than CSN and that sports-network-imitators I often call FUX.

All too often on CSN, they miss on the camera angle on the live play or on deep shots to the OF, sometimes the replay from another angle sucks. The IF cameras can't follow a hot shot towards either line and/or throw to 1B. And its the same cameras the 'GN guys use at Wrigley.

FUX, plainly put, they suck. Announcers, color folks, camera coverage; everything. Incessant shots of the crowd as if it were a random number (seat) generator. And if I have to listen to or look at J.Zelasko once more, I'm gonna puke. What a pathetic attempt to put a woman in the mainstream telecast. Perhaps they should take a cue from ESPN and see how damned good Michelle Tafoya works a game.

Now I feel 'GN was better in the days of the late-great Arne Harris. How sad a day it was arriving at the old north side ballyard one beautiful Sunday morning for the last game of the 2001 season to find out of his passing on the little electronic board beneath the iconic 1937 model. WGN isn't quite what it used to be (when it covered on the order of 156 games a season) or when Arne ran things but I'll take them in a heartbeat over what we have to deal with some 100 times a season now.

by blackhawk24 on Mar 6, 2008 2:35 PM CST up reply actions

Can't Agree With You More

regarding Fox sports.
Jeanie Zelasko reminds me of some hoarse, alcoholic barfly at some second rate sports bar.

And I miss Arnie Harris too. His crew had the right touch for great views to complement the Harry/Steve play by play.

"Everything that rises must converge"

by jpalaska on Mar 6, 2008 2:48 PM CST up reply actions

Zelasko

I have to stick up for her here. She's local here to Southern California, having been a sports talk show host in San Diego before getting her TV jobs. She actually has a great voice and can sing quite well, and is a really cool person to boot. She's married to Curt Sandoval, who is one of the sports guys on KABC TV here in Los Angeles. They've been married ten years and have a couple of kids. But what makes me really want to stick up for her here is she's had a recurrence of her thyroid cancer and is off the air again indefinitely.

Santo Forever!

by BeerCub on Mar 8, 2008 9:30 AM CST up reply actions

I'm Sorry To Hear

that she is suffering from cancer. I wish for her to recover and to regain her health.

"Everything that rises must converge"

by jpalaska on Mar 8, 2008 9:57 AM CST up reply actions

I'm sorry to hear about her illness...

but this is nothing personal as I hope you would know. She unfortunately is part of an awful sports TV network. Fox can't simply match a good network coverage for sports. Their hockey coverage was worse than baseball.

I hope people realize that truly feeling sorry for someone's illness wouldn't cloud their interpretation of the person's skill set and ability. You can stick up for them as a person and again I have nothing against her as a person.

Just like with Ronnie. I hope people are not campaigning for him for the HoF just because of his diabetes. Ronnie should be campaigned for the HoF because he was damned good 3B-man. His battle with diabetes shows the kind of person he is, not what kind of 3B-man he was.

by blackhawk24 on Mar 10, 2008 1:49 PM CDT up reply actions