Outside The Confines: Baseball live!

There was a small part of me that wondered if the time would actually come in 2022, but yesterday we had live baseball, and better than that, we had live baseball broadcast on TV. If you renewed your MLB.TV subscription, then yesterday you could have tuned into the first game of spring training. If you happened to miss that, though, never fear because the Cubs will be back on your TV quite a bit this weekend, and even better: MLB.TV is offering many Free Games every day, so if you’re not a paid subscriber you can still watch games.

It’s a small bit of goodwill that will go a long way to getting the attention of former subscribers who didn’t renew their annual contracts when the season start was delayed, and it’s also a great way to show potential new subscribers how the service works and what’s available.

For me, I’m just thrilled at the prospect of getting to see live baseball on my TV again.

Now onto the links and a great weekend of spring training and spring cleaning.

• Eric Fisher shines a spotlight on some of the necessary self-reflection being done by Rob Manfred.
• Ben Lindbergh offers up some insight on the Dodgers signing of Freddie Freeman.
• Emma Baccellieri looks at the juggernaut that is the Dodgers with Freeman aboard.
• Bradford Doolittle laments the loss of the one-team player. (No shade to Bradford, but I wrote a very similar lament back in 2018... but his is very much about Greinke, Freeman, and the changing landscape of how we value players.)
• The rumor mill surrounding Carlos Correa keeps churning.
• At this point, this feels like they’re just going to keep doing this indefinitely.

• James Fegan looks at the legacy of Sam Hairston, the Negro Leagues All-Star who has managed to create a baseball dynasty. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• In former Cubs news, Kris Bryant has signed with the Rockies (Nick Selbe’s story), and Kyle Schwarber has signed with the Phillies (story by Zach Koons). Interestingly enough, the Phillies have also been a popular rumor target in terms of interest in another former Cub, Nick Castellanos.
• Jay Jaffe has some questions for the Rockies following the Bryant signing.
• Jonathan Mayo gives us MLB’s Top 100 prospects.
• And with that list, Manny Randhawa tells us a little more about top prospect Bobby Witt Jr.
• I respect a man who knows the power of a good nap.

• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. suggests that 2021 was just a trailer for the Toronto Blue Jays, and that this season we’re going to see the movie. Story by Keegan Matheson.
• The MLB amateur draft will be a part of All-Star Week festivities. (AP)
• Gotta love a good baseball name.

And tomorrow will be a better day, Buster. Make it so.