2013 World Baseball Classic Begins This Friday On MLB Network

MLB Network’s exclusive English-language telecast of the 2013 World Baseball Classic in the United States begins this Friday, March 1 at 11:30 p.m. ET and continues with all 39 games of the tournament through the Championship on Tuesday, March 19 at 8:00 p.m. ET. MLB Network’s Bob Costas, Jim Kaat, Joe Magrane, Harold Reynolds, John Smoltz, Matt Vasgersian, Tom Verducci and Matt Yallof are among the group of announcers scheduled to call the tournament, produced by MLB Network in the United States and by MLB International abroad. The complete list of announcers is outlined below.

In addition to televising all 39 games, MLB Network will extensively cover the World Baseball Classic in its studio programming, including World Baseball Classic Today, which debuts this Saturday, March 2 at 11:00 a.m. ET. Former Major League infielder and coach of the 2005 World Champion Chicago White Sox Joey Cora will serve as a guest analyst on the program from March 7-9. The tournament’s Championship Round will include on-site coverage with Intentional Talk live before each game and live pre- and postgame coverage on MLB Tonight on the field from AT&T Park in San Francisco.

It’s on ESPN Deportes as well (in Spanish) and will be on Sportsnet in Canada.

Game of Thrones Characters as MLB Franchises

Jaime Lannister – Boston Red Sox
Disparagingly nicknamed the “Kingslayer,” Jaime Lannister has lived in the shadow of his father since he was born. A knight skilled in art of combat, he possesses his father’s viciousness, but lacks his tact and ambition. The opportunity to make a name for himself is ripe for the picking if he chooses to grab it. For decades, the Red Sox knelt at the feet of the Yankees as their hated rival dominated baseball. The Yankees spent more, won more and achieved royalty rarely reached. Then in 2004, the Red Sox finally usurped the crown and earned the respect they long sought.

A bit old, but season 3 is only a couple of months away…

Murray Chass: A BASEBALL WRITERS’ GIVEAWAY

I posed that question to Jack O’Connell, the long-time BBWAA secretary-treasurer, who announced the awards live on the shows.

“Any answer to my question about our giving away our awards while MLB network makes many thousands off it?” I asked in a second e-mail.

“The answer is that we did not give away the awards,” O’Connell replied. “They are still ours.”

I will give O’Connell the benefit of doubt and figure he misunderstood my question. My “give away” was not to be taken literally, as in giving the network proprietary control of the awards. But the BBWAA gave away the awards for television profit and got nothing in return.

There was commercial money involved, and the network got it all. ...

Using the low estimate, each show would have earned $120,000 for a total of $600,000. Even if the commercials were discounted by 50 percent, the network would have had $300,000 in revenue. ...

What could the BBWAA have done with the money if it had received any from the network? It could have helped families of writers who died or writers who had lost their jobs in a shrinking and decaying industry. Institute a college scholarship program. Make donations to hurricane or earthquake victims.

The BBWAA wouldn’t have to keep any of the money and ruin its nonprofit stratus [sic]. But instead of giving away money, the BBWAA would rather give away its awards.