*****Official Cubs 2019 thread*****
- Thread starter QChawks
- Start date
That probably gives you a queasy feeling.
In all seriousness, I hope that the Cubs win 97 games and we chuckle about all of this. Additionally, it seems like they may have landed a good one in Nico Hoerner in last year's draft - seems like a high floor guy.
But the length of the contention window rests solely on their ability to develop cost-controlled pitching. Their ability to throw money at the problem is waning.
It doesn't necessarily have to be pitching, but they do have to be developing new talent. It would be great to develop cost-controlled pitching while they pay big money for position players, but if they can get to where they have a new run of position players coming, then that gives them the freedom to work out some significant trades of either those prospects or to deal a performing ML asset.
The goal of any farm system is to turn into a player development machine. If you're winning, you're not going to have Kris Bryant equivalents available to you very often, but if you can consistently churn out good ballplayers, you have a lot of freedom and flexibility to make trades. While it would be ideal to have total balance between position players and pitchers, it doesn't really matter what you're developing if you're developing a lot of it. You can just trade from strength to cover the weaker areas.
I believe you are describing The Cardinal Way.
Hows that working after the Astros changed their passwords?
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Yu Darvish threw 45 pitches this week, and his arm didn’t fall off!
https://www.bleachernation.com/2019...in-arizona-45-pitches-and-looking-good-video/
https://www.bleachernation.com/2019...in-arizona-45-pitches-and-looking-good-video/
I’m a homer, I admit that. But, this is a year that you could see a jump in the rankings. Currently only Nico Hoerner is a top 100 prospect in most rankings. Some put Miguel Amaya in there. I can see up to 4-5 guys jumping up by mid season depending on injuries and progression.
I haven't seen many too high on the Cubs system but every year it seems guys come out of nowhere...cardinals seem to have that most years
The Cubs had Adbert Alzolay and Oscar de la Cruz in, IIRC, before injury and PED suspension, respectively. If they come back healthy/clean, they may resume "prospect status".
Unless I have been asleep or in a coma, Harper & Machado & whole crapload of FA's are still out there and we have P&C reporting. Free Agency is kind of a mess right now and I suspect this might lead to some sort of labor stoppage at the next CBA negotiations.
That is kind of the talk of free agency right now. I have seen quite a few players coming out and bashing the way free agency has gone. PLayers have to understand that owners don't want to sign these guys to huge contracts anymore. Which one has actually worked out? Pujuls, ARod, Cano, and others have not lived up to the contract in the end. Cheap at the beginning but horrible in the long run.
Which is fair but you gotta change arbitration and the even more ridiculous years before arbitration then. You cannot set up a system where players are paid nothing there first 5-6 years then refuse to pay them after that.
I’ll sum up today’s press conference.
1. Addison Russell is trying super hard and we are committed to seeing this through.
2. We didn’t sign any FAs. Deal with it.
3. Joe Ricketts is crazy.
1. Addison Russell is trying super hard and we are committed to seeing this through.
2. We didn’t sign any FAs. Deal with it.
3. Joe Ricketts is crazy.
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Harper turned down 300 million because his agent is greedy. This is on the players too.
I would consider a "mega deal" to be anything 7+ years that approaches $200M. A-Rod's deals actually were worth it despite all of his shenanigans.
The best one in recent memory is Max Scherzer. 7 years at $200M plus and has already been worth every penny. Zack Greinke's deal is okay, but it was signed by a team that can't spend to put anything around him.
Most of the data now tells you that mega deals to guys 30+ years old will not pan out.
Oh 100%...i wasn't blaming the owners. They are getting smarter with the money.
Oh great, signing up with Sinclair. Wondering how long it will take to get this network available on cable systems and dish?
The Chicago Cubs are teaming with Sinclair Broadcast Group to launch a regional sports network in February 2020 that will become the exclusive television home of the Cubs.
The Marquee Sports Network will air the full regular season schedule, expanded pregame and postgame coverage, classic broadcasts from the archives and other local sports programming.
It marks the end of more than 70 years of over-the-air broadcasts for the Cubs, and the beginning of an ambitious endeavor to sell cable and satellite providers on the value of the carrying the new regional network — no sure thing in an increasingly fragmented world of cable TV.
But if all goes according to plan and cable providers from Southwest Michigan to Iowa — Major League Baseball’s designated home broadcast turf for the team — agree to carry the new network, viewers will have no choice but to watch local Cubs games on pay TV
“We’ve been looking at this for a while,” said Crane Kenney, president of business operations for the Cubs. “We think the new network is going to give our fans unprecedented access and a richer, deeper connection to the team.”
Having their own channel will enable the Cubs to have all of their programming in one place, versus splitting the games between two broadcast stations — WGN-Ch.9 and WLS-Ch.7 — and sharing coverage with the Bulls, Blackhawks and White Sox on NBC Sports Chicago, formerly Comcast SportsNet, the regional sports network formed in 2004.
NBC Sports Chicago announced a multiyear media rights deal last month with the Bulls, Blackhawks and White Sox.
Change has been in the air for several years. The Cubs signed five-year deals with WGN and WLS after the 2014 season, with the plan of launching the regional sports network beginning in 2020. The team also ended its longtime national platform on WGN America after the 2014 season.
Part of the Cubs’ motivation is the potential of earning higher broadcast rights fees. “As those games come to cable, which is generally a more lucrative place for games to air, there’s an assumption that the team would benefit from that,” Kenney said.
But in the five years since the Cubs planted the seed of the regional sports network, the pay-TV landscape has changed dramatically, with cord cutting and skinny bundles squeezing the carriage fees cable companies are willing to pay for even sports, long the most valuable programming commodity.
That is where the Cubs’ partnership with Maryland-based Sinclair, the country’s largest TV station owner, comes into play. Sinclair owns 191 TV stations and the Tennis Channel, which gives it leverage in negotiations with cable and satellite providers such as Comcast, DirecTV and Dish.
Since acquiring the Tennis Channel in 2016 for $350 million, for example, Sinclair has doubled its reach to 60 million homes.
“We have strong relationships with cable companies and satellite operators,” said Sinclair’s president and CEO, Chris Ripley. “That is a key function we will fill here.”
Ripley expressed confidence in getting not only cable and satellite providers, but streaming services to sign up for the new Cubs network. Negotiations are underway, he said.
Bob Leib, a Wisconsin-based financial consultant to professional sports teams and owners, said sports broadcast rights continue to have value for teams, even as the media landscape shifts. The bottom line is viewers still want to watch the Cubs and most are willing to pay up to do so, he said.
“The fan subscriber's insatiable demand for game programming creates a built in tolerance for price increases,” he said.
Live sports programming traditionally charges the highest fees on pay TV, led by ESPN, which received an average of $7.46 per subscriber per month last year, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence.
NBC Sports Chicago received about $4.20 per subscriber per month last year, ranking 10th among regional sports networks, according to S&P Global.
Both ESPN and NBC Sports Chicago are expected to increase their fees to cable providers this year.
Ripley did not provide a per subscriber fee target, but said the new Cubs network will charge a competitive price to cable providers, and ultimately subscribers.
“The Cubs perform at the top end in terms of ratings and loyalty fan base,” Ripley said. “They will always fetch premium pricing for premium programming, and the market will ultimately determine what that price will be.”
Neither Ripley nor Kenney would disclose the economics of the network partnership agreement, but both Sinclair and the Cubs have a significant stake in its success, they said.
The Cubs represent Sinclair’s first foray in a regional sports network. Sinclair is also kicking the tires at Fox, which is divesting its regional sports networks as a requirement of its pending merger with Disney.
Last year, Sinclair saw its proposed $3.9 billion deal to buy Chicago-based Tribune Media crumble under scrutiny by the Federal Communications Commission over potential "misrepresentation or lack of candor" in its application.
The broadcaster also generated a lot of pushback over its conservative-leaning local news product.
Ripley said the Cubs network should be much less controversial.
“This is a totally different strategy and genre,” he said. “It’s sports, not news, so there won’t be any politics around this.”
Launching a sports network could provide a big return for the Cubs and Sinclair, but it’s not without its risks.
The Los Angeles Dodgers provide a cautionary tale with their own network, launched in 2014 with Time Warner Cable. SportsNet LA has paid off big for the team, earning a reported $8.35 billion over 25 years. But it remains unavailable in most Los Angeles homes after most cable and satellite providers balked over higher carriage fees. Charter Communications bought Time Warner Cable in 2016.
Still, cable providers need good programming, said Marc Ganis, president of Sportscorp, a Chicago-based sports consulting firm. “They desperately need compelling content to limit cord cutting,” he said. “Live sports generally and the Cubs specifically are vitally important in the effort to stop the bleeding of subscribers and remain relevant as delivery systems change.”
Kenney expressed confidence that Cubs fans will still have plenty of ways to watch the team.
“We expect to have more distribution with the new network than we have today,” Kenney said. “We feel pretty confident about the desire for our product.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/busi...r-regional-sports-network-20190212-story.html
The Marquee Sports Network will air the full regular season schedule, expanded pregame and postgame coverage, classic broadcasts from the archives and other local sports programming.
It marks the end of more than 70 years of over-the-air broadcasts for the Cubs, and the beginning of an ambitious endeavor to sell cable and satellite providers on the value of the carrying the new regional network — no sure thing in an increasingly fragmented world of cable TV.
But if all goes according to plan and cable providers from Southwest Michigan to Iowa — Major League Baseball’s designated home broadcast turf for the team — agree to carry the new network, viewers will have no choice but to watch local Cubs games on pay TV
“We’ve been looking at this for a while,” said Crane Kenney, president of business operations for the Cubs. “We think the new network is going to give our fans unprecedented access and a richer, deeper connection to the team.”
Having their own channel will enable the Cubs to have all of their programming in one place, versus splitting the games between two broadcast stations — WGN-Ch.9 and WLS-Ch.7 — and sharing coverage with the Bulls, Blackhawks and White Sox on NBC Sports Chicago, formerly Comcast SportsNet, the regional sports network formed in 2004.
NBC Sports Chicago announced a multiyear media rights deal last month with the Bulls, Blackhawks and White Sox.
Change has been in the air for several years. The Cubs signed five-year deals with WGN and WLS after the 2014 season, with the plan of launching the regional sports network beginning in 2020. The team also ended its longtime national platform on WGN America after the 2014 season.
Part of the Cubs’ motivation is the potential of earning higher broadcast rights fees. “As those games come to cable, which is generally a more lucrative place for games to air, there’s an assumption that the team would benefit from that,” Kenney said.
But in the five years since the Cubs planted the seed of the regional sports network, the pay-TV landscape has changed dramatically, with cord cutting and skinny bundles squeezing the carriage fees cable companies are willing to pay for even sports, long the most valuable programming commodity.
That is where the Cubs’ partnership with Maryland-based Sinclair, the country’s largest TV station owner, comes into play. Sinclair owns 191 TV stations and the Tennis Channel, which gives it leverage in negotiations with cable and satellite providers such as Comcast, DirecTV and Dish.
Since acquiring the Tennis Channel in 2016 for $350 million, for example, Sinclair has doubled its reach to 60 million homes.
“We have strong relationships with cable companies and satellite operators,” said Sinclair’s president and CEO, Chris Ripley. “That is a key function we will fill here.”
Ripley expressed confidence in getting not only cable and satellite providers, but streaming services to sign up for the new Cubs network. Negotiations are underway, he said.
Bob Leib, a Wisconsin-based financial consultant to professional sports teams and owners, said sports broadcast rights continue to have value for teams, even as the media landscape shifts. The bottom line is viewers still want to watch the Cubs and most are willing to pay up to do so, he said.
“The fan subscriber's insatiable demand for game programming creates a built in tolerance for price increases,” he said.
Live sports programming traditionally charges the highest fees on pay TV, led by ESPN, which received an average of $7.46 per subscriber per month last year, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence.
NBC Sports Chicago received about $4.20 per subscriber per month last year, ranking 10th among regional sports networks, according to S&P Global.
Both ESPN and NBC Sports Chicago are expected to increase their fees to cable providers this year.
Ripley did not provide a per subscriber fee target, but said the new Cubs network will charge a competitive price to cable providers, and ultimately subscribers.
“The Cubs perform at the top end in terms of ratings and loyalty fan base,” Ripley said. “They will always fetch premium pricing for premium programming, and the market will ultimately determine what that price will be.”
Neither Ripley nor Kenney would disclose the economics of the network partnership agreement, but both Sinclair and the Cubs have a significant stake in its success, they said.
The Cubs represent Sinclair’s first foray in a regional sports network. Sinclair is also kicking the tires at Fox, which is divesting its regional sports networks as a requirement of its pending merger with Disney.
Last year, Sinclair saw its proposed $3.9 billion deal to buy Chicago-based Tribune Media crumble under scrutiny by the Federal Communications Commission over potential "misrepresentation or lack of candor" in its application.
The broadcaster also generated a lot of pushback over its conservative-leaning local news product.
Ripley said the Cubs network should be much less controversial.
“This is a totally different strategy and genre,” he said. “It’s sports, not news, so there won’t be any politics around this.”
Launching a sports network could provide a big return for the Cubs and Sinclair, but it’s not without its risks.
The Los Angeles Dodgers provide a cautionary tale with their own network, launched in 2014 with Time Warner Cable. SportsNet LA has paid off big for the team, earning a reported $8.35 billion over 25 years. But it remains unavailable in most Los Angeles homes after most cable and satellite providers balked over higher carriage fees. Charter Communications bought Time Warner Cable in 2016.
Still, cable providers need good programming, said Marc Ganis, president of Sportscorp, a Chicago-based sports consulting firm. “They desperately need compelling content to limit cord cutting,” he said. “Live sports generally and the Cubs specifically are vitally important in the effort to stop the bleeding of subscribers and remain relevant as delivery systems change.”
Kenney expressed confidence that Cubs fans will still have plenty of ways to watch the team.
“We expect to have more distribution with the new network than we have today,” Kenney said. “We feel pretty confident about the desire for our product.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/busi...r-regional-sports-network-20190212-story.html
So the Cubs finally have unveiled their long-anticipated, much-discussed plan to start their own cable television channel.
The Cubs’ Marquee Sports Network will launch in partnership with Sinclair Broadcast Group in 2020.
What else can I tell you?
This is going to cost me, isn’t it?
Yep, but you knew that already. It’s a cable channel. The Cubs and Sinclair will negotiate carriage agreements with cable and satellite carriers such as Comcast, RCN, Dish and DirecTV, as well as streaming services available in the ballclub’s designated market,
Those sort of deals typically include a monthly fee charged year-round for each of a service’s subscribers — whether they watch the channel or not.
How much?
We don’t know yet. It could be in the range of $5 per subscriber per month, but that’s only informed speculation. Whatever the Cubs and Sinclair charge will be passed along to cable and satellite consumers.
Naturally. What if I’m a cable customer but don’t want to subscribe to a Cubs channel?
It probably doesn’t matter. Marquee will seek to be treated like ESPN, which is subsidized by all cable customers in their bills each month regardless of whether they watch it. Until actual deals are struck, however, no one knows for sure how it will play out.
That’s doesn’t seem fair.
That’s the TV biz these days. The media world has changed. Everything costs.
But baseball games on over-the-air TV don’t cost me anything if I use my digital antenna.
Good point. But you’re not going to see many Cubs games on over-the-air TV once Marquee launches.
What?
You’ll still get some Saturday regular-season games on Fox-32 as part of the broadcast network’s MLB national TV package. Apart from that, you’re out of luck because everything else will be on cable.
But WGN and …
After this season, the Cubs are saying WGN-9 and ABC-7 no longer will broadcast games. Games that aren’t in an exclusive window for one of MLB’s national partners, such as Sunday night on ESPN, will run on Marquee.
None of this sounds very fan-friendly.
The Cubs would argue a channel dedicated to the Cubs should be a fan fantasy, and in theory, the money from the channel could help pay for players and improve the team.
So this isn’t just something to make money for the Ricketts family.
I’m not their accountant. For all I know, proceeds could be earmarked for upgraded internet security to ensure family emails aren’t made public. They get to run the team the way they want.
What if I’m a cord-cutter and don’t subscribe to cable, satellite or some other service?
It’s possible Marquee may become available via live streaming for those who either don’t subscribe to cable or whose TV provider doesn’t come to terms on carrying the channel. It’s too early to know.
Wait, you’re saying my cable or satellite carrier might not pick up this service?
Don’t forget that’s a lot of money to add to people’s bills at a time when people are thinking about abandoning traditional cable and satellite TV for streaming services.
It’s not as though Marquee is the only channel out there. This may not be a slam dunk for the Cubs and Sinclair.
But there are a lot of Cubs fans.
True, and there will be pressure on service providers from those fans to pick up Marquee. Sinclair also is expected to try and leverage its nearly 200 local TV stations around the country as well as Tennis Channel to get deals done with cable and satellite providers. There still may be some holdouts, though.
Still, we’re talking about the Cubs.
In Los Angeles, they were talking about the Dodgers and that team’s channel asked – and continues to ask after two straight National League pennants – for a carriage fee high enough to cover the amount the channel has promised the ballclub. Plenty of carriers have balked, meaning fans across wide swaths of Southern California still do not have access to the bulk of the team’s games on TV.
Sinclair sounds familiar. Why do I know that name?
It’s the nation’s largest TV station owner. It’s a partner in Jerry Reinsdorf’s multi-platform sports network, Stadium, along with Tennis Channel.
I don’t think that’s it.
Sinclair has been mentioned among the bidders trying to purchase the Fox regional sports networks from Disney, which is being forced by regulators to sell the channels to gain approval of its $71.3 billion acquisition of 21st Century Fox entertainment assets.
Maybe. But I feel like it’s something else.
It pushes a lot of commentary with a conservative slant and failed in its bid to buy Tribune Media, the parent company of WGN-9 and WGN-AM 720, because what should have been a politically friendly Federal Communications Commission objected to what it saw as potential "misrepresentation or lack of candor" in the company’s application.
Bingo.
The Cubs have said Sinclair will have nothing to do with content, just distribution. Programming will come from the team’s in-house Cubs Productions.
Every indication is that current Cubs announcers Len Kasper and Jim Deshaies will remain in place. It’s expected there also will be roles for radio’s Pat Hughes and Ron Coomer.
Anyone else?
It is still a year away. Crane Kenney, the team’s president of business operations, told reporters at the Cubs Convention last month he expected it to be operational in time to carry all home spring training exhibition games next year.
What other programming will be on Marquee besides Cubs games?
The Cubs say there will be extensive pregame and postgame shows, archival games and other shows, as well as some other local sports for when it’s not baseball season. There probably will be biographical programs featuring old Cubs and programming highlighting ballplayers’ non-baseball activities.
Some saw the “talk show” Ryan Dempster hosted at the Cubs Convention – in which Kris Bryant called St. Louis “boring” – as a harbinger of a possible Marquee show for Dempster.
The Cubs also conceivably could cut a deal for, say, proprietary content from the Bears, though obviously not their games.
What happens to NBC Sports Chicago after this season?
With the end of its original 15-year deal in which the Cubs, White Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks have been equity partners, NBC Sports Chicago will relaunch with the White Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks as its main attractions.
Look for it to cover the Cubs extensively, but it will do so without games. And remember you’re already paying for that channel.
I miss the superstation. If I live outside the Cubs’ official MLB market, will I be able to get Cubs channel?
Kenney said at the Cubs Convention that the Cubs have asked permission to make their home TV feed available in neighboring areas. But he said MLB rejected the proposal even after other Midwest teams said they had no objection.
Knowing they have to sell this channel next season puts a lot of pressure on the Cubs to win this season, doesn’t it?
That’s for sure.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/spor...but-sinclair-what-to-know-20190213-story.html
The Cubs’ Marquee Sports Network will launch in partnership with Sinclair Broadcast Group in 2020.
What else can I tell you?
This is going to cost me, isn’t it?
Yep, but you knew that already. It’s a cable channel. The Cubs and Sinclair will negotiate carriage agreements with cable and satellite carriers such as Comcast, RCN, Dish and DirecTV, as well as streaming services available in the ballclub’s designated market,
Those sort of deals typically include a monthly fee charged year-round for each of a service’s subscribers — whether they watch the channel or not.
How much?
We don’t know yet. It could be in the range of $5 per subscriber per month, but that’s only informed speculation. Whatever the Cubs and Sinclair charge will be passed along to cable and satellite consumers.
Naturally. What if I’m a cable customer but don’t want to subscribe to a Cubs channel?
It probably doesn’t matter. Marquee will seek to be treated like ESPN, which is subsidized by all cable customers in their bills each month regardless of whether they watch it. Until actual deals are struck, however, no one knows for sure how it will play out.
That’s doesn’t seem fair.
That’s the TV biz these days. The media world has changed. Everything costs.
But baseball games on over-the-air TV don’t cost me anything if I use my digital antenna.
Good point. But you’re not going to see many Cubs games on over-the-air TV once Marquee launches.
What?
You’ll still get some Saturday regular-season games on Fox-32 as part of the broadcast network’s MLB national TV package. Apart from that, you’re out of luck because everything else will be on cable.
But WGN and …
After this season, the Cubs are saying WGN-9 and ABC-7 no longer will broadcast games. Games that aren’t in an exclusive window for one of MLB’s national partners, such as Sunday night on ESPN, will run on Marquee.
None of this sounds very fan-friendly.
The Cubs would argue a channel dedicated to the Cubs should be a fan fantasy, and in theory, the money from the channel could help pay for players and improve the team.
So this isn’t just something to make money for the Ricketts family.
I’m not their accountant. For all I know, proceeds could be earmarked for upgraded internet security to ensure family emails aren’t made public. They get to run the team the way they want.
What if I’m a cord-cutter and don’t subscribe to cable, satellite or some other service?
It’s possible Marquee may become available via live streaming for those who either don’t subscribe to cable or whose TV provider doesn’t come to terms on carrying the channel. It’s too early to know.
Wait, you’re saying my cable or satellite carrier might not pick up this service?
Don’t forget that’s a lot of money to add to people’s bills at a time when people are thinking about abandoning traditional cable and satellite TV for streaming services.
It’s not as though Marquee is the only channel out there. This may not be a slam dunk for the Cubs and Sinclair.
But there are a lot of Cubs fans.
True, and there will be pressure on service providers from those fans to pick up Marquee. Sinclair also is expected to try and leverage its nearly 200 local TV stations around the country as well as Tennis Channel to get deals done with cable and satellite providers. There still may be some holdouts, though.
Still, we’re talking about the Cubs.
In Los Angeles, they were talking about the Dodgers and that team’s channel asked – and continues to ask after two straight National League pennants – for a carriage fee high enough to cover the amount the channel has promised the ballclub. Plenty of carriers have balked, meaning fans across wide swaths of Southern California still do not have access to the bulk of the team’s games on TV.
Sinclair sounds familiar. Why do I know that name?
It’s the nation’s largest TV station owner. It’s a partner in Jerry Reinsdorf’s multi-platform sports network, Stadium, along with Tennis Channel.
I don’t think that’s it.
Sinclair has been mentioned among the bidders trying to purchase the Fox regional sports networks from Disney, which is being forced by regulators to sell the channels to gain approval of its $71.3 billion acquisition of 21st Century Fox entertainment assets.
Maybe. But I feel like it’s something else.
It pushes a lot of commentary with a conservative slant and failed in its bid to buy Tribune Media, the parent company of WGN-9 and WGN-AM 720, because what should have been a politically friendly Federal Communications Commission objected to what it saw as potential "misrepresentation or lack of candor" in the company’s application.
Bingo.
The Cubs have said Sinclair will have nothing to do with content, just distribution. Programming will come from the team’s in-house Cubs Productions.
Every indication is that current Cubs announcers Len Kasper and Jim Deshaies will remain in place. It’s expected there also will be roles for radio’s Pat Hughes and Ron Coomer.
Anyone else?
It is still a year away. Crane Kenney, the team’s president of business operations, told reporters at the Cubs Convention last month he expected it to be operational in time to carry all home spring training exhibition games next year.
What other programming will be on Marquee besides Cubs games?
The Cubs say there will be extensive pregame and postgame shows, archival games and other shows, as well as some other local sports for when it’s not baseball season. There probably will be biographical programs featuring old Cubs and programming highlighting ballplayers’ non-baseball activities.
Some saw the “talk show” Ryan Dempster hosted at the Cubs Convention – in which Kris Bryant called St. Louis “boring” – as a harbinger of a possible Marquee show for Dempster.
The Cubs also conceivably could cut a deal for, say, proprietary content from the Bears, though obviously not their games.
What happens to NBC Sports Chicago after this season?
With the end of its original 15-year deal in which the Cubs, White Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks have been equity partners, NBC Sports Chicago will relaunch with the White Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks as its main attractions.
Look for it to cover the Cubs extensively, but it will do so without games. And remember you’re already paying for that channel.
I miss the superstation. If I live outside the Cubs’ official MLB market, will I be able to get Cubs channel?
Kenney said at the Cubs Convention that the Cubs have asked permission to make their home TV feed available in neighboring areas. But he said MLB rejected the proposal even after other Midwest teams said they had no objection.
Knowing they have to sell this channel next season puts a lot of pressure on the Cubs to win this season, doesn’t it?
That’s for sure.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/spor...but-sinclair-what-to-know-20190213-story.html
Clearly the question will be can the Cubs extend coverage to neighboring markets, or will they piss this down their collective legs like the Dodgers did.
There'll be plenty of pretty disgruntled fans if they can't get nationwide cable and dish company carriage of the games!
It is pretty clear that the Cubs are aggressively working the media to get ahead of the coverage that Sinclair is a scummy company.
I'm pretty sure I've posted something like this somewhere in this thread, but if they replace the 7th inning stretch with a screed about immigration by Sebastian Gorka, then I'm out.
I'm pretty sure I've posted something like this somewhere in this thread, but if they replace the 7th inning stretch with a screed about immigration by Sebastian Gorka, then I'm out.
I wonder if this will change the local blackout restrictions though. If so, may help MLBTV quite a bit in those regions. Did not read the article of this was already covered in it.
The cubs asked mlb to extend the network beyond their rights area. They got permission from the teams in those areas but mlb said no.
When you're trading future all stars for rental closers and packaging another w/ a possible quality pitchers for a single decent pitcher, that isn't so easy.
Need to make much better trades when trading known talent!
Would be nice to know what offers they have received/turned down.
I still say we need to say screw it and sign harper and kimbrel to 2 year deals.
Yeah, it'll be really pricey....but it's not my money!!
#getmorerings
