Fewer Cardinals spring training telecasts in 2012

Note: The information in this article has been updated. For most up-to-date spring broadcast details, click here.

Apparently, other television networks across the Major League Baseball landscape – whether regional or national – are not particularly interested in seeing the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals this spring.

In spring training broadcast schedules posted at MLB.com, only two of the Cardinals’ eight spring opponents will be televising even one Florida contest with St. Louis. They are the New York Mets (three games) and the Houston Astros (one game).

While ESPN has already announced a slate of spring games, St. Louis is not scheduled to appear. MLB Network has not disclosed its plans, but last year, they did not originate new telecasts, instead picking up ones already covered by team-focused regional networks.

Further, two of those four Mets and Astros games with St. Louis are overlapping telecasts with the five Cardinals games tentatively planned by FOX Sports Midwest.

That leaves a bottom line of just seven unique Cardinals spring telecasts currently scheduled to be available on any channel. With a 28-game Florida slate for St. Louis, that is a mediocre .250 spring average (7 of 28).

To compare, last spring, almost one in every three Cardinals spring training games were available somewhere on television (10 of 31).

FOX Sports Midwest is doing its part, with an increase from three spring telecasts in 2011 to five this year. It is the rest of baseball that is giving the Cards the cold shoulder.

Larger market clubs televise more spring games. Even excluding ESPN and any opposing team broadcasts, the Phillies and Yankees have 17 spring games on their TV slate. The Mets have 15, Red Sox 13, Braves 10, etc. compared to St. Louis’ five.

Before the five Cardinals games on FS Midwest kick in, starting on March 17, the New Yorkers will be in the leadoff position. The first two Cardinals television appearances will be against the Mets on SportsNet New York (SNY), on March 6 and 13. The March 6 game will be very early in camp – game two of the Cardinals’ 28-game Florida slate.

Though their schedules have not yet been divulged, it is expected that both the home and away telecasts should be available via MLB.com’s subscription service (with appropriate blackout rules) and perhaps via your satellite provider (depending on your service packages). More details will be provided as they become available.

February 15 update: KMOX has announced its 16 Cardinals spring radio broadcasts, including the spring opener on March 5. The table below has been updated to reflect that.

I will add satellite TV and radio as well as MLB audio and video plans when disclosed.

St. Louis Cardinals 2012 spring training television schedule (as of February 15)

Day Date Opponent Location Time TV Radio
Monday 5-Mar Miami Marlins Jupiter 1:05 p.m. KMOX
Tuesday 6-Mar New York Mets Port St. Lucie 1:10 p.m. SNY
Wednesday 7-Mar Washington Nationals Viera 1:05 p.m.
Thursday 8-Mar Boston Red Sox Jupiter 1:05 p.m. KMOX
Friday 9-Mar Minnesota Twins Fort Myers 1:05 p.m,
Saturday 10-Mar Miami Marlins Jupiter** 1:05 p.m. KMOX
Sunday 11-Mar Washington Nationals Jupiter 1:05 p.m. KMOX
Monday 12-Mar Washington Nats (ss) Viera 1:05 p.m.
12-Mar Atlanta Braves (ss) Jupiter 1:05 p.m. KMOX
Tuesday 13-Mar New York Mets Port St. Lucie 1:10 p.m. SNY
Wednesday 14-Mar Houston Astros Jupiter 1:05 p.m. KMOX
Thursday 15-Mar Boston Red Sox Fort Myers 2:30 p.m.
Friday 16-Mar Miami Marlins Jupiter 1:05 p.m.
Saturday 17-Mar Detroit Tigers Lakeland 1;05 p.m. FSMidwest KMOX
Sunday 18-Mar Miami Marlins Jupiter 1:05 p.m. KMOX
Monday 19-Mar Atlanta Braves Buena Vista 1:05 p.m. FSMidwest
Tuesday 20-Mar Houston Astros Kissimmee 1:05 p.m. FSMidwest, FSHouston
Wednesday 21-Mar New York Mets Jupiter 1:05 p.m. KMOX
Thursday 22-Mar Washington Nationals Jupiter 1:05 p.m. FSMidwest KMOX
Friday 23-Mar Miami Marlins Jupiter** 1:05 p.m.
Saturday 24-Mar New York Mets Port St. Lucie 1:10 p.m. FSMidwest, WPIX NY KMOX
Sunday 25-Mar Minnesota Twins Jupiter 1:05 p.m. KMOX
Monday 26-Mar New York Mets Jupiter 1:05 p.m.
Tuesday 27-Mar OPEN DATE
Wednesday 28-Mar Detroit Tigers Jupiter 1:05 p.m. KMOX
Thursday 29-Mar Miami Marlins Jupiter** 1:05 p.m.
Friday 30-Mar New York Mets Jupiter 1:05 p.m. KMOX
Saturday 31-Mar Washington Nationals Viera 1:05 p.m. KMOX
Sunday 1-Apr Washington Nationals Jupiter 1:05 p.m. KMOX
Monday 2-Apr Springfield Cardinals Springfield, Mo. 6:10 p.m.
Times are local
** Cardinals road team
(ss) Split Squad

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