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Loooooong time Cardinal fan, since I was a kid in the early 1960’s. I’ve lurked here reading posts for a long time and I honestly enjoy the readings and opinions. Some are a little crazy, some are quite insightful and travel down a route I never thought about. I’ve never posted here, but finally I’m so fed up with something I feel quite strongly about, that I’m going to post just so I can get this off my chest.
Bear in mind, I realize this is an MLB problem I’m squawking about, not a Cardinal organization problem, but I know from some quips here and there in this forum in the past that others feel this same way I do too and they’ll understand. Something has got to be done collectively, I just don’t know what. Mutiny? In today’s world, the only thing that seems to get action is when the dollars move elsewhere.To MLB:
Where is my Fan Duel televised ball game this Sunday that I already paid to see? I subscribe to Fan Duel thru Directv solely to see Cardinal baseball. It’s about the only way I can get it out here in the middle of the bean fields in central Illinois, so I get to pay all 12 months of a subscription to see 8 months of product. I’m OK with that, because I knew how it was going in to the deal. I’ve done these subscriptions for regional baseball since it’s inception, and they’ve held up their end.
But now, I keep finding out that the game of the day I should be able to watch on Fan Duel has been taken away and held hostage by some streaming service and I’m supposed to go find out how I can watch it and jump through some hoops to see it. This is not OK.I’m not going to participate in that business model. I already paid my money, and still do, to camp out in my comfy chair and watch a Cardinal game on my regular old TV, and I’m not jumping through more hoops to go find out where my game is, sign up for stuff, and then try to watch it on a small computer monitor screen. Bottom line is, you are not providing me with what I was promised and paid for, and from what I read elsewhere, this is not because Fan Duel or other regional sports networks didn’t want to carry these respective games, they are also having their programming highjacked by MLB, who sold them out to the streaming services for big dollars. The Apple deal was reportedly for 10 years at $560 million. I pity the regional advertisers of Fan Duel and others, they paid to have their ads on for every game to people in their own area, so I know I’d either be pulling my ads or asking for a refund.
I’ve written to MLB about this topic, both by email and even the old-fashioned way, went with snail mail once so they’d have to put it on public file, and I dared them to respond to my last letter I wrote just to see if anybody was actually reading it. They did respond via email…with a panned note telling me how I could sign up for a free look via Apple +. Thanks a lot, glad I wasted my time, stamp, and envelope for your AI generated response. We are now done.
Once this season is over, my time with TV subscriptions will be done, and I apologize to Fan Duel ahead of time for having to drop them. It’s not their fault. Our ancient phone line internet out here in the sticks is so flaky, it would be useless to try and switch over to stream games and continue on, and that’s why I went the Directv subscription route thru Fan Duel and previously with Bally Sports. It’s not cheap, but up until now, it was at least there when looked for. No complaints to them.So….I guess me and my 1972 pocket transistor radio are going to become friends again in 2026 and beyond if I want to stay up on Cardinal baseball. MLB will not get a piece of my subscription money any more.
Hello John Rooney and Ricky Horton!
If you have directv you must have easy access to Roku. You can watch the game today free without signing up for anything. I already checked. I’m older too, so I get what your beef is. But it’s only a game here and there. Old saying. Don’t cut your nose off to spite your face. And not to be mean, but nobody cares if you dtop the games. You only hurt yourself. So now that you’ve made your first post ever, come back and talk baseball with some pretty intresting characters.
Welcome, Pinballer. I share KCB’s sentiments. I hope you join the regular discussions here. As for today’s Roku game, that game thread here on this forum has a link to an article that explains how to see the telecast for free.
Pinballer i agree with you. In the end, as with most things, its about money not the fans. I had to go with a cable package sans dedicated sports channels this year and the fan duel package, while reasonable per game, is just too much to bother with. So ive learned to do without it, catch a game here or there on channels i have. Its actually kind of liberating to not being tied to a schedule. You will find other stuff to fill your time.
Baseball has been selling off games like this for as long as I can remember. Some games to Fox, some to ESPN, and I think all of ABC, NBC, and CBS have dipped their toes in that pool over the years. Roku is free just like many of those other carriers. I get the beef on Apple TV, but that’s like 2-3 games a year and that’s not really different than ESPN, which you also may not have paid for in the past. Basically, the names may have changed, but the system is still the same as it always has been.
I think Apple takes closer to 6 games a year but – point taken.
I still think it sucks though and the way they are spaced out throughout the season you would have to buy 3 or 4 months of Apple+ to see them all.
I purchase Extra Innings. I don’t get the Apple games and if the Cardinals are playing agsinst Cincinnati or Atlanta (home or away) I don’t get to watch the Cardinals broadcast I am stuck with the opponents broadcast but at least I can still watch the game.
The archaic regional broadcast rights system of MLB needs some work but it appears that no on can be bothered to change it.
I understand the frustration, but have a bit of a different take. Being an old guy like several of us here, I grew up on Cardinal baseball in the far reaches of central Wyoming, with my dad tuning in the games as best as he could get the 50,000 watt KMOX signal.
Some evenings the games came in great, others they would fade in and out with KFAB Omaha, at 1110 on the dial sometimes crowding in on KMOX at 1120. And of course day games were a no go, unless the Cardinals happened to be featured on the Saturday Game of the Week.
So now we get to 60 years later – unbelievable how fast 60 years can go – and we have all these high definition broadcasts with incredible technology to watch replays from multiple angles seconds after the play occured, among other things. Thus I look at it as being almost overwhelmed at home much Cardinal action I can see. Had this been available when I was a kid, I would have thought this must be what heaven is like.
Again, I understand the frustration when TV broadcasts are moved around, but really you are not paying for all 162 games. You are buying a “ticket” for maybe 150 games or so. But a 150 live, crystal clear television games compared to the old, crackling broadcasts – well, it is a wonder of modern technology.
Still, there is something charming about those days of youth. And as I have commented on here at times, I will still listen to Rooney & Horton on occasion. Especially day games when I like to get out on the bike, or work around the yard or just enjoy kicking back on the patio with a cold one.
And yes, welcome Pinballer, and please check in here when you can for some lively Cardinal banter. Hopefully you found a way to watch today’s game from the suggestions of fellow posters.
Welcome to the site Pinballer. I completely understand where you are coming from and agree to an extent, although I wouldn’t cancel my subscription because of it. I know broadcasts are much easier to get a hold of these days, but it is a product you are paying for an expect to receive it.
Roku games aren’t as bad as they at least put it on MLB TV, but the Apple TV games and ESPN ones are the worst as I’m not paying some other subscription fees to be able to watch some games. I understand your situation though that even streaming isn’t a good option with your internet options. I personally will never forgive Apple TV for broadcasting Pujols 700 HR game as I wanted to watch, but I couldn’t.
As for the multiple Roku suggestions to Pinballer, he said streaming is “useless” with his internet, so I don’t think that helps him.
BUT, if he could/would upgrade his internet, this I believe is the cheapest way. Probably a good deal cheaper than his current cable approach. Get MLB.tv and a TV that can receive internet directly or via HDMI from Roku, Firesick, Chrome, etc. (sounded like you don’t have TV with that capability either). The picture quality on a big screen TV is great. Geographic blackouts? No problem, use a VPN for just a few dollars. They screw you, screw’em back. There are significant discounts for MLB.tv. I’ve used the veteran discount in the past. Also, split the MLB.tv cost with a friend, relative, etc. You can stream on multiple devices, and live stream on two devices I think. Pay no attention to the fine print about not sharing it. Again, they screw you, screw’em back. The ads say I get to stream EVERY out of market game (for me the Cards are out of market), so the Apple games make them liars. Again, screw’em.
I personally will never forgive Apple TV for broadcasting Pujols 700 HR game as I wanted to watch, but I couldn’t.
Those games were predetermined. How are you made at apple for selecting a game they had no idea what was going to happen in? You want them to just drop the game against 2 playoff caliber teams? Lol would be a poor business decision to do that.
I’m more upset over the game time than Roku. That’s why I haven’t even tunes in yet. Will go on Roku with my fire stick and watch or if for some reason that doesn’t work I have other ways to watch. Lol
How are you made at apple for selecting a game they had no idea what was going to happen in? You want them to just drop the game against 2 playoff caliber teams? Lol would be a poor business decision to do that.
At the end of the day I personally don’t care a bit about Apple’s desires and profits. I as a fan wanted the opportunity to watch live. Pujols has been my favorite player (hence the name) and the magic of his final season was incredible. It was have been the cherry on the top to watch live.
Yeah, Albert, the Pujols 699 and 700 HR game was a veritable kick in the face to Cardinal fans who had followed and revered the all-time great slugger for his entire career. Something should have been set in place to allow for that game to be broadcast every time Albert took his turn to stand in the box. It could have been done. It’s done all the time for countless news and sporting events. The genuine reality is that fans were shown how little consideration they’re afforded by the guys who calculate the take at the net bottom.
The Apple games do stink. I remember the travails of 699/700 game well. You needed a “free” Apple userid to stream, but oddly Apple wanted your credit card info to establish a userid. I wasn’t going to do that. But then kept reading you didn’t need to give credit card info, but the route I was taking kept asking me for it. Finally I read about a way to “work around” the credit card stuff. It was an obscure way to do it, don’t remember details. Regardless, it was clear Apple preferred your credit card before establishing new userids. Anyway, I got to watch the historical game.
At some point later, Apple started requiring you to have Apple+ (plus) to watch their games. Costs money. Some people say just get a trial subscription, then cancel. You can do that only so often, so heck no. There are other ways if you’re motivated. 😉
It’s been several years, but I once had to jump through all kinds of hoops to cancel an MLBTV subscription after it was no longer needed. I can’t recall all of the details other than it took me at least an hour to navigate around all of the obstacles that those lousy grifters had set into place for the purpose of what seemed like an overt attempt to frustrate the subcriber and induce them to submit. I recall a long string of profanity during the process. Never again.
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