A short while back, baseball fans sat back and waited for the big game of the week.
Following This Week in Baseball, the Saturday afternoon broadcast featured two of the all-time greats - Joe Garagiola and Vin Scully - on the microphones.
Apart from this, there might be two or three games of the hometown team on TV that week and that would be that.
It would be a gigantic understatement to say that baseball fans today have many more options.
Here is how to follow the entire season on satellite TV.
1.
Get to know the MLB Network.
America's Pastime has finally gotten its due with a twenty-four hour, baseball-only network.
You'll get top-notch analysis, insider reports from Bob Costas, highlights of all the action and live look-ins of games taking place everywhere when you tune in to the MLB Network.
They also cherry-picked two of the best personalities from ESPN: Harold Reynolds and Hall of Famer Peter Gammons are both on board.
If you haven't seen what this HD network is serving up, you are missing some of the best baseball coverage out there.
2.
Cover all the bases with MLB Extra Innings.
If you really want to follow the sport like the ultimate fan, the MLB Extra Innings package is the way to go.
Beaming in games all day and all night via your satellite TV connection, this package will solve the dilemmas of the out-of-market fan and the ever-so-curious observer.
If you have been missing the inimitable Vin Scully, check out some of the Dodgers games, as the old pro is still at it - working alone - after all these years.
Or, you can head back East and check in with the Evil Empire, to see what the Yankees are cooking up in the House That George Built.
3.
Revisit the game of the week.
Games of the week are no longer on NBC and no longer have Vin and Joe on the mike, but the Fox Saturday afternoon games are more than adequate.
With Tim McCarver and Joe Buck calling the action, the games are never boring.
To add some of the latest reports, senior baseball reporter Ken Rosenthal is always in the wings (or dugout) with some news to relate.
4.
Spend your lazy Sundays with ESPN.
The languor of Sunday evenings in the summertime has no comparison.
Baseball fans know how their week is going to end with the terrific Sunday night broadcast on ESPN HD networks.
With Joe Morgan doing the commentary and Jon Miller the play-by-play, you have an odd couple to close out your week.
Tim Kurkijan offers analysis from the stadium as well.
5.
See what TBS has to offer.
It's well-known that Ted Turner loves baseball and, as part owner of the Atlanta Braves, has insisted every Braves game be televised nationally.
Fans are used to this, but the TBS HD network is now also doing national games of different teams.
Their great broadcasting team is a welcome addition to the field.
Following This Week in Baseball, the Saturday afternoon broadcast featured two of the all-time greats - Joe Garagiola and Vin Scully - on the microphones.
Apart from this, there might be two or three games of the hometown team on TV that week and that would be that.
It would be a gigantic understatement to say that baseball fans today have many more options.
Here is how to follow the entire season on satellite TV.
1.
Get to know the MLB Network.
America's Pastime has finally gotten its due with a twenty-four hour, baseball-only network.
You'll get top-notch analysis, insider reports from Bob Costas, highlights of all the action and live look-ins of games taking place everywhere when you tune in to the MLB Network.
They also cherry-picked two of the best personalities from ESPN: Harold Reynolds and Hall of Famer Peter Gammons are both on board.
If you haven't seen what this HD network is serving up, you are missing some of the best baseball coverage out there.
2.
Cover all the bases with MLB Extra Innings.
If you really want to follow the sport like the ultimate fan, the MLB Extra Innings package is the way to go.
Beaming in games all day and all night via your satellite TV connection, this package will solve the dilemmas of the out-of-market fan and the ever-so-curious observer.
If you have been missing the inimitable Vin Scully, check out some of the Dodgers games, as the old pro is still at it - working alone - after all these years.
Or, you can head back East and check in with the Evil Empire, to see what the Yankees are cooking up in the House That George Built.
3.
Revisit the game of the week.
Games of the week are no longer on NBC and no longer have Vin and Joe on the mike, but the Fox Saturday afternoon games are more than adequate.
With Tim McCarver and Joe Buck calling the action, the games are never boring.
To add some of the latest reports, senior baseball reporter Ken Rosenthal is always in the wings (or dugout) with some news to relate.
4.
Spend your lazy Sundays with ESPN.
The languor of Sunday evenings in the summertime has no comparison.
Baseball fans know how their week is going to end with the terrific Sunday night broadcast on ESPN HD networks.
With Joe Morgan doing the commentary and Jon Miller the play-by-play, you have an odd couple to close out your week.
Tim Kurkijan offers analysis from the stadium as well.
5.
See what TBS has to offer.
It's well-known that Ted Turner loves baseball and, as part owner of the Atlanta Braves, has insisted every Braves game be televised nationally.
Fans are used to this, but the TBS HD network is now also doing national games of different teams.
Their great broadcasting team is a welcome addition to the field.