mlb

MLB streaming games to iPhones

Major League Baseball has been on the cutting-edge of iPhone applications since it debuted the At Bat application at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in June 2008. At Bat delivers audio and video highlights, but not real-time games.

Wednesday, MLB.com is releasing a new product--live video streaming of certain baseball games for the iPhone and iPod Touch, with an eye toward providing the full slate of MLB games (some free, some presumably for an additional charge) over the next several months as the season progresses. The new offering is based on the upgrades coming in the iPhone 3.0 software that is being rolled out Wednesday.

There will initially be two games each day, chosen by MLB.com. (The games are subject to local blackout restrictions with Thursday's 2:20 p.m. game between the Chicago Cubs and White Sox the first to be streamed live.)

According to The New York Times, "the video will play regardless of whether an iPhone is connected to a Wi-Fi network or a 3G network. MLB.com says its servers will detect the strength of the phone's connection and adapt the quality of the video accordingly. (It should be interesting to see the quality of the video over AT&T's sometime spotty network.) The application also has DVR features, so users can pause and rewind live games from their device." … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 975: Beauty is in the eye of the Boholder 1000

We discuss a computer algorithm that can determine if photos are pretty or not. I guess hot or not is going out of business. We also look at the causes of the Google error and speculate on how Wolfram Alpha will be used.

Listen now: Download today's podcast Subscribe now: iTunes (audio) | iTunes (video) | RSS (audio) | RSS (video) EPISODE 975

Networking error caused Google outage http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10241126-93.html

International Energy Agency says CE is gobbling up energy faster than green measures can save it http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-GreenBusiness/idUSTRE54C4K420090514?sp=true http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2009/05/power-hungry-gadgets-endanger-energy-efficiency-gains.ars … Read more

MLB scores a tech patent

Of all the sports leagues, Major League Baseball has the reputation of being the most technologically savvy. On Thursday, MLB proved it by winning its first tech patent.

The league's digital unit, Major League Baseball Advanced Media(MLBAM), announced on Thursday that it was granted patent No. 7,486,943 for a system that helps determine a subscriber's geographical location. MLBAM oversees MLB.tv, the online video distribution service that streams live and on-demand games, and is widely considered to be the most successful subscription business on the Internet.

Pinpointing where a subscriber is located when he or … Read more

MLB site won't sell shirts honoring dead Angels pitcher

22-year-old Nick Adenhart, along with two others , was killed by an alleged drunk hit-and-run driver April 9. He had just started his first Major League Baseball game for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

This was the latest in a litany of tragedy that happens to have befallen this team and is referred to by some as "The Curse of the Cowboy," after original owner, actor, and "singing cowboy" Gene Autry.

After Adenhart's death, fans of the team were shocked and saddened. Many wanted to buy a customized shirt, with his name and number, as … Read more

NFL and Comcast try to chop-block each other

Negotiations between sports-governing bodies and TV channels are often rather beguiling.

While News Corp.'s Fox, for example, built the fourth network with the NFL its most sturdy pillar, other channels seem to fall in and out of favor.

Now Comcast, which owns some channels and controls a seemingly infinite amount of cable, is threatening to remove the NFL Network from every last strand of cable because it feels that the NFL is not quite playing ball.

Comcast has never liked the 70-cents-per-subscriber fee that the NFL charges for the its total football network, which occasionally shows a live game … Read more

CNET News Daily Podcast: Foursquare drives location-based apps buzz

Even though Google bought and subsequently shuttered niche mobile app Dodgeball early this year, the location-based apps category is going strong. Dodgeball's creator has a very similar follow-up product out that's gaining lots of buzz due to its debut at the SXSW conference last month. Foursquare, as this one is called, is a mobile app that helps people find old friends and make new friends while out on the town. CNET's Josh Lowensohn stops by to talk about the broader appeal of this newly popular category of mobile applications.

Also in today's podcast: the Conficker worm … Read more

Your 2009 baseball guide: 30 sites

Baseball season is finally here, so it's time we take a look at some of the best baseball resources across the Web. Whether it's fantasy sports, news, or statistics, you'll find all the best right here.

Fantasy baseball

BenchCoach: After you sign up for BenchCoach, it imports your fantasy baseball team and analyzes your roster. Once complete, it offers advice on how to improve the team. It even projects your success.

CBS Sports: CBS Sports' free Fantasy Baseball league provides real-time scoring and live chat. Its player news and stats features help you pick the right players for your team. It's highly-recommended if you want a full-featured, yet intuitive fantasy baseball league. Disclosure: CBS Sports and CNET are both owned by parent company CBS.

DraftHelp: DraftHelp gives you team depth charts to help you pick the right players in your fantasy draft. But its most useful feature is its "projected stats" tool, which tells you how well a player should perform for the year.

ESPN Fantasy Baseball: ESPN Fantasy Baseball Leagues are free. Users can create a public or private league. The tool's player news and stats come straight from ESPN.com. But beware: ESPN charges a fee for access to its in-depth news articles.

FantasyBaseballChamp: FantasyBaseballChamp provides users with real-time player rankings. Those rankings are based on how they're performing so far this year and how they should perform going forward. The site also has advice columns offering tips on who to add to your fantasy team. That said, don't consider it an ideal resource. It's a backup.

MLB.com: Major League Baseball's free fantasy baseball service is one of the simplest in this roundup. It boasts team management, stat tracking, and a league message board so team owners can communicate. That's about it.

ProFantasyBaseball: ProFantasyBaseball helps you pick the right players for your fantasy baseball team. Its "sleepers" section gives you information on players who might be off your radar but worth adding to your team. All the information is free.

RotoAuthority: RotoAuthority tells you who the top players are this year, based on current and projected performance. The site's blog is updated daily, providing guidance on who you should add to or drop from your team.

TG Fantasy Baseball: TG Fantasy Baseball offers basic player reports and depth charts. The site's Dollar Values tool tells you how many players at each position you should have on your roster. Its Projections tool gives you information on how well your players should perform during the season.

Yahoo Sports: Yahoo's fantasy baseball leagues are free, player information is always up-to-date, and the service's stat tracking is outstanding. But if you want a draft kit or scouting reports, you'll need to pay $9.99 and $14.99, respectively. Even though you'll have to pay for that information, Yahoo's fantasy baseball league is great. It's worth trying out.… Read more

Buzz Out Loud 946: OpenMoko is NoMo

Rafe and Molly take over the show today (because of travels by Tom and Natali) and, not surprisingly, geek out and argue a lot about things like FM radio transmitters. In the actual news, it's cell phone Monday with lots of talk about the spread of Android, the future of smartphone Internet apps, and the stupidity of illegally pirating a movie and reviewing it on Fox News. Oops.

Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 946

MLB’s Web video puts everyone else to shame http://www.businessinsider.com/baseball-crushing-everyone-at-web-video-2009-4

T-Mobile to use Google software in devices for home … Read more

To get drunk fan kicked out, text 513-381-JERK

Please make contact with that deep and joyous part of you that is passive-aggressive.

Yes, the part of you that wants to remove the man sitting and spitting in the seat in front of you at an NFL game, or the lady who is flipping everyone off at a baseball game (probably a Yankees fan). Yes, the part of you that doesn't want to get involved in finger gestures, f-words, or fisticuffs.

Rejoice, because the wonders of texting can now be brought to bear down on the miscreants of the sports arena. All you have to do is know … Read more