If you live in the same city (or broadcasting area) as your favorite team, it is a breeze to keep up, if not rather time-consuming. Baseball is not football, with games on Sundays. Baseball games are on almost every night of the week, for six months. Following a team for every pitch is next to impossible, so don’t stress yourself out, or overload yourself at first. It is perfectly acceptable to keep up with daily box scores, and catch an inning here and there on TV or the radio.
Chix Tip: Baseball Chix recommends you print two copies of your team’s schedule from www.mlb.com or create your own. Post one at work and one at home; that way you always know when and where your favorite team is playing if you have a free moment to watch or listen to the games. If you are a local fan, nearly all of the games will be televised on a local channel, and on a local radio station. Out-of-town fans have to be a little more creative, and spend a little money.
Gameday Audio
For the best bang for your buck, we highly recommend Gameday Audio, the MLB radio program that lets you listen to every baseball game, from whatever broadcast you choose. It is inexpensive (less than $20 a season); you can follow your team (and the other 29 teams as well) anywhere you have a live internet connection.
XM Radio
In additional to the other obvious benefits of satellite radio (including the fact you may already subscribe), XM Radio offers the baseball package, so you can listen to your favorite team wherever you go. The only downside (and I would not be surprised to see this fixed soon), is that you have to listen to the home broadcasts of every game, so if your team is on the road, you won’t hear their announcers. This option is affordable; XM subscriptions are usually less than $20 a month.
MLB TV
Another feature available from www.mlb.com is MLB TV, which lets you watch baseball games on your computer. It is more expensive than the radio, and only works if you are out of the market area of the team you want to watch. Because this can often be random, be sure to double-check the zip code range before buying this service. The quality is increasing every year, and this is a great option if you have to see a team anywhere you have an internet connection (if you are not around your television).
Extra Innings (Cable)
For those fans who live outside of their team’s area (blackout rules apply), this is the feature for you! Baseball Chix highly recommends Extra Innings, which allows you to watch almost all televised games on your home TV! An additional last year was the ‘pick your feed’ option, so you can even listen to your home broadcasters. It is pricey (around $180 a season), but if you want every game, every day, this is the package for your TV! Chix Tip: If you order before the season starts, you usually get a discount of $20-$30 on the package, so be an early bird! If you want to try it out, the first week is usually free, and there is an additional free week after the All Star Break. Second half packages may come with a discount as well.
Direct TV baseball package
If you have Direct TV, no package is better for all of your baseball needs than this one. In addition to all of the features of Extra Innings, Direct TV comes with the new MLB channel (all baseball, all the time), the Strike Zone channel, where an announcer switches back and forth between all of the important moments of the games being played at that time (perfect for fantasy baseball), and the Game Mix, where you can watch up to eight games at the same time on the screen. It is pricey, but you get what you pay for. This is the premier baseball setup for any baseball house. Baseball Chix highly recommends.
Attending Games
No baseball fan is really complete until they have seen their team in person at least once. If your team is local, head out to the ballpark with some girl friends and share a martini over a great baseball game. If your team is not local, buy tickets for when they come into town, but remember, you’ll be rooting against the home team when you go to the game. Be sure to book a trip to their home park; check Baseball Chix travel tips for how to create your perfect girls’ baseball weekend!
Chix Tip: Baseball Chix recommends you print two copies of your team’s schedule from www.mlb.com or create your own. Post one at work and one at home; that way you always know when and where your favorite team is playing if you have a free moment to watch or listen to the games. If you are a local fan, nearly all of the games will be televised on a local channel, and on a local radio station. Out-of-town fans have to be a little more creative, and spend a little money.
Gameday Audio
For the best bang for your buck, we highly recommend Gameday Audio, the MLB radio program that lets you listen to every baseball game, from whatever broadcast you choose. It is inexpensive (less than $20 a season); you can follow your team (and the other 29 teams as well) anywhere you have a live internet connection.
XM Radio
In additional to the other obvious benefits of satellite radio (including the fact you may already subscribe), XM Radio offers the baseball package, so you can listen to your favorite team wherever you go. The only downside (and I would not be surprised to see this fixed soon), is that you have to listen to the home broadcasts of every game, so if your team is on the road, you won’t hear their announcers. This option is affordable; XM subscriptions are usually less than $20 a month.
MLB TV
Another feature available from www.mlb.com is MLB TV, which lets you watch baseball games on your computer. It is more expensive than the radio, and only works if you are out of the market area of the team you want to watch. Because this can often be random, be sure to double-check the zip code range before buying this service. The quality is increasing every year, and this is a great option if you have to see a team anywhere you have an internet connection (if you are not around your television).
Extra Innings (Cable)
For those fans who live outside of their team’s area (blackout rules apply), this is the feature for you! Baseball Chix highly recommends Extra Innings, which allows you to watch almost all televised games on your home TV! An additional last year was the ‘pick your feed’ option, so you can even listen to your home broadcasters. It is pricey (around $180 a season), but if you want every game, every day, this is the package for your TV! Chix Tip: If you order before the season starts, you usually get a discount of $20-$30 on the package, so be an early bird! If you want to try it out, the first week is usually free, and there is an additional free week after the All Star Break. Second half packages may come with a discount as well.
Direct TV baseball package
If you have Direct TV, no package is better for all of your baseball needs than this one. In addition to all of the features of Extra Innings, Direct TV comes with the new MLB channel (all baseball, all the time), the Strike Zone channel, where an announcer switches back and forth between all of the important moments of the games being played at that time (perfect for fantasy baseball), and the Game Mix, where you can watch up to eight games at the same time on the screen. It is pricey, but you get what you pay for. This is the premier baseball setup for any baseball house. Baseball Chix highly recommends.
Attending Games
No baseball fan is really complete until they have seen their team in person at least once. If your team is local, head out to the ballpark with some girl friends and share a martini over a great baseball game. If your team is not local, buy tickets for when they come into town, but remember, you’ll be rooting against the home team when you go to the game. Be sure to book a trip to their home park; check Baseball Chix travel tips for how to create your perfect girls’ baseball weekend!