The Boys of Summer

Televised sports used to be the compromise when someone couldn't get to a game or get tickets in time. Of all the sports, perhaps baseball has the most romanticized place in our hearts. Maybe it's the fact that the season runs during the most beautiful months of the year or maybe it's the way the game moves between laid-back, entertaining action to edge-of-your-seat moments that can decide a game. Whatever makes it work so well, baseball has always been and likely always will be one of the most beloved professional sports.

Satellite television has gone out of its way to cater to sports fans. Sports packages allow the very dedicated among their number to follow their favorite sport game by game until its exciting championship tournaments, and beyond. If you're looking to the next best thing to stadium seats on a warm summer evening and hot dogs from a vendor, satellite knocks it out of the park.

MLB Extra Innings is a subscription package offered by satellite carriers. It allows you to watch out of market games so that, no matter where you happen to live, the team of your choice is always available to watch. For those who have the strong home team loyalty that tends to characterize baseball fans, this is a great way to make sure that every game you watch matters to you on a personal level.

With the number of channels available, even the regular lineup offers great analysis valuable to any baseball fan. The best known sports stations are all available, along with their many variations, which makes certain that there is always a knowledgeable voice to offer context to the latest happenings on the field.

The picture quality is digital, of course, as we are talking about satellite. High definition broadcasts offer a whole new dimension to the game, as well. The clarity of picture makes it incredibly easy to follow the action; to see the slightest movements that may betray a player's intention to steal a base or bunt. It also makes the most intense, fast moving action much easier to interpret on the screen. Viewed side by side, high definition and standard quality broadcasts are readily apparent as being very different from one another. The video quality makes the experience of watching any sport much more enjoyable than it has been in the past.

If your sports tastes span a wide range of games instead of just one, there are many other packages from which one might choose. Even sports such as cricket and soccer have their own packages available to subscribers. If your home team happens to lie across oceans, satellite makes it possible for you to watch all of their games as if you were there. In the event that there is a scheduling conflict, some satellite tuners allow you to record more than one program at a time. Some also allow split screen viewing, which enables viewers to check in on one game while watching another!