MLB Blackout

Ever since I've moved to the US I have wondered whether I'll ever get to see on TV the "Sorry for the Interruption" blackout that used to be common on Doordarshan back home in India. In fact, even in India, I never remember seeing such a blackout on any of the channels other than Doordarshan, but that could be because we got cable TV at home only after I passed out of IIT! Anyway, considering all the professionalism that the Americans are supposed to bring into everything they take up, I was just curious if this happens at all on the channels out here. The golden moment finally occurred today, and it turned out to be even more stupid than DD.

Basically, tonight's baseball game between the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets was supposed to be telecast on TBS beginning at 7pm. Instead, after the episode of Seinfeld that was showing from 6:30 completed, they put up a message saying "Due to MLB restrictions, today's game of the Braves vs. the Mets cannot be telecast on TBS". Well, that is a bit unusual, but nothing surprising. What shocked me was the rest of the message - "Regular programming will resume on TBS after the baseball game. Stay tuned!". What!!! Not only do they not show the game but instead of telecasting something else instead, they decide to have this message up throughout the duration of the game, and they expect viewers to stay tuned. The guys at TBS must have gone crazy. What is this strange restriction imposed by MLB anyway?! I hope it isn't a part of their rules that channels who don't have to rights to telecast a game cannot broadcast any other program as well while the game is on. :P They better improve their anti-doping policies instead because of which they got kicked out of the Olympics.

The US is much crazier land than I had imagined!

And, oh, Tiger shoots into the lead in the British Open in the first round itself. Way to go!

Cheers,
Harsha