MLB Network marks one-year anniversary

Famous baseball birthdays on New Year's Day:

• Tim Keefe, testament to the endurance of baseball as the national pastime. Born in 1857, pioneer of the changeup, ranks 10th all-time with 342 wins from 1880-93. As a rookie in 1880, he fashioned an ERA of 0.86 in 105 innings -- still the record to date for a single season. Hall of Famer.

• MLB Network, testament to the endurance of baseball as the national pastime. Born this time last year with the largest launch in cable-television history in 50 million households. As a rookie in 2009, went on air with first public rebroadcast of Don Larsen's 1956 World Series perfect game and has not stopped talking baseball, except for commercials. A new fact of life for today's fan.

Happy birthday to the oldest and newest of institutions within Major League Baseball. Putting Keefe and MLB Network side-by-side in that way probably tells the story of the grand old game as well as any can. As a new decade now dawns, the game outlasts anyone who watches it, and just thinking about this past year with a 24/7 baseball network makes you appreciate that.

"I'm an MLB Network addict," said Josh Sternberg, a Yankees fan in Brooklyn. "I can't get enough of the old World Series games, and I loved the whole 'Baseball' documentary by Ken Burns that was broadcast. MLB Network means baseball is year-round."

That was the whole intention. Most everyone now knows that there is no such thing as an offseason in Major League Baseball. Whenever the World Series is finished, the topic simply switches to the Hot Stove banter that we have been enjoying each day for a while now.

In its first year, the Network filled one's TV screen with that kind of talk and more. It has been the place to watch "MLB Tonight" every night during the season for coast-to-coast, high-tech coverage featuring marquee studio personalities and dissecting all 30 clubs equally. It has been the place to watch Bob Costas sit down and chat at length with baseball figures from the past and present. It was a quantum leap for the First-Year Player Draft, conducted at the Secaucus, N.J., studios.

It was the live coverage of games, starting with the World Baseball Classic, Spring Training and then with Thursday Night Baseball games, including the first home game for the new Yankee Stadium. It was the Trade Deadline non-stop analysis and news. It was the vintage programming starting with the Larsen classic, combining the heritage and the hysteria of today. Whatever your favorite moments were on the Network in 2009, leave them in comments here.

"It was a great year. I'm proud of our start. It was a year of firsts," MLB Network CEO Tony Petitti said. "We had seven months to get ready and get on the air, and I felt we had really good quality right from the beginning. And from there, we just kept moving ahead through the entire season.

"What I'm really proud of is the 'MLB Tonight' show. To be able to do pretty much eight hours of live TV every night, capture all the games, bouncing from game to game, live look-ins ... I feel really good about our ability to create something that wasn't there before."

Sternberg summed up the sentiment of so many fans who followed as much of that programming as possible in 2009. Growing up in New York, he said, "I would listen to the radio while in bed and listen to Yankee games, much like my father did when he was growing up in the '50s, and now it's great that I can watch baseball whenever I want.

"Having a network devoted 24/7 to the American pastime is a fan's dream. I can keep one foot in the present with the great analysis of hot baseball topics and the current happenings of my favorite team and the rest of the league, while also having a foot in the past with great documentaries and games from previous decades. It's also a great way of learning about American history, as baseball is often on the forefront of societal change.

"The MLB Network is one of my default channels -- especially during times when there's nothing on regular network TV. I can always watch baseball."

Petitti said he was most surprised by a couple of things in the first year. One was the insatiable interest in history shows -- bucking a supposition that today's newer fans don't care much about the old-timers. The other was the intense interest in the Trade Deadline coverage. MLB Network and MLB.com went hand-in-hand, making it hard for you not to be tapped in.

"I think we did seven or eight hours of trade-day coverage this year," Petitti said. "We'll do more next year. People loved it."

Petitti also said to expect MLB's extensive video library to be used more frequently in the second year. For example, he said, "We're thinking about doing a series of shows with highlights of the last innings of every no-hitter ever thrown."

Of course, one of the biggest additions for Year 2 is going to be the familiar face of Peter Gammons. He left ESPN to join the Network and MLB.com as a regular. He will be immediately featured on the Network's nightly studio show "Hot Stove," and going forward will offer analysis and commentary on breaking news and special events like the Trade Deadline, First-Year Player Draft, Winter Meetings and postseason.

"It's hard to imagine a reporter who is more deeply associated with a sport than Peter is with Major League Baseball," Petitti said. "Having Peter associated with MLB Network is an incredible opportunity and another great step for MLB Network as we head into our second year.

"This is an important step for us. Part of Peter's responsibility will be to generate content for us and come up with programming ideas. We'll be developing programs for Peter. This will be a great outlet for all of his expertise."

The anticipation will be even greater in the second year, but now is also a time to think back to how it all began on that night of New Year's Day in 2009. Commissioner Bud Selig went on air from his office to introduce fans to a new way of baseball life. Then how purely fun it was to watch Larsen's perfect game in that unique way, through the lens of old, with those antiquated and innocent shaving-cream commercials in between.

It was not long after that when MLB Network was breaking down Mark Buehrle's perfect game -- the following July. So many things happened to help shape what the Network has become, and in so many ways, the Network itself has reshaped the way fans live the game.

"It was a combination of anxiety and nerves," Petitti said, recalling his feeling just before the launch a year ago. "Then, all of a sudden, we were powering up, we were on the air -- and it all came together really incredibly clean.

"So people who tuned in from the very beginning saw something that had the feel of something that had been on-air for a long time, something that already had a national feel to it. Which was great because, like with anything new, the people who find you first are also the roughest critics with the highest expectations."

Ryan Maloney, a Cubs fan in New York, said it changed his baseball world and he cannot wait to see what is next.

"Having MLB Network 24/7 has been an amazing resource, as it practically puts the viewer in the Commissioner's Office with their timeliness in breaking news and updates surrounding the game," Maloney said. "Having MLB Network on 24/7 has provided younger viewers with an opportunity to allow historic-game footage to serve as the face of the biggest names of baseball past.

"[It's] a great way to allow fans of all ages to truly appreciate what makes the game of baseball the great game it has developed into today and the people that have contributed to our country's favorite pastime along the way. The days of getting your baseball news from boutique sports news stations ended a year ago, the day MLB opened its specialty shop in the MLB Network."

Byrd to fill Cubs' hole in center field

CHICAGO -- For the second straight offseason, the Cubs have signed an outfielder from the Texas Rangers, but this should be a better fit.

On Thursday, the Cubs inked free agent Marlon Byrd to a three-year, $15 million contract to fill their gap in center field. The deal is backloaded so Byrd will be paid $3 million in 2010, $5.5 million in 2011 and $6.5 million in 2012.

"When I knew I had the opportunity to become a Cub, I was really hoping this would be my landing ground," Byrd said.

Byrd, 32, batted .283 last season with the Texas Rangers and set personal highs with 20 homers and 89 RBIs. He'll be reunited with hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo, who signed this offseason with the Cubs. Jaramillo helped sell Byrd to the Cubs.

"We knew he was a good guy," general manager Jim Hendry said of Byrd, about whom the Cubs inquired prior to the 2008 season. "He plays very hard and fans are going to like that. He comes to play every day, doesn't want days off and gives you 110 [percent]. When Rudy told us about the other things he brought to the table, it enhances his reputation even further."

That sounds the opposite of Milton Bradley, the other Rangers outfielder whom the Cubs signed to a three-year deal prior to the 2009 season. Kosuke Fukudome had switched from right to center to make room for Bradley, but he will go back to right field now that Bradley has been traded to the Seattle Mariners after a tumultuous year in Chicago, which ended with a 15-game suspension.

"I haven't talked to [Bradley] as far as baseball," Byrd said of his former teammate. "He said it was tough. We tried to go over things as far as what was going on with his swing. The big thing about me and Milton is we have a relationship off the field. I love Milton Bradley. I'm a little biased when it comes to him. I think he's a great guy. I'm going to talk to him today about coming here. I'm sure he's happy to start in another place, get a fresh start and try to put things in the past."

The Cubs are happy to move on.

"Since the day we hired Rudy, he came to the [organizational] meetings and was passionate about his belief in Marlon and that he would be the right guy," Hendry said. "[Jaramillo told us] don't worry about right-handed or left-handed and that his defense had been underrated in the past. Rudy had a strong influence on us and the way we thought."

With the addition of Byrd, the Cubs are very right-handed, but Hendry pointed out that's how the lineup was in 2007, when the team won 97 games and the National League Central.

The outfield options the Cubs have from the left include Sam Fuld and Micah Hoffpauir. Hendry mentioned that Jeff Baker also could play some outfield. Signing Byrd most likely means free agent Reed Johnson, a right-handed hitter, will not return.

Byrd has benefited from playing in Texas and has posted a .522 slugging percentage at home compared to .414 on the road in the last three seasons. In 2009, he batted .282 at home with a .538 slugging percentage, compared to .285 on the road with a .419 slugging percentage.

He said he simply felt more relaxed at home, being around his family, and that his numbers were not a product of the ballpark.

"The park situation can be overrated at times," Hendry said. "I think a lot of people felt that way when Mark DeRosa came out of Texas. You've got the best hitting coach in baseball who believes it finally clicked with Marlon in the last year or two and that it will continue over the next three, four years. That's what we went by in the end is Rudy's belief that the player finally got it and it clicked."

What did Jaramillo do to get Byrd on the right track?

"Rudy teaches five steps," Byrd said, "and going over the five steps, I was missing about four of them. He basically implemented the four and made me start trusting in myself and believing in myself."

Byrd was drawing interest from other teams, and some reports listed the Braves, Angels, Yankees, Mariners, Mets and Giants as possible suitors. He wanted to stay in Texas, but the Rangers did not offer a multi-year deal.

Finding a center fielder has been an issue for the Cubs. Byrd will be the sixth different Opening Day starter in the last six years.

As far as defense goes, Byrd credited former Cubs outfielder Gary Varsho with teaching him the basics and moving him to center. Gold Glover Gary Pettis also worked with Byrd as did Andruw Jones, who helped as far as reading a hitter's swings.

"Being out there every single day really helped," Byrd said.

Hendry still has some tweaks to make, including finding an experienced right-handed reliever and some backup help for the bench.

Seeing 2010: Storylines abound in new year

There is nothing better than 2010 vision.

It means you can see: the flight of an Albert Pujols home run from the moment it comes off the bat; the glimpse of a Mariano Rivera cutter as it eludes another abject failure of a swing; the gliding blur of Jacoby Ellsbury stealing second, third and home; the takeoff of Torii Hunter as he goes up and over a wall to bring back a potential home run.

Possessing this Major League Baseball acuity, a fan can see it all. Possibly the only better vision would be that of a Hawk, such as White Sox broadcaster Ken Harrelson or Hall of Fame candidate Andre Dawson. Let's test out this 2010 vision now with 10 storylines to watch, and feel free to test your own by commenting below on the year to come:

Roy Halladay vs. Cliff Lee. There is always a possibility they could pitch against each other -- either at the 81st All-Star Game at Anaheim or in the 106th World Series -- but this is really a question of which former Cy Young winner involved in that recent megadeal will pay off the most. Lee is back in the American League with Seattle, and Halladay leaves his 146-76 Toronto history behind and joins the reigning National League champs. These kinds of deals tend to be measured best in the long run rather than in the first year, but it was the first time multiple Cy winners went in a multideal trade, and it means there will be intense scrutiny every step of the way.

See you at Target Field, and bring blankets. There will be some brisk days in Minnesota, but whatever. Hearty Twins fans cannot wait to see outdoor baseball again, and in a gorgeous new ballpark. What will be most interesting is seeing how the Twins themselves conform to the new, real-grass setting. This has been a club that seems to always compete, and it was built indoors. Goodbye, Metrodome.

The Stephen Strasburg Show. He was drafted No. 1 overall last June by the Nationals, riding a level of hype and expectation (see: contract) never seen among top picks. Now it is time to put potential to the test. Will he break Spring Training as a member of the Nationals' rotation? Will it be easier to do so on a club that had the National League's worst record the last two years? Will he sell tickets? Is he 100 percent after suffering a minor injury at the end of the Arizona Fall League?

Joe Girardi's jersey. The Yankees' manager wore No. 27 in 2009, and his club won its 27th World Series title. Girardi is upping the jersey number to 28 in 2010 for that very reason, even forcing newcomer Curtis Granderson to forego his No. 28 in favor of 14. The Yankees were the last club to repeat back in 1998 to 2000, and now they are in position to do it again. Competitive balance is greater now than it was a decade ago, so it figures to be even harder. The champs have done some tinkering, not only adding Grandy, but also trading Melky Cabrea for Javier Vazquez in a five-player swap.

Pujols finishes The Best Decade Ever. The Cardinals' first baseman enters his 10th season, and that will complete the best first decade of Major League service by a position player. Bring on Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Willie Mays, Joe DiMaggio and anyone else in Cooperstown you can think of, it doesn't matter. Pujols has reached at least (and generally far above) a .300 average, 30 homers and 100 RBIs each time. He has finished in the top four of NL MVP voting every year but 2007 (ninth). He has won basically everything you can win, on and off the field. The Triple Crown is his theater now, because in 2009 he finished in the NL's top three for home runs (47), third in RBIs (135) and third in batting (.327).

Cubs, cont'd. The question must be asked every year until they finally win their first World Series title since 1908. So we'll ask it again. Will "next year" finally be the year? Now that they are under new ownership with the Ricketts family, does top leadership have an influence? Do odds have to eventually fall in their favor? If you are tired of dealing with this question at the start of every single year without fail, then tell it to the Cubs.

Chris Coghlan just keeps hitting. The Marlins had the NL Rookie of the Year in 2009, as Coghlan led all of MLB with the most hits in the second half of the season. He finished with 162 total hits in just 128 games, like it was no big deal. We'll be watching to see whether he picks up where he left off and goes right into All-Star outfield consideration. Other guys we can't wait to see continue to blossom include Braves right-hander Tommy Hanson (11-4, 2.89 ERA, 116 strikeouts in 21 starts); A's closer and AL Rookie of the Year Andrew Bailey (26 saves, 0.88 WHIP); and Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen (74 runs, 124 hits, 12 homers, 54 RBIs, 22 steals in just 108 games).

April with Zack. If this April is anything like last April, then get out of Zack Greinke's way. When you dissect his 2009 Cy Young season, what jumps out most is what he did before May even arrived. Greinke was 5-0 with an 0.50 ERA, 44 strikeouts to eight walks, and only two earned runs allowed -- both in his fifth start. Best time to get him as a hitter is in July, when he was 0-3 last summer. Can this guy get even better, and can the Royals help him become a 20-game winner? One amazing thing about his Cy is that he did not even win half of his starts.

Alex Rodriguez and the 600 Home Run Club. It is projected to happen in the Subway Series: June 19 at Yankee Stadium against the Mets. Rodriguez -- now free of the postseason-pressure yoke -- enters the season with 583 homers. His first long ball of 2010 he will pass Mark McGwire for eighth place on the all-time list.

AL West changing of the guard? Seattle and Texas are two of three active franchises never to have reached the World Series (also Washington, nee Montreal). Chone Figgins went from the Angels to Mariners, the Angels lost John Lackey to Boston, Lee was traded to Seattle, and Texas returns an offensive powerhouse and 17-game-winner Scott Feldman on a club that stayed in the hunt late last season.

Jays eye Chapman in private workout

TORONTO -- Earlier this offseason, general manager Alex Anthopoulos said the Blue Jays did not have enough background information to get seriously involved in the bidding for free-agent left-hander Aroldis Chapman.

Toronto has apparently been doing its research.

According to a report on ESPN.com on Friday afternoon, the Blue Jays held a private workout for the highly touted Chapman on Thursday in Florida. Following that session, the Jays reportedly met with the left-hander's representatives, Houston-based agents Randy and Alan Hendricks.

The Hendricks' presence in Florida could indicate that a team may be nearing an agreement with the 21-year-old Chapman -- a native of Cuba. The A's and Angels also emerged as bidders for Chapman this week.

Anthopoulos could not be immediately reached for comment.

The Yankees and Red Sox are also believed to have serious interest in Chapman, who pitched in front of roughly 14 teams in early December in Houston. Anthopoulos has previously noted that the Blue Jays had scouts in attendance for that workout.

It is believed that Chapman could command a contract worth between $20-25 million. In November, Boston reportedly made an offer of $15.5 million for Chapman, who was represented by agent Edwin Mejia at the time.

Toronto has increased its scouting and player-development departments under Anthopoulos, who has gained approval from ownership to pour more funds into those areas. In late October, though, Anthopoulos wasn't sure that the Blue Jays could get seriously involved in talks with the young pitcher.

"We don't have enough background and scouting looks to make a proper offer," Anthopoulos wrote in an e-mail at the time. "Going forward, these will be the types of things we will be more proactive with. I think the way the Red Sox pursued [Daisuke Matsuzaka] is a great model. They were doing homework on him for years."

Chapman pitched for Cuba in the 2009 World Baseball Classic this past spring and was 0-1 with a 5.68 ERA in two games. He pitched 6 1/3 innings and allowed six hits and four walks while striking out six. He left the Cuban team in July during an international tournament in The Netherlands.

Anthopoulos is scheduled to get married on Saturday before heading to Hawaii for his honeymoon. Under the circumstances, it is not clear how close the Blue Jays might be to announcing a potential deal with Chapman, if one were going to come to fruition.