M's fan moving to San Francisco

by InSpokane on Dec 7, 2007 10:03 AM PST

Since there is not a whole hell of lot going on, I thought I would throw these questions out there for any other bay area M's fans. My wife and I are moving from Spokane to San Francisco this spring. Which will be cool because I'll actuality get so see more games. Though it will not get to watch at Safeco, but the trek to Oakland will not be that bad.

First question: Are there many M's fans in the Bay area?

Second questions: is there a cable package where I can buy FSNNW to watch the rest of the games, or will I have to buy MLB T.V.?

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My advice?

Watch out for the cornhole.

I overvalue prospects

by Thingray on Dec 7, 2007 10:07 AM PST reply actions

ha ha

by InSpokane on Dec 7, 2007 10:11 AM PST up reply actions

Seriously though,

I see Fox Sports SW and other regional channels in my menus all the time, I'd guess they'd be available with the right cable package.

I overvalue prospects

by Thingray on Dec 7, 2007 10:13 AM PST up reply actions

good point

also I wonder how it would work to hook my lap top up to my LCD t.v. and just watch the games on MLB TV

by InSpokane on Dec 7, 2007 10:18 AM PST up reply actions

I made the same mistake.

It would depend on how new your laptop is and if you bought a TV with the right adapter. I can't remember what the adapter is called, but I know that not all new HDTVs have it yet.

I'm just going to have to buy cable this spring.

Refuse to progress!!

by Double06 on Dec 7, 2007 10:24 AM PST up reply actions

DVI?

I'm certain that a laptop (or, even better, a Mac Mini), with dedicated video memory, and a DVI port (provided the LCD/Plasma has a DVI input) would produce outstanding video quality.

"I restore a sense of childlike wonder to people's lives; you give them Zunes and Vista." -- Fake Steve Jobs to Borg employees

by PositivePaul on Dec 7, 2007 12:22 PM PST up reply actions

and for

the non-computer types DVI. is the regular monitor hookup?

by InSpokane on Dec 7, 2007 2:53 PM PST up reply actions

DVI is newer

VGA sorta looks like an old joystick port. Here's a good image that shows three different types of video connections. All's it's missing is an RCA jack (yellow -- to connecting to a VCR) and the newer HDMI (for connecting to an HDTV):

"I restore a sense of childlike wonder to people's lives; you give them Zunes and Vista." -- Fake Steve Jobs to Borg employees

by PositivePaul on Dec 7, 2007 3:16 PM PST up reply actions

thank you

now I will go home and check both my LCD TV and my lap top.

will the DVI handle HD? if so I wont have to go out and buy an HDDVD player.

by InSpokane on Dec 7, 2007 3:22 PM PST up reply actions

Technically...

DVI is for a digital video signal, and is generally used for high-res computer monitor signals (the Apple HD Cinema displays, for example, receive their signal via DVI). HD-DVDs, I'm guessing, use the HDMI output. But I'm not sure your laptop would have the codec to play an HD-DVD. I'm not really an expert at HD stuff, though, so I could be wrong...

"I restore a sense of childlike wonder to people's lives; you give them Zunes and Vista." -- Fake Steve Jobs to Borg employees

by PositivePaul on Dec 7, 2007 3:32 PM PST up reply actions

DVI can handle HD

but it is obsolete, older HDTVs have them.

Actually mlbtv will look close to tv quality on an old fashioned SDTV, but it will probably look like shite on a newer LCD HD.

"Goddamn Romans. Sure know how to make a ... drum room." --Matt Cameron

by JI on Dec 7, 2007 5:18 PM PST up reply actions

This is right

Make sure you go for the premium quality feed though.

by Robert on Dec 7, 2007 7:00 PM PST up reply actions

Yes, HQ feed is a must and well worth the $$$.

"Goddamn Romans. Sure know how to make a ... drum room." --Matt Cameron

by JI on Dec 7, 2007 7:59 PM PST up reply actions

And with mlbtv you can use proxies to watch

blacked out games, so there are 1,000,000 reason to chose it over EI.

"Goddamn Romans. Sure know how to make a ... drum room." --Matt Cameron

by JI on Dec 7, 2007 8:00 PM PST up reply actions

I do this at home

and it works pretty well - the only hitch is that not every mlb.tv broadcast is in HD, so sometimes the resolution's not the best. It's definitely watchable, though, and probably cheaper at $10 a month than Comcast with digital and the sports tier.

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Dec 7, 2007 10:24 AM PST up reply actions

How pixilated is it?

I was considering selling my TV and getting a new one before the season started.

Refuse to progress!!

by Double06 on Dec 7, 2007 10:26 AM PST up reply actions

Depends

Static shots, like the pitcher waiting to pitch, aren't too bad. Fast action like double-plays can be fairly pixilated. I also have an older computer, though, with a not-very-sophistamacated graphics card which I need to upgrade; if you have a powerful machine with fast graphics support it's probably better.

It's not bad enough that I stop doing it, but it is definitely noticeable.

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Dec 7, 2007 10:40 AM PST up reply actions

I just bought a laptop.

The graphics card isn't exactly top of the line but if you say your older computer makes the picture pretty good I'm going to look into it further for sure.

Refuse to progress!!

by Double06 on Dec 7, 2007 11:09 AM PST up reply actions

Those channels are in nearly everyone's list...

however, you can only view them when you have the sports package. The other issue is that even though you may have the sports package, MLB will black them out except for certain zip codes which correlate to the MLB blackout code.

by ppl4life on Dec 7, 2007 10:35 AM PST up reply actions

There may not be a lot of M's fans...

...but I hear there are a lot of fans of the "back door slider".

by dminutive on Dec 7, 2007 10:20 AM PST up reply actions

Oh, I get it. Like sodomy. Funny!

by Slozbury Stouvre on Dec 7, 2007 11:45 AM PST up reply actions

I'm an M's fan in Berkeley

And I have Comcast. Couldn't find anything about non-local baseball coverage other than the MLB Extra Innings Package, which is like two hundred bucks more and doesn't even guarantee every single game I don't think. I'm going to get MLB.tv for next season, and I generally just try to go to as many games as I can when the Mariners come into Oakland. Can't beat BART access to the Coliseum!

by windknot on Dec 7, 2007 10:23 AM PST reply actions

To see games on Comcast or DirecTV

you have to buy the Extra Innings package. I think DirecTV does carry the regional channels like FSN Northwest, but live major league baseball would be blacked out on that channel.

For most teams, I would say about 110-120 games per year are shown on EI. A few of the games not carried by EI would be shown here locally as A's local telecasts or Fox national telecasts. More often than not, EI shows the home team's broadcast, so for a Seattle at Boston game you would be getting Orsillo and Remy.

Welcome to the Bay Area. I hope you realize what you are getting into regarding housing prices. This is a long, long way from Spokane in that regard.

A's fan, living in Oakland

by Soaker on Dec 7, 2007 10:41 AM PST reply actions

yeah

we are selling a cool old (1909) remodeled 2300 sqft house with granite counter tops, bambo floors, slate tile and a huge back yard for 200K. We've been looking around and at first the little sticker shock almost scared us off. So we'll rent at around about 3,000 k a month for a year then buy something.

by InSpokane on Dec 7, 2007 11:28 AM PST up reply actions

I'm an M's fan living in San Francisco

Last year, I went with MLB.tv, but I'm pretty sure there's a cable package that lets you get FSN Northwest. I know for a fact they offer it on DirecTV, but I'm not sure about Comcast. I went with MLB.tv because it meant being able to watch any other game and not having to worry about accidentally catching glimpse of Angie Mentnik, or whatever the constantly pregnant man-beast is called.

by Slozbury Stouvre on Dec 7, 2007 11:41 AM PST reply actions

Berkeley Resident

I'm a starving grad student so I really haven't looked into it. MLBtv is probably the best way to go cause its gonna be cheaper. The worst part is that the football schedule is horrible. You get to see the 49ers and Raiders all the time cause they black out non local games when either of them play. It wouldn't be so bad if they didn't suck so much.

Oh and Giants fans suck. A's and Raiders fans are usually pretty good but usually aren't the brightest. I went to one raiders game and it was so much fun. The fans are crazy. A's games are good and you can get cheap tickets plus the BART makes it super easy to get to the games. Wedsday afternoons was $2 tickets and $1 hot dogs which is tough to beat. The scalpers also usually have decent deals.

Where are you actually gonna live? SF would be pretty cool to live in. If you are gonna live in the East bay be careful. Some of the places are either dangerous (Oakland and Richmond are in top 10 dangerous cities) or really lame (super suburbia).

by Edgar for Pres on Dec 7, 2007 12:07 PM PST reply actions

we are hoping for

the north west part of San Fran. the closer to Golden gate park the better or Sausalito

by InSpokane on Dec 7, 2007 2:47 PM PST up reply actions

I have a friend in that area of SF

and it is very nice.

by Edgar for Pres on Dec 7, 2007 3:05 PM PST up reply actions

Be careful ...

The weather in that area can really suck - try to stay east of the Presidio. The Inner Sunset is a very cool area of town, but the summers there are terrible. I live in Pac Heights - very nice (if a bit overpriced) area that avoids the worst of the weather.

Depends what you want. If you want a taste of the nightlife and younger area, stay west of the Presidio and norht of Market. If you want cute neighborhood, couple-land, try Noe Valley or south of the Haight.

You'll fall in love with San Francisco though. I'm a Seattle native and I don't think I'll ever come back.

by jerryreeder on Dec 7, 2007 5:06 PM PST up reply actions

Maybe Cole Valley

It's like the Haight Ashbury area, without the drugs and bums.

Near the end (panhandle) of Golden Gate Park.

Sunny, not incredibly expensive.

The nearby "N" line goes all the way from the beach to SBC park via market street.

Willie Bloomquist > Gary Bettman

by Jake In Palo Alto on Dec 7, 2007 7:48 PM PST up reply actions

grad school

What are you studying? I'm a first-year law student. Hoping to catch the M's in Oakland next year...

by CalNoah on Dec 7, 2007 3:03 PM PST up reply actions

Chem Eng

by Edgar for Pres on Dec 7, 2007 3:05 PM PST up reply actions

Lotsa fans down here

but it's not like we have picnics or anything. We nod politely to each other at A's games.

And yeah, I think mlb-tv is your best bet.

by Paytheline on Dec 7, 2007 1:50 PM PST reply actions

maybe we'll

Have to put together a lookout landing night

by InSpokane on Dec 7, 2007 2:45 PM PST up reply actions

That's a pretty big switch.

Jose Vidro (DH - Ms) was arrested today in an Idaho Bathroom for having a wide stance and sucking.

by CapSea on Dec 7, 2007 2:08 PM PST reply actions

it is.

by InSpokane on Dec 7, 2007 2:47 PM PST up reply actions

Hopefully the culture shock will be a positive.

Jose Vidro (DH - Ms) was arrested today in an Idaho Bathroom for having a wide stance and sucking.

by CapSea on Dec 7, 2007 3:20 PM PST up reply actions

I think will

I have visitied a few times and really enjoyed my self.

by InSpokane on Dec 7, 2007 3:37 PM PST up reply actions

If I could afford it

I think San Francisco is the only other place in the US I would not mind moving to at the moment. I'm also debating Vancouver, Canada, since it is basically Seattle except without the US Government.

There may be a few other places in the US I wouldn't mind, but I can't think of them offhand.

Jose Vidro (DH - Ms) was arrested today in an Idaho Bathroom for having a wide stance and sucking.

by CapSea on Dec 7, 2007 3:40 PM PST up reply actions

I found the differences between

Seattle and the bay area is pretty minor. The weather is a little better though.

by Edgar for Pres on Dec 7, 2007 4:01 PM PST up reply actions

That was my thought actually.

I like it in Seattle. I don't have much reason to leave.

Jose Vidro (DH - Ms) was arrested today in an Idaho Bathroom for having a wide stance and sucking.

by CapSea on Dec 7, 2007 4:02 PM PST up reply actions

Well...

A few more feel-able earthquakes, and as expensive as houses are in Seattle, they're even moreso in SF. My cousin lives there and is tired of things being so bloody-hell expensive, but otherwise enjoys the hell out of it (and he does make a sh*tload of cash doing what he does, so...).

"I restore a sense of childlike wonder to people's lives; you give them Zunes and Vista." -- Fake Steve Jobs to Borg employees

by PositivePaul on Dec 7, 2007 4:13 PM PST up reply actions

My rent would be 2-3x for a place in SF

compared to the place I had in Seattle if the quality was held constant. Its expensive.

by Edgar for Pres on Dec 7, 2007 4:56 PM PST up reply actions

Actually ...

Rent isn't too far off from Seattle anymore. Maybe 1 1/2 times more, but not really beyond. Everything else ... is expensive. But worth it.

Oh, and living in San Francisco is a LOT different than living in Seattle. Living in Oakland or Berkeley is actually a lot like Seattle.

by jerryreeder on Dec 7, 2007 5:10 PM PST up reply actions

Hmmm.

If you're going to Sam Clam's Disco, be sure to wear your flowered underwear!

"I restore a sense of childlike wonder to people's lives; you give them Zunes and Vista." -- Fake Steve Jobs to Borg employees

by PositivePaul on Dec 7, 2007 2:18 PM PST reply actions

Welcome

I'm from Palo Alto, the city that Stanford University is in. My dad was born in Mercer Island but went to Stanford, thus my location.

The Mariners fans at the A's games are there. there isn't too much animosity, more of a shared experience of ineptitude.

Currently, I'm listening to a San Jose Sharks game. By far the best franchise in the Bay Area right now. Give them a try. Hockey rules. Your former city is ailing without an NHL team, and the Canucks suck.

Willie Bloomquist > Gary Bettman

by Jake In Palo Alto on Dec 7, 2007 7:43 PM PST reply actions