How do YOU watch the games from Portland (or nearby)?

by darmok on Mar 31, 2011 4:36 PM PDT

Down here in Portland, Oregon, we are big Mariners fans, but we have a problem. We're close enough to be blacked out from watching the games on MLB.TV, but far enough away so that we can't actually make it to the game every night. That is a mind-bogglingly stupid concept as far as my knowledge of blackouts is concerned. (I guess it's a cable TV thing, though, right?)

Anyway, I'd love to just pay for an MLB.tv subscription, but the games would be blacked out for me. I know someone could in theory get around that with a proxy (or even watch from some illegal online stream) but I've "heard" from a "friend" who's tried that that its tedious or slow or unreliable or never seems to work just right. I just want to be able to pay a little bit of money to watch the games, sort of like MLB.TV promises.

I'd love to go to Safeco every night, but can't make it there and back in time.

I see my options as:

-Get cable TV. I'd be getting it solely for the Mariners games. The problem is, the lowest package I can find with FSN (ROOT sports now?) is Comcast that's like $50 a month in addition to the internet price. I already used up my six month trial of the cheaper stuff :( I could mooch off of friends' cable, but none of my friends are into the Mariners enough to want to watch all the games.

-Go to the bar every night. This is kinda annoying and expensive and causes me to eat more rally fries than I would at safeco.

-The illegal things mentioned above which I'd rather not do for the above mentioned reasons.

It looks to me like I'm gonna end up spending 50+ bucks a month, either on cable TV, or on bar food, either way. That's more than I'd LIKE to spend, and more rally fries than I'd LIKE to have to eat.

So, fellow Portlanders (or anyone nearby with the same problem), what do you do? How do you watch the games?

Poll

What do you do?

Go to the bar

2 votes

Go up to Seattle

0 votes

Watch on ROOT sports

44 votes

Somehow watch it on the internet

13 votes

Amazing new option that I hadn't thought of! Please explain.

4 votes

63 votes | Poll has closed

Tweet Comment 46 comments | 0 recs |

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Comments

Can't vote since I'm not in Portland, or an area where it matters.

And I have FSN/ROOT Sports. But I would go to the bar. That way you’re only paying and eating if you actually watch the game, and don’t have to if you have other plans (like you wuld with cable or MLB.TV.

"This space for rent"

by Thingray on Mar 31, 2011 5:11 PM PDT reply actions

Find someone with cable who either does watch the Ms games or doesn't really use their cable

and slingbox it up

by Matthew on Mar 31, 2011 6:31 PM PDT reply actions

This is a cool idea.

Thanks.

by darmok on Mar 31, 2011 8:40 PM PDT up reply actions

Looks like I may be too late with my recommendation but

I can vouch for Slingbox as a great option. I live in Oakland and have a Slingbox set up on an extra tv at my in-laws house in Portland. I bought one for cheap from ebay and it was a breeze to setup.

by Jaymz! on Apr 4, 2011 8:15 AM PDT up reply actions

I live in Portland but I have cable so I can't really say "don't get cable"

the Mariners are really the only thing that makes me hang on to cable at this point. But I do watch a fair amount of games in bars.

by pdb on Mar 31, 2011 8:49 PM PDT reply actions

Speaking of which

Jimmimoose and I will be hitting up the Brooklyn Sports Pub if you have any interest with catching the game with us.

The user formerly known as Phildopip

by Phil Hatzenbuehler on Apr 1, 2011 7:39 AM PDT up reply actions

No can do tonight but i'd generally be up for such a thing

Long story but I won’t be watching opening night until about 9.30 tonight.

by pdb on Apr 1, 2011 7:52 AM PDT up reply actions

That's a right bummer.

The user formerly known as Phildopip

by Phil Hatzenbuehler on Apr 1, 2011 8:00 AM PDT up reply actions

In this case I'm OK with it actually but LLLJ so there's that

by pdb on Apr 1, 2011 8:35 AM PDT up reply actions

I'm in Portland and we got the cable package a year ago just so I could watch the Mariners

we’ve made it worthwhile by starting to watch a lot of other stupid shit on cable.

by Jeff Sullivan on Mar 31, 2011 9:04 PM PDT reply actions 3 recs

That's value for money right there

by pdb on Mar 31, 2011 9:43 PM PDT up reply actions

Yeah, I hope this doesn't happen...

I guess I need to choose between crappy other TV and unhealthy food, both of which I probably shouldn’t consume but totally will.

by darmok on Mar 31, 2011 10:15 PM PDT up reply actions

Clean House! Too Fat for 15!

The user formerly known as Phildopip

by Phil Hatzenbuehler on Apr 1, 2011 7:40 AM PDT up reply actions

You could get a satellite package that would be cheaper than cable

That should get you FSN cheaper than Comcast would do it.

Unfortunately, as a Ducks and Blazers fan as well as the M’s, this isn’t an option for me as CSN isn’t availiable on satellite.

--Dave

Addicted to Quack, your friendly, neighborhood Oregon Ducks blog

by David Piper on Mar 31, 2011 10:09 PM PDT reply actions

Thanks, I'll look into it.

I thought I’d looked into it and it was a comparable price, but I’ll check again.

by darmok on Mar 31, 2011 10:16 PM PDT up reply actions

yeah

looking at it again, its not really much cheaper after the intro price expires.

--Dave

Addicted to Quack, your friendly, neighborhood Oregon Ducks blog

by David Piper on Mar 31, 2011 10:23 PM PDT up reply actions

Plus, then you're either stuck with DSL and a phone line, or more expensive cable internet if you don't bundle it with Comcast.

The user formerly known as Phildopip

by Phil Hatzenbuehler on Apr 1, 2011 7:41 AM PDT up reply actions

I watch games from the Deschutes Brewhouse.

by Robert on Mar 31, 2011 10:12 PM PDT reply actions

The Timbers Army hangs out at the Bitter End, though

by pdb on Apr 1, 2011 6:53 AM PDT up reply actions

When we went there before the usoc game last year, there were 10 people in Sounders gear and none in timbers stuff.

by Robert on Apr 1, 2011 1:57 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions

that won't be a problem this year

by pdb on Apr 1, 2011 2:54 PM PDT up reply actions

I should explain that I was talking about Deschutes

I would never step foot in either Britter End or Tiki Bob’s

by Robert on Apr 2, 2011 12:28 PM PDT up reply actions

Aren't there stream sites?

by IlliniM on Mar 31, 2011 11:54 PM PDT reply actions

Streams are pretty few and far between for most M's games unless they're playing the Yankees or Red Sox.

by sanford_and_son on Apr 1, 2011 8:08 AM PDT up reply actions

I have yet to come across one either. Looks like another season of having to rely on LL and the MLB app radio feed.

by ThomasG on Apr 1, 2011 8:52 AM PDT up reply actions

Last year firstrow.net worked well for me as well as atdhe.net

I didn’t find the new site for atdhe.net but firstrow moved here http://www.firstrowsports.com/

by IlliniM on Apr 1, 2011 8:55 AM PDT up reply actions

Cool. I'll have to give this a look-see.

by ThomasG on Apr 1, 2011 8:58 AM PDT up reply actions

Here's the new ATDHE site

http://88.80.11.29/

Field Gulls

by Benne on Apr 1, 2011 10:28 AM PDT up reply actions

ATDHE is amazing, but like I said, M's games are rarely on there because they snag Euro feeds mostly and apparently Europe has no interest in the Seattle Mariners.

Aside from the handful of UK posters on LL, of course!

by sanford_and_son on Apr 1, 2011 10:39 AM PDT up reply actions

Thanks, I'll look at this one, too.

by darmok on Apr 3, 2011 9:14 PM PDT up reply actions

Thanks, I'll try this one.

by darmok on Apr 3, 2011 9:14 PM PDT up reply actions

If you are willing to use stream torrent you can usually find a stream

But at least from my experience the program is such a computer hog I have to restart my computer three times a game just because everything including the stream gets so slow.

Stats are not a euphemism for tits

by Trenchtown on Apr 2, 2011 9:59 AM PDT up reply actions

I'm in a similar situation, albeit in Idaho

Last year I paid for MLB At Bat, which gave me Niehaus on the radio every night. This year, I have cable. If you can stand Rick Rizzs, the radio broadcast is a nice supplement for whenever you can’t make it to a bar/illegal stream.

by yuniform on Apr 1, 2011 9:01 AM PDT reply actions

Yes, it would be hard to get by without this.

Luckily, all the games are broadcast on the radio here and I can always at least listen while looking at mlb gameday.

by darmok on Apr 3, 2011 9:15 PM PDT up reply actions

I would say that I have heard that proxies work ok for the most part but they are kind of complicated and are always down for a few weekend each season

by Poochie on Apr 1, 2011 9:07 AM PDT reply actions

I can’t confirm this at all, but I’ve been told that they block based on the credit card’s ZIP code. I don’t know if I believe that, because that’d essentially block everyone away at college, which is exactly who needs MLB.tv.

I’m in a similar boat here in SF. I’d love to dump cable, get a nice local ISP for Internet, and just buy MLB.tv, since I otherwise don’t really watch TV. But nope, I have to shell out like $70 to get both CSN Bay Area and MLB Network. Bah.

I have Croix de Candlesticks older than you.
goldengatebeerbars.com

by troymccluresf on Apr 1, 2011 3:48 PM PDT up reply actions

Gah, dammit.

Subject line. Sorry, y’all.

I have Croix de Candlesticks older than you.
goldengatebeerbars.com

by troymccluresf on Apr 1, 2011 3:54 PM PDT up reply actions

It is based on IP address

by Poochie on Apr 1, 2011 7:47 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

Yes, it's IP address

I was able to watch mlb.tv while away for college, even though I had registered it here.

by darmok on Apr 3, 2011 9:16 PM PDT up reply actions

I have a similar problem.

I’m visiting my parents in Kingston and they just got Dish Network. FSN used to be on channel 426 and now 426 has disappeared. I called Dish and they said that they were blocked out from watching this game.

Anybody have a similar problem?

by Double06 on Apr 1, 2011 12:59 PM PDT reply actions

Dish is awful

Get DirecTV. I will never go back to any other cable.

by basebliman on Apr 1, 2011 4:46 PM PDT up reply actions

Thanks all

After 6+ hours at the bar in the first two days I broke down and ordered cable. It was too frustrating dealing with streams last year and I’m glad I’ll have somewhere to be able to watch every game.

Thanks for all the input!

by darmok on Apr 3, 2011 9:17 PM PDT reply actions