To inaugerate this blog on an unfortunately negative note, I submit to you: MLB.com sucks the big one!!

I am currently living out of the US, so rather than penning a post entitled: "MLB.extra Innings Sucks," this will have to do. I subscribed to "Extra" Innings last season and if you're curious, Extra Innings sucks for one main reason: it never seemed to carry Mets-Yankers series. The service abruptly cuts out immediately after the game action, even if there is a post-game rap up. This smacks of nickle and diming. How can you call yourself "Extra"? A name change is in order, MLB, to MLB "Innings."

So this season, I paid $80 for MLB.com TV. Promised a wealth of spring training games, I think the Mets had like a grand total of 3 spring training games. Ok, water under the bridge--at least the streaming seemed to work, although the "five-minutes-of-archived game-until-6am-the-next-day-thing" really started to irk me. And I was a bit bothered that you had to pony up the cash before you could get any details on the "service"--but i was excited and desparate for mets baseball so reached into my wallet and paid the weasels.

So today I tune in to the archived Mets-Nats game, to enjoy the magic of opening day. BUFFERING...Wow Toothless Tom on the mound BUFFERING...hey is that Ron Darling talking or a moldy sponge BUFFERING...LoDuca! hold on to that glove BUFFERING...hey this didn't happen during spring! What in the name of Tim Teuffel is going on? BUFFERING...

So...

It has thus far taken me 2HOURS to get throught the first HOUR of the game. This is f**ing MLB. Tin cans on a m***f**** string.com" not TV. It freezes every 3 seconds. What gives MLB, what gives? Put this "service" on steroids like the rest of your products!!

And generally speaking:

1) Site navigation sucks out loud. period.

2) As is par for the course on the internet, the "help" section is almost useless; instructions of course refer to some other version of the dumbass media player.

3) One has to break a sweat finding the f**ing games after they are archived, as the "video" prompts often take you no where but a g*****d splash page trying to sell you the service you already have. see number 1 above.

4) I can't watch an archived game until 6am the next day? whats the deal? I can watch 5 minutes of commercials and mindless pregame babble ASAP, but I have to wait until the next day to watch the g***d game?

I saw a few comments on Metsblog to the effect that the MLB tv service was sucky in the beginning last season too. So dear reader, if you are there, please tell me your MLB.com experience--any hints for me to use? Does it get better? Any exchanges with "service" people? Any other frustrations?

And MLBtv.com if you're reading this, YOU SUCK!