Note: The information in this article has been updated. For most up-to-date spring broadcast details, click here.
Apparently, other television networks across the Major League Baseball landscape – whether regional or national – are not particularly interested in seeing the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals this spring.
In spring training broadcast schedules posted at MLB.com, only two of the Cardinals’ eight spring opponents will be televising even one Florida contest with St. Louis. They are the New York Mets (three games) and the Houston Astros (one game).
While ESPN has already announced a slate of spring games, St. Louis is not scheduled to appear. MLB Network has not disclosed its plans, but last year, they did not originate new telecasts, instead picking up ones already covered by team-focused regional networks.
Further, two of those four Mets and Astros games with St. Louis are overlapping telecasts with the five Cardinals games tentatively planned by FOX Sports Midwest.
That leaves a bottom line of just seven unique Cardinals spring telecasts currently scheduled to be available on any channel. With a 28-game Florida slate for St. Louis, that is a mediocre .250 spring average (7 of 28).
To compare, last spring, almost one in every three Cardinals spring training games were available somewhere on television (10 of 31).
FOX Sports Midwest is doing its part, with an increase from three spring telecasts in 2011 to five this year. It is the rest of baseball that is giving the Cards the cold shoulder.
Larger market clubs televise more spring games. Even excluding ESPN and any opposing team broadcasts, the Phillies and Yankees have 17 spring games on their TV slate. The Mets have 15, Red Sox 13, Braves 10, etc. compared to St. Louis’ five.
Before the five Cardinals games on FS Midwest kick in, starting on March 17, the New Yorkers will be in the leadoff position. The first two Cardinals television appearances will be against the Mets on SportsNet New York (SNY), on March 6 and 13. The March 6 game will be very early in camp – game two of the Cardinals’ 28-game Florida slate.
Though their schedules have not yet been divulged, it is expected that both the home and away telecasts should be available via MLB.com’s subscription service (with appropriate blackout rules) and perhaps via your satellite provider (depending on your service packages). More details will be provided as they become available.
February 15 update: KMOX has announced its 16 Cardinals spring radio broadcasts, including the spring opener on March 5. The table below has been updated to reflect that.
I will add satellite TV and radio as well as MLB audio and video plans when disclosed.
St. Louis Cardinals 2012 spring training television schedule (as of February 15)
| Day | Date | Opponent | Location | Time | TV | Radio |
| Monday | 5-Mar | Miami Marlins | Jupiter | 1:05 p.m. | KMOX | |
| Tuesday | 6-Mar | New York Mets | Port St. Lucie | 1:10 p.m. | SNY | |
| Wednesday | 7-Mar | Washington Nationals | Viera | 1:05 p.m. | ||
| Thursday | 8-Mar | Boston Red Sox | Jupiter | 1:05 p.m. | KMOX | |
| Friday | 9-Mar | Minnesota Twins | Fort Myers | 1:05 p.m, | ||
| Saturday | 10-Mar | Miami Marlins | Jupiter** | 1:05 p.m. | KMOX | |
| Sunday | 11-Mar | Washington Nationals | Jupiter | 1:05 p.m. | KMOX | |
| Monday | 12-Mar | Washington Nats (ss) | Viera | 1:05 p.m. | ||
| 12-Mar | Atlanta Braves (ss) | Jupiter | 1:05 p.m. | KMOX | ||
| Tuesday | 13-Mar | New York Mets | Port St. Lucie | 1:10 p.m. | SNY | |
| Wednesday | 14-Mar | Houston Astros | Jupiter | 1:05 p.m. | KMOX | |
| Thursday | 15-Mar | Boston Red Sox | Fort Myers | 2:30 p.m. | ||
| Friday | 16-Mar | Miami Marlins | Jupiter | 1:05 p.m. | ||
| Saturday | 17-Mar | Detroit Tigers | Lakeland | 1;05 p.m. | FSMidwest | KMOX |
| Sunday | 18-Mar | Miami Marlins | Jupiter | 1:05 p.m. | KMOX | |
| Monday | 19-Mar | Atlanta Braves | Buena Vista | 1:05 p.m. | FSMidwest | |
| Tuesday | 20-Mar | Houston Astros | Kissimmee | 1:05 p.m. | FSMidwest, FSHouston | |
| Wednesday | 21-Mar | New York Mets | Jupiter | 1:05 p.m. | KMOX | |
| Thursday | 22-Mar | Washington Nationals | Jupiter | 1:05 p.m. | FSMidwest | KMOX |
| Friday | 23-Mar | Miami Marlins | Jupiter** | 1:05 p.m. | ||
| Saturday | 24-Mar | New York Mets | Port St. Lucie | 1:10 p.m. | FSMidwest, WPIX NY | KMOX |
| Sunday | 25-Mar | Minnesota Twins | Jupiter | 1:05 p.m. | KMOX | |
| Monday | 26-Mar | New York Mets | Jupiter | 1:05 p.m. | ||
| Tuesday | 27-Mar | OPEN DATE | ||||
| Wednesday | 28-Mar | Detroit Tigers | Jupiter | 1:05 p.m. | KMOX | |
| Thursday | 29-Mar | Miami Marlins | Jupiter** | 1:05 p.m. | ||
| Friday | 30-Mar | New York Mets | Jupiter | 1:05 p.m. | KMOX | |
| Saturday | 31-Mar | Washington Nationals | Viera | 1:05 p.m. | KMOX | |
| Sunday | 1-Apr | Washington Nationals | Jupiter | 1:05 p.m. | KMOX | |
| Monday | 2-Apr | Springfield Cardinals | Springfield, Mo. | 6:10 p.m. | ||
| Times are local | ||||||
| ** Cardinals road team | ||||||
| (ss) Split Squad |
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“AL teams more easily can gamble long term on corner players such as Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder because they have the DH to fall back on as the players age. The only two contracts in excess of $150 million ever given to NL players are for athletic, middle-of-the-diamond stars Matt Kemp and Troy Tulowitzki.
“Because of the DH, it is apparent NL clubs cannot sign top offensive players beyond 5-6 years,” an NL GM said.
Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/more_sports/yanks_bosox_no_longer_only_top_tier_t1zHRjGaI2FwGUQR6nPUYI#ixzz1mIeHlXrX
It may be more of a curse. It seems like AL teams end up wasting a lot of money on those big long term deals for sluggers.
Yet one more in a long list of reasons why MLB should standardize the designated hitter rule one way or another across both leagues.
Thanks for sharing, bb.
I know you said “excess of 150m”, but Braun’s contract(s) is 150m, or a hair above. Signed through 2020 after his extension 10months ago.
8/45
5/105.
Agreed, it’s rather rare to see those contracts in the senior circuit.
Where will Roy Oswalt land?
He must want big bucks and its not clear anyone will want to give him $10MM.
The Red Sox can give him a starting slot, but at a low salary and Roy may not want to pitch in little Fenway. The Rangers have a lot of other pitchers. The Reds could give a pitching slot, but Uncle Walt is not going to dole out $10MM.
The Cards are not going to hand out $10MM either, and would need to trade another pitcher but finding another team to shoulder more salary right now would not be easy. Meanwhile, we landed Linebrink, giving still more pitching depth.
Even though Oswalt is a good pitcher, there are not a bunch of easy fits available for him.
Note the spring KMOX radio dates have been added to the table above.