This weekend, as with every weekend in the baseball season, those that have MLB Extra Innings will find their screens blank. You’ve paid your bill. You purchased the package thinking you’d at least be able to use it every day.

Welcome to MLB’s blackout policy.

While you can catch a game on FOX, TBS, and ESPN this weekend, those are available to everyone (TBS games means you have to have cable to see). Paying for Extra Innings… well, no such luck during the weekends.

There are also the local blackout restrictions to go with weekend blackouts, as well.

With that, we’re running this post to allow you to tell your story. More than one club reads the site daily. So does MLB, the MLBPA, and MLBAM.

Post your story, and please… no diatribes.

Post your comments here.

MORE ON MLB's BLACKOUT POLICY

• Back in Black: Extra Innings and MLB.TV Blackouts
• On Baseball Prospectus: Not Quite Catching All the Action
• Blackout Issues Could be Addressed
• Extra Innings: Blackouts Lifted on Padres/Phillies

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• NBA Extends Digital Archiving Deal. Plans to Eventually Archive All 400,000 Hours of Film - The Biz of Basketball
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  Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus, and is available as a freelance writer.

  Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.

Comments (9)

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Blacked OUT in Milford
written by Tim Olenski, September 13, 2008

Red Sox fan here. Seems like no one is listening. The Red Sox Network (NESN) Cable Vision (CABLE COMPANY) or MLB. The Local Red Sox area line is drawn on the NEW Haven County in connecticut. whiscg is where milford is, we should be gettting Red Sox games on out local cable . We Dont. Our cable providers office is in Bridge port conecticut FAIRFIELD COUNTY! Which means we dont get local games. We get blacked out of ESPN broadcasts. Which means we get to see the Red Sox only when they play the Yankees. The only games we get are National broadcasts. I still cant understand why MLB blacks out my zip code from Red Sox games. we dont have a local network here providing the Red Sox. MLB must think we do. Is someone going to let them know.

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Blacked Out in Tallaha*see, FL
written by Drew G, March 13, 2009

I was born on Long Island, and grew up a Mets fan in South Florida. Last season, I got the Extra Innings package so that I could watch my Mets throughout the final year of Shea. The Mets opened the season in Miami, AN 8-HOUR DRIVE from Tallaha*see, and it was blacked out for me, despite the Marlins networks (FSN Florida, SUN Sports) not carrying it in Tallaha*see. Then, and here's where I began breaking things, the season finale, a game to forget, but the final one ever at Shea, was Marlins @ Mets in Queens, NY. The game was shown on TBS, but was blacked out in Tallaha*see because FSN had exclusive broadcast rights in Florida. BUT, FSN in Tallaha*see was showing FSU WOMEN'S SOCCER, so it was not there. I turned to my Extra Innings package and GOT NOTHING...BLACKED OUT. So, I pay extra for cable, to get TBS and FSN, and both black out the game for me. Then, I pay a ton extra to get Extra Innings, and get blacked out there, too. All because the state of Florida is considered to all be one zone.

Tallaha*see to Miami is the distance equivalent of Buffalo to NYC (actually, Tally to Miami is an hour LONGER than that), is 2 HOURS FURTHER APART than San Francisco and Los Angeles, and is the exact equivalent of San Fran to San Diego. Why I'm blacked out for Marlins games when the station that shows them operates differently in Tallaha*see has given me grey hairs (at 20!) trying to figure out.

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METS FAN
written by JEREMIAH, April 08, 2009

I live in northeastern PA. MLB thinks that comcast offers SNY *mets broadcasts*. THEY DONT. Therefore, I cannot get MLB.TV, MLB extra innings, and if the METS are on ESPN, i get blacked out. I have not been able to see a mets game in 4 years. I cannot get direct tv because of a big giant tree in my yard. Funny, i get pirates, phillies, yankees, in my area. I am actually closer to ny than pittsburgh and yet i cannot get SNY. END THE DARN blackouts. This is absurd.

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retired
written by larry wood, April 15, 2009

I live in Little Rock, Ar. I just subscribed to att-uverse cable. I bought the sports package and I receive none of the fox sports games. They are all blacked out! This is absurd. Can anyone do anything? att says it's fox and fox says it's mlb and att u-verse

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blacked out in lumberton nj
written by lexusg7, May 30, 2009

I live in Lumberton NJ. Unfortunately I grew up in NY and like most baby boomers, just about the time the dodgers and giants moved west. Needless to say, I subscribe to MLB Extra Innings (EI) on Direct TV. I kinda understand the blackout rules (now) but my big complaint is, although when EI is advertised, there is no mention that it does not include weekends.(just, BLACKOUT RULES APPLY) I think if the rules were clear, there would be less subscriptions to this package. The first year I had EI, I tried to cancel after the first weekend the Mets were not available (because of a day game), and was told by DirectTv, once the season starts, I could not cancel my subscription. This I thought to be not only rediculous but probably illegal, so I canceled my DirectTv subscription for a year, but being a true fan, I finally realized week night games are at least better than none at all. I guess that's what they, the cable companies count on!

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blacked out in Houston
written by sbowens, May 04, 2010

Huge Red Sox fan. I can only watch games in Houston if they are on Fox, TBS,or ESPN. Makes no sense that the game would be blacked out in Houston. Change this ridiculous rule

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$200 for no Braves
written by Jeff Thiessen, May 08, 2010

I have MLB Extra Innings with verizon FiOS-- cant watch the braves vs phillies game in california.... nowhere to be found

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...
written by Sal Rodriguez, August 14, 2010

I live in Central Florida. Moved here from NY and I am a Mets fan. All Marlins games are blacked out. I have to watch those games locally. Last week the Mets played San Francisco. Sunday game started at 4pm, my time. Ny broadcast was on WPIX. No direct TV game was shown and the only feed I could get was from Frisco but it was blacked out to me. WHY? No MLB.No NY feed. No San Francisco feed.
Had to listen to excitng finish on XM radio.

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Hawaii blacked out from 4 teams not on TV here
written by a guest, April 11, 2012

Last year, despite the fact that LAA and LAD are regularly on cable here, they were not blacked out. OAK and SF were. This year the Angels, Dodgers, Padres, and Mariners staked their claim to Hawaii as part of their "local" market. The two LA teams, most can understand as they are offered on TV. The Padres, Mariners, Giants, and A's are not offered, and cannot be watch. Claiming a territory where you are not on TV is another way of saying, "we don't want or need fans there"

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