Restructuring of MLB Blackout Policy Becoming More Remote

MLB's blackout map is a confusing caseof overlapping territories. (CLICK TO SEE IN LARGER VIEW)Two months from today, the 2009 regular season for Major League Baseball will get underway, and with it, fans will reach for their remotes (and wallets) to watch out-of-market games via MLB Extra Innings. But, for several recent owners meetings, the topic of restructuring the television blackout policy for the league has been met with calls for tabling the matter, or as it was at last month’s meetings, pushed off the agenda entirely by more pressing matters for the owners, such as the gloomy state of the economy. The chances of any movement on the blackout policy becomes ever more remote as the season approaches, and owners deal with a case of tunnel vision regarding economic factors. To place this in perspective, the last owners meetings had George Will talk about the economy, while the blackout policy took a back seat. Word is that MLB hopes to have a proposal to address the arcan...