OldPoll Trivia Questions:
Who's the last player the Yankees offered Arb to, and accepted?
Who's the last player the Yankees offered Arb to, and declined?
(not including farm hands, home grown types)

Yeah, reefer in the bleacher, I just read that. So Diane is having a good time, you know it.

http://rangersblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/10/josh-hamilton-sf-fans-toking-a.html

[1] Don't know, amigo. Tell. (I'm not in the mood for guessing, although I'm in a really good mood because of the weather.)

No reason to be blacked out! Ivi.tv gives you the FOX feed and it's free. Just need to sign up for free trial. Unlike MLB.Tv this is the real FOX broadcast, not alternate camera angles. Also, you get the bonus of all FOX, CBS, ABC and NBC programming...both from NY stations and other cities.

I think my last comment was flagged as spam. Was pointing everyone who is blacked out to IVI dot TV. It's a website that gives you the FOX feed.

Honestly, RI... I have no idea. Seems like it must have been some time ago. I mention it because we always have Type A and B guys on the way out, but in recent markets, it just deosn't make sense to offer Arb. We might not ever get a good draft pick again.

Of course, Wood, Lance and JV were NOT offered Arb.

[4] That one made it though...can get a free trial...unlike MLB.Tv this is the real FOX broadcast, not alternate camera angles. Also, you get the bonus of all FOX, CBS, ABC and NBC programming…both from NY stations and other cities.

William.... know any answers to [1]?

William, remember that your numbering is going to be off from now on. Because you have a post "awaiting moderation", and it doesn't count in numbering for anybody except you.

The blackout issue..I am confused..anyone got a simple explanation?

Reefer in the bleachers...gotta love SF.

[7] Last Yankee to go to arbitration was Wang. Before that, it was actually Rivera all the way back in 2000. Incredibly, he lost. Even more incredibly, the Yankees let it get to arbitration. Maybe they learned their lesson after that.

[4] Wait, are you sure that the opportunity to offer arbitration has already passed? I thought it hadn't.

There is no reefer evident in left field reserve section 333. I spent an hour outside park looking for 1 ticket and turned down pop to buy bleacher seat for $600 to $700. Finally found guy stuck with 4 that he bought for $600 per, offered him 250 for 1 ... We settled at 300 ... Most I've ever spent on a seat. But I'm happy and crowd is great and well-behaved

[7] Thanks...very tricky.

[9] Fox and Cablevision in a dispute.

10) Yeah, Hamilton said as much. Said he took his wife on a walk around town and they saw some dude smoking a joint and 50 feet away a police officer just stood there. Hamilton was surprised.

11) AMAZING. You GO Dee!

I believe the Yanks already announced NO Arb on Wood, Lance and JV.

[17] I think you might be confusing offering arb with picking up options. They have declined options on Wood and Berkman. And Nick Johnson.

[14] I don't understand..isn't FOX a regular network channel you can see without cable?

[18] Not any more...or at least not if the networks have their way. Networks have started demanding rights fee for carriage, just like their cable competitors. Cablevision hasn't been willing to pay FOX' price.

[19] Only if you have an antenna, and are in range.

A lot of people don't any more. Whole swaths of the country that used to get free TV over the airwaves is now dependent on cable.

[17] The declined options on Lance, Wood and Nick Johnson. They haven't made any arbitration decisions yet.

I'm back in moderation...serves me right for coming off like infospam.

Yeah, that's the thing (what randym77 said). And of course all the signals are digital now. But with a decent antenna and a digital converter box, most people could probably get Fox.

(But I have FiOS, so, screw 'em.)

[21] You could use an antenna, but then you also have to get a digital converter box. Now that networks don't broadcast in analog, rabbit ears alone won't do the trick.

Belth, moderate William's comments into the realm of the living!

[10] I remember that. Wang lost. The Yanks took him to the mat because, they said, pitchers were more injury prone than position players. Boy, did that turn out to be prophetic.

[26...I think] It was over $400,00 and many questioned the wisdom of ticking off Wang over such a small amount. I think the Yankees thought Wang was a ticking timebomb all along, but couldn't have foreseen how is injury problems would get started.

[20][21] What??!! How could you be in NYC though and not be able to pick up via antenna...?

Feeling very out of the loop with this discussion..didn't know what TIVO was til recently...it's strange here, so so far advanced in some techy areas (cell phones for example) but not with TV..

Can't find any instances of the Yankees offering arbitration to a player who then declined. There probably aren't many cases because if the Yankees offer arb. they want the guy and usually will negotiate a long-term deal if necessary.

[29] There are no more analog broadcasts. Over the air signals are digital, so TVs now require a digital converter to decode the transmission. An antenna can pick up the digital stream, but the TV can't convert it without a box. It is the price of progress, and an ironic consequence of the government's mandate.

[30] Make that [28].

[28] I assumed the people affected were not in NYC.

Though I suppose they might be, but not have the right kind of antenna. I seem to recall hearing that the move to HDTV means you need a new kind of antenna.

If you have one (or make one), though, you get digital quality TV over the airwaves. No more "snow." Since it's digital, you get either cable-quality or nothing.

[30] Interesting..but I imagine most people have upgraded their TV sets?
They're doing the switch over here next year as soon as they finish this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_Sky_Tree

[34] They've upgraded, but probably not to an intergrated HDTV (an added expense that is mostly unneccesary). Ironically, the best picture quality is via over the air signal because it isn't compressed like the feed coming from cable/satellite.

[34] You need a new antenna, not just a new TV/box. I've heard antenna sales are booming in the affected areas. You can also make one. There are instructions on YouTube and other sites. It involves winding a lot of wire around a coffee can.

Some people are affected around here (a couple of hours from NYC), but I think we're out of range for antenna broadcasts. So Comcast subscribers are out of luck.

[36] Why are Comcast subscribers out of luck? Are you close to another city with a FOX affiliate?

[37] Sorry, I meant Cablevision.

I'm on Time Warner Cable myself, so I'm unaffected. Some of my coworkers were rather irate today though.

[38] Cablevision is getting a taste of its own medicine, which is why I am kind of glad FOX is sticking it to them, even though I am being affected. I used to have DirectTV, so it serves me right for switching back to Cablevision (driven by broadband needs). FiOS has too many taxes, but I may have to look into that as an alternative. Then again, I really don't watch many sitcoms, so after the WS, I won't miss it much.

[39] I really wonder if both Fox and Cablevision will regret this.

People who find out that they can watch TV on the net or via antenna may not come back to cable.

The only thing I watch on TV is sports, and I am seriously considering canceling my cable subscription. I could get a MLB.TV subscription instead, and you can usually pick up other sports events livestreamed somewhere.

I've already canceled my landline phone (I use voice over Internet instead), meaning my DSL bill dropped from $65/month to $25/month. They're pestering me to upgrade to FiOS, and I'm interested in the faster broadband, but I'm not interested phone or TV - just Internet.

[40] Ultimately, it doesn't matter to FOX how people watch their programming, especially as the industry learns to monetize internet viewership.

Providers, on the other hand, are definitely vulnerable. Having said that, cable and telcos still could benefit by mass migration to online TV viewing because they also provide internet access. In fact, if bandwidth usage charges come into place, the migration could actually be to their benefit too.

[41] The thing is...people may not watch their programming.

The way it works now is everyone pays for everything. Whether they watch it or not. Some people are asking for "a la carte" cable, but cable companies are resisting.

Sports will be hardest hit by a la carte, if it happens (whether by congressional decree or just people migrating to the net). It's the most expensive item on the broadcast menu, and if they had a choice, many would not pay for it. ESPN is by far the priciest channel, but only 1 out of 5 viewers watch it.

Holy cow, what a catch.

[42] But sports get the most attractive demographic, so it will always be a draw to advertisers. From a network perspective, ala carte would suit them just fine because they are already grossly underpaid per subscriber. Then again, you could argue that Networks shouldn't get significant sub fees because they built their massive reach thanks to their access to public airwaves. I am surprised no one has made that argument, particularly Cablevision.

[44] I'm not sure sports get such an attractive demographic any more. Young people, especially young males, have been drifting away from sports.

I think TV in general is fading. I'm not expecting it to go away, but rather than the 800 pound gorilla it used to be, it's now one of many entertainment options. The people who aren't watching Fox on TV aren't necessarily going to be watching it online. They could be, but they could be playing Farmville instead.

Holland can't throw a strike to save his life right now.

[46] yeah, that was pretty impressive (for lack of a better term)...

can you imagine what was going thru that kids head?

wow. that was lowe. ball 4. 4th run walks home.

lowe. ball uno.

holy crap.

3-0.

the organist just played Iron Man by Black Sabbath.

huh.

full count.

(when you're sliding into first and you feel something burst...) ren-te-ria singled in 2 more.

six-zip.

all this activity w/ 2 outs...

another reliever. another ball 1. another one that i don't think was on the lcs roster.

pinch-hit 2-run triple for aaron rowand.

8-friggin'-nuthin'

still 2 outs. still bottom of the 8th. amazingly, it's still thursday night, too...

I think Hamilton might have helped himself by keeping to reefer, not drinking the bourbon and hitting the crack pipe. Why would he be so insulted about fans puffing on pot in the stands, but not about drunkeness in the stands?

Why does Texas look so lost the last two nights. We want a do-over of the ALCS!

um...9-0.

i think tex-ass needs a new 'teh eighth inning' guy.

[51] Would "Crazy Train" been more appropriate?

[54] Well, he is from rural North Carolina.

It's not so much that they're toking, it's that they're doing it public! In front of the cops!

Absolutely nuts. 7 runs scored in that inning...all with 2 outs.

[58] Lions and tigers and bears oh my! Ever been to a concert? They do it there too, and also on the streets of Manhattan.

[54] Hear hear and hear hear!

[60] I doubt Hamilton's seen much of Manhattan.