MLBTV Comes to Bat ~ 02 January 2009

They finally did it. Major League Baseball launched its own network. It's an odd thing actually. They're doing only a smattering of broadcasts of live MLB games, leaving ESPN to guess which games should draw big crowds and the plethora of Fox Sports Networks to favor local teams. MLBTV intends to fill the airwaves with baseball news, shows on baseball’s colorful history and who yet knows what all of original programming.

Will it fly? Should advertisers other than MLB plunk down money? Why not? The initial surge looks good.

MLBTV barely launched with Cancer rising. Cancer the sign of the United States and symbolic representative of apple pie, the girl next door, baseball and American car makers not yet bankrupt suits the network premiere perfectly. Add to that an out of sign conjunction between Jupiter - a symbol of broadcasting - in Capricorn - ah, we are in this to make money - in the house of daily ritual - programming, in this case - to Mercury - planet of communication - in the odd duck sign of Aquarius and you have a good start. Aquarius refers to those who set themselves aside from the norm. Thus, programming will be heavy on records of baseball’s more odd, illustrious and exceptional players.

The initial two shows set the tone of Capricorn-Aquarius. First, pundits and experts discussed what players would go where - especially Manny - and if Texiera was a fit for New York - can Randy make the Giants loom again - and what teams might contend. Next, they played the broadcast of Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series, creating a wonderful slice of Capricornian archiving complete with the Gillette commercials that aired with the original program. That was so nostalgically cool I could dang near smell the Gillette foamy in my father’s shaving brush.

Those still hungry for baseball in the lull between the Fall League Championship game of November (a great game, by the way, with the Desert Dogs coming from way behind to win yet again) until spring training during an overly saturated bowl game market tuned in. With promises to air more classic games, provide up to the date speculations and show Ken Burn’s brilliant work both previously aired and not, viewers will come back.

Actually, Jupiter in the broadcast’s sixth house falls neatly in a powerful cadent sector as confirmed by the research of Michel Gauquelin. Simply, the chart of MLBTV has a well positioned natal Jupiter. Given that Jupiter rises to the top of the chart over the next three years, the start up growth of MLBTV should be constant and programming ever improving.

These next days as Jupiter enters the relationship based seventh house, the proper chemistry will be sought between present day on air broadcasters. With Jupiter coming to Mercury in the next week new show ideas will come to mind (read my pitches MLBTV execs, they’re really good!).

The future of baseball becomes a hot topic as Jupiter comes to the North Node of the first airing chart in mid-February just before pitchers and catchers show up at Spring Training. The Barry Bonds trial looms in the near future. What about drug rules and testing? What about records achieved under the influence of enhancing drugs? The South Node of the chart is in Leo and Leos like Bonds and Clemens seem to wear bull’s-eyes over their records. The battle between baseball and drugs continues this year, offering MLBTV great fodder. Perhaps with Jupiter to Chiron in May discussions on the network might lead to proposals that the Player’s Union and MLB could sanction with the last Jupiter to Chiron pattern in November. Given Neptune is involved in that alignment, drugs certainly come to bat in that inning. From the purely Capricorn side of the business, it would be fun to correlate days on the DL as a function of long term contracts. Hmm.

So should celebrity be part of the Neptune spectacularia. Ballplayers famous for their reputations as well as their play come to light. Perhaps conversations of gambling and baseball come to light. I’d expect the Pete Rose debate to heat up. Maybe speculation of the addictive nature of Fantasy Baseball, a symbolic aspect of Neptune, serves up an interesting topics for a voyeuristic (also Neptune) society. Around the time of the network’s first year anniversary, Jupiter aligns with Venus in Aquarius in the first broadcast chart. A significant series on women in baseball would boost ratings to a more universal following. So too for establishing a notable presence of women commentators.

No doubt the Saturn-Uranus opposition and its allegiance to change spawn discussions of the infancy of instant replay.

No doubt they’ve not even begun to include all the vastly diversified team of potential show ideas. If they keep it fresh, topical and allow for Eris near the midheaven edginess in review of the history and present of the game, the network forecasts a future as bright as that of baseball itself.

The nostalgia of previous years fits with Pluto, Mars, Sun and Jupiter in Capricorn and forms a neatly tied cleat with Mercury, Node, Chiron, Neptune and Venus in Aquarius. If you’re a real baseball fan, tune in. You’ll love it.