Web Pick of the Week: MLB Network’s ’30 in 30′

This week’s web pick comes courtesy of a recommendation by Andrew (@chickenroyal on Twitter).  The MLB Network channel was launched in the States at the beginning of last year and one of its first big features was the ’30 in 30′ series that ran throughout Spring Training.  Simply put, the MLB Network team goes around Arizona and Florida dedicating a show to each of the 30 MLB teams over the course of 30 days.

This year, MLB.com is collecting all of the shows together and making them available to watch for free online.  The series started with the Detroit Tigers on 3 March and will finish with the San Diego Padres on 1 April, with the videos being posted online at some point during the day after they are broadcast on the Network.

Each show lasts for approximately 35 minutes, with those annoyingly frequent U.S. adverts mercifully being cut. During the show, the panel analyses all parts of the team’s roster, looks at the new additions and departures, interviews key personnel (in the A’s case, for example: Kurt Suzuki, Ben Sheets, Kevin Kouzmanoff, Billy Beane and Rickey Henderson) and finishes up with a package of memorable moments from the club’s history in the ‘Prime 9 Moments’ segment. 

The shows make for a great introduction to all of the teams if you are a newcomer to the sport and they are also an ideal way to help any baseball fan build up to the new season.  In particular, fans of the non-big-market teams will enjoy watching 35 minutes of coverage on their club, rather than the usual 35 seconds (if you’re lucky) that the likes of ESPN will devote to them at any one time during the season.