How a game gets to be an MLB spring training game on XM radio

How a spring training game gets to be on XM radio (or Sirius XM radio) is explained by poster CTguy on XMFan.com. Having not seen anything official on the topic and wondering about it myself, I thought his explanation made sense: (2009 Schedule)

• "XM carries "selected" spring training games beginning on the first day of the Grapefruit and Cactus league seasons (2/25/09).

The criteria for airing on XM in years past have been:

• 1) The game must be carried live on terrestrial radio by one of the participating teams. That means no "webcast only" games (The Blue Jays and Brewers occasionally do that.) and no games that will be aired later in the day by the team's flagship station (The Dodgers occasionally do that.).

• 2) No split-squad games. This means any game in which either team is fielding a split squad. The rule is ironclad; XM once refused to carry a Red Sox-Yankees Grapefruit League game because the Yankees had another squad playing elsewhere that day.

• 3) Weekend schedules, especially on Saturdays, can be subject to bandwidth issues. Regular-season sports have priority -- a lot of NHL, NBA and college basketball on a given day means less exhibition baseball."

CT guy adds in another post: "Don't forget. Most teams don't broadcast all spring training games.

• Some put games on their mlb.com websites only;
• those games are off limits to XM"

BWBuddy adds about a Reds game sked for this Wednesday, 2/25:

• "WLW is advertising that they are carrying the Reds-Rays game on 2/25. Since XM is not, hopefully it will be carried on WLW XM 173 - at least that's the way it was last year."

Another poster notes it's best to stay tuned as these types of events are subject to change. Finally,

• "Heck, about this time of year I would even get excited listening to live play by play of a bench coach hitting fungo's to infielders!"

Tweet Stumbleupon StumbleUpon