MLB Network is an American television sports channel dedicated to baseball. It is primarily owned by Major League Baseball,^[2] with television providers Comcast, DirecTV, Time Warner Cable and Cox Communications having minority ownership.^[3] The channel's headquarters and studios are located in the Secaucus, New Jersey^[4] facility which formerly housed MSNBC's studios. Tony Petitti, former executive producer of CBS Sports, was named the network's first president.

History[link]

Major League Baseball became the fourth major North American professional sports league to launch its own 24-hour cable network. NBA TV dates back to 1999, the NHL Network to 2001 (though not in the United States until 2007), and the NFL Network to 2003. However, MLB Network is carried in the most households of these four networks, as it is available on all of the top ten video operators in the United States.

MLB Network soft-launched on December 16, 2008 with a rolling automated loop of archival programming and promotions for the network for cable systems that carried the network's transmissions leading up to the January 1 launch. The channel fully launched at 6 PM EST with the premiere of Hot Stove.

Carriage[link]

The network has signed contracts with numerous cable and satellite carriers, including DirecTV, Dish Network, Verizon FiOS, Cablevision, Comcast, Cox Communications, Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks, and AT&T Uverse. In a deal that was pioneered by other sports league owned channels, MLB tied carriage of the MLB Network to the ability to carry the popular out of market MLB Extra Innings package. In return, cable and satellite providers were offered a minority share of the new network.

Satellite radio[link]

On March 26, 2010, it was announced that satellite radio station MLB Home Plate will be rebranded to MLB Network Radio which will simulcast some MLB Network programs such as MLB Tonight and Hot Stove. The switchover began on April 4, the first day of the 2010 MLB season. ^[5]

Canadian carriage[link]

To date, no announcements have been made about MLB Network availability in Canada, home of the Toronto Blue Jays. Network officials have been in contact with Blue Jays owner (and Canada's largest cable company) Rogers Communications about making MLB Network available in Canada, but emphasized prior to the channel's launch that a deal was not imminent.^[6]

In August 2008, Rogers secured Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) approval for a Canadian digital channel tentatively called "Baseball TV",^[7] which has not yet launched. This license could be used to launch a localized version of MLB Network with domestic advertising and additional Canadian content, along the lines of NBA TV Canada, which is owned by the parent company of the Toronto Raptors but uses much of the content of the league's U.S. channel NBA TV. It appears Rogers would prefer this approach.^[8] Along with a sponsoring television provider, the network may alternatively seek approval to be included on the CRTC's list of approved foreign services.^[9]

MLB Network HD[link]

MLB Network HD is a 720p high definition simulcast of MLB Network, which launched simultaneously to the regular channel. After much discussion, MLB Network decided to use the 720p format instead of 1080-line-interlace because it believes 720p shows the motion of baseball more accurately and will degrade less when recompressed by cable operators to save bandwidth. As Mark Haden (VP of engineering and IT of MLB Network) says: “That's our best shot of maintaining quality to viewers.”^[10] All studio programs and original shows are shot in HD, as well as all self produced games such as those of the 2009 World Baseball Classic and Thursday Night Baseball, as well as simulcasted locally produced games on Saturday Night Baseball. The network is also currently remastering 30 World Series Films in high definition. ^[11] Also during MLB Tonight the channel shows exclusive live HD look-ins to games in progress via its local channel. Programs not available in HD originally have unique stylized pillarboxes: brick walls reminiscent of an older baseball stadium, with the MLB Network logo in the middle. Beginning on March 27, 2009, pillarboxes with a more generic design were used with some programming: solid blue bars with the logo in the middle. The brick wall design pillarboxes continue to be used at times as well.

The 720p format is also used by affiliates of regional sports network Fox Sports Net HD, which holds the rights to local game coverage of several teams, Phillies broadcaster WPHL-TV, and WWOR-TV in Secaucus, New Jersey/New York, which broadcasts a limited schedule of Yankees games. MLB national broadcast partners Fox and ESPN also produce their programming in 720p.

MLB Network HD is available nationally on DirecTV ^[12] and Dish Network ^[13] and regionally on Verizon FiOS, ^[14] Cablevision, ^[15] Comcast, Cox Communications, ^[16] Time Warner Cable,^[17] Bright House Networks, ^[18] and AT&T Uverse. ^[19] MLB Network is not available on Mediacom.

On-air staff[link]

Hosts[link]

• Greg Amsinger: (2009–present) Hot Stove and MLB Tonight. ^[20]
• Bob Costas: (2009–present) Hot Stove, MLB Tonight, Studio 42 with Bob Costas and Thursday Night Baseball.^[21]
• Matt Vasgersian: (2009–present) Hot Stove, MLB Tonight and Thursday Night Baseball ^[22]
• Matt Yallof: (2009-present) The Rundown, MLB Tonight, Hot Stove
• Chris Rose: (2010-present) Hot Stove, MLB Tonight, Intentional Talk ^[23]
• Brian Kenny: (2011-present) MLB Tonight, Quick Pitch, Hot Stove, and Front Burner, Clubhouse Confidential
• Paul Severino: (2011-present) Hot Stove, MLB Tonight, Quick Pitch and Front Burner
• Ahmed Fareed: (2011-present) Hot Stove, MLB Tonight, Quick Pitch and Front Burner
• Lauren Shehadi: (2012–present)^[24] The Rundown

Analysts[link]

• Larry Bowa: (2011–present) Hot Stove and MLB Tonight
• Eric Byrnes: (2010–present) MLB Tonight
• Sean Casey: (2009–present) Hot Stove and MLB Tonight
• Ron Gant: (2011-present) MLB Tonight, Hot Stove
• John Hart: (2009–present) 30 Clubs in 30 Days; 30 Teams, 30 Report Cards; Hot Stove and MLB Tonight
• Jim Kaat: (2009–present) Thursday Night Baseball
• Al Leiter: (2009–present) Hot Stove, MLB Tonight and Thursday Night Baseball ^[25]
• Mike Lowell: (2011–present) "MLB Tonight"
• Joe Magrane: (2009–present) Hot Stove, MLB Tonight and Thursday Night Baseball ^[26]
• Kevin Millar: (2010–present) MLB Tonight, Intentional Talk ^[23]
• Dan Plesac: (2009–present) Hot Stove, MLB Tonight and Thursday Night Baseball ^[27]
• Harold Reynolds: (2009–present) Hot Stove, MLB Tonight and Thursday Night Baseball ^[25]
• Billy Ripken: (2009–present) MLB Tonight ^[28]
• John Smoltz: (2010–present) Thursday Night Baseball and MLB Tonight
• Mike Sweeney: (2012–present) MLB Tonight ^[29]
• Dave Valle: (2009–present) MLB Tonight
• Mitch Williams: (2009–present) The Pen, Thursday Night Baseball, Hot Stove and MLB Tonight ^[20]*

Reporters[link]

• Scott Braun: (2012–present)^[30] MLB Tonight, Quick Pitch
• Alanna Rizzo: (2012–present)^[31] Intentional Talk, Quick Pitch
• Sam Ryan: (2011–present)
• Matt Yallof: (2009–present) Quick Pitch ^[25], MLB Tonight, The Rundown ^[23]

Insiders[link]

• Peter Gammons: (2010–present), MLB.com writer, appears on Hot Stove and MLB Tonight
• Jon Heyman: (2009–present), Sports Illustrated writer, appears on Hot Stove and MLB Tonight ^[20]
• Tracy Ringolsby: (2009–present), Baseball America writer, appears on Hot Stove and MLB Tonight
• Ken Rosenthal: (2009–present), Major League Baseball on Fox reporter, appears on Hot Stove and MLB Tonight ^[20]
• Tom Verducci: (2009–present), Sports Illustrated senior writer, appears on Hot Stove and MLB Tonight ^[20]

Former[link]

• Barry Larkin: (2009–2011) Hot Stove and MLB Tonight (now with ESPN) ^[20]
• Victor Rojas: (2009–2010) Hot Stove, MLB Tonight, Quick Pitch and Thursday Night Baseball ^[32] (now Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim TV play-by-play)
• Tony Clark: (2009) MLB Tonight
• Lisa Kerney: (2010-2011) (now with WCBS-TV) ^[33]
• Trenni Kusnierek: (2009–2010) (now at WTMJ-TV Milwaukee) ^[34]
• Hazel Mae: (2009–2011) All Time Games, Hot Stove, MLB Tonight, Quick Pitch, and The Rundown ^{[25] [23]} (now with Sportsnet) ^[35]

Programming[link]

Live game coverage[link]

Regular season[link]

MLB Network airs several live games a week. All games are subject to local blackouts and therefore two games are offered each day.

• Thursday Night Baseball: MLB Network's weekly presentation of self-produced non-exclusive games on Thursday nights. Bob Costas or Matt Vasgersian do play-by-play. Al Leiter, Joe Magrane, Dan Plesac, Mitch Williams, Harold Reynolds or Jim Kaat provide color commentary.

• Other night games: MLB Network airs games on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday nights, simulcast from one team's local rights holder. On Tuesday nights, MLB Network features doubleheader coverage, with an early East Coast game followed by a later West Coast one. ^[23]

• MLB Matinee: MLB Network airs a series of weekday afternoon games throughout the regular season.^[36] As with night games, these matinee games feature simulcasts of one team's local telecast.

• Minor League Baseball: MLB Network will occasionally pick up Minor League Baseball games being broadcast by its cable TV partners. This has included Triple-A and Double-A games along with some Minor League's All-Star Games.

International[link]

International live game coverage self-produced by MLB Network includes the World Baseball Classic and the Caribbean Series. ^[2]

Spring training[link]

The channel also airs live and tape delayed Spring training games, simulcasted from one of the team's local TV rights holder's feed, or if not available, the spring training complex's internal scoreboard video feed with team radio network audio. These games are also subject to local blackouts.

Other games[link]

The channel also carries live development league games, and occasionally live college and minor league games. In August 2009, they aired youth baseball championships, including the RBI World Series and the Cal Ripken World Series. It also airs some games of the Arizona Fall League including the championship.

Fox Saturday Baseball pre-game show[link]

In 2012, MLB Network partnered with Fox Saturday Baseball to produce their pregame show from their own studios. The show features Matt Vasgersian and two analysts from a rotating roster of MLB Network's personalities (Harold Reynolds, Eric Byrnes, Mitch Williams, or Kevin Millar). ^[37]

Daily shows[link]

An MLB Network "ballpark cam" at Yankee Stadium.

• MLB Tonight: The signature show of MLB Network, which debuted at the start of 2009 Spring Training in a 60-minute format; as of 2011, the show airs seven days a week during the regular season. The show has updates, highlights, news, and analysis. The original plan was also to feature exclusive live look-ins using their own permanent HD cameras with shots not available on any of the channels covering the game; however, MLBN has decided to use "ballpark cam" only before and after games. Live cut-ins simulcast from the station covering the game.^[22] In 2011, MLB Tonight won a Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Studio Show - Daily.
• Hot Stove: During the offseason, Hot Stove is the signature program on MLB Network, airing at 7:00 PM EST Monday through Friday. It features news reports and analysis of all offseason moves as teams prepare for the upcoming season.^[22] It gets its name from the baseball term Hot stove league.
• Quick Pitch: A 60-minute daily fast-paced show of highlights from that day's games. Premiered April 12. ^[38] Currently, it airs live at the conclusion of MLB Tonight or the last live game of the night and then repeats throughout the overnight and morning hours until 1 P.M. ET.
• World Baseball Classic Tonight: A show similar to MLB Tonight, World Baseball Classic Tonight featured highlights, analysis and special reports on the tournament.^[39]
• The Rundown: A two-hour show that premiered in 2011, hosted by Hazel Mae and Matt Yallof, provides looks at day games in progress, batting practice, recaps of the previous day's action and previews of the upcoming contests. ^[23]
• Intentional Talk: Another new show for 2011, features a casual conversation between Chris Rose and Kevin Millar about the events of the day. Hazel Mae acts as host between segments.^[23]
• Clubhouse Confidential: Premiered in November 2011, hosted by Brian Kenny, uses sabermetrics to analyze and discuss daily baseball news.^[40][41]

Other[link]

• All Time Games: Classic baseball games, shown in their original televised form. The premiere episode on January 1 was a kinescope of NBC's coverage of Game 5 of the 1956 World Series in which Don Larsen hurled the Fall Classic's only perfect game, framed by a sit-down interview with Larsen and Yogi Berra, who caught the game, by Bob Costas, and included all original Gillette advertisements from the NBC coverage. ^[42]
• 30 Clubs in 30 Days: In February, the network embarked on a month-long tour of spring training camps with John Hart as host, coming from a different facility each day. Season 2 premiered on March 3, 2010.
• 30 Clubs, 30 Report Cards: A sequel to 30 Teams in 30 Days, in July, host John Hart looks back at predictions made during the spring and grades each team's performance thus far through the season.
• 30 Clubs, 30 Recaps: The offseason version of the above which airs during Hot Stove, premiered December 7, 2009, recaps each team's season and looks ahead to next season.
• 30 Games, 30 Clubs, 30 Days: In 2010 and 2011, MLB Network aired 30 live regular season games, featuring all 30 teams, during the month of April.
• Diamond Demos: An instructional show featuring an expert in a certain aspect of baseball. Episodes have included infielding with Ozzie Smith, catching with Joe Girardi, outfielding with Torii Hunter, pitching with Jeff Brantley, and coaching with Buck Showalter. Premiered April 6. ^[43]
• October Classics is re-airings of World Series in their entirety. Each week a different series has been featured.
• Prime 9: A series devoted to the topic of the nine greatest in anything involved with baseball.
• Studio 42 with Bob Costas is an interview show with prominent baseball figures. The premiere episode on February 5 was with Joe Torre about his new tell-all book The Yankee Years, which has been regarded as controversial among Yankees players, especially Alex Rodriguez. ^[21][44] Another famous episode featured an interview with Frick Award winning announcer Ernie Harwell, his last television appearance before his death six months later.
• Front Burner: The channel's insiders have a round table discussion about the off-season, and take questions and comments from viewers via phone calls, emails, Facebook and Twitter.
• Baseball IQ: A game show hosted by Matt Vasgersian in which two participants answer baseball trivia for a chance to win up to $45,000 for charity.^[45]

Documentaries[link]

• Baseball's Seasons: A documentary series set against the events of a certain baseball season.
• Inside the Moments: A series premiering January 2 that features memorable moments and the stories behind them. The first five episodes are: "Aura of the Home Run", "Icons of the Game", "Unforgettable Feats", "Magic on the Mound" and "Fall Classic Finales". This show was originally produced by ESPN during the 2002 season as part of a promotion sponsored by MasterCard in which fans voted to determine the best moment in MLB history.
• Pride and Perseverance: The Story of the Negro Leagues: A one-hour special narrated by Hall of Famer Dave Winfield on the history of Negro League Baseball prior to Jackie Robinson's debut on April 15, 1947.
• Rising Sons: A documentary on how Japanese players have adjusted to life in America.
• We Are Young, a story about Dmitri Young, Delmon Young, and their father, Larry Young.
• Josh Hamilton: Resurrecting the Dream: chronicles the life of Josh Hamilton.
• The Pen: followed the bullpen of the 2009 Philadelphia Phillies.
• The Club: followed the 2010 Chicago White Sox.

Repeats[link]

• Baseball: A Film by Ken Burns: The Emmy Award-winning documentary mini-series, which originally aired on PBS in 1994, was aired on MLB Network in 2009.
• Cathedrals of the Game: takes viewers on tours of MLB stadiums and explores the history of the team and city (originally produced by iNHD in 2005).

MLB Strike Zone Channel[link]

MLB Strike Zone is a channel that launched on April 10, 2012 that allows viewers to see every game across the MLB, with up-to-the-minute highlights, and live look-ins and updates, without commercials, in a similar format to NFL RedZone. The channel currently airs on Tuesday and Friday nights during the regular season. Dish Network, DirecTV, Time Warner Cable, and Bright House Networks are currently the only providers that offer the channel.^[46]

Studios[link]

The Secaucus-based studios have two main sets, named after famous players. "Studio 3", named in honor of Babe Ruth, serves as the home plate for all studio programs, while "Studio 42", honoring Jackie Robinson, is a half-scale baseball field where demonstrations by the network's analysts take place and QuickPitch is presented, along with interview programs where an audience is needed for atmosphere. Studio 42 is also the home of the early rounds of the Major League Baseball Draft. The studio includes seating for over 125 people, along with elements such as a functioning manual scoreboard and a standings wall for each league and division.

The network had planned to launch permanent studios from a new tower in Manhattan's Harlem neighborhood by 2011. ^[47] However, because of the 2008 financial crisis, the building project was scaled back and later canceled in late November 2008.

References[link]

Eric Byrnes
Outfielder
Born: (1976-02-16) February 16, 1976 (age 36) Redwood City, California
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
August 22, 2000 for the Oakland Athletics
Last MLB appearance
May 2, 2010 for the Seattle Mariners
Career statistics
Batting average	.258
Home runs	109
Runs batted in	396
Stolen bases	129
Teams
Oakland Athletics (2000–2005) Colorado Rockies (2005) Baltimore Orioles (2005) Arizona Diamondbacks (2006–2009) Seattle Mariners (2010)
Career highlights and awards
Fielding Bible Award winner (2007)

Eric James Byrnes (born February 16, 1976 in Redwood City, California), is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He has played for the Oakland Athletics, the Colorado Rockies, the Baltimore Orioles, the Arizona Diamondbacks, and the Seattle Mariners. He retired after his stint with the Mariners, and he now is an analyst for MLB Network and radio host on KNBR .

Byrnes is considered a player who relies on his speed and hustle.^[1] He can hit for power, but tends to be a "free-swinger" and goes through hitting droughts.^[1] He was ranked in the top-three for best defensive left fielders in John Dewan's publication, Fielding Bible.^[2]

Amateur career[link]

High school[link]

Byrnes' high school career was spent in the Western Catholic Athletic League, where he played for St. Francis High School in Mountain View, California. After graduating in 1994, he was selected in the Major League Baseball Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers but elected to go to college at the University of California at Los Angeles.

College[link]

At UCLA (1995–98), Byrnes hit second in the batting order and played right field in a lineup that featured future major-league stars Troy Glaus (1995–97) and Garrett Atkins (1998). He was again selected in the Major League Baseball Draft, this time by the Houston Astros after his junior season, but again elected to stay in school. He finished his career at UCLA as one of the most successful hitters in Pac-10 history with a .331 career average and 75 doubles, a conference record.

Professional career[link]

Oakland Athletics[link]

Byrnes was selected in the 8th round of the 1998 Major League Baseball Draft by the Oakland Athletics. In the 1998 season, Byrnes played for the short-season Southern Oregon Timberjacks, and the Class-A Advanced Visalia Oaks in the A's organization where he batted a combined .357 with 19 doubles, 4 triples, 11 home runs, 52 RBIs, and 17 stolen bases. In 1999, Byrnes continued to play in the A's minor leagues. That season, he played for the Class-A Advanced Modesto A's, and the Double-A Midland RockHounds and in 139 combined games, Byrnes batted .306 with 42 doubles, 1 triple, 7 home runs, 88 RBIs, and 34 stolen bases. Byrnes made his major league debut on August 22, 2000, against the Cleveland Indians.^[3] He went 2-for-4 with a stolen base in his first games, playing designated hitter and batting seventh in the batting order.^[4] Brynes batted .300 his first season, with three hits in ten at-bats.^[3] The next season, 2001, Byrnes played 19 games with the A's. He hit his first home run of his major league career on June 9, 2001, against the San Francisco Giants.^[5] He batted .237 with one double, three home runs, five RBIs, and one stolen base with the A's in 2001.^[3] Brynes played two games in the 2001 American League Division Series against the New York Yankees going hitless in two at-bats.^[3]

Byrnes was also involved in a 2003 baseball game that included two significant base running gaffes in a single inning. With a chance to close out the Boston Red Sox, the Athletics had a potential rally stifled by two controversial plays. Byrnes was tagged out after failing to touch home plate after a collision with catcher Jason Varitek, who had blocked the plate before attempting to catch the ball. After the collision, a hobbling Byrnes shoved Varitek and began walking back to the dugout. Varitek picked up the ball and tagged Byrnes out. This play was then followed up by Red Sox third baseman Bill Mueller running into Miguel Tejada as he was rounding third (later in the same inning). Tejada then stopped running home and was eventually tagged out. The umpires called Tejada out because he was tagged as a result of not attempting to advance home, not because of the obstruction by the third baseman. In 2004, Byrnes had his best year with the A's, batting .283 with 20 home runs, and 73 RBI.

Colorado Rockies[link]

On July 13, 2005, Byrnes, along with prospect Omar Quintanilla, was traded to the Colorado Rockies for pitchers Joe Kennedy and Jay Witasick.^[6] In 15 games with the Rockies, Byrnes batted .189 with 2 doubles, 5 RBIs, and 2 stolen bases.

Baltimore Orioles[link]

A little over two weeks later, and a day before the trading deadline, on July 30, 2005, Byrnes was traded to the Baltimore Orioles for outfielder Larry Bigbie. On August 15, 2005, Byrnes and the Orioles traveled to Oakland, marking the first time Byrnes played against his former team.^[7] After struggling against right-handed pitchers, the Orioles benched Byrnes and questioned his ability to be an every-day player.^[8] In 52 games with the Orioles that season, Byrnes batted .192 with 7 doubles, 1 triple, 3 home runs, 11 RBIs, and 3 stolen bases. In his combined totals that season between the Oakland Athletics, the Colorado Rockies, and the Orioles, Byrnes batted .231 with 22 doubles, 3 triples, 10 home runs, 35 RBIs, and 5 stolen bases in 111 games.

Arizona Diamondbacks[link]

After the 2005 season, Byrnes was granted free agency. On December 30, 2005, Byrnes signed a one-year, $2.25 million dollar contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks.^[9][10] Byrnes stated that he was excited for the opportunity to play center field regularly.^[11] In 2006, Byrnes batted .267 with 37 doubles, 3 triples, 26 home runs, 79 RBIs, and 25 stolen bases. His 26 home runs led the Diamondbacks, as did his stolen bases, and his slugging percentage of .482.^[12]

Byrnes played with the Arizona Diamondbacks for four seasons, from 2006–2009.

Midway through the 2007 season, Byrnes was rewarded with a three-year, $30 million dollar contract extension with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Byrnes is one of a few players to have 50 stolen bases and hit 20 home runs in one season, having accomplished the feat in 2007. At the end on the 2007 season, Byrnes batted .286 with 30 doubles, 8 triples, 21 home runs, 83 RBIs and 50 stolen bases in 160 games. He led the Diamondbacks in doubles, RBIs, stolen bases, caught stealing (7), and total bases (288).^[13] Byrnes was also 11^th in National League Most Valuable Player Award voting with 43 voting points.^[14] He was honored with a Fielding Bible Award as the best fielding left fielder in MLB.^[15]

On May 27, 2008, Byrnes was placed on the 15-day disabled list for the 1st time in his career with sore hamstrings.^{[citation needed]} Byrnes underwent an MRI that showed he had tears in both of his hamstrings.^{[citation needed]} Byrnes returned to the team on June 23, 2008, batting leadoff against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.^{[citation needed]} At the end of the 2008 season, Byrnes batted .209 with 13 doubles, 1 triple, 6 home runs, 24 RBIs, and 4 stolen bases in 52 games.

On June 25, 2009, Byrnes was placed on the disabled list with broken left hand.^[16] He was injured during a game against the Texas Rangers after opposing pitcher Scott Feldman hit Byrnes on the hand with a pitch.^[16] After he sustained the injury, he was replaced by Ryan Roberts.^[16] He was reinstated from the disabled list on September 5, 2009.^[17] He played 16 minor league games during his rehab stint with the Triple-A Reno Aces, batting .279 with seven doubles, one triple, two home runs, nine RBIs, and one stolen base. On January 15, 2010, Byrnes was designated for assignment by the Arizona Diamondbacks to make room on the 40-man roster for Adam LaRoche.^[18]

Seattle Mariners[link]

Byrnes had shown interest in joining the San Francisco Giants after he was designated for assignment by the Diamondbacks, however, on January 29, 2010, Byrnes signed a one-year, $400,000 contract with the Seattle Mariners.^[2][19] To make room for Byrnes on the 40-man roster, the Mariners designated first baseman Tommy Everidge for assignment.^[2] The Diamondbacks are still responsible for the remaining $11 million on his contract he had with them before being released.^[20] Byrnes was slated to share playing time in the outfield with Milton Bradley at the time of his signing.^[2] Byrnes said this about being signed by the Mariners:

Eric Byrnes (center) signed with the Mariners in 2010.

Byrnes was released by the Mariners on May 2, 2010 after batting .094 with 3 hits in 32 at-bats, 1 run scored, 2 doubles, 9 strikeouts, and 6 bases on balls in 15 games on the season with Seattle.^[21] In a press release by the Mariners, general manager Jack Zduriencik said that, "Eric Byrnes is a tremendous competitor and a credit to baseball. We wish him only the best and expect him to land on his feet."^[21] This ended a disappointing stint with the Mariners.

Retirement[link]

On May 13, 2010, Byrnes announced his retirement from Major League Baseball. He lives in Half Moon Bay, California, plays slow pitch softball and golf, and reports no regrets. He will earn $11 million in 2010.^[22]

Broadcasting career[link]

During the 2006 post-season, Byrnes was an analyst for ESPN's Baseball Tonight show. He has also appeared on Fox's baseball pre-game show and The Best Damn Sports Show Period talk show. He was a guest analyst for the first two games of the 2006 World Series pre-game show and for some of the 2007 World Series on FOX Sports. During the off-season, Byrnes often fills in on KNBR, a San Francisco radio station. He currently resides with his wife Tarah, daughter Chloe and their bulldogs, Bruin, Mr. Hitch and Bella. During the 2007 MLB All Star Game at AT&T Park, he was in a kayak in McCovey Cove with Bruin during the pre-game and game itself for the FOX Sports broadcast.

Byrnes also has had his own TV show, called "The Eric Byrnes Show," which aired on FSN Arizona during the Diamondbacks' regular season. The show featured behind-the-scenes looks at the Arizona Diamondbacks, as well as Byrnes' personal life. During the 2007 off-season, Byrnes began a weekly radio show on XM Satellite Radio, called "Hustle with Eric Byrnes."^[23]

He worked in the booth with ESPN for the 2010 College World Series and is now a contributor to the MLB Network.

On March 18, 2011, Byrnes was hired by KNBR to host a nightly talk show, holding the 7-10 pm slot, as well as doing a Giants post-game show.^[24] Byrnes began his talk show on March 23, 2011.

During the opening of his May 10, 2012, show, Byrnes was bestowed with the nickname "Charmin" by the 3-7 pm host, Tom Tolbert, for being soft. Byrnes immediately fulfilled the nickname by declaring Miley Cyrus to be "good music" and mocking Tolbert for listening to GWAR, who he described as resembling Satan.

See also[link]

• Hitting for the cycle

References[link]