It's Spring Training for the MLB Network, and with little time to prepare, they've already jumped into the live broadcasting game. Their first effort was yesterday during the Indians-Giants game, and to say the least, there were a few hiccups. Via the San Francisco Chronicle....

The Major League Baseball Network butchered its first live telecast. As the Giants and Cleveland Indians launched the exhibition season Wednesday in the barren Arizona outpost of Goodyear, MLBN missed the first 15 minutes while airing a feature on "The Greatest Hitting Seasons of All Time."

This made the KNBR radio broadcast especially valuable, and as MLB stumbled along, trying to pick up the Indians' feed on SportsTime Ohio, I got to hear Jon Miller borrow a line from San Diego's Jerry Coleman, master of the malaprop, and call Randy Winn's first-inning drive "a sun-blown popup."

Sticking with KNBR for my audio (the Indians' crew was no match for Miller and Dave Flemming), I was expecting the usual live-action delay between radio and television, and MLB was hopelessly behind: a full 17 seconds. But who's complaining on a day of such enlightening developments?

The delay isn't really that big of a deal, because I don't know of many people that would not watch their local broadcast over the MLB-N feed, but the delay at the start of the game is pretty bad. Luckily for the network though, they have over 40 more tries this Spring. Here is their preseason schedule if you're interested....

February 26
Arizona Diamondbacks @ Cleveland Indians (4pm)

February 27
St. Louis Cardinals @ New York Mets (1pm)
San Diego Padres @ Cleveland Indians (5pm)

February 28
Tampa Bay Rays @ Philadelphia Phillies (1pm)
Minnesota Twins @ New York Yankees (5pm)

March 1
Boston Red Sox @ Minnesota Twins (1pm)
Chicago White Sox @ Los Angeles Dodgers (5pm)
Houston Astros @ New York Mets (9pm)

March 3
USA @ New York Yankees (WBC Exhibition, 1pm)
Canada @ Toronto Blue Jays (WBC Exhibition, 5pm)

March 4
Australia @ Seattle Mariners (WBC Exhibition, 9pm)

March 5
Chicago White Sox @ Chicago Cubs (4pm)

March 6
Washington Nationals @ Baltimore Orioles (1pm)

March 7
Oakland Athletics @ San Diego Padres (3pm)

March 9
Baltimore Orioles @ New York Mets (1pm)

March 14
Texas Rangers @ Chicago White Sox (4pm)

March 15
St. Louis Cardinals @ Philadelphia Phillies (1pm)
Kansas City Royals @ San Francisco Giants (8:30pm)

March 16
St. Louis Cardinals @ Detroit Tigers (1pm)
Tampa Bay Rays @ Pittsburgh Pirates (7pm)

March 17
Minnesota Twins @ Boston Red Sox (1pm)

March 18
Atlanta Braves @ New York Mets (1pm)

March 19
St. Louis Cardinals @ Tampa Bay Rays (1pm)
Boston Red Sox @ Cincinnati Reds (7pm)

March 20
Cincinnati Reds @ Houston Astros (1pm)
San Diego Padres @ Chicago Cubs (5pm)
Los Angeles Dodgers @ Kansas City Royals (9pm)

March 21
Boston Red Sox @ Florida Marlins (1pm)
Chicago Cubs @ Chicago White Sox (5pm)

March 22
New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays (1pm)
Cleveland Indians @ Colorado Rockies (5pm)

March 23
Florida Marlins @ Houston Astros (1pm)
Milwaukee Brewers @ Colorado Rockies (5pm)

March 24
New York Mets @ Houston Astros (1pm)
Boston Red Sox @ New York Yankees (7pm)

March 25
Detroit Tigers @ New York Mets (1pm)
Atlanta Braves @ Washington Nationals (7pm)

March 26
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim @ Cleveland Indians (4pm)
Chicago Cubs @ San Francisco Giants (10:30pm)

March 27
Detroit Tigers @ Atlanta Braves (1pm)
Milwaukee Brewers @ Texas Rangers (9pm)

March 28
Philadelphia Phillies @ Pittsburgh Pirates (1pm)
Chicago Cubs @ Colorado Rockies (5pm)
New York Yankees @ Atlanta Braves (9pm)

March 29
Atlanta Braves @ Detroit Tigers (1pm)
Kansas City Royals @ Seattle Mariners (5pm)

March 30
Tampa Bay Rays @ Minnesota Twins (1pm)
San Diego Padres @ Cleveland Indians (7pm)

March 31
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim @ Chicago Cubs (4pm)
Milwaukee Brewers @ San Diego Padres (10pm)

April 1
Florida Marlins @ Baltimore Orioles (1pm)
Texas Rangers @ Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (5pm)
Arizona Diamondbacks @ Milwaukee Brewers (9pm)

April 2
Chicago White Sox @ Milwaukee Brewers (3pm)
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim @ Los Angeles Dodgers (10pm)

April 3
Chicago Cubs @ New York Yankees (7pm)

April 4
Boston Red Sox @ New York Mets (1pm)
Baltimore Orioles @ Washington Nationals (6pm)
Milwaukee Brewers @ Los Angeles Dodgers (10pm)

Giants opener turns into must-hear TV (SF Chronicle)