Since, this is the slowest sports day of the year I thought I would write about one thing that was exciting to see last night during the All-Star Game.

On one of the earlier commercial breaks during the All-Star Game I was excited to see that the MLB Network is going to start on January 1st 2009.  You will be able to get this channel from your cable provider just like you can get the NFL Network. 

Once the excitement left me I began to think about what could be on the network.  I began to wonder why it has taken this long because the MLB is the only major American sport not to have a network on TV. I also was wondering what some of the programming will be, and are they going to show exclusive games?

It seems that this network has been in the workings for over a year. All of the other major sports have launched a network and could be one explanation for why it has taken baseball so long. 

Another reason why it has taken so long is because of the negotiations between the MLB and the cable companies that will carry the network.  There are not just one or two owners of the network, the MLB, and four cable companies have ownership as well.  Because of the amount of owners I can see why negotiations and setup of the network have taken so long.

Some of the programming that has been announced include a nightly Baseball Tonight type analysis show throughout the season. Some games from the 2009 World Baseball Classic will be aired on the network and 30 regular season games to be aired in 2009 as well.

And of course you will be seeing plenty of highlights from all eras of baseball, including that Kirk Gibson home run everyday if you wanted to. Wait you can just turn on Sportscenter for that.