Venture Capitalists Discover Recruiting 2.0

Forget Steroids, Get Baseball Players A Video iPod

from the watching-video dept

Fri, Jun 16th 2006 1:22pm — Mike Masnick

With the ongoing debate about performance enhancing drugs in baseball, there's another technology that not only is helping players, but is legal: the video iPod. Baseball players analyzing video of their own performance or of opponents is nothing new. In the last few years, it's become quite popular, with players often carrying around a ton of video on laptops. Teams have invested heavily in tools to better archive videos and make them more searchable. However, it still involves players going in and watching the video on a computer or TV screen. What if they could watch it anywhere at any time? Apparently that's what the Colorado Rockies have started doing with a program to load game video onto the players' video iPods. The team isn't buying the devices for players, but enough of them already own them. Many of the players have given the team's video coordinators permission to take the iPods from their lockers and keep them updated with all the video they might need. Apparently, the Rockies' use of the video iPods is getting attention from other teams. Of course, you could argue that Johan Santana from Minnesota Twins has a leg up on the video iPod users. He's using a PSP, where he can not only watch video, but also prepare against opponents in a virtual baseball game.

20 Comments

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Geoff, 16 Jun 2006 @ 2:32pm

I have a psp
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Jun 2006 @ 2:39pm

Re:
and your point being...?
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HIS POINT, 16 Jun 2006 @ 2:42pm

Re: Re:
HIS POINT... IS THAT... HE'S.. UHH... FABULOUS.. cause.. uhhh... happiness = consumer goods
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Jun 2006 @ 2:43pm

Re:
At leats he didnt' say first post
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Jezsik, 16 Jun 2006 @ 2:53pm

Anyone care to take a bet?
I'm betting someone out there is trying to patent this idea ... don't get me started.
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Jun 2006 @ 3:02pm

its already been patented by me!
im suing the rockies.
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Jun 2006 @ 3:13pm

I wouldn't sue the Rockies. If you win, you might get the team.
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Rikko, 16 Jun 2006 @ 3:18pm

I love this quote:

"We figured if you can watch music videos by rock 'n' roll and by country, why can't you watch at-bats by San Francisco and pitches by Jason Schmidt?"

Rock 'n' Roll has got to be one of the most famousest artists out there!
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anonymous coward, 16 Jun 2006 @ 3:21pm

how long before the MLB sues the teams for unauthorize reproduction or rebroadcast?
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Anonymous Bum, 16 Jun 2006 @ 4:45pm

Last Post
I think the Ipod and Nike Shoe is a better Idea. Last post!
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ABC, 16 Jun 2006 @ 4:51pm

It's ridiculous...
Have you ever tried watching video on an ipod... It's pretty hopeless. It's a fun feature, but in all seriousness baseball players cannot possibly see the enough detail (the ball would be barely visible) to "analyse their oponents" on an ipod... I say its probably all for show...
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jun 2006 @ 8:06am

ipod video's are a stupid idea to begin with because the screen is to small to see, no way you actualy analyze a game. What happened to the whole team sitting around a huge big screen TV?
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?, 17 Jun 2006 @ 9:54am

How long will it take
For some silly video content watch dog group to mess this one up?
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Some Geek, 17 Jun 2006 @ 11:13am

MLB Sues team!
I agree with above post....how long before the MLB sues the Rockies for unauthorized reproduction of content. I am pretty sure that they plug in their video iPod to a TV at their house, b/c you can bearly see the seams of the ball to tell how the pitch is thrown. Fingers are hard to see also.
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Randall, 18 Jun 2006 @ 8:03am

Re: MLB Sues team!
are you the biggest idiot ever?
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Andrew N, 18 Jun 2006 @ 5:01pm

ipod video
Actually, I own an iPod with video and I was surprised how well I could see the screen and a ton of detail. Now, do I think that it's enough detail to analyze how many fingers a pitcher has on a certain throw? No. But it is good enough to watch general strategy.
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Super-Fruit, 18 Jun 2006 @ 5:21pm

What a steaming load.
IPod video rinky dink stinks for video. 2 hours battery life? Yeah, hard days training their EYES to stare down at a tiny screen, they cant take too too far from a power jack. Great idea.

If you really want video on the go for baseball players, stick to PSP (since they can afford that overpriced p.o.s.) and all it's "accessories".

Better yet, get a PMP for craps sake, something you can actually see and wont die on you in a pathetic amount of time. Plu if it ever did die, those have replacable batteries.

Then again, they could always buy a couple IPods since they have the money... But that'd just feed a blood-sucking, mediocre producing, brainwashing company like Apple, more money that it doesn't deserve.

PMPs (Archos, Creative Vison, Cowon A5) or PSP. Yay.
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Anonymous Coward, 19 Jun 2006 @ 7:14am

So Apples's next iPod ad will have some fancy and clever commercial that will basically say, "The official media device of the (insert name of ball team)."

Didnt Motorola or someone start offering cordless head sets to MLB teams?

Its all about the marketing.
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John Mahoney, 21 Jun 2006 @ 3:42pm

Baseball
Nice post, like it
check out my blog www.strikemagazine.blogspot.com and leave a comment
thanks
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John Mahoney, 21 Jun 2006 @ 3:44pm

Baseball
Nice post, like it
check out my blog www.strikemagazine.blogspot.com and leave a comment
thanks
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