Imagine watching a live baseball game right from your Android smartphone wherever you go. Propose this notion 20 years ago and people would think you were beaned with a fastball to the head one too many times.
What was once a service for keeping track of scores, live play-by-play on a virtual baseball field, or even listening to the occasional broadcast has now become a baseball entertainment center in your pocket. All it takes is a MLB.TV subscription on your computer, a flash player on your Android phone, and a MLB At Bat '11 subscription for $19.99.
Upon entry of the Android app, fans are greeted with all the live baseball scores. All it takes is a touch of that score and you will get the Gameday play-by-play interface almost as good a quality as the computer version--including notifications of live happenings, pitch locations, pitch speeds, run-scoring plays, outs, strikes, balls, whose on base, and more. All this on a virtual representation of the baseball field.
In the same menu, you can push a tab that will take you to a live box score. Click on a player, and their baseball card will pop up. The box score updates as the game happens, so you won't miss a beat if you chose to check out the game summary or scan through your favorite player's stats.
Want to hear what's going on live? Just go back to the scores menu and click on "listen to live broadcast." You not only will hear the home team's radio feed, but you will actually get to choose between the home and road feeds--yes, wouldn't Giants fans like to hear Jon Miller call a game instead of Charlie Steiner of the Dodgers?
Lastly, the feature that revolutionizes the app is the live TV option. I have yet to test the television feed myself, so I do not know how it works exactly, but with just Flash Player, you can watch one of the television feeds wherever you go--whether it be a restaurant, your cousin's wedding, or in class.
Other features include a favorite team customization, a news feature, videos, standings, and much more. If that's not enough, there is a section where you can connect with any ballpark's mobile features, allowing you to watch the replays on those close calls the JumboTron is not allowed to show.
As a big San Francisco Giants fan, I love the app and would recommend it for any die-hard fan. While the At Bat '11 app reaches its peak performance for the iPhone, the Android version still is a handy tool. If you are a casual fan who does not follow baseball, it may not be for you, but if you are the type who debates whether or not to go out and party or watch the game, this app is for you--you can do both!
