After whining themselves into the DirecTV deal, Cable suddenly forgot what team it’s playing for.

The technology landscape has changed dramatically since last year’s ill-fated DirecTV-Extra Innings exclusive deal; more and more people have migrated to the web to watch TV shows and download movies, something that’s been traditionally and intrinsically tied to the Television and the cable or satellite set top box.

Ironically, the Extra Innings deal would’ve forced subscribers to switch to the MLB.TV service, where they’d be able to watch most games from their computers at home or work. But due to huge fan outcry and a brief intervention by Congress, MLB New Media Goons, aka, MLB’s Advance Media arm decided to let Cable into the deal.

This time around, however, it’s Cable that’s about to screw us all over. And this time, I doubt there’s anything Selig or his henchmen can do to stop it.

From the AP:

NEW YORK - Time Warner Cable will experiment with a new pricing structure for high-speed Internet access later this year, charging customers based on how much data they download, a company spokesman said Wednesday.

As you all remember, Time Warner is part of that group of affiliates that own and operate In Demand, the system that distributes the MLB Extra Innings package to cable subscribers.

And this new pricing structure that they’re testing for broadband access will undoubtedly add a premium to the luxurious price that those of us who watch TV programming online (IE, baseball games through MLB.TV) already pay.

And what’s the reasoning, you ask?

Now, let’s see — that pricing structure would be really bad news for any Web entity selling downloadable movies and TV shows. Customers of cable company broadband might think twice if the download would bust them through to the next tier of service, forcing them to pay more.

And, hmm, who is most threatened by Web entities selling movies and TV shows? Why — that would be cable companies! How coincidental! By making downloadable video more expensive, cable companies might convince customers to just watch cable TV or get a movie on cable’s pay-per-view. Amazing how that works, huh?

Sure, that this becomes the norm is only speculative, but the Net Neutrality issue has been brewing for a while, with Cable leading the charge that we ought to have a tiered system to pay for broadband.

And so, the fact that Networks are enticing people to watch TV online, and not to mention, the big push for online movie rentals, oh and of course, music downloads, will make broadband internet service providers (IE, Cable) only think of pulling schemes like Time Warner’s out of their digital rear ends.

For all the fighting and grumbling I did before and during the first week of the season regarding that pesky Extra Innings deal, it strikes me as ironic that I’ve stopped watching games because my favorite team sucks (stupid White Sox). I guess I could watch Bonds every night on my mlb.tv, or I could get the extra innings deal now that I moved into my new apartment and enjoy the wonders of Comcast cable (nothing ever happened with Dish, ya know). But for what?

I’d rather read the box score. I mean, that’s what espn.com and those SportsCenter minutes are for. Besides, what I think fans were lobbying for in scowling at the DirecTV deal was choice, and that’s precisely what I’m exercising.

On a semi-related matter, the New York Times reported this week that our favorite MLB New Media Goons, aka, Baseball’s Advance Media division, signed a deal with StubHub, an online ticket broker (itself acquired by Ebay in January).

By BRAD STONE and MATT RICHTEL

Published: August 2, 2007

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 1 — Major League Baseball once frowned on scalping, the resale of tickets among fans and sidewalk entrepreneurs. On Thursday, professional baseball will announce plans to get into the business.

In a nod to the growing strength of Internet ticket exchanges, the league has entered into a revenue-sharing agreement with StubHub, an online market owned by eBay that acts as a middleman in the resale of tickets to entertainment events. Under the five-year deal, all 30 baseball team Web sites and MLB.com will direct fans who want to sell their tickets or buy tickets from other fans to Stubhub.com.

You may remember that Stubhub is owned by Ebay, meaning that whenever you go to the auction site to put up tickets for this weekend’s ballgame, there’s a good chance you’ll end up paying more “fees” on your sale.

But, as the Times reports, teams don’t like Stubhub because it really just is scalping, only it’s done in the comfort of your home or office and not in the street corner. But, as the Bites blog reminds us, it pays to have a daddy with fat pockets:

StubHub, by itself, was a troublemaker, challenging established teams, concert promoters and venues as well as its giant rival, TicketMaster. Ebay, now a grown up member of the corporate establishment, is less likely to do something radical and risky.

The issue for fans is a moot point. But the concept of the League mandating (or “making the option available” if you will) that teams make Stubhub the place for the resale of tickets makes for some interesting fodder.

But Mr. Carter said that the deal is likely to exacerbate the tension between some teams and the league over who has control of marketing and e-commerce in the digital age. He said that some team managements think they can do a better job of making money from their own efforts and entrepreneurship, rather than ceding it to the league.

“It’s part of a bigger issue as technology moves forward,” said Mr. Carter. “There’s a push and pull between teams and leagues.” Individual teams were not going to be officially informed of the deal until Thursday, league officials said.

Baseball’s New Media goons have created a State’s-rights scenario out of thin air. And if we take the Cleveland Cavalier’s recent suit and counter suit with Ticketmaster as precedent, this might lead to a showdown of Federal proportions. Not because the Feds would get involved, but because Baseball Franchises would want control over those newly legit “secondary market” dollars.

(Full disclosure: Umpbump.com advertises ticket resellers, and makes a tiny percentage from the sale of some those tickets).

Endgadget is reporting that MLB Advance Media, AKA MLB New Media Goons are not going to sue the hell out of Sling Media.

Major League Baseball may not be happy about Sling Media enabling fans to stream out of market baseball games over the internet, but it is apparently backing off of plans to sue the company into oblivion, RIAA-style. Bob Bowman, president of Major League Baseball Advanced Media said in an interview that winning could be done with “good technology and good content, not lawyers”.

The interview in question in which Mr. Bowman alias Captian New Media Goon said what he said is in the Wall Street Journal, meaning you won’t be able to read the article unless you’re a paid subscriber.

[For an umpbump.com sticker, which WSJ subscriber is going to share the good stuff from that column in our comments?]

Here’s a quick primer about the issue: Sling Media is a company that makes this little gizmo that allows you to hook it up to your TV (which in turn can be connected to your cable or sat service) and then broadcast said TV’s signal through a broadband Internet connection to wherever you are. Could be your office downtown, or your hotel room across the country. A loyal Pirates fan from Pittsburgh, who also happens to own a Sling Player can watch his Bucs from L.A. gratis. Unlike some of us who ponyed up the cash for MLB.TV, Baseball’s service that… aw hell you know what it does.

Naturally, Baseball didn’t like this, and was threatening to sue Sling.

Frankly, it doesn’t surprise me. We all saw what kind of backlash Baseball had to endure after they made a “dumb” decision. So now they’re backing off Sling in order to avoid alienating fans (aka costumers) who use their service to watch games from their home markets through the Internet.

That’s right. Back off.