Pluto TV offers classic baseball for free

Tired of watching the news, I decided to check out Pluto TV. A free internet television service owned by Paramount Steaming offers 100s of free shows and is available for Smart TVs, streaming devices, tablets, or computers.

To my pleasant surprise, they have an MLB channel featuring classic baseball games, highlights and shows, and historic All-Star and World Series games. The first game of the 1977 World Series between the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers was about to start on the live broadcast. This series was right about the time I started watching baseball. I won't say how old I was at the time, but I'm pretty sure I was only able to see the first two innings before being sent to bed.

This MLB channel presentation had the complete CBS broadcast, and the only difference was the commercials. The commercials were today's advertisements, not the originals from over forty years ago. Usually, when these classic games are shown, they are edited and only show innings with scored runs or something significant that happened.

Keith Jackson, Howard Cosell, and Tom Seaver were the television announcers. It was like watching my old baseball cards come to life as Keith Jackson introduced the Yankees on the field.

"In left field, Lou Pinella, good arm and better speed than you might think for a guy his size, " announced Jackson.

Later in the broadcast, Cosell remarked about the failed launch of the Russian space shuttle reminding everyone when to tune in to watch the test launch of America's space shuttle orbiter. He did this twice during the broadcast noting the date and time of the shuttle launch.

It wasn't unusual then to have active players on broadcasts once their team's season was over, and Tom Seaver was still in his prime as a player.

Fortunately, this game and others are available on demand under "Great Games" on the MLB channel. Here are some seasons and episodes that I would recommend for Mariners fans.

Season 1995 Episode 149 – "My Oh My" Edgar, Griffey Jr. win hit."

Season 2001 Episode 4 – "Ichiro breaks out during rookie season."

Season 2004 Episode 38 – "Randy Johnson is perfect vs. Braves."

Season 2004 Episode 69 – "Junior hits 500th homer on Father's Day."

Season 2012 Episode 119 "King Felix throws perfect game vs. Rays."

The first one on this list is better known by Mariner's fans as "The Double." Fans have probably seen the highlight of Edgar Martinez doubling in Ken Griffey Jr. to beat the Yankees in the 1995 AL Division Series. This is the complete four-hour broadcast. Since it is on-demand, you can watch part of the game or break it up and return where you left off.

Other on-demand shows on the MLB channel include "Baseball Seasons," recaps of baseball seasons going back to 1959; "All-Star Highlights," going back to 1967; and "World Series Films," highlights from selected World Series going back to 1958. It's a nice collection, and there is sure to be something of interest for fans of any team in any era.