I Tivo'd the 30-in-30 series on MLB Network and caught up on a number of their episodes this weekend. Though it's not perfect, I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the organizational overviews.

For starters, they have the luxury of pacing that ESPN or other channels do not have. Their analysis can have a little bit of nuance, and they can go in-depth and not just talk about the top starters for the team. John Hart has demonstrated a good grasp of each team's farm system, from what I've seen so far. He's ideally suited for the role - and the immediate comparison between him and Steve Phillips is damning.

My one gripe about the network is the one that I have with most networks - there's not much in the way of sabermetric-friendly content, opting instead to have a multitude of ex-players in their studio shows. A case in point - on their daily show (not the 30-in-30 show), they had a panel discussion talking about the role of stats in running a team. Unfortunately, the panel didn't have a single stats guy - it was Matt Vasgersian moderating, with Harold Reynolds, Sean Casey and Barry Larkin serving as the analysts. Suffice to say, the ensuing discussion was rather one-sided, lacking in depth and perspective. I would have much rather had someone like Hart involved in that discussion, to at least give it a little balance.

Still, it's nice to have an alternative for my preseason baseball television content.