NEW YORK — It's a little easier to watch baseball online this year, though no one would call it safe at home quite yet.
Major League Baseball has broadcast games over the Internet since 2002, but always with one huge catch: A blackout on all local team games — both home and away. That protects the league's lucrative television contracts, but can be a major bummer for fans, particularly since MLB's definition of "local" is awfully broad.
To watch Chicago Cubs games live on the league's online service, for instance, you need to be well outside the Chicago metropolitan region.