Here's the press release from MLB and TBS announcing that TBS will broadcast the MLB Wild Card games:

Major League Baseball and Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. announced today that TBS will exclusively televise the American League and National League Wild Card games in 2012 and 2013. The new Postseason format will feature the two Wild Card teams in the American League and National League playing in a single-elimination game with each winner advancing to compete with the three division champions from its League in the Division Series.  MLB also announced that two Division Series games in each of the 2012 and 2013 Postseasons will shift from TBS to MLB Network.

Turner’s partnership with MLB spans more than 35 years. TBS has televised all MLB Division Series games and one League Championship Series each year since 2007. In 2012, the network will televise 18 of 20 potential Division Series games and will have exclusive coverage of the American League Championship Series (ALCS). In addition to the MLB Postseason, TBS televises a 26-game “Sunday MLB on TBS” regular season schedule and is the exclusive home of the 2012 MLB All-Star Selection Show airing July 1.

TBS will also continue to televise any necessary regular season tie-breaker games.  The network has recently aired three memorable regular season tie-breakers, including Padres vs. Rockies in 2007, Twins vs. White Sox in 2008, and Tigers vs. Twins in 2009.

MLB Network will exclusively televise two Division Series games in each of the next two years, marking the first time MLB Network will air live Postseason games. MLB Network has produced weekly original game telecasts since its inaugural season in 2009.  With a roster of on-air talent including Bob Costas, Jim Kaat, Al Leiter, Harold Reynolds and Matt Vasgersian, MLB Network has received 28 Sports Emmy Award nominations and nine Sports Emmy Awards.

“The new format will create two compelling Wild Card match-ups for fans that will begin our Postseason with unprecedented pressure and implications,” said Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig. “We are confident that TBS will provide outstanding coverage and promotion of the games. I am also very pleased that this arrangement allows for MLB Network to air Postseason games for the first time. MLB Network has done a remarkable job with its live game coverage and I am certain that its extraordinary work will continue as it produces Postseason games.”

“We applaud Major League Baseball on their decision to expand Postseason eligibility and we’re excited to build upon our long-standing partnership with MLB by adding these highly anticipated exclusive Wild Card games to our Postseason coverage on TBS,” said David Levy, president of sales, distribution and sports for Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. “We believe the additional single-elimination Wild Card spots will build upon the popularity of the sport and will serve as a great launching pad for our Division Series and ALCS coverage on TBS.”

The new format this season marks the first amendment to the Postseason since MLB utilized the six-division, eight-team Postseason structure for the first time in 1995.

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Before Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim starter Jered Weaver went out to finish his no-hitter in the 9th inning on Wednesday night, the MLB Tonight crew on the MLB Network noticed something after he finished the 8th. They saw him head to clubhouse to go to the bathroom.

This is normally not a big issue because players do it all the time. It's the fact that he broke his ritual during a no-hitter.

Harold Reynolds was sure enough to ask him about that during an interview after the game and of course Weaver gave him the brutally honest answer.

In case video stops working due to server demand, it can also be accessed here.

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

I hope you enjoyed the Gigantic Sox and Dawgs 2012 MLB preview.  Over the last week we gave you a team by team look at the key players, new faces, potential MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year candidates, possible starting lineups and rotations as well as a quick summary.

This preview was sculpted over a two month period in the off season with some mild tweaking as we went along prior to publication.  It comes from a culmination of reading many baseball magazines, periodicals, articles and websites.

I’d also like to take a minute to thank William Tasker from The Flagrant Fan blog who helped point me in a good direction for some additional information and had some answers to some questions I had along the way.

I hope you enjoy this look at the upcoming season.  I know everyone will not agree with me and that’s fine put it in the comments or hit me up on Twitter.  I can assure you I'll most likely have an argument for each and every objection that you could possibly raise.

After previewing all six divisions today is the day we look at the big winners and managers who could be in trouble in 2012.  You can check out all the division previews by following the links.

Sunday: NL West

Monday: AL West

Tuesday: NL Central

Wednesday: AL Central

Thursday: NL East

Friday: AL East

Play Ball!

Note from Ian: My sincere apologies to Steve and all the readers as this was supposed to be posted on Saturday. Due to a technical error on my part, it didn't run.

To continue reading, click on the read more button below if you're on the home page.

Welcome to the Gigantic Sox and Dawgs 2012 MLB preview.  Over the next few days you will get a team by team look at its key players, new faces, their potential MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year candidates, their possible starting lineup and rotation as well as a quick summary.

For the second year in a row we will select a MVP candidate and Cy Young candidate for each team no matter what their predicted team outcome is.

This preview was sculpted over a two month period in the off season with some mild tweaking as we went along prior to publication.  It comes from a culmination of reading many baseball magazines, periodicals, articles and websites.

I hope you enjoy this look at the upcoming season.  I know everyone will not agree with me and that’s fine put it in the comments or hit me up on Twitter.  I can assure you I'll most likely have an argument for each and every objection that you could possibly raise.

Yesterday we looked at the NL East, Sunday was the NL West, Monday was the AL West, Tuesday we previewed the NL Central, Wednesday we took a trip around the AL Central and today it’s the AL East.

To continue reading, click on the read more button below if you're on the home page.

Welcome to the Gigantic Sox and Dawgs 2012 MLB preview.  Over the next few days you will get a team by team look at its key players, new faces, their potential MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year candidates, their possible starting lineup and rotation as well as a quick summary.

For the second year in a row we will select a MVP candidate and Cy Young candidate for each team no matter what their predicted team outcome is.

This preview was sculpted over a two month period in the off season with some mild tweaking as we went along prior to publication.  It comes from a culmination of reading many baseball magazines, periodicals, articles and websites.

I hope you enjoy this look at the upcoming season.  I know everyone will not agree with me and that’s fine put it in the comments or hit me up on Twitter.  I can assure you I'll most likely have an argument for each and every objection that you could possibly raise.

Yesterday we looked at the AL Central, Sunday was the NL West, Monday was the AL West, Tuesday we previewed the NL Central and today it’s the NL East.

To continue reading, click on the read more button below if you're on the home page.

Welcome to the Gigantic Sox and Dawgs 2012 MLB preview.  Over the next few days you will get a team by team look at its key players, new faces, their potential MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year candidates, their possible starting lineup and rotation as well as a quick summary.

For the second year in a row we will select a MVP candidate and Cy Young candidate for each team no matter what their predicted team outcome is.

This preview was sculpted over a two month period in the off season with some mild tweaking as we went along prior to publication.  It comes from a culmination of reading many baseball magazines, periodicals, articles and websites.

I hope you enjoy this look at the upcoming season.  I know everyone will not agree with me and that’s fine put it in the comments or hit me up on Twitter.  I can assure you I'll most likely have an argument for each and every objection that you could possibly raise.

Yesterday we looked at the NL Central, Sunday was the NL West, Monday was the AL West and today it’s the AL Central.

To continue reading, click on the read more button below if you're on the home page.

Welcome to the Gigantic Sox and Dawgs 2012 MLB preview.  Over the next few days you will get a team by team look at its key players, new faces, their potential MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year candidates, their possible starting lineup and rotation as well as a quick summary.

For the second year in a row we will select a MVP candidate and Cy Young candidate for each team no matter what their predicted team outcome is.

This preview was sculpted over a two month period in the off season with some mild tweaking as we went along prior to publication.  It comes from a culmination of reading many baseball magazines, periodicals, articles and websites.

I hope you enjoy this look at the upcoming season.  I know everyone will not agree with me and that’s fine put it in the comments or hit me up on Twitter.  I can assure you I'll most likely have an argument for each and every objection that you could possibly raise.

Yesterday we looked at the AL West and we started on Sunday with the NL West, today it’s the NL Central.

To continue reading, click on the read more button below if you're on the home page.

Welcome to the Gigantic Sox and Dawgs 2012 MLB preview.  Over the next few days you will get a team by team look at its key players, new faces, their potential MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year candidates, their possible starting lineup and rotation as well as a quick summary.

For the second year in a row we will select a MVP candidate and Cy Young candidate for each team no matter what their predicted team outcome is.

This preview was sculpted over a two month period in the off season with some mild tweaking as we went along prior to publication.  It comes from a culmination of reading many baseball magazines, periodicals, articles and websites.

I hope you enjoy this look at the upcoming season.  I know everyone will not agree with me and that’s fine put it in the comments or hit me up on Twitter.  I can assure you I'll most likely have an argument for each and every objection that you could possibly raise.

Yesterday we looked at the NL West, today it’s the AL West.

To continue reading, click on the read more button below if you're on the home page.

Welcome to the Gigantic Sox and Dawgs 2012 MLB preview.  Over the next week you will get a team by team look at its key players, new faces, their potential MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year candidates, their possible starting lineup and rotation as well as a quick summary.

For the second year in a row we will select a MVP candidate and Cy Young candidate for each team no matter what their predicted team outcome is.

This preview was sculpted over a two month period in the off season with some mild tweaking as we went along prior to publication.  It comes from a culmination of reading many baseball magazines, periodicals, articles and websites.

I hope you enjoy this look at the upcoming season.  I know everyone will not agree with me and that’s fine put it in the comments or hit me up on Twitter.  I can assure you I'll most likely have an argument for each and every objection that you could possibly raise.  It was a lot of work but a lot of fun compiling this preview and starting today we will take a look at the National League West.  The rest of the schedule follows with a different division being profiled each day and the final day will bring you my winners, my award selections and a list of managers who have a lot to prove in 2012 if they want to be on the bench in 2013.

Tomorrow you will get the American League West preview followed by the NL Central, AL Central, NL East and AL East.

To continue reading, click on the read more button below if you're on the home page.

The final award from the Baseball Writer's Association of America (BBWAA) is out and unlike the AL MVP, the 2011 NL MVP is not a pitcher.

The BBWAA voters have chosen Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun as their 2011 National League MVP. Braun beat out Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp and his teammate Prince Fielder for the award.

Braun is the first Brewers player to win the NL MVP. The last one to win the award from the Brewers franchise was Robin Yount in 1989 when they were still part of the American League.

He hit .332 with 33 home runs, 111 RBIs and 33 stolen bases in 150 games and helped lead the team to a franchise record 96 wins.

The 2011 AL & NL Rookie of the Year Awards were presented last  Monday, the 2011 AL Cy Young Award last Tuesday, the 2011 AL & NL Manager of the Year Awards last Wednesday and the 2011 NL Cy Young Award last Thursday. The 2011 AL MVP was awarded yesterday.

For a full look at the 2011 NL MVP Award voting totals, click on the read more button below if you're on the home page.