Newsday's Neil Best reports on his "Watchdog" blog that the new MLB Network will apparently be launched Jan. 1 with a replay of Don Larsen's perfect game for the New York Yankees against Brooklyn in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series. Check out the story at:

http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/watchdog/blog/2008/11/mlb_network_to_o...

Time Warner Cable, a minority partner in MLB Network, will offer the new programming as part of its digital basic service. MLB is expected to offer 26 live games in 2009, or about one per week, airing Thursday or Saturday nights and could go after future rights now held by ESPN, Fox or Turner. TWC also will offer the Extra Innings package of out-of-market games to subscribers of that premier tier, but again, neither the Extra Innings package nor MLB Network will include coverage of the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals, which are considered the home teams in this market and whose rights are held by the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network.