MLB’s greed makes watching baseball easier to live without

When you’re blinded by greed, it’s impossible to apply clear foresight. Yet, MLB has shown us its generous side, allowing us to watch, at no extra charge, baseball destroy itself.

Last fall, throughout the bloated postseason that saw total TV viewers sink below the Mendoza Line, remaining fans were daily and nightly sent on scavenger hunts to find the games. They appeared on ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, TBS, MLB Network, FS1 and Fox.

At a time when MLB could least afford to make viewing a chore, Rob Manfred and his dutiful team owners made it easier than ever for America to live without.

And while World Series ratings hit a record low, not even John Smoltz’s three-hour lectures on four-seam fastballs could save Fox from the abyss .

This season, with MLB making games even more scarce by hiding them behind more pay-walled, streaming obstructions — as long as your check clears, you’ve made the team — local team baseball, coast to coast, is both more expensive and more difficult to find, thus even easier to live without.

Unless, of course, readers from L.A. to Gotham have conspired to fabricate tales of disgust and unrequited love as MLB continues its quest for gold by minimizing interest in The Game.

Brilliant business plan, no?

It used to be easy — reflex actions in motion. The Yankees were on YES the Mets were on SNY, with a few free, over-the-air telecasts thrown in over Ch. 11 and Fox.

But because progress waits for no one, MLB thinks it will sustain existing fans and actually create new ones by selling games as if they’re all five-star, first-run movies.

So we now have games — consult local listings — on traditional cable or their new streaming competition, or costly exclusively on costly add-ons such as AppleTV+ or Amazon Prime.

Blackout restrictions apply, especially on Peacock, which after last season quietly allowed its MLB rights to expire after providing 20 exclusive late Sunday morning games.

Stan Van Gundy reveals wife died by suicide: ‘Devastating’

I can see it on Manfred’s Hall of Fame plaque even now: “He and MLB’s owners took the short-end money to condition the nation’s baseball fans to live without baseball.”

In Game 1 of Panthers-Rangers , Sean McDonough had just noted that the Rangers’ Filip Chytil was on the ice after missing much of the regular season to injury.

Fine. But then, with the puck in play during a 0-0 playoff game, ESPN needlessly, senselessly posted a fat graphic across the top of the screen. It included a photo of Chytil and the same words spoken by McDonough.

Why, with play on in the biggest games does ESPN continue to do such? And why does it show players returning to the bench after shifts rather than stick with the puck?

If I can find a good reason, you’ll be the second to know.

In the meantime, the broad answer remains: ESPN spends a fortune for live rights, begs you to watch, then does whatever it can to prevent you from watching with “Look what we can do!” clutter.

It’s not so much that Mike Francesa is always wrong, then talks down to you as an authority who is always right, it’s more a case of “Mr. Let’s Be Honest” being so often colossally wrong then pretending he’s never wrong.

As Funhouse’s diligent @BackAfterThis account on X chronicles , Francesa authoritatively touted the Knicks to win by plenty in Game 7, because the Pacers are not a good team and are dreadful on the road.

Not that “I’ll never host a podcast Francesa” would bring it up on his podcast, but the Pacers, four-point underdogs, won by 21.

Joe Buck believes Drew Brees and Jason Witten didn’t get fair shots to grow as announcers

Perhaps “He thought it was gone” home runs-that-ain’t would be eliminated and batters wouldn’t so often come up a base short if MLB managers preclude their first base coaches from high-fiving runners who jog to first when they do homer.

A one-way high-five could get that run-first fundamental message across, no?

And every batter who hits one deep should be seen on tape to let viewers know if he bothered to run — the quickest way to the next base.

Even with Tiger Woods missing the cut, CBS’s PGA Championship coverage was cheesy.

Reader David Distefano: “For a fleeting instant, CBS had the leaderboard in proper order, with Justin Rose listed first among those at 5-under, having played the most holes.

“Then someone realized that Scottie Scheffler is the bigger name, so he was listed ahead of Rose despite not having completed any holes.”

Then there was say-anything Trevor Immelman: “Brian Harman hates to make bogeys, especially in majors.” Oh, so he’s the one!

Jim Nantz called so many players by their first names only, he sounded like a day camp counselor.

As for Woods, reader Mike Duncan lamented his early departure, “now that the gap between his game and my game has so considerably narrowed.”

Quote of the Month belongs to wealthy attention hog David Portnoy, who blamed the “dumb WNBA refs” for costing him a $25,000 bet by calling two early fouls on Caitlin Clark .

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR STARTING LINEUP NEWSLETTER

He bets 25 grand on a WNBA game and the refs are dumb?

So close! Nearly hit my ESPN Bet parlay of Scottie Scheffler winning the PGA and being arrested just before dawn.

Auburn RB Brian Battie was critically wounded, his brother shot dead and three others wounded in a 3:30 a.m. street hassle in Florida last weekend .

Such a story once would have made big national news. Now? Next!

The next time some WNBA exec, player or media altruist objects to the sexual objectification of players, check out that Skims underwear commercial attached to WNBA telecasts. Players parade in come-hither, va-va-va-voom undies.

True or Ridiculous? In the bottom of the ninth of last week’s Rays-Red Sox, the replay rule was used to count the total number of mound visits the Rays had used.

True and ridiculous!

In early March, Temple University announced it was investigating fo ur highly suspicious men’s basketball results in view of possible game-fixing .

Given that was two months ago, is it safe to presume that Temple found that the smoke was the result of a fire? If there was nothing there, wouldn’t the school have by now been eager to say so?

Reader Richard Monahan leaves us with this: “I’m waiting for my boss to tell me that the keys to my success are not to do too much and to stay within myself.”

For the latest in sports, top headlines, breaking news and more, visit nypost.com/sports/