Just when you thought you got enough baseball during the summer months, USA Today reports that ESPN has come to an agreement with Major League Baseball to digitally distribute content. Why on Earth anyone would want to watch a baseball game streaming on their console versus actually watching the game on TV is beyond me. That is, unless ESPN plans to bring an MLB TV type service to the masses. This plan makes about as much sense for MLB as punching a wall. They already offer a service to get any game anywhere on your PC, so I just don't get the necessity of this decision. Nevermind the fact this plan also supposes you'd want to watch a baseball game on your video iPod. Yeah, because everyone loves watching sports on a 3-inch screen. You can read the full press release below, and come to your own sumations as to why this deal was brought about. I'm clueless.  

BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) — Major League Baseball and ESPN signed a new digital rights agreement that will allow the sports network to put baseball content on multiple platforms, including video game consoles and portable players such as iPods.

The deal announced Thursday extends and expands the agreement through 2013. The previous agreement could have expired as early as this year. Terms were not disclosed.

ESPN said the deal will allow for live game streaming and highlights packages on the Internet and mobile platforms. It also will allow ESPN to develop interactive television programming around baseball content.

ESPN will be able to put MLB content on download services like Apple's iTunes Store and console game systems such as Microsoft Xbox Live.

"Our goal is always to deliver sports to fans across any platform, and this is yet another agreement that fulfills that strategy," George Bodenheimer, president of ESPN and ABC Sports, said in a statement.

Baseball commissioner Bud Selig said in the same statement that the new agreement will "bring our game to our fans in a variety of new and exciting ways."

ESPN360.com and ESPN Mobile TV will simulcast all Sunday Night Baseball, Monday Night Baseball and Wednesday Night Baseball telecasts. The deal allows streaming of the Home Run Derby and other special MLB events.

The network said ESPN.com and its global sites will feature more highlights, and its mobile platforms will have new rights to show video highlights alone and as part of original shows.

ESPN and ABC are units of the Walt Disney Co.

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