Just saw a news item indicating that Major League Baseball is stepping up their restrictions with respect to media captured at major league facilities, which presumably includes spring training.

Two examples of the newly imposed limits:

-- Sites can't post more than seven photos from any game online.

-- Audio/video content created at MLB ballparks cannot stay up on a news site for more than 72 hours.

This is supposed to apply to professional media. At least that's what I think. But it probably won't be too long before they start enforcing this on blogs and community websites like this one. MLB has taken similar action before.

Back in the late 90s I ran a Mets fan site and I remember MLB making a sweep of such fan sites, cracking down on things like the display of logos and pictures taken off of official news sites. I was in the clear because I did all my own graphics and didn't post photos. Some sites got cease and desist letters though.

I really hope that Major League Baseball does not take the same approach with fan sites in 2008. MLB has become notorious for squeezing every dollar out of the game of baseball. In return the fans deserve the opportunity to be able to make and share media related to the sport and teams they love.

What do you think?