Two "seismic transactions" this winter -- the Angels' signing of 1B Albert Pujols and the Rangers' signing of P Yu Darvish -- are indications that MLB's revenue structure "has been forever altered by a massive infusion of money from cable television deals," according to a sports section cover story by Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY. New multibillion dollar contracts from Fox Sports' RSNs "enabled the Rangers to break the Red Sox's record for money spent on a Japanese import" when they signed Darvish last month for more than $111M and allowed the Angels to make Pujols "baseball's second-highest-paid player." Nightengale notes those agreements are "likely just the beginning of a wave of deals that will enrichen many franchises, yet further isolate those at the bottom of the revenue spectrum." The Rangers were the "first to hit pay dirt in August 2010," as sources peg their deal with FS Southwest as worth $3B over 20 years. Sources said that the Angels in December struck a "similar pact with Fox Sports West, a 20-year commitment valued at slightly more than the Rangers deal." The Dodgers, Phillies, Mariners, D'Backs and Nationals "could be the next group to cash in, with deals that expire or have reopener clauses" by '15. The Padres are also "poised to sign a deal with Fox Sports, pending MLB approval, that will guarantee them $75 million a year for 20 years." MLB "thinks these TV deals will not only enhance the teams' wealth but also provide even greater parity." Brewers COO Rick Schlesinger said, "If you're fortunate enough to be in a market with some dramatic bidding wars, your deal is going to be pretty good." However, there is a "fear that the new TV deals could create an even greater separation between large- and small-market clubs." White Sox Chair Jerry Reinsdorf: "The big TV deals are basically a function of market size and competition. There's no way that Kansas City can get a deal comparable to what the Angels did" (USA TODAY, 2/10).

Ratings for Thunder telecasts on FS Oklahoma are “nearly double” this season compared to the '10-11 campaign, according to Mel Bracht of the OKLAHOMAN. Bracht notes that the shortened 66-game season “has been a hit with viewers,” as the Thunder’s 6.0 local rating in Oklahoma City is up 82% from the same period last year. TV viewing figures also show that “fans are staying up late for the West Coast games,” as the net is averaging a 6.9 rating for games beginning at 9:00pm CT or later. The Thunder’s two games on TNT this season to date have also “produced huge local ratings, including a team-high 10.5 at Boston on Jan. 16 and a 10.0 against visiting Dallas on Dec. 29.” The Magic-Thunder Christmas night game on ESPN produced a team-high 8.3 local rating. Nationally, NBA viewership on ESPN is up 20% “when compared Christmas-to-date with last season.” TNT’s NBA viewership is up 36% (OKLAHOMAN, 2/10).

LIN IS IN: MSG has averaged a 2.6 local rating for two Knicks games since G Jeremy Lin became a starter, up 36% from a 1.9 rating season-to-date. The net earned a 2.7 local rating for the Feb. 6 game against the Jazz and a 2.4 rating for the Feb. 8 game against the Wizards (MSG).

SI.com's Chris Burke listed the "best and worst announcing jobs" of the '11 NFL season, and named NFL Network's Brad Nessler and Mike Maycock "the elite" team of the year. Burke wrote, "Man, were they good." Nessler is "energetic without being overly excitable, saving his best calls for the moments that necessitate them." His demeanor "turned out to be the perfect match for Mayock." Thanks to the duo's "talents and the relatively weak slate of Thursday games this year, by season’s end people were tuning into the NFL Network’s broadcasts as much for the announcing as the games." Burke named NBC's Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth "solid starters," and wrote, "Combine a knowledgeable analyst with one of the great play-by-play men of all-time, and you’re going to get a solid result more often than not." CBS' Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts have a "great dynamic going -- they're solid on the game call without being too serious about it." Burke also cited ESPN's Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski and Jon Gruden and wrote, "Gruden's insane, Jaws can be pedantic and Tirico loves to get off topic. But let's be honest about it: How often is this group boring?" (SI.com, 2/8). 

SAYING SORRY: Former San Diego-based XERPS-AM sports talk host Scott Kaplan, who was fired Monday for remarks made on air, addressed the incident and said, "I screwed up. I lost my job. I humiliated my family. I’ve got to take responsibility. I’ve got to accept the consequences.” In San Diego, Brent Schrotenboer noted the comments "at issue were made about Andrea Lloyd, a women’s basketball Hall of Famer and currently broadcaster for the Mountain West’s TV network." Kaplan said on his Jan. 25 show that Lloyd "was a 'monster,' a 'beast' and 'an animal.'" Kaplan said Wednesday, "I'm a San Diego State athletics supporter. I feel like the television network wasn’t doing a good job for our school, for our product, and it somehow turned into Andrea, and that’s, you know, stupid things were said." He added that he is “'very, very sorry about it' and this week he tried to reach out to Lloyd by phone and by mail to apologize to her" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 2/9).

IN THE BOOTH: In N.Y., Bob Raissman reported broadcaster Josh Lewin "is headed for Mets radio" on WFAN-AM. Lewin will replace Wayne Hagin, who "had teamed with Howie Rose since 2008." Lewin, who served as the Rangers TV play-by-play voice from '02-10, has a one-year deal with the Mets (N.Y. POST, 2/10). Lewin has called games for the Tigers, Cubs, Orioles and Fox Sports. He is the "co-host of a sports-talk radio show in Dallas" and is the Chargers' radio play-by-play announcer (NYTIMES.com, 2/10).

NEW ADDITION: Comcast SportsNet Bay Area announced that San Jose Mercury News reporter Andrew Baggarly has joined the net as its MLB Giants reporter. In his new role, Baggarly will provide coverage on CSNBayArea.com's GiantsTalk page, and for "SportsNet Central," "Chronicle Live," "Giants Pregame Live" and "Giants Postgame Live" (CSN).

LEGAL WOES: YES Network host Bob Lorenz was "arrested on drunk driving charges early Wednesday morning." Lorenz hosts Yankees and Nets pregame and postgame shows. YES Network VP/Communications Eric Handler "declined comment on the arrest" (CONNECTICUT POST, 2/9).