Every year around this time, I have the same inner debate. It’s about baseball and $163.96, the cost to purchase the MLB package through my cable provider, a Satanic company that seems to think I should be fine with making a small mortgage payment each month for 3,267 channels, only 10 of which I bother to watch or even know how to find.

Since I live in Florida, my non-subscription baseball options are limited to the Tampa Bay Rays, who I found intriguing until manager Joe Maddon left, and the Miami Marlins, who interest me in the way car crash videos from Russia interest me. So, if I want to catch the Kansas City Royals or the Houston Astros or a particular pitching matchup, I have no choice but to throw down $163.96 – just four easy payments of $40.99! – and get almost every game over the course of the entire baseball season. That’s 2,430 games, by the way – even if I can't possibly watch all of them.

My love of baseball always wins the debate. Some years, I’ll let the decision slide past Opening Day before I finally cave. And I always cave. It’s hard to explain, but baseball is my thing. I can survive without other sports that interest me marginally, but there’s no margin when it comes to baseball. I buy the package so I don’t miss that meaningless Angels-Mariners game in late July.

When INDYCAR announced last week that its media rights would belong solely to NBC Sports Group beginning in 2019, I heard my inner baseball debate from people who aren’t me and aren’t talking about baseball. The reaction to having eight races on broadcast TV – which means zero easy monthly payments of $40.99 – and the rest on cable’s NBCSN was met with grumbling about something called NBC Sports Gold.

For the uninitiated, NBC Sports Gold is a peripheral subscription service that will offer content like all practice sessions, all qualifying sessions (even those airing on TV) and other exclusive INDYCAR content. It’s known as over-the-top programming, content that appeals to fans who are completely immersed in a sport. NBC Sports Gold currently offers content for track and field, cycling, rugby and Premier League soccer.

Among the perks of the INDYCAR package will be live telecasts of all Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires races, full replays on demand, archival footage and additional data. The details and price won’t be announced until closer to next season – which could explain the grumbling I’ve heard – but INDYCAR and NBC Sports insist it will be a fair price in relation to the value provided. And if you check the pricing of NBC Sports Gold’s season packages for other sports, none is exactly a deal-breaker.

Here’s the kicker, and one of its most significant selling points: It’s online only. That might frighten some of us older folks, but for those of us older folks who are considering cutting the cord, it doesn’t. Streaming is the future. For those of us who remember a time when four over-the-air options were all we had, streaming is a giant step forward.

Every year around this time, I choose to re-enlist with MLB for one reason: The package gives me online access. Those 2,430 baseball games are available in high definition on my phone or tablet through the subscription. That’s where frugal me loses the argument with baseball me. I’m on the road constantly in the summer, often staying in hotels with less-than-ideal TV situations.

Let’s say I’m staying at a Fabulous Inn in Bugtussle, Nebraska, en route to a race in August. I’m fortunate that the hotel offers HD programming and a solid internet connection, but my only baseball option on TV is the Colorado Rockies. Clayton Kershaw is going against Madison Bumgarner that night at Dodger Stadium, a far better option than watching two teams combine for 27 runs. (Pitchers’ duels are always preferable, but that’s another column for another day.)

So I fire up the tablet, sign into the MLB account and watch two of the best spin it in high def. In the middle of nowhere, at my convenience, for four easy payments of $40.99. The service is actually worth it. If you’ve ever been to Bugtussle, you understand this.

In recent years, we’ve started to consume live sports differently. If you’re like me, you’re watching more content on a tablet or phone. It’s portable, easier to access and preferable in a variety of ways. My dream is that someday all content will be available a la carte over all types of devices. Instead of paying a monthly fee for a whole bunch of stuff we don’t need or want, we pay only for what we consume, and we can watch it anywhere.

I suspect the grumbling about a subscription service to complement INDYCAR’s on-air and cable coverage will subside eventually. It’s intended for hardcore fans, and not everyone is into a particular sport the way the hardcores are. They’re willing to pay to get as much of it as possible. If it turns out to be essential coverage, I’m in.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to call my cable provider. Opening Day is tomorrow, and frugal me has lost the debate again.