The Chicago Cubs season opener against the Houston Astros was a massive ratings hit for Comcast SportsNet, scoring an 8.14 for the live high-def telecast Monday night. The peak 10.4 rating came during the 7:45 p.m. quarter hour. The 8.14 is the highest Cubs season opener game rating in Chicago regional sports network television history. The previous high, a 6.48 rating on Fox Sports Net, came on Apr. 5, 2004, at Cincinnati.With a 4.6 rating, Comcast SportsNet also was the highest-rated television network in the Chicago market Monday night from 6 to 9 p.m. in the key adult 25 to 54-year-old demo.

Comcast SportsNet's plan to offer 24 hours of baseball coverage on Monday, including live coverage of both the Cubs and Chicago White Sox opening day games, was thrown a curve ball when the White Sox abruptly postponed their Monday opening day game against the Kansas City Royals until today.