Regular Season - Over

Congratulations New England Patriots!

16-0 

On to the playoffs.

BTW - if Eli Manning had just a couple more players with the talent of the Patriots... he would've won this game - he played better than I've ever seen him play before. 

All in all - I think the playoffs will be disappointing after this game. (I might be wrong about that - but it was an excellent game)

Posted by: Teresa in Sports at 11:32 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Follow the Money

The NFL (in case you aren't a football fan and didn't know) has set up its own network, called.... the NFL Network (catchy name isn't it).  Since its inception, they have been fighting with cable companies to carry their product without extra charge, even though they charge nearly the highest fee to these companies for broadcast rights. 

The cable companies dug in their little toes and said "NO!  Ain't gonna happen."  Even Comcast, who carried the NFL network as a regular channel last year, has moved it to the Premium tier this year. 

The NFL in its infinite wisdom figured they could set up their own little football fiefdom... with the games available to only a very very small percentage of viewers. (they should ask the NHL how that worked out for them...) They thought people would go out of their way to clamor for the product... apparently they were wrong.  Shocking isn't it. 

Their broadcasts have been royally panned by the sports talking heads here in town and no one seems to be breaking down the doors of the cable companies to "make" them show the games on regular television.  Most people - even football fans - just shrug and figure they'll miss that game this week. 

Then the Patriots winning season put them in a quandary.  Do they stick to their guns and only broadcast on NFL Network... or do they give in and show it on nationally broadcasting channels.  It's a tough one.

The last few weeks there has been a hue and cry over the fact that only a very tiny number of people (directly in the Boston area) would be able to see the Patriots - Giants football game on a regular tv broadcast.  The game that will decide if the Patriots remain undefeated for the season or if the Giants will take them out and be THE team to have beaten them.  The real problem is this... the Patriots are The New England Patriots - not the Boston Patriots.  Their fan base for the most part runs from Maine through Connecticut and out to Vermont.   The  local telecast was only going to be for the small Boston market - not the entire fan based market which encompasses the New England area...  How's that again?   Pretty stupid if you ask me. 

Personally I figure most of the country could care less, but the NFL has finally figured out that they can really milk this one...

Pats-Giants to be first three-network simulcast game in NFL history

Wow!

But the league announced Wednesday that the NFL Network feed will be simulcast on NBC and CBS. It's a major concession by league officials, who repeatedly said they would not show the game anywhere but the NFL Network. The NFL had faced mounting pressure from politicians in recent weeks to make the game available to more viewers.

I don't believe the "politicians" bit... it's all about the money - it's always all about the money.  First you have fans who are very likely letting the NFL know in no uncertain terms that this network garbage they have going on is going to drive them off to other sports - there are plenty available.  Then the BIG inducement... advertising... How much money do they stand to make on this simulcast?  The dollars are HUGE. 

So let's quit pretending that John Kerry's little hissy fit had anything to do with them broadcasting the game to one and all.  With something this large - 3 networks... each with advertisers... you do the math and then convince me that Kerry's threat of "legislation" even made a dent.

Right - I don't think so either.  I'll watch the game... I wonder who will be doing play-by-play.  Hmmmm...

Posted by: Teresa in Sports at 05:49 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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It's Just a Guess

But I'm thinking that this made Tammi very happy today:

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Micheal Spurlock started up the middle, cut to the outside and didn't stop running until making history for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Bucs ran back a kickoff for a touchdown for the first time in the franchise's 32 seasons and routed the reeling Atlanta Falcons 37-3 Sunday to win the NFC South for the second time in three seasons.

Congratulations!

Posted by: Teresa in Sports at 05:12 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Congratulations to Oklahoma!

For playing a really good game last night.  Mizzou was not on their game at all.  I was wondering if they used up all their energy last week against Kansas...

Mizzou did have some really bad offensive play calling in the first half.  After I got annoyed with Musburger and Co... I didn't watch the second half.  So, as a Mizzou fan, I guess I saw the best half.

Watched the end of the Pitt - West Virginia game.  Saw a couple of blatantly bad calls that put Pitt at a tremendous disadvantage.  Were the refs watching the same game I was?   You know when the defense actually HOLDS the receiver... that is generally known as "pass interference".  You refs should look it up sometime.   (disclaimer - I'm not a fan of either team but Pitt got a lousy officiating crew for that game).  Anyhow, congrats to Pitt for keeping their heads and winning.

Posted by: Teresa in Sports at 11:29 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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I Loathe ABC's "Coverage" of Football

We are attempting to watch the Mizzou - Oklahoma game (forgot to add that at the beginning because I'm so annoyed - heh)

I had to get away from the television.  Musburger and his television partner Kirk Herbstreit are making me want to strangle someone... anyone... preferably one of them.

Why are they there?  They don't seem to be the least bit interested in the game.  Musburger doesn't know who the players are - for that matter I wonder if he knows he's calling a Big 12 game. (last week he said it was a Big 10 game - sheesh!) They're more interested in yakking at each other and showing us cute graphics and talking about the possible Bowl games coming up.

And let's not forget the sideline guy (can't remember his name and don't care) who apparently knows more about football than anyone else on the field as he's soooo keen to tell us exactly how each team "should" be doing things.

Why is there not a "mute telecaster" button so I can have the crowd, but not these bozos?

At one point the cameras are once again giving us the oh so excellent view of Musburger and Herbstreit in their nice black coats whereupon Musburger says - you can see the injured player is leaving the field under his own power.  I'm yelling at the television "We could see it if you morons would show us the FIELD instead of you two!"

ARG!!!! 

Can we PLEASE have the guys who are broadcasting the Pitt - West Virginia game?  THEY actually seem to be interested in the game and... wait for it... know what's happening on the field!!! What a concept.   (yes we are flipping between games - can't stand the horrid commercials)

Posted by: Teresa in Sports at 10:13 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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