As you may have read in my previous post, Charter had messed up the feed to FSD Plus tonight, leaving me unable to watch the Tigers take on the BoSox.
I just flipped channels, as the Pistons are getting their asses handed to them in Philly, and there is the game!
But I'm not going to watch. I want to watch, I'm dying to watch, but I'm not gonna do it! Not. Gonna. Do. it.
The Tigers are winning with me listening to Dan Dickerson and the heavy breathing Jim Price, over the radio airwaves. In an attempt to help break the curse/losing streak, I'm going to remain a listener of 97.1 The Ticket. I'm sticking with Dan and Jim for the duration.
Lord, this hope it works. I can't take much more of this losing streak...
From all accounts, the Big 10 and Comcast are on the verge of kissing, making up and getting into bed together. In other words, the Big 10 Network may finally show up on Comcast expanded basic within the "Big 10 footprint."
All I can say is "ABOUT FUCKING TIME YOU GOD DAMN MONEY GRUBBING DIMWITS!"
Considering it's taken over 8 months for the opposing parties to get to the point where they are near an agreement, I'd expect it'll take another month or 3 to get the i's dotted and the t's crossed. I doubt it will be in time for most fans to watch the early rounds of the Big 10 hoops tournament, unfortunately. No Wolverines or Spartans for yours truly, unless they advance.
That the 1st round tournament games are on the Big 10 Network, rather than on the 4 Letter, which had been the practice since the tourney began, is screwing we fans over...Again. I'm getting used to being bent over, not that I like it...
The news of détente having been reached between the Big 10 and Comcast is all well and good, save for one thing. I'm in a Charter Communications market. Well, fuck me.
I can only hope once Comcast, the lumbering, money first, customers last, big bully of the Michigan cable providers falls into line, that the smaller ones (Charter, Time Warner) fall like so many dominoes.
It can't happen soon enough for my tastes. Not that any of the cable companies asked, or even care about the fans. Which is why I pay entirely too much for my cable package, have 3 useless shopping and 2 even more useless religious channels on my basic cable lineup, while I have to pay extra for ESPN Classic and the NHL Network, with neither the NFL or Big 10 Networks even available to me.
Fuck big cable! Fuck 'em high and hard!
I know writing that makes not a whit of difference, but at least I feel a little better.
The 4 letter has been babbling non-stop today about Cowboys-Packers. Same with the interwebs. Yet thanks to the pissing match between two insanely rich and profitable entities, the only way I can see even bits and pieces of the big game is by watching those bits and pieces over the 1 1/2" x 2" screen on my nifty Samsung phone generously given to me by Sprint (Gotta get the occasional plug in, you know?), or the same feed on NFL.com.
Again, that feed is not the game itself, but just "Look-ins" and key plays inside the 20, hosted by NFL approved talking heads.
This is just more typical corporate bullshit, with the fan is getting the ass end of the deal.
As a fan, I've been bent over by the cable cartel, the NFL, and the Big 10 all damn football season, and there's no end in sight. We continue to be abused by money grubbing companies who refuse to answer to the wants and needs of their customers, but only to their money grubbing stockholders.
There's no sign of the bitter battles to get the NFL Network and the Big 10 Network on basic cable ending anytime soon, let alone to get those networks on some cable providers, period. I'm stuck with Charter Communications, who stubbornly refuses to carry either channel, pissing me off to no end. But hey, I get the NHL Network! Small consolation...
I'm getting sick and tired of tilting at football windmills. I call, I email, I vent on TWFE, and where has it gotten me? Still shelling out too much God damn money for networks I don't watch. Yet I'm unable to watch what could be the game of the year, as multi-million (Billion?) dollar corporations piss all over fans, rolling around in the cash we fork over every month.
The stalemates between rich ass corporations will continue into basketball season, then into NEXT football season, etc, etc, etc...
I'm tired of writing about it, and I bet you readers, most of you who are going through the same BS, are tired of reading about it. But if we stop bitching and moaning, we'll continue to be treated like meek imbeciles willing to take it in the ass end, then take some more.
I refuse to say to cable, the NFL, and the Big 10, "Thank you sir! May I have another?"
I have my own piss ant bully pulpit, and I'm going to use it!
So if someone is reading from the cable cartel, the NFL, the Big 10, and any other corporate entity that thinks they can take advantage of the fans, because we're FANS, here's a big FUCK YOU!
I'm not going anywhere! I'll continue to be a pain in your fucking asses till you actually listen to the people who pay for your corporate jets, corner offices, 10 martini lunches, and golden parachutes.
I'm all fired up to watch the Tigers take on the Indians. I flip over to Fox Sports Detroit, and what do I see?
But guess what? I'm seeing commercials! Not the game, just fucking ads. Jesus Christ, I'm not happy...
For the 2nd time since Friday, thanks to Charter's ineptitude, I'm stuck listening to Jim Price's heavy breathing over the radio. At least I didn't have to watch Jeremy Bonderman have another shitty 1st inning, with Grady Sizemore taking him deep. Small favors.
Since I'm stuck listening to the radio broadcast, what was Jim Price's astute analysis of Sizemore's homer?
"That's just crazy!"
Yeah Jim, it's crazy. Screw you, and screw Charter Communications...
Well, Charter did it to me again. No series of tubes for over 11 hours today. It finally came back around 10 pm. I'd love to get some new posts up, but when you can't get on line, what are you going to do? I guess I'll just bitch about my cable provider...
Charter gives me no web access for 2 days, no Big Ten Network (Maybe ever), it goes down at the first stiff breeze, and I pay way too much for the service, just adding to my aggravation. I might just as well bend over...
Anyway, bar Charter going down again, which wouldn't surprise me one bit, expect new content tomorrow.
I apologize for the lack of content today. It was due to my Charter cable service being down all afternoon. Losing service for several hours has become habit, at least one a week. It's damn frustrating to someone whom depends on his internet service for staying in touch with the world at large.
You reading this Charter Communications? Get your damn act together...
Before my internet went down, I was working on my part of a roundtable discussion that Kurt will be posting on his excellent Mack Avenue Tigers site. Kurt says to expect the the Detroit Tigers half season review roundtable to be posted by Wednesday, at the latest.
More later, as long as the series of tubes that is my Charter internet connection continues to work...
I'm Al Beaton, aka Big Al, a life-long Detroit sports fan. Being fed up with the lack of quality sports coverage by the MSM, I started "The Wayne Fontes Experience.". 1100+ posts later, it remains to be seen if that was a good idea... (And no, I'm not Eddie Munster, despite what my widow's peak may have you thinking)
