Conflicted in Texas

As a Chicago boy from the North Side, I've long been a baseball fan mired in frustration. I remember those spring days in our apartment when I'd be home with a cold or upset tum-tum and turn to the 13 inch black-and-white television for solace. WGN had all of the Cubs games and in those days before Wrigley Field was defiled with lights, it would always be sunlight games. The team was so bad in those days that Jack Brickhouse would be announcing paid attendance figures of hundreds rather than thousands.

But, now in Texas, I've overcome my aversion to American League baseball and the cursed designated hitter. I've become a Rangers fan and last night I had something to cheer about. The boys from the Ballpark at Arlington became the pennant winners of the AL. Next Wednesday they will be in the World Series against San Francisco or Philly.

Today is Saturday in football season and Texas plays Iowa State. That should be someone they can beat. Yet, I can't feel the total joy of these two events, nor can I look forward to the future without trepidation. Darkness looms.

Dish & Fox Dig In

This happened two years ago. It lasted for about four days after the deadline, but in the process there were some missed World Series games and NFL Fox games. This year we've been without the regional Fox sports channels for more than three weeks and the ax on the rest of Fox feeds is going to fall on November 1.

Switching providers is always an option. Unfortunately cable service in my area doesn't offer the channels and provides absolutely zero HD. The alternative satellite service, DirectTV, is still behind Dish in terms of HD offerings and pricing. Switching satellite antennae and receivers is a hassle but I'm getting sick of the threats and outages.

Maybe this is simply posturing for the negotiations. Maybe they will realize that a broadcaster makes money by advertising and viewership is what drives rates. It is in Fox interest to get the viewers that Dish offers. Dish loses customers whenever they pull this contract business. That costs them service calls and loses revenue. It is in Dish interest to resolve this and keep the customers happy. Of course there is the fair value of the products to both parties in the negotiation, but they've got a common interest in keeping viewers.

Meanwhile I'll miss the Texas football game today and if the Rangers haven't swept the Series, I might miss the important games there.

My joy over the AL Championship is severely mitigated.