Wolverines Blogging: Enough Already!

Let me, if you will, revisit the maddening spat between the Big Ten Network and Comcast. Which is, despite all common sense, still ongoing. At the onset I was marginally in the cable company's corner. Not that they've particularly coated in virtue here or anything but it seemed like the BTN was a cheap grab for power and money by the conference and their corporate backers and I'm, in general, against that sort of thing. On the other hand, years of dealing with Comcrap service have left me deeply, deeply embittered. So, on the whole, I pretty much considered that they could both take a flying leap and roll around in a pile of shit like the happy little pigs they are. Which, you know, two months into the season is pretty much what they've done.

As both sides have tried to influence the public there've been editorials and e-mails and astroturf groups that amount to about the same level as two kindergartners arguing over who took who's favorite scissor. But, I have to say, the near constant repetition of anit-BTN commercials shown weekly on the Comcast channels that I'm paying for have really gotten to me. Not, as I'm sure they were intended, to drive me into the welcoming arms of the cable monolith in order to lend them my support. But, instead, to fly into the arms of the Big Ten out of pure spite. Because that's how sick of watching those commercials I am. I hate them so much I'm going to do the exact opposite of what they're telling me to do. So I've been inching closer to the "calling up Comcast and telling them to stfu and open their checkbooks" school of thought.

After this weekend, though, I'm squarely back in the "let them all burn so God can sort it out" camp. Because it's going on three weeks since the last time a Michigan game was broadcast on my cable box and, really, that's about the extent of my involvement here. I don't care about watching Women's Softball or watching the weekly clipshow, I just want to watch my Wolverines roll. That's not so much to ask, is it? In years past, in better days, it wasn't since it seemed like every game would find a home even if I had to trek up the channel menu, weighted down with oxygen tanks as I ascended into the rarefied air of frequencies I don't normally give a crap about. Game might not have been on ABC or even the first ESPN but they've got, like, fourteen channels now, it had to have been on one of them. Or Fox Sports or a local affiliate or something. Not this year as the broadcast rights have been reserved by the BTN. Which means, practically, those games are being held hostage in order to force me and other fans across the nation to get mad and call up Comcast to demand the new, expensive channel.

Which, you know, I don't mind when it's Appalachian State (And, boy, did that work out great) or some other non-conference creampuff like Eastern. Or even when it's a Big Ten bottom-feeder like Northwestern (And, boy, did that work out great. Sure, they actually won that one but it was close enough that it might have been worth watching.) since those are the sort of game I'd just flick to occasionally to see if the score was still acceptable and then go about the rest of my day. But this weekend's game was against Purdue. Which actually promised to be a decent game. Purdue's been hanging around the middle of the conference ever since Joe Tiller brought his spread offense in; might not be a legitimate title shot but definitely always a spoiler threat. And we all know the difficulties Michigan has against the spread. So, of course, it wasn't broadcast.

Considering it was pretty much a blowout, that shouldn't really upset me. I know I was pretty pleased watching that rising score scrolling past as I reviewed the day's games. But, here's the thing. I had to find out Hart was injured by watching the sports wrap program later that night. Hart. Only the guy who's been carrying the team on his back the whole fdamn season. Still not sure he's going to play this week for the showdown against a surprisingly good Illinois (I was only half-joking when I called them my sleeper pick at the start of the season but, um, I'm not now.) in a finally televised night game. That's the sort of thing where, if the game had been televised, I'd have been getting calls and e-mails and pouring myself an extra large drink the moment it happened. You know, being part of Wolverine Nation as it coped. Instead, I had to have that hammer blow to my sports pride alone, in the dark, while expecting nothing more than a pleasant recap of a solid romp.

And what was televised instead? What was nationally broadcast in my neck of the woods instead of the Michigan game? Eastern getting blown out by Ohio (Actually, I guess that turned out halfway decent, but I turned it off when Ohio - not The Ohio University, mind, just Ohio, jumped out to a four touchdown lead in second quarter.). Eastern! Or was it Central? I don't even care and that's my point.

Not even a Big Ten game. I understand why you don't want to let the Disney conglomerate have the Michigan games - it's the largest alumni group in the nation and sure to provoke some angry calls - but you couldn't put on any Big Ten game at all? Like, say, the tense, smashmouth Illinois-Iowa matchup going on right at the same time? It's like they want me to go outside and enjoy a nice autumn day or something...

So, at this point, I'm sick of both of them. Enough is enough. Big Ten, Comcast, shut up, get some deal done, and go away.