I JUST SIGNED UP FOR MLB.COM’S PREMIUM INTERNET TV SERVICE. It took me about two minutes to decide to cancel.

Even though I checked the ZIP codes of home and work and both showed ‘okay,’ it tells me I’m blacked out for all home Tigers games. What someone is calling the “official MLB blackout map’ indicates that all of Michigan is blacked out for Tigers home games. I’m not sure that it’s an accurate map or that MLB.TV uses the same map, but if that’s the case MLB.TV’s ZIP Code checker needs to be fixed.

I also tried entering an Arizona zip code into my account to see if that would make a difference. Predictably, it doesn’t.

I called customer service and waited on hold for a while, then was told I’d be called back “probably within half an hour.” We’ll see. I’ve already sent an email directing them to cancel my service.

I tried to check out another game just to see what the quality was, but I’m getting error pages for all games now. Whether or not this has to do with my pending cancellation (or my zip code trickery) I don’t know.

According to the map I linked to, the entire state of Iowa is blacked out for home games for the Chicago Cubs, the Chicago White Sox, the Kansas City Royals, the Milwaukee Brewers, the Minnesota Twins, and the St. Louis Cardinals. Blacked out for six teams despite not having a single one in the entire state.

Honestly, this isn’t 1981 any more. Major League Baseball is going to have to rework the way blackouts work if they want to enter the world of 21st century media.

I’m sure they’ll get right on that.

Murdoc is on the road (well, in the skies) today headed out to Denver for some day job training. Posting here at MO will continue to be a bit light, and if someone invites me to either tonight’s or Thursday’s playoff hockey game between Detroit and Colorado, all bets are off.

Oh, and readers may be surprised to learn that this West Michigan resident is NOT pulling for the Red Wings. Though it doesn’t look good for my Avalanche right now, I’ll be pulling for them all the way.

Protester’s sign in SanFranciscostan:

Would we allow Nazi Germany to host the Olympics?

That’s some funny, there. Though I’ll admit that I didn’t know that the torch run before the Olympics was first organized for the 1936 games. Link and more info at RNS.

That’s probably just a plastic trophy

Last spring we had the opportunity to go to the Indianapolis 500 courtesy of some good friends with tickets for great seats that they couldn’t use. My wife was pulling for Danica Patrick, (probably) mostly due to the fact that she was a woman in a male-dominated sport. I asked just how “competitive” could she be if she had never won a race?

This, of course, led to all sorts of enjoyable discussion. I wasn’t really trying to knock Patrick. I just wanted a little honest perspective.

Yesterday in Japan, finally, Patrick won an Indy race. It was her 50th race start.

Predictably, if you’ll excuse the mixed metaphor, racing’s goal posts have suddenly shifted.

Bob Margolis writes:

Putting Patrick’s victory in perspective

Danica Patrick’s first IndyCar win in the Japan 300 was more a triumph in public relations than auto racing.

It didn’t happen as the result of a final lap, wheel-to-wheel battle, one that many close observers of the sport feel she will never win.

It instead was more a battle between the race engineer’s computers on the Andretti Green team and that of her rival Helio Castroneves’ Penske Racing team. It was a matter of who would get the best fuel mileage in the final handful of laps of the 200-lap race.

Whoa, there, Bob.

What a jackass. Suddenly it doesn’t really count if you only win because you out-mileaged the other driver? Is Bob ‘Jackass’ Margolis suggesting that everyone who’s won a race on fuel strategy didn’t really win a competitive race? Of course he isn’t. He’s only suggesting that the women who have done it didn’t really win a competitive race.

What a jackass. (Is there an echo in here? -Ed.)

It’s certainly fine to be critical of professional race car drivers. But this isn’t the way to do it.

Jackass Margolis needs to make a list of criteria for a ‘real’ win right now and put it on the record so that he can’t jackass his way around to discrediting any future wins. Make a list, check it twice, and stick to it.

I have no idea what his motivation is, and it’s not my responsibility to find out. He does sounds like a whining sexist, though, to be honest.

In 2006 he said

“I still don’t think Danica Patrick will ever win a race in the Indy car series.

She’s just not a good enough driver.”

So I guess he’s got to find a way to not have been wrong. What a guy.

Today he writes:

Patrick’s victory may temporarily quiet her critics

but apparently not the jackasses.

Google News turns up virtually no hits on this, but it was February 22, 1980, when we beat those damn Commies. Team USA won the gold a few days later.

If you haven’t seen Miracle, it’s a good one. I’ve also caught the game on ESPN Classic a couple of times. Good stuff, fond memories.

From Cagle Cartoons.

While we should all wish that Congress was doing something constructive instead of holding hearings about entertainment, I guess we should be glad that they aren’t doing what they normally do.

Here are some predictions from my party this weekend:

• Murdoc: NE 38-20
• My Wife: NE 38-21
• My Brother: NE 27-17
• My Mom: NE 27-13
• My Son: NE 13-7
• My Daughter: NE wins

I think New York will play decently and the Patriots won’t run away with it, but I also don’t think that the outcome will really ever be in doubt.

For the record, I also happen to think that, though the New England receivers are obviously awesome, the Giants receivers are plenty good.

UPDATE: No refunds on Super Bowl predictions.

Not “re-signs.” Resigns. Apparently so.

It was a rough year for the Redskins, with numerous injuries to key players and the death of Sean Taylor, but despite some questionable calls Gibbs pulled the team together under a back-up QB and guided them into the playoffs.

I expected Gibbs to coach one more year and then move into a front office position with the team.

Next year’s schedule looks like about as easy as it’s ever going to be in the NFC East.

Skipping Anthem an un-America move by NFL, Steelers

Classy:

The NFL and the Pittsburgh Steelers decided to start their Monday Night Football game without the National Anthem according to the Denver Post.

The game had been delayed 25 minutes due to weather.

The comments on the article show the classlessness of some folks, combined with probable unpatriotism on the part of at least a few of them.

people are so sensitive these days skipping the national anthem one time will not “take away our patriotism” hell there’s a team called the patriots

Typical clear thinking. Skipping the national anthem won’t hurt patriotism but the name of a team will help it.

Listening to some knucle head singing a our song in the middle of a stadium makes you a Patriot? So, if they sang it twice does that make you twice the patroit?
Sad,Sad,Sad.

Another brain surgeon here. Apparently tradition means nothing to him, so at least its easy to see why he’s clueless about this.

OH MY GOD THEY DIDN’T SING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM!!!! LETS CANCEL THE REST OF THE SEASON!!!

Now this is simply overreaction the other way. It’s obvious by the use of ALL CAPS that this individual is severely upset by the incident, but canceling the rest of the season seems a bit much. Or, alternatively, he’s a moron.

GIVE ME A BREAK. With all the sh*t going on in the world, someone has to get BENT about THIS??? PUH-LEEZE. This is why I don’t own a gun.

First, the only folks I see getting “BENT” over this are those who don’t think that skipping the national anthem matters. Honestly, it looks pretty much the same anytime anyone’s patriotism is questioned. For folks who say it doesn’t matter, they sure seem to be hypersensitive about it.

Secondly, what the hades does owning a gun have to do with anything?

Give me a break. with all the crap going on in the world, someone has to get bent about this??? puh-leeze. FInd somethingmore important to worry about, people.

This is hilarious. One minute after the “BENT” poster who doesn’t own a gun posted, she posted again. This message is very similar, but we can already see the fire going out. Not only is it “bent” instead of “BENT”, but the gun doesn’t even enter the conversation.

Oh come on people, get real. The damn song is too long as it is, and really, how patriotic is the song anyway? It’s a song about fighting, a battle we lost i might add. The melody is from an old English drinking song. America is a better song, better melody, and describes our country in a much better way. and is way shorter.

“A battle we lost i might add”? Is he British? If so, what do we bloody care about what he thinks about the song? If he’s American, he’s historically challenged (at best), a sadly common condition.

At this point, Murdoc gives up. It’s really sad to see these folks insisting loudly that this doesn’t matter and why is anyone talking about it and who cares and on and on and on. They sure seem to care. Probably just trying to show how patriotic they are by dissenting. “Hah! Hah! Look at me, demonstrating my patriotism by insulting the Star Spangled Banner!“

I always thought Taylor looked better wearing #36, but he switched to #21 after Fred Smoot left the team. Now Smoot’s back, but Taylor kept the number. So here’s an earlier shot of Taylor in #36.

He was an obviously gifted player, the sort that could change a game all by himself. His off-field troubles seemed to be mostly behind him, and he had stopped it with the stupid late hit penalties (and spitting) on the field. He was poised to become one of best safeties in the history of the Redskins, but it apparently was not meant to be.

It will be some time before we get the whole story about exactly what happened, but in the meantime just keep his daughter, his family, and his teammates in your thoughts.