Cowboys 10-1. Packers 10-1. They meet Thursday night in what should decide home field advantage for the NFC. Two of America's favorite teams are getting ready to "strap it on" and do battle in Dallas. Can't wait?
Well, unless you subscribe to a satellite service like DirectTV or The DISH Network, you'll be relegated to late-night highlights on your favorite sports show or reading about it the next morning on the sports page. You won't find the game on ESPN or Fox or CBS. The NFL has put together an eight-game schedule on their own fledgling NFL Network which began last week. When the Colts and Falcons squared off last week most fans were napping with a few pounds of turkey, stuffing and all the trimmings packed in their guts. Oh are the fans making some noise this week though!
Only one-third of households in the country will be able to see this game this week. The cable giants like Time Warner, Dallas' cable provider and Comcast, which is the largest in the U.S., along with Cablevision and Charter do not carry the network. The NFL wants the channel as part of the cable companies' basic digital tiers. The cable companies, on the other hand, have a different idea. They want it as a separate entity - a la NBA TV and NHL Network.
Here's the problem. "Big Cable" does not market those networks very well and traditionally sports tiers have not captured much interest. Conversely, DirectTV has offered a package called "The NFL Ticket" in which subscribers pay about $270 per football season and can see virtually any game they want to. That has sold like wild fire.
Football is America's new pastime. We love it and we want it. It doesn't matter who is playing we just want to watch. This reminds me of the days when the only way you could make a telephone call was through AT&T. Cable companies have the same mentality today. "We are the big boys and we make the rules." Guess what cable? That's going to change very soon.
Jerry Jones, Dallas Cowboys owner and NFL Network chairman, claims the league is going to expand its number of games on the NFL network. When that happens I promise there will be a noticeable increase in the number of people dumping cable and moving to satellite for that reason alone. The NFL is very powerful. I believe more powerful than the cable companies.
So hang in there fans - Big Cable will have to give in sooner or later.
Brian Flagg was co-host of "The Sports Page" on local public access stations for nearly five years. The North Adams resident has been coaching girls' basketball and softball for 16 years. His column will appear every other Monday. He can be reached at broncofan910@gmail.com .
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THE TRUTH ABOUT IT...
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is at it again, trying to fatten his own wallet by reaching into the pockets of us common folk. More unfortunately, some of our elected officials are trying to help him.
Jones is heading up the NFL Network Committee, serving as the loud and strident voice of the network as it negotiates to be carried by cable systems in Texas and across the country. According to Jones, fans will suffer if cable operators don't put the NFL Network on their basic tier instead of the premium sports tier, as they have proposed.
Instead, fan and non-fan alike will suffer by losing more of their hard-earned money if Jones and the NFL Network prevail.
The NFL Network wants to charge cable operators hundreds of millions of dollars for only eight games of the more than 250 being played all season. While the NFL Network wants all cable customers - fan or not - to pick up this cost, cable operators rightly argue that only those who actually want to watch the games should pay for them.
Now Sen. Kim Brimer, R-Fort Worth, has gotten involved, threatening legislation against the cable companies if they don't bend to the NFL Network's wishes.
Jones is the perfect choice as the spokesperson for corporate greed. Those in the Dallas/Fort Worth area will recall that Concerned Taxpayers of Arlington and others fought the "Jones Tax" when the Cowboys owner unveiled his plan to use public funds, through a variety of consumer taxes, to pay for about a third of his new stadium.
Jones spent millions wooing city leaders and voters to get his way. As a result, Arlington residents and visitors are paying higher sales, car rental and hotel taxes. While we pay, Jones already is reaping the benefits - the new stadium has made the Dallas Cowboys organization the most valuable sports franchise in the world, worth $1.5 billion, according to the September issue of Forbes magazine.
Attending a game already is too expensive for many working families. Now fans are going to find it more difficult to catch a game on television, especially if their budgets do not allow them to subscribe to cable or satellite.
Here's an example of how the NFL Network's plan would deny fans of the Dallas Cowboys, who play in two of the eight games set on the network. Anyone with access to the NFL Network would get the game, and fans in the Metroplex could still pick it up for free on a local broadcast station (subject to local blackout rules).
But fans in San Antonio, the Valley, El Paso, Austin and elsewhere in Texas no longer would be able to turn on their televisions and catch the game on a local station. That means the real losers in this deal are the more than 1 million Texans who watch TV with an antenna, either by choice or economic necessity.
Jones and his NFL Network are like a reverse Robin Hood - they are robbing from the poor to benefit the rich; in this case, wealthy NFL team owners.
Instead of continuing to work out a deal at the negotiating table, Jones and the NFL are calling on city council members and state legislators from across the state - and even the governor - to put the squeeze on Time Warner and other cable companies to bend to the will of the NFL Network.
Wisely, most of the officials we elected - Brimer being an exception - seem to recognize there are more pressing needs facing our state, and that there are Texans more in need of their assistance than billionaire Jerry Jones.
All this fuss about a few football games? Give me a break, it's not life or death. It would be wonderful if people got this passionate about things that would really make a difference in this world. I should not have to pay more for something I could care less about and neither should anyone else. If fans really want this inane programming they should be the ones to foot the bill. Fans need to plead their case to the NFL Network to allow cable companies to place them on digital. Strange that NFL Network has allowed this for some small systems - check out Grande Communications in Texas - but won't allow it for the larger companies. Watch out Jerry your greed is showing - again.
Steve, I would like to talk with you about doing a follow up story. You seem very knowledgeable on this subject. Could you please contact me at broncofan910@gmail.com? Thanks.
Keep the comments coming gang. Agree or not - I like. Check out my blog also and post comments there as well - www.briansportsnation.blogspot.com - There is also a link on the main page of iberkshires.
When this started it was for primestar customers to buy a package to see games (or thier teams) in an area where they did not live. So if you was a Dallas fan and lived in Denver you could watch (Dallas and Green Bay) play and not have to live in Dallas or Green Bay to get it on a fox station. That same fox station would be playing Dever vs. San fran in the Denver area. Now the NFL wants you to buy the package to see the game no matter where you live. Yes, it only starts with one game a week. If you give them that get ready for the NFL games to turn into pay per view.
Not only will this game be on the NFL network so will the Patriots-Giants game which is the final regular season games for both teams. The Pats of coarse could be going for an unbeaten season and the Giants are hoping to make the playoffs. To bad we won't be able to watch it at home.
Lanesborough Town Meeting to Vote Budget, Bylaws & Vehicle Purchases
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Tuesday's annual town meeting includes a $14 million operating budget, new short-term rentals, accessory dwelling units and sign bylaws, and free cash article appropriations.
Voters will gather at Lanesborough Elementary School on June 9 at 6 p.m. to decide on 20 warrant articles.
The fiscal 2027 budget is up a little over 10 percent. Some of the main increases are the Mount Greylock Regional School District and McCann Technical School: the McCann assessment is up more than 30 percent based on factors including enrollment and the school renovation project, and Mount Greylock's is up 11 percent.
Article 11 is for the town to vote to approve from free cash the sum of $16,298.48 for the McCann Technical School roof and window replacement project so as not to impact the budget. Article 3 is appropriate $7,586,284 for Mount Greylock Regional School assessment.
Another notable increase was in life and health insurance, showing an increase of about 26 percent.
Ambulance Director Jen Weber is planning 24-hour coverage, which means more staff and a hike in her budget. One of the articles asks the town to appropriate $234,100 to operate the Ambulance Enterprise Fund for salaries and expenses.
Many town departments are looking for new vehicles. The Fire Department is looking to replace its outdated 1996 fire engine. There are two articles related to the truck at a total of $813,366. Article 12 would transfer $225,000 from free cash into the Fire Truck Stabilization Fund; Article 13 would transfer $605,000 from the fund and authorize the borrowing of $208,366.08.
The total includes a $100,000 contingency cost to cover any additional costs if a 2026 model-year chassis cannot be secured before new emissions standards go into effect in 2027.
The board at its last meeting moved the $225,000 transfer to come before the borrowing article, changing the stabilization number. If the $225,000 is not voted on, then they will amend the next article's number on the floor, subtracting the $225,000. This shows the borrowing number significantly lower.
Article 17 asks for the transfer of $80,000 from free cash to replace a police cruiser.
Police Chief Rob Derksen's aim is to replace one vehicle every other year, meaning the oldest vehicle gets replaced about every 10 years.
He stressed that if delayed this year, the town may have to double up in a future year to get back on schedule, and that paying later usually costs more. The article will ask for $80,000 from free cash, the vehicles used to be funded by the BHRD.
Lastly, the Highway Department is looking to replace a 2014 International dump truck that will be a total of $330,000 and will take two to three years to receive.
Money will be used from last year's approval of $250,000 from free cash for the replacement of a 2012 highway front-end loader that was underspent $49,261. Town meeting is being asked to approve a transfer of $53,274.85 from free cash and the use of $227,464 from funds from the Sale of Town Real Estate to fund the balance.
Other free cash proposals include $1,200 to purchase software to support tracking and ongoing maintenance schedules of town-owned vehicles; $42,000 for the replacement of the Highway Department's storage shed roof, $200,000 to reduce the tax levy.
Cassidy Flynn scattered five hits in a complete-game effort in the circle as Lenox upset top-seeded Hoosac Valley, 3-2, in the quarter-finals of the Division 5 State Tournament. click for more
Brayden Durant struck out seven and walked one in a complete-game effort on the mound Saturday to pitch the Drury baseball team to a 6-0 win over Keefe Tech in the quarter-finals of the Division 5 State Tournament at Joe Wolfe Field. click for more
Jason Codey struck out 13, walked two and allowed just an infield single as the Generals earned a 7-1 win over Wahconah to claim their third straight regional title. click for more
Gracelyn Wright struck out eight, and Genevieve Lagess went 3-for-5 with four runs batted in as the Hurricanes beat Monson, 17-3, to claim their first Western Mass title in four years. click for more
For the boys, Ward Bianchi helped lead the way with a win in the shot put and a second place in the javelin as the Mounties finished 16 points ahead of runner-up Pittsfield (pending the results of the pole vault, which were unavailable at 11 p.m. Friday night). click for more
