"It's getting late early"

A couple Saturdays ago I was forced to make a trip to the local cable company’s offices. They had a huge satellite dish outside which prompted my kids to ask “What is this place?” I told them without hesitation
“This is the cable company, the worst of all the companies!”

We were forced to make the trip because of the recent shift to all digital which meant I HAD to get a cable box even though my tv is cable ready.

I wanted to share a couple links (one from Lifehacker, the other from Business Insider) to articles discussing the increasingly popular concept of cutting out cable and going straight to internet based programming. First off let me be clear that I am not tech savvy, I use a computer all day and do not want to look at one when I go home at night. I do not know much about Apple TV or Google TV or vehicles of similar functionality. What I do know is that if it were not for live sports, there is limited need for cable tv. News, and weather info can be accessed with ease and with unlimited options via internet. The links above talk to what the current options with sports. There is still the argument for HBO series and other tv original programming that are not all available on the net. It is an interesting topic, where we have just seen the beginning of the trend of people getting rid of cable, it’s highly logical since you end up paying for a lot of stuff that you never watch.

The most frustrating sport in regards to the internet has to be MLB who is very tight in allowing use of it’s video. That seems to have changed with Full Count launched today in conjunction with Yahoo

On my ride home last Friday NPR radio was talking about how this year in baseball was the first season where you may not have any real pennant races since they started the wildcard. Since then the Rays pulled off a weekend sweep of the Sawx and things have tightened.






As I write this Boston leads the Jays 4-2 top of 7 (our old friend Alfredo Alceves has just entered), if they hang on they will be 4 ½ up on Tampa. Whether it is time to panic in Beantown is up for debate. Boston and Tampa play a 4 game set starting tomorrow. Needless to say we will know if we have a real pennant race come Sunday evening. Yesterday over at Grantland, their was further discussion of the Rays surge and Sawx problems: (Did you know Rays have been 26-14 since August 1st?)

More than likely the best chance of a race going down to the last day will be Texas vs. Anaheim. The Rangers have a 3 game cushion and they square off to end the season goin’ back to Cali. Hopefully we get some excitement going into the end of the season. I was in the “Bud House” in 1998 to see the Cubs beat Frisco in the one game playoff---- crazy stuff. As I walked into the small yard at the “Bud House” you passed a small #61 circled in spray paint on the sidewalk marking where Sammy Sosa’s record tying home run landed. Needless to say Wrigleyville was going bonkers after the game. (Cubbies won)

After Irene left we got Lee in the Northeast and finally on Monday they were able to conclude the U.S. Open tennis tournament. Is it possible that we are witnessing the three greatest tennis players ever?




Novak Djokovic > Rafa Nadal > Roger Federer
Djokovic is now 64-2 this year with many wins vs. Federer including epic win in semis, and has won six straight finals vs. Rafa who has trumped Federer the last couple years in the “greatest tennis player” debate. To watch what these guys can do on the court reminds me of ping pong. It is truly remarkable how they continue to take it to another level. That being said it is much more fulfilling on many levels to watch women’s tennis………. As long as the sound is down to muffle the grunting!