The Return Of Thursday NFL

It’s that time of year, when the NFL begins to assert its control.

Not merely content with owning every ounce of programming in my life on Sunday and Monday, the country’s biggest sports addiction (Hi, I’m Kevin O’Connor, and I have a problem…) has once again claimed Thursday night as its own. That’s because tonight — on the NFL Network — the Chicago Bears (4-4) travel to the Bay Area to take on the San Francisco 49ers at Monster Candlestick 3Com Park.

Sweet.

Hold on while I go DVR the game, so I don’t miss anything after work…

(While I’m doing that, here’s something to think about. The most underrated aspect of moving from the East Coast to the West Coast? Start times for sporting events. On the Eastern seaboard, all we ever complained about were the late start times and how kids could never stay up late enough to watch a big game. No problem on the West Coast on that issue. The issue for us: the early start times.  With traffic factored in, I have to leave a little early from work (4:30 p.m.) to make it home by like 5:15. Kind of annoying to say the least when you’re used to game time at around 8 p.m. So yes, I finally understand the late start times.)

Anyway, I’m glad I finally have NFL Network again. The place I used to live at (um, it wasn’t my mom’s house) had Time Warner Cable, which didn’t carry that channel. HOW DO YOU NOT HAVE THE NFL NETWORK, Time Warner?! Professional football isn’t the most popular sport in the country, right? Why carry a cable network that a lot of your paying customers would most certainly watch, ESPECIALLY WHEN THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL IS ON IT?! Maybe they think it’s the XFL Network. I don’t know. Sounds unlikely to me, but I can’t think of any other reason.

(Truth be told: the NFL charges cable companies more for its channel than almost anyone else. In actuality, we should be blaming the NFL for creating a monopoly on watching its games on Thursday nights. But that would be like an alcoholic blaming beer for all his troubles. NOT GONNA HAPPEN HERE!)

So when I moved in with my girlfriend to a downstairs apartment in Ocean Beach, I made the executive decision to get DirecTV and Sunday NFL Ticket. Needless to say, I was pumped when the DirecTV guy arrived (on Sunday, no less) an hour before the early games started to install my dish. As I was getting my chips and dip ready for game time (you know, the accoutrement), my trusty DirecTV representative had terrible news — news that troubles me to this very day (even if it was just a month ago) – DirecTV could not be installed at my apartment.

#$@%&!!!

(That’s symbol for “F***!”)

Apparently, there were trees between my porch and the necessary satellites that provide the splendor that is Sunday Ticket and the ability to tell the NFL, for once and for all, who determines which game I get to watch. Now I have Cox (that’s what she said), which carries the NFL Network (my consolation prize), but of course they don’t carry the Redzone Channel.  For anyone that’s seen it (like me when I was visiting home back in Jersey — Comcast Cable), the Redzone Channel brings hope to all those poor little boys and girls that cannot get DirecTV. It has no commercials (you KNOW it), and it flicks between games when someone is about to score. On top of it all, former Comcast Sportsnet Philly anchor — and current NFL Network guy — Scott Hansen gives you any relevant info about the game. I was sold back home, and I’m sold now. Unfortunately for me, no one is selling the NFL Redzone channel in my area — that is, no one other than DirecTV .

I guess I shouldn’t be too upset. It could be worse. I mean, theoretically, I could still have Time Warner and no NFL Network. So for now, I hope you have NFL Network so that you enjoy da Bears face their old middle linebacker, Mike Singletarry, and his upstart gold miners on Thursday Night Football.