FanNation - The Republic of Sport

     Well, at least the telecast was interesting anyway. Never mind the Nats lost 5-3 to the O's...watching the game was disconcerting. I better explain this.

     As you may or may not know, we have this lovely little thing called MASN (the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network) that shows the O's and Nats games here in the Virginias and Carolinas...and Delaware, and Maryland, and parts of southern Pennsylvania. Anyway, they have separate broadcast crews for each team.

     Last night, it was all one happy family.

     Now, I should point out the game was seen on the My Network station in Washington, on MASN, on MASN2 (which is C-SPAN2 normally) and also on MASN HD (which meant for us on Comcast, the Mojo channel gets pre-empted) Normally, if the game's on the My Network station, MASN gets blacked out. Even the HD version gets blacked out.

     So imagine my surprise when, at 7, I flip on Mojo (just for the hell of it) and see...the game. Anyway, back to the story.

     Gary Thorne and Jim Palmer do the O's games for MASN; Bob Carpenter and Don Sutton, the Nats games. For the first 2 1/2 innings, it was Thorne/Palmer/Sutton; the next 4 1/2 innings, Thorne is replaced by Carpenter; then Thorne returns to close it out. OK, intriguing to say the least.

     Here's the problem.

     Because the game(s) this weekend are in Baltimore, we're being subjected here in the Shenandoah Valley (which truly is Nats country) to the O's feed. That means seeing promos for the Baltimore TV stations. I sort of get the feeling when these two teams show up @ Nationals Park in late June, the roles get reversed--meaning, it'll look like a Nationals telecast for the viewers up in Baltimore and Delaware.

     I always knew Peter Angelos was an egotistical prick, but this takes the cake. If you still can't fathom why I despise this piece of garbage with a fervor I reserve for (perhaps) Larry B, you'll never get it.

     Anyway, enough of that.

     I'll be in Hagerstown, MD tonight to watch the Suns (the low Class-A farm team of the Nats) play...and I do not make this up...the Kannapolis (NC) Intimidators. They're the White Sox' farm team, and yes, the late Dale Earnhardt once owned them (hence the name "Intimidators"). It's fun watching minor league baseball nowadays; I've seen the Nats' teams in Potomac and Harrisburg, and now tonight it's Hagerstown. (Columbus is too damned far away, otherwise it'd be complete.)

     Well, it'll be fun anyway.