IF THE SEASON ENDED/BEGAN TODAY . . .

Someone informed me that today is opening day for Major League Baseball, more specifically, for the New York Mets. I used to be excited for the beginning of the season, which traditionally means the start of spring, but I'm not really into it this year. All of the off-the-field stuff that has happened in baseball has ruined my enthusiasm for a sport I used to love unconditionally; so far this year, golf and hockey have both been incredibly fun to watch, and are refreshingly without controversy. Let me just say that if I could throw a 95 MPH fastball and I was on the mound facing "Baroid" of the SF Giants, I would throw the first pitch at his enormous head. Next time up, I would aim for his ailing knees. Either one would be fine, really. When asked by reporters after the game if the beanings were intentional, I would say, "I wasn't throwing at him. If your next question is, 'was I really throwing at him?', yes I was! Or was I?"

Of course, if we're talking about watching high definition baseball, well, that's a whole new, uhm, ballgame. The good news: last week, SportsNet New York, the new "official year 'round home of the Mets", was added to the Cablevision lineup. (I have no idea how this happened, as CV has a shitty track record in contract negotiations, exemplified by their mishandling of the YES network which spawned thousands of new DirecTV customers. I'm guessing the channel's co-owners, Mets/Time Warner/Comcast, must have given the Dolans some hush money, bought them a golf course or an oil rig or something.) The bad news: the channel is only being shown in analog, which looks like complete shit on my new TV. However on Wednesday, without fanfare or prior notification, CV added the "INHD2" channel (which is still not listed on their channel lineup). The "rumor" from internet forums, which was certainly not substantiated by CV (who treats this stuff like it's an issue of national security), is that INHD2 programming would be preempted to show Mets home games. To say I was skeptical about this arrangement would be an understatement.

Anyway, my interest was piqued, so I decided to stop home for lunch today to check it out. Well, as luck would have it, the game was on and being broadcast in full HD! Naturally, it doesn't show up on the "channel guide", and there was no "programming note" to be found anywhere on the Cablevision website, the program guide, or on the SNY SD channel. But okay, somehow, it made it on the air. I watched about a half an inning and it looked great. After a commercial break, suddenly there were a bunch of colored lines running up and down the screen, so they went back to commercial . . . for a long long time. I was wondering what was taking so long and, recalling the reports of the fledgling station's technical problems earlier in the week, thought maybe it was just the HD transmission that went down. I flipped to the SD version of SNY, with no luck; the same handful of commercials were playing there too, in what seemed to be an endless loop. So I turned on the radio--and there were already 2 outs in the next half inning. Yep, on opening day, the inaugural baseball broadcast for the new official home of the Mets crapped out after 1½ innings! Are you kidding? What other team would this happen to? Didn't they have all spring to work out the glitches? Unreal.

This is why this team will always be second rate. They just don't get it.

* * *

Meanwhile, the NHL playoff picture is getting interesting. In a week's time, the Devils have won 4 games and they're back in control and in sole possession of 6th place in the Eastern Conference (see what happens when I make a blognostication?). This run was capped off yesterday by a stunning come-from-behind victory against Pittsburgh, who they shouldn't have been trailing in the first place. Calling a timeout with 2 minutes left, they decided to go with 3 forwards and 1 defensemen during a 4-on-4 situation, and Elias got pulled down while trying to score; he then scored on the power play with 20 seconds left, with the goalie pulled, and Gionta blasted home the winning goal on a 2-on-1 rush in OT. The Rangers are currently in first, two points ahead of the Flyers (thanks, in essence, to the Devils); the two meet tomorrow at MSG. But what happened to the Sabres? They appeared to have hit a wall, going 1-7-1, the latest loss being an embarrassing 7-0 drubbing at the hands of the horrible Maple Leaves (hopefully, tonight they'll get the ONE POINT they need to get to the postseason). Meanwhile, if the 8th seeded Lightning can't hold on, they may become the first defending Stanley Cup Champion since the 1995-1996 Devils to miss the playoffs the next year. Ottawa is actually starting to pull away, and backup goalie Emery has been solid since Hasek's injury.

I'll give my Western Conference report later, although I have to be honest, as much as I like Calgary and loathe Dallas, it's looking like all Detroit Swede Wings, all the time. Interesting note: ITSET*, all the Canadian teams would be in the playoffs, except for Quinn's aforementioned Leaves. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy! Expect him to be shown the door around 1:00 PM on April 19th.


*If The Season Ended Today