From Deseret News archives:
RSL TV scenario could be worse
RSL's two first-round games against Chivas USA are both on Fox Soccer Channel. FSC isn't on all cable systems, but it is available on the upper tiers of many of them, as well as DirecTV and Dish Network.
The same is true of Fox Sports Espanol, the Spanish-language channel that will simulcast the games at 4 p.m. Mountain Time on Saturday and at 8:30 p.m. Mountain Time a week from Saturday (Nov. 8).
The first-round games with the most exposure will be between Chicago and New England — a pair of Thursday-night games on ESPN2 (last night and this coming week) that are simulcast on Spanish-language ESPN Deportes.
The Columbus-Kansas City series will be on HDNet — available to cable and satellite subscribers with a package that includes the high-definition channel. The other options are the pay-per-view Direct Kick channels and the pay-per-view MLSLIVE.tv Internet channel.
The biggest surprise is that Direct Kick and MLSLIVE.tv are the only options for the New York-Houston series.
I'm not complaining. I'm just surprised.
SPEAKING OF SURPRISES, there was a moment in the television coverage of Real Salt Lake's most recent game that obviously caught the folks at HDNet by surprise.
You may recall that RSL needed a win or a tie in last Saturday's game at Colorado to make the playoffs. And that RSL scored the tying goal in the 90th minute to secure that postseason berth.
Following the goal, the picture cut to a shot of the jubilant Real fans — quite a number of whom made the trek to Colorado for the game. And in the center of that camera shot was a young man who, at first glance, appeared to be holding his hands aloft signaling, "We're No. 1!"
Except that those weren't his index fingers he had raised. Those were his middle fingers. And there they were in all their high-definition glory.
It isn't just Real and the Rapids who don't like each other. The fans don't like each other, either.
IF YOU THINK yours truly is the only one who's complaining about local sportscasts, think again. This came from a reader frustrated with Jazz telecasts:
"I am wondering if I am the only one who finds it extremely distracting for the TV guys to have lengthy interviews while the actual play is taking place. The Rocky Mountain Revue is one thing, but for the real thing, in my uninformed opinion, it is in poor taste. During the interview we miss replays, crowd reaction, explanations and, of course, any semblance of play-by-play. ... I would think continuation of this practice will lead many, including myself, to turn down the (TV) sound and listen to Hot Rod (Hundley on the radio)."
An excellent point. And another example of how TV sometimes forgets that covering the game should be the primary focus.
E-mail: pierce@desnews.com
