Posted By: Michael Sweeney
Oct. 18, 2009
A quick non-politics-related post here…it’s late on Sunday afternoon as I write this, and my (pretty decent; currently second-place) Fantasy Football team is behind its opponent (because he has Tom Brady and Maurice Jones-Drew well into the 30-plus-point range of FF scoring) – but my discovery today that hit me like a jolt of extra-caffeinated (hell, extra-cocained) coffee was the NFL RedZone channel on my cable system.
I’d heard of it, but understood it to be an extra-fee feature. On the other hand, I already pay Comcast a ton to be able to get just about every available channel on my system, so…when I curiously looked into it today, there it was up in the upper reaches of my available channels – the Fantasy Football promised land…
For the uninitiated, what the RedZone channel does – constantly; without commercials – is flash between the scoring and other significant plays of ALL OF THE NFL GAMES going on at any given time. That means that the usual 8 games being played early on Sunday becomes a non-stop, near-whiplash-inducing flow of highlights…sometimes resorting to split-screens showing simultaneous key plays. Wow. Even for the fewer number of late-afternoon games, the channel effortlessly surfs between key plays and drives…and adds some earlier highlights, key Fantasy performances, and post-game interview quotes during the potentially slower moments.
…And I’d thought that my previous combo of network TV, Internet, and Sirius satellite radio (which offers full radio coverage of all NFL games; you can even pick between each city’s home broadcast of each contest) gave me the fullest possible immersion for the perfect Sunday Fantasy experience. Now, especially on days like today (when my home-market Bears are playing in a night game…and the afternoon games had some notable blow-outs), you don’t have to be a slave to what CBS or FOX broadcasts in your market.
I know things can vary even from neighborhood to neighborhood (depending on the cable provider), but in my ‘hood on the North Side of Chicago, the RedZone is available through Comcast on channel 411 (a high-def version is on channel 254); check your local listings (or call your cable provider) to find availability in your area...or get more info directly from the NFL's website via this link.
…And, in case anyone ever needs to get me on any given Autumnal Sunday between about noon and (say…) 6:30 PM Central time, and wonders why I’m not answering my cell, e-mail, or even any messages, well…I’ve got two words for you: Red and Zone…
Look for my regular posts here on The Stonecipher Report. (And, for a free subscription to my twice-weekly e-mail column on politics and pop-culture, "And, in the News…" send a note to: m_l_sweeney@hotmail.com)
