Blackouts Are the Worst (MLB Edition)

Every year i hear whispers, maybe rumors, maybe complete wishful thinking that the MLB (and every other league) will get rid of blackouts. Blackouts are the scourge of the cordcutter. No matter how hard you try, it can be difficult or impossible to get all the teams you want to see without a traditional TV service. In some cases, even then you are out of luck. I live in Western New York, which means at some point the league and it’s clubs decided which teams were my designated home or in-market team. This is despite the fact that no MLB team plays their games within 90 miles of my house, and that team (Blue Jays) isn’t even one of my In-Market teams. Nope, MLB and the four teams below claimed us as part of their Market and therefore subject to all blackouts whether we can actually get there games on our televisions or not.

Of these four teams, the Yankees make the most sense, but historically, they all can work, because at one time or another other than the Yankees, Buffalo was the minor league affiliate of these teams. That’s how I became an Indians fan. The problem is that only the Yankees and Mets are easily available. The other two are a little harder to get. If you are an Indians fan there are a few ways you can get Sportstime Ohio, the network their games are on, but the most popular cable system is not one of them. I tried cord cutting last year and by the time I added all the services to get all my teams and paid for internet, I was paying the same or more than I would with a cable package, which leads me to my issue for the 2019 baseball season. Spectrum does not offer Sportstime Ohio, which means I have to either switch to DirecTV or Dish and their ridiculously hard to cancel services. Seriously, when I cancelled DirecTV a few years ago they put me on hold with the retention team for over 45 minutes. I literally fell asleep while waiting, only waking up when the operator finally took my call. Dish hasn’t had Sabres games in years, so they are out and I really don’t want to be tied down for two years and pay $200 plus when I add internet. So, my best option is to get Sling TV which at last check still has the channel I need for the indians and pay the $25 a month until October, on on top of my regular cable bill. Well, MLB.TV is also 25 bucks a month and I’d rather pay for that and get every team for the same price, but no, I can’t because blackouts. I’m a willing, potentially paying customer and MLB says no. I understand it is all about rights and that stuff, but just let me watch the teams I want on the service I want and not make me sign up for twelve different streaming services or just chromecast the free Reddit streams to my TV and ensure no one gets paid. At least I’m not a Pirates fan. I mean I would maybe be, but in my area it is almost impossible to get their games. They are in-market, so blacked out on MLB.TV. They also are currently not available on 90% of the available TV services. I used to get the Pirates on DirecTV, but then they said, nah, you’re too far from Pittsburgh to get their games and too close to get the blackouts lifted, so I guess the Pirates just don’t exist for me anymore. MLB, NBA and the NHL needs to get rid of blackouts all together. Two of those leagues are begging for fans, but still make it impossible to just watch your teams. At the very least, if you don’t have a team within a 100 miles there should be no designated teams, it should be your choice. Well at least I don’t live in vegas, they have six, yes six designated teams.

Finally, by popular demand, I am now offering custom wood items for sale. For the most part I will make these to order for any team or whatever else you may want, even if it is now sports related, we can work something out. My store, while not fancy, yet, is now up and has a few offerings, including listings for custom work and will also have any “In stock” or ready to ship handmade items for sale. I also have opened the Helmet Addict Garage Sale, which will have all kinds of sports related thrift, vintage or retro stuff I have found to sell, just don’t need anymore or have found to sell. I will be updating often, so check back for things you might like.

Houston Gamblers 3D Wood Logo

My latest wood project is this 3D wood Houston Gamblers logo. It still remains one of the best logos in all of sports, making Houston a great place for sports logos. It is the third or fourth Gamblers item I have made and it is still just as fun. I love the colors and the design of this logo. This one is immediately available for sale and shipping, so if you think it would look good at your place, jump on it quick. End of Commercial.

Anybody Want Some Gum?

I opened my last two packs of cards from the eBay lot of received a week or so ago. The pack I saved for last was the 1990 Topps wax pack with bubble gum included. I heard of some horror stories regarding the gum which would have just about turned 29 this year, but when I opened the pack I was surprised to see that the gum looked completely normal. It looked normal, but had no odor whatsoever. One of the cool things I remember about Topps cards when I was a kid, was the fact that all the cards had the sweet bubble gum smell for a long time after you got them. Of course, collectors complained that it was ruining the cards and Topps got rid of the gum. I guess that is true, because the Kyle Clifton card definitely lost a grade or two with that gum imprint. In this pack I also got a few QBs and a Roger Craig 1000 Yard rusher card, good stuff.

The other pack I opened was a pack of these Platinum Pro Set cards, I love photography on these premium cards.

I really like these Pro Set Platinum Cards. pic.twitter.com/5eA0UlrFk3

— 𝙃𝙚𝙡𝙢𝙚𝙩 𝘼𝙙𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙩 (@HelmetAddict) March 23, 2019

Pro! Magazine.

If I had a wall with some space, I would definitely consider having an entire wall devotes to framed Pro! magazine covers from the 60s and 70s. The covers were true works of art and makes me long for the days when a program was a true souvenir and not just another means to inject ads into our eyeballs. The nice thing is, that plenty are available on eBay, so get to bidding and start filling your walls with some style!

Fine, I’ll Just make My Own

After seeing a Active Generation Oilers jacket being sold for over 100 bucks, when I just paid thirty for my Buccaneers jacket, I decided to just take matters into my own hands. I ordered myself the same Oilers helmet patches used on the Active Generation jackets and bought a columbia blue Augusta Satin Jacket and for more than half the price I get a jacket that will look pretty much exactly the same. I received the patches, now I’m just waiting for the jacket. I will update with project results later in the week!

What I Watched: Houston Oilers VS. Washington Redskins 1991 Week 10

Another night, another Oilers game. More often than not I let the youtube algorithm tell me what I will watch. I take a look at the suggested videos list and pick one. If I see an Oilers game, it is hard not to click on it. This time I watched a week 10 game from 1991 when the Oilers visited the Redskins in a much anticipated matchup between two of the better teams in the league. Visually, this was a great looking game. I always loved games at RFK and the Redskins wore white at home, which meant the Oilers wore their Columbia blue jerseys on natural grass what a treat! The more I watch Warren Moon and that Oilers offense, the more I have to put Moon down as one of my favorite players ever. This contest was a bit of a defensive battle, though, with most of the points coming via field goals until Earnest Byner and Lorenzo White ran into the end zone in the 4th quarter. The game would go into Overtime with the Redskins Chip Lohmiller kicking a 41 yard game winning field goal

Helmet Of The Day: Sean Taylor Washington Redskins

Sean Taylor Game Used Helmet (As Seen On Auction Site) pic.twitter.com/XiPXjH7iYk

— 𝙃𝙚𝙡𝙢𝙚𝙩 𝘼𝙙𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙩 (@HelmetAddict) March 25, 2019

One of my favorite football players of all time is Sean Taylor. I had the privilege of seeing him play at the Orange Bowl and I was excited about his NFL career until his life was tragically cut short. One of the four teams I have yet to make a custom helmet for is the Redskins. I just got the decals in and as soon as it warms up later in the week I will head out to the garage and get to work. I am going to make a Sean Taylor inspired helmet. he switched back and forth from having a visor and not having one, so for now I will go without.