Versus vs. Netherworlds
Last night I watched the Capitals and Rangers play a game 7 in the NHL hockey playoffs. A great back-and-forth game, complete with astounding saves, hard hitting and general excitement all the way through. I have had my problems with the NHL over the last 15 years, stating like a broken record that they need to get back to 20-22 teams in order for regular season hockey to really be compelling again. But I’ve never had a problem with the NHL playoffs. And not many would argue that things like sudden death, the bone-jarring hits and the frenetic pace make the NHL playoffs so much more compelling than basketball (see here, and this coming from a Los Angeles writer!)
So anyway, after the Caps-Rangers games, I was sure that Versus (the network that broadcasts the NHL) would switch us over to the other game 7 going on, down in New Jersey, where the Devils were heading into the 3rd period leading the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2. I was psyched! Another full period of a game 7! So Versus takes us there – but then after a minute switches back to the studio and says that due to contractual obligations, they can’t show any more of the game. Choke. Cough. What? Seriously? I wonder what the contractual restrictions are?
Alas, I had a plan. There’s a company out there called ZeeVee and they are located just a few towns over from me. Lucky for me, I have a friend who works there, too. So I got myself one of those ZeeVee boxes a while back. Basically what the ZeeVee box does is replicate your computer on your television. Really. Just look at your computer screen and picture it on your television. The ZeeVee remote has a little mouse pad on it so you can navigate through your computer. This means you can watch any video that you can find on the internet – and it’s optimized for your television. I love it. I can go to Hulu, CBS.com, ABC.com, CNN, etc, and watch all the video they offer.
So there you have it. I was able to, ahem, find the game on the internet and enjoy what turned out to be one of the most compelling last five minutes of a hockey game that I’ve seen in many years. I would have completely missed it if I had been reliant on Versus. You see? That’s why the internet is so great.
Note: the ZeeVee box is great, but very difficult to setup, an issue the company readily admits. Referring back to my earlier comment, I was lucky to have a friend that worked there, so he came over and made it all happen. BOO to Versus, YAY to ZeeVee.