I'm sitting around reading and watching some football when I notice that the Bucs/Panthers game suddenly gets interesting. With about two minutes left, the Panthers engineer a brilliant three-play drive to get a TD and take the lead away from the defending Super Bowl champs. Now there's only about a minute and a half left and the Bucs are about to get the ball. So I'm thinking this could get interesting.

But just as the Bucs were about to get the kickoff, they go to the Fox Studios and announce that due to NFL bylaws, it's passed the broadcast point for this game and so they can't show the rest of the game. And just like that, no more football on Fox, despite the fact this game was still on and headed for an epic ending.

Turns out the rule is because the Raiders game was about to start and there's a rule in the NFL that if the home team is playing a game, they have to show the home team's game and can't show any others. Except the Raiders game was blacked out due to low ticket sales so we didn't get the Raiders game. Instead, we got the all-exciting Cowboys/Bills game. Also, for reasons I'm still not clear on, because the Raiders game was blacked out, CBS couldn't show a morning game. In effect the NFL is punishing us- Joe Sixpack Football Fan, for not supporting the putrid mess that is the Raiders by taking away most of our football.

So, to sum up- the end of the Bucs/Panthers game couldn't be shown because the Raiders game was coming on. Except it wasn't. And since it wasn't, we couldn't get the Dolphins/Titans game or any number of interesting games that could have been shown.

Look, Major League Baseball may be run by a bunch of idiots, but the people who run the NFL are not only weasels, but such weasley weasels that actual weasels think that they give weasels a bad name.

PS- My fantasy football team sucks. Really sucks.
PPS- Dear SF Giants, sign Vlad. Sign him now. Trust me on this one.