Ned Flanders

It's a sorry state of affairs...I use to rave about DTV, being one of my best consumer decisions ever; now they're just Comcast with a dish on my roof.

Had a very unwelcome surprise this weekend when I found out my DTV contract is actually up August 2020, not this year as I originally thought. I would have never have approved a two year contract verbally, I'm thinking the only thing that could have triggered the extra year was the Genie upgrade. I decided to hold off further discussions with DTV until August when my $60/month discount is nearly over. I was quite perturbed with the CSR and let them know that I was not aware I had agreed to a two year contract. Near the end of the call, I asked what the price of ST will be this year...she had no clue, tried for almost three minutes to find the answer, and I thanked her and ended the call. About an hour after the call, a DTV "supervisor" called the house but I was out...he left a message that he was told I was very unhappy during the call earlier. Again, I won't call back now, but will in about six weeks. DTV has gone to the dogs. What was once a good, reputable business has fallen into the corporate trap of poor customer service and an over-priced product.

The sabre rattling about an 18 game schedule is just a ploy, used before, in the CBA discussions. The owners talk about it now, and when it's scrapped, they can point to an area where they gave in to the players. I'm with the players on this one. I think the great appeal of the NFL is that every game is huge and that less is more. Unless you like seeing third-string RBs in December, the 18 game schedule should never be approved. Unfortunately, it's tied to the number of preseason games but I can remember that when there were 14 regular season games, there were also six preseason games, which was a slog. However, back then, players needed the six preseason games to get into shape, unlike today where football training is a 12 month job. Players long ago needed second jobs in the off-season and came to camp right after July 4th. I remember the back of one of my Ray Nitschke cards had a cartoon of a player in a car lot showing off a new auto, that said "Ray sells cars in the off-season."

See my post earlier...the AT&T takeover has certainly affected "deals" and again, I've found that if you're an AT&T wireless customer or are willing to switch, they're more apt to play ball with you. Good advice. I've always used the competition in talking to them, i.e. Cox and FIOS both available in my area...streaming services add another arrow to the quiver.

I dunno...golf carts on a football field are a bad idea.

Regurgitating from the Sunday Ticket thread, I've had DirecTV for 19 years, primarily for ST. Last year was the first season since 2000 I didn't get ST...the cost was just too much. Most years, I've been able to get ST for a reduced price and even, on occasion, free. I pay $92/month for DTV, with no add-on channels like HBO. My contract is up in August and unless I can get DTV and ST at a reasonable price, I'm dumping them. There's just too many options, albeit none with ST. I used to say that DTV was a good consumer decision, but since they were bought by AT&T, their customer service has suffered greatly and I've also come to the conclusion that the "deals" that are out there, are reserved for current and future AT&T customers. I've got Verizon for internet and wireless and it's been stable, I'm not switching there. Rumor: I've heard that this may be the last year DTV has exclusive rights to ST. That's a good thing, but I can't see a streaming package being that much cheaper than what DTV charges now.

I'm old school...bring back this thing

That one comes to mind as a classic and I remember it went on for quite some time.

The All in the Family episode was terrible...had to leave 10 minutes in it was so bad. Harrleson's acting seemed forced. Jeffersons was tolerable, Foxx saved that episode. How about Norman Lear at 96? And flying over 50 combat missions during WWII? For that sir, I tip my porkpie hat to you.

@ShadyBillsFansez in another post that, yet unsigned, Knox has been at OTAs.

There's something about third round picks and available years that seems be the reason he's the only rookie still unsigned. Seems like half the league hasn't signed their third rounders. A nice TBDer turned me on to this site: https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/draft/round-3/

That's it, HyperBills! Old, feeble mind playing tricks on me again...ugh.

I've been on here since the old D&C "BillBoard" (was that the name?) days and I can safely say that the homework thread was the greatest of all time. She was being attacked by all sides but gave no quarter...you messed with her at your own peril. RIP.

A SUNY Brockport staple in the early 80s.

Cool site, thanks for sharing. https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/draft/round-3/

You can get a sense of which games were shown on a weekly basis in Syracuse, or anywhere for that matter, here: http://506sports.com/nfl/index.php Scroll down to the bottom of the page for previous years' archives.

I'm old enough to remember this classic NFL on CBS opener: CBS' pregame opener was a classic as well: Buffalo-native Don Criqui narrates both

From the opening theme through the accompanying music throughout the series, nothing beats Victory at Sea. Steve Sabol once remarked he tried to emulate the power of the Victory at Sea soundtrack when he selected music for his NFL Films bits.

I don't know why they haven't rolled out the AFL-era blues over the last several years...don't know why they've stuck with the white at home the last few seasons. The AFL blues stripping is superior to the faux-back whites, and they represent the true AFL home blues era.

$18 in Fairfax...been going to the same woman for about 12 years. Usually tip $5.

I used to go to that every year...but as Yogi says, nobody goes there anymore, it's too crowded. Use to be a good crowd of WNY folks hobnobbing over some wings and Cream Ales. Now, it's like Woodstock, where interns from around the country scarf the wings before they even reach the table. I got Kemp to autograph this card at a Washington Buffalo Night, maybe 15 or so years ago. It's in a box in the basement somewhere, I need to dig it up.

should have had that in my list, thanks for the reminder! Maybe if you also count Operation Petticoat! ?

LOL, great analogy!

When I hear "war movie" I think WWII films, of which the following are my favorites, in no particular order: Saving Private Ryan...classic movie, with the first half hour being a cinematic masterpiece The Great Escape...just one of the best movies ever Bridge on the River Kwai...William Holden yelling "Kill Him!!!" near the end one is one of the film's highlights The Longest Day...stellar cast Patton...George C. Scott in his best role..."Rommel you magnificent bastard...I read your book!" A Bridge Too Far...great soundtrack and cast The Dirty Dozen...came to Netflix this month, and I watched it for what my wife claims is the 47th time In Harm's Way...bad special effects, but a compelling story and cast Guns of Navarone...good story, and Gregory Peck in a great role Other honorable mentions: Tora, Tora, Tora; Midway; Inglorious Basterds; Battle of Britain; Is Paris Burning?; Twelve O'Clock High; Memphis Belle; Devil's Brigade; Sands of Iwo Jima; They Were Expendable; PT 109 WWII movies that need never to be seen again: Pearl Harbor; Battle of the Bulge...lots of potential but a horrible film For some reason I can't really explain, I've never seen Das Boot. Hope to see it sometime soon.

"If he would have missed that field goal I'd have dropped him from the plane in Minnesota or North Dakota," Buffalo tailback Thurman Thomas said. http://articles.latimes.com/1991-12-09/sports/sp-262_1_extra-point