End the Blackout Blues

Let's face it, the television rules how we live.

We watch TV to be informed. We watch TV to be entertained. Sometimes we watch and get both at the same time.

Even if the online world is taking over, YouTube is nothing more than millions of TV channels. Whatever it is, the box is the big cheese of American society.

So that's why I don't understand the NFL sometimes.

It's the most powerful sports league in the world and has TV in its back pocket, but every week it threatens home teams that it will black out the game if the stadium does not sell out.

That logic doesn't make any sense. Why potentially spoil the game for hundreds of thousands of viewers for the sake of selling a few thousand nosebleed seats? I know it's all about money, but there has to be some room for common sense, too.

An NFL game is a very different experience when it's seen live versus on the tube. At Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, it's all about the pregame tailgate. There's nothing better than grilling burgers and tossing back a few beers with 60,000 of your closest friends.

Once inside, though, your view turns into tunnel vision and the game quickly becomes very small. Take away the crowds, the cheerleaders and the music, and it's nothing more than a pickup game with fancy uniforms. There's no expert analysis of plays or play selection, unless you count the drunk guy next to you who curses the Chargers for being predictable and never passing on first down.

TV is different.

The pregame festivities may consist of a beer or two, but your only friend may be the lawn mower, or whatever household appliance you agreed to pick up in exchange for your wife allowing you to watch the game.

But once that game starts, it's magic. The announcers come in and do their thing, dissecting every play from scratch. The instant replays go backward and forward. The DVR kicks in so I can take a bathroom break whenever I want. And the refrigerator is only a few feet away.

The best part? When the game is over, I'm on the couch watching the next game, not sitting in a parking lot 20 miles from home wondering why I spent a week's paycheck just to watch the Chargers lose.

You gotta love TV.

In a perfect world, blackout rules just don't apply.

Be grateful pigeons don't have ears

Seeing scrawny Dustin Diamond from “Saved by the Bell” in boxing gloves was weird. So was watching Warren Sapp on “Dancing with the Stars.” Simon Cowell’s chest hair is starting to get creepy too.

But this whole Mike Tyson pigeon racing thing is off the charts weird. We have all come to expect oddities from Tyson, but facial tattoos and ear chomping doesn’t seem so bizarre anymore when you compare it to his latest endeavor.

The former heavyweight boxing champion and tiger enthusiast is also an amateur pigeon racer and will star in a new TV series on Animal Planet called, “Taking on Tyson,” that will showcase Tyson against seasoned competitors.

No joke. Pigeon racing is a sport----sort of. The American Racing Pigeon Union Web site, www.pigeon.org, calls it a hobby. Whatever you call it, there are plenty of pigeon racers out there----and it’s growing.

According to the organization, the American Racing Pigeon Union has about 10,000 members and is attracting approximately 100 new members every month. Sorry PETA.

With Tyson on board, there’s no telling where this thing will go. And if Don King gets involved, it could be the next big thing on Pay-Per-View.

Pigeons, let’s get to ready to ruuuuuumble!

The Web site calls pigeons the thoroughbreds of the sky. Indeed, these creatures sure do fly fast, but what I marvel is how accurate they are when they have to go to the bathroom. How is it possible that of all the millions of miles of open space they have to do their thing after a hearty lunch, they seem to always find the top of my head or the tip of my shoes? Talk about accuracy.

I heard the NFL Network will soon debut a show about field-goal kicking with paper footballs. Stay tuned.