Wow.  Just wow.

I guess this will test the stereotype of “laid-back Californian.” Otherwise I see pitchforks and torches in the future.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 04/10/08 at 01:33 PM ET

The game was on Versus.  I know that local carriers were still doing some of the playoff games that are on Versus, but in the regular season that wouldn’t be the case.  It’s not as big of a deal as it would be if it weren’t on any channel at all. (I know not everyone gets Versus, which sucks, but go to a friend’s that has it if you have to.)

Posted by NHLJeff from Boston, MA on 04/10/08 at 02:07 PM ET

The game was on Versus.

Yeah, but when local stations also carry the game, Versus gets blacked out, even if the local station decides to show something else.

Sharks fans got screwed; let’s hope they can find a better solution so that the people most interested in seeing a game on TV aren’t the only ones prevented from doing so.

Posted by Earl Sleek from Los Angeles, CA on 04/10/08 at 02:26 PM ET

they are banning the vs feed because comcast sportsnet is showing the game and haves the tv rights to teams like the caps,sharks and flyers

Posted by FlyersFan on 04/10/08 at 02:38 PM ET

FlyersFan, good call.  The Versus feed will be blacked out in local markets, home and away.

Although the blackouts are a bummer, it is my understanding that the Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Finals will be national telecasts that are not subject to blackout.

Posted by Greg on 04/10/08 at 03:54 PM ET

From what I’ve heard, both the Versus HD and CSN HD feeds were not blacked out (I was at The Tank).  So...get with the 21st century already! (joking)

Of course the Giants didn’t get the shaft—they are a minority owner of the channel itself, so their game was uninterrupted on the alternate channel, CSN+.

Hockey and baseball...split screen?  Are you kidding me?  Pull the plug on baseball, there are 150-something games left.

Posted by Mike from San Jose on 04/10/08 at 04:10 PM ET

Ouch, that’s no way to treat the hottest team in the NHL.

Posted by Adam on 04/10/08 at 05:09 PM ET

Ok, this is mostly a question based on what goes in here in Philly when these situations occur. Are the Giants shown on any other station throughout the year? When the Phillies, Flyers and Sixers play tonight, our CSN has the Flyers, CN8, I believe, has the Phillies, and the CW station has the Sixers. All 3 carry games throughout the year for these teams anyways. I can’t really understand why other channels couldn’t pick it up or planning before hand. I know Philly’s CSN was the first and they’ve worked out most of these programming issues, but I would have thought they’d pass along how to do this to the other CSNs.

Posted by philduba from New Jersey on 04/11/08 at 08:16 AM ET