I continue to hear from unhappy baseball fans in the St. Louis area that have been unable to see selected St. Louis Cardinals games in 2011. As they are already painfully aware, AT&T U-Verse headlines a small group of providers not picking up 20 of the 152 Cardinals games carried on FOX Sports Midwest this season.
The sixth and seventh of the 20 contests in dispute occurred the last two days as both Sunday’s finale from Atlanta and Monday’s Marlins series opener at Busch Stadium were not carried on those systems.
As the standoff moves into its second month and more games are missed, a resolution satisfactory to customers seems more remote.
The heat will surely increase in ten days as two of the three important Cardinals-Reds contests in Cincinnati on Friday, May 13 and Sunday, May 15 are next on the list of excluded contests. (For the complete list of affected games, click here.)
As is seemingly always the case with all these types of problems, the root issue is money.
In 2011, FOX Sports Midwest picked up the 20 Cardinals games previously carried by KSDK Channel 5. Due to production costs and rights fees associated with the increased number of televised contests, FOX Midwest raised their price charged to cable and satellite providers accordingly.
Most systems agreed, representing 95 percent of customers in FOX Sports Midwest’s footprint. The others, including AT&T U-Verse, balked, leaving those Cardinals fans in their wake. (Click here for both lists – those providers carrying all 152 and those picking up 132 games only.)
I have learned that some frustrated Cardinals fans were successful in seeking relief from AT&T last month. Though it does not return the missing telecasts, it does raise awareness and perhaps increases the pressure level, while at least salving the wound for those unable to view games due to the dispute.
Options reportedly offered customers threatening to cancel service include reduction in phone, internet and or/cable bills for six to 12 months, account credits, faster internet service, no-charge high-definition premium channels and free movie channel packages.
These offers seem to differ by the services the customer already has and with whom the customer speaks. A number of those who have been successful suggest calling AT&T U-Verse Tier two customer retention directly at 1-877-377-0414 as satisfaction with the first level of support personnel was not always achieved.
Obviously, your mileage may vary, but if you are an unhappy AT&T U-Verse customer and want to take action, you have an option short of switching providers.
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Tuesday’s lineup: Theriot 6, Rasmus 8, Pujols 3, Holliday 7, Berkman 9, Craig 5, Molina 2, Descalso 4, McClellan 1.
I’m not liking Craig at 3B.
Lineup change switches Rasmus and Craig via @BJRains
We need a poll, when will Carpenter be called up?
I see the Craig move as a protest BB. I think Tony wanted, and didn’t get Carpenter.
In that case, putting Albert over there again would be more effective.
He’s pissed at Greene maybe…….no other choice with Punto sitting.
Given their defensive skills, Theriot, Craig, and Berkman need to contribute hits.
McClellan resumes his steep climb toward 20 wins tonight. Go Kyle!
The left side of the infield will be an adventure tonight.
TLR is going to come to adopt a policy of not combining Theriot and Craig on one side of an infield. One or the other, not both.
He just let Berkman go………..Colby isn’t impressing at this point………..thats sad. He is trying to hit off his shoulder again. At this point consider all thats been said, you have to wonder whats going on there.
Can’t beat that. Kmac has them swinging.
This game is off to a jolly start. Craig and Holliday, blam, blam. It could turn into another laugher for the good guys.
Got some breaks for sure. Hopefully continues (knock on wood)
Nailbiting
Regroup is right
I think they should have let Kmac swing. He’s been hitting pretty well
Its only the second inning, but already it seems like the Marlins should call it a night and concede.
Craig gets maybe one pitch close to the plate……..and still goes full……….Albert is a joke….Holiday took kind of a wild cut…………….neither hero worked for a pitch……..and that sucks.
Two runs…….no hits……….Craig has got to get to the Bag………..Albert…..a joke…… Theriot? was the wheel still on?
Quit sobbing. The Cards are just being nice and making the game closer. Final score will be 12-6, good guys.
Tony is pissed at this point………..Kmac is coming unglued. Good jumbo.
We licked out there……………..Kmac may continue……..he is aiming his curve which means he is pretty much done……….. Bautista is the likely call.
Theriot is up with a man on. Don’t worry little buddy.
Look at the pitch FX……..AP couldn’t reach a pitch center cut…waist high….strands 6…. cool it Jumbo.
Tony took a taste of Descalso…………… not going in low, head first.
The sacks are jammed with Birds!
Bedtime for Jumbo!
Keystone Cop defense. Double plays. Ugh.
Tony can’t use Jay as a pinch hitter. …………..He had three pitches to put in play……all in good locations………..and the floating hand position made each swing twice as long as it needs to be….
Does Jay have any options left? Brian?
Yes, but we all know that like Skip, he is a .300 hitter.
Top batting average at Memphis? Stavinoha at .278.
I’d say that Tony will have to set Pujols down…………because of the effect its having on the rest of the team…………..
He won’t though. Maybe Lozano convinces him to take a mental break.
Pre-game on FSM a spot showing Albert and MM in the cage working on Albert’s stance.
I was just attacked gang style on Twitter for daring to suggest Pujols should set a game or two. One was a vehement Colby hater who was so deluded that he insisted Colby’s numbers were bad. At least for some fans, Albert is a third rail.
Wouldn’t have missed him tonight. Ofer 5.
I was abused royally. I was told that anyone who talks negative about Albert is not a true fan. I was told that Colby is overrated, his numbers suck and he has not done anything good for the team. It was interesting to say the least.
It isn’t going to help………..he is lost in a maze of misconceptions………. We saw the adjustments, all in their sequence last year. He’s just starting. They have to start by removing his “legend status” …..if he is one……..he’ll take it back……… I honestly believe that Tony fears that he won’t………. The weakest act in the world is Albert acting like its just a little slump…………..it ain’t……….
Both time Colby scales back his swing and drops in from a lower hand position ….. he produces…..
Tony is an idiot……….Molina green light………in credible………..Tony IS suffering a nervous disorder….exacerbated by the wet nursing of AP……….. when will it end?
Is it enough?????????? Mott / Sanchez…………….
Hopefully somebody locked Franky in his locker.
Green light 3/0…………..hit and run 3/1……….thats incredible…………….
Better than a poke in the eye…………………Sanchez was cool to throw those slow breakers on out.
All’s well that ends well. Salas collects a win, Motte a hold, Sanchez a save. Mighty Descalso goes downtown. TLR is a genius. And Albert is made of human clay, something is amiss, but its not contract anxiety, IMO.
You are in the minority, Jumbo. Voting this week right here indicates 61 percent of readers think the contract situation has at least some impact on Pujols’ slump.
Whatever the reason, the legend will come to end this year.
Albert has 27 hits in 183 AB for a .231 BA. Assuming a season total of 587 AB, like last year, Albert would need 156 hits in his remaining 470 AB to end with an 11th straight .300 average season. So he has to hit .332 from now to the end of the season. Not going to happen.
At this point, that is probably what is foremost on Albert’s mind.
If Albert gets straightened out hitting .333 for the rest of the season is not unreasonable.
As much as I think Pujols needs to personally sit. I wouldn´t do it at this point. Westie says he is dragging the team down but we are in first place with a first place offense. I keep him in there going 0-5 until we lose outr MoJo as a team.