Spy Games, Euro Style

So you think the NFL has problems with the whole Patriots 'spygate' scandal? You think the NBA has a problem on its hands with the referee gambling investigation? You think steroids are threatening the future of baseball? In the larger scheme of things, these situations are nothing when compared to whats happening with Formula 1 racing.

The ongoing feud between rival racing teams McLaren and Ferrari has been rocking the racing world for a while now. The fines, suspensions, point penalties, bans, lawsuits, and legal appeals have dominated sports headlines in Europe for over a year. The recent $100 Million court ruling against McLaren should have been the end of the headaches for Formula 1 racing. Instead, things have gone from bad to worse.

McLaren has raised the stakes in Formula One's latest spy scandal by releasing details of its allegations against rival Renault. Renault has been summoned to a Dec. 6 hearing of the World Motor Sport Council in Monaco on charges of having "unauthorized possession of documents and confidential information" of McLaren cars between September 2006 and October 2007.

British newspapers on Friday quoted a memo leaked by McLaren's lawyers suggesting that Renault's activities were more serious than those that resulted in McLaren being fined a record $100 million for possessing Ferrari documents.

The McLaren memo says that 33 files containing more than 780 individual drawings outlining the entire technical blueprint of the 2006 and 2007 McLaren F1 cars were copied onto 11 floppy disks in March 2006.

McLaren says the disks were loaded onto 11 Renault F1 computers in September 2006, when Mackereth joined Renault, and were discussed by up to 18 Renault F1 personnel, including a group of senior engineering chiefs and heads of department.

If Renault receives punishment similar to what McLaren received, it is believed the company will be forced to shut down its racing operation due to financial hardship.

I have a couple thoughts about this. First of all, if these companies are dealing with such sophisticated technology, then why are they still using FLOPPY DISKS to store data? Somebody needs to tell them that CDs are much more efficient these days.

In the United States, all sports fans are outraged by many of the scandals that plague our sports. But at least in the US, the majority of the problems are solved either on the playing surface or internally by the leagues. Its rare that the court system has to weigh in on a decision that could alter the future of the sport forever.

The real tragedy of the F1 story is that these scandals put all the emphasis on the technology, effectively indicating that its the machines rather than the drivers that win races. Anyone who watches F1 racing knows that these are some of the finest drivers in the world, and the majority of races are won by driving skill rather than superiority of design.

As NASCAR continues to grow in popularity, more and more Indy car drivers are making the switch to stock car racing. As the Indy car drivers leave their circuit, we are seeing many F1 drivers switching to fill the Indy void. The current state of affairs in F1 racing is simply giving drivers more motivation to jump ship and go race elsewhere. For a sport struggling to maintain its relevance in the public eye, this is the worst possible scenario.

"Jerry The Anti-Cable Guy"?

Another Thanksgiving, another day of Holiday Blowouts is now in the books. NFL fans got to see a trio of proffessional beatdowns today. Well, SOME NFL fans got to see all three games. Those of us who can only afford regular cable were spared the sight of the Colts/Falcons fiasco, which was available only to subscribers of the NFL network. Its just as well, since my eyes were burning after having to watch the collapse of the Lions defense, then watching the Cowboys use Kellen Clemens as a tackling dummy for 60 minutes.

But even though the game was a blowout, I still would have liked to have the OPTION of watching it if I wanted. I can't afford to go to live games because the prices are rediculously high. I can barely afford to pay for cable, just so I can watch the EPSN game each Monday. There is just now way I could work the NFL network into my budget. So I simply don't get to see the games shown on NFL Network.

Out of curiousity... and part desperation... I visited the NFL Network website, just to see what it would cost me. MY local cable carrier does not offer the NFL Network at all ( More on that outrageous detail later.. keep reading!) Time Warner Cable does not offer the channel to its customers, so I checked the other cable services in the area.

Comcast it the only other cable provider in my region, so I clicked the link to see what they would charge for the NFL Network. THIS IS THE MESSAGE DISPLAYED ON THE SCREEN WHEN I CLICKED THE LINK:

NFL Network is carried by your area's cable provider, Comcast. Unfortunately, Comcast, is overcharging you to watch football 24:7 on NFL Network. Other video providers include NFL Network in their basic package for no additional cost. Make the switch now to AT&T U-Verse, DirecTV, DISH Network, or Verizon.

WTF? The NFL is actively trying to direct customers AWAY from one of their network carriers, and is encouraging customers to use an alternative provider??? Thats does not seem very ethical to me. While it may be true that Comcast is overcharging for the service, the NFL should not be try to discourage customers from purchasing it.

After seeing how the NFL is treating Comcast in this instance, it makes me wonder just how many other cable providers the NFL is trying to strongarm. It also makes me wonder if this type of thing is the reason that TimeWarner does not offer the channel.

The Cowboys' owner has been VERY outspoken recently about the NFL Network broadcast of live games and the lack of availability in many markets (like where I currently reside.) Jerry Jones has been urging fans to drop their cable subscriptions!

The NFL Network has been in a dispute with large cable providers who don't carry the network on a basic tier. The network is available in about 35 million of the nation's more than 111 million homes with televisions.

"I am frustrated that we've got literally several million fans that won't get to see that game because Time Warner won't be carrying it," Jones said, referring to next week's Cowboys/Packer matchup. "I'm hot about that. I hope those fans will go to AT&T satellite or go over to a competing cable company."

Jones is the outspoken chairman of the league's NFL Network committee. His comments came just three days after Comcast, the nation's largest cable company, sent a cease-and-desist letter to the NFL Network demanding the channel's representatives stop encouraging fans to leave the cable provider.

"I know I have been given a cease and desist to quit saying that, but that is a fact," Jones said. "It's frustrating to think millions of Cowboys and Packers fans won't be able to see it."

At this point I have to wonder what the hell is really going on now. If the NFL is truley concerned about protecting the fans and providing everyone with the opportunity to see thier favorite teams, then why not just make the NFL network a regular channel (much like the GOLF Channel and FOOD channel, which are part of almost every basic cable package these days.) Instead, the NFL is complaining that cable providers charge too much for thier premium service, and THAT is what causes fans to miss games?

I never knew GREED could be so hypocrytical. We have one group of greedy bastards fighting with another group of greedy bastards over how much we should be forced to pay in order to see a 31-13 ass kicking.

And for those of you keep track at home, the total score for today's games was 102-42.

Recent Site Errors...

As you are all aware by now, we have been plagued by some technical issues recently. We have lost all of our previously uploaded images, and the bulk of our video content has been removed from the Internet due to copyright concerns.

I apologise for these problems. We are taking steps to ensure that these issues do not come up again. We will continue to provide you with the same outspoken, overly opinionated, and completely logical commentary that our readers have become accustom to.