I don't care what excuse/reason the local cable provider gives for pulling the plug on the Pirates opener but doing it after the pregame show and the singing of the national anthem is indefensible.
The game was listed on its own channel guide.
To add insult to injury, a call to Atlantic Broadband customer service department yielded the story that the game was blacked out because of contractual issues.
There was no announcement or a scroll message on screen during the much anticipated (NOT) soccer match that was provided.
Isn't it fitting that the cable rates increase this month? Once again we pay more for less. I think there may be a satellite dish in my future.
I hope the Mirror exposes the truth about this lack of service and poor and misleading information provided by Atlantic Broadband concerning this issue.
Fact Box
Question of the week
Should Atlantic Broadband add the rest of the Pirate package (36) games and/or would you be willing to pay extra for it?
Responses should be e-mailed to sundaybag@altoonamirror.com, faxed to 946-7540 or mailed to Voice of the Fan, P.O. Box 2008, Altoona, Pa. 16603. Letters should be kept to 150-200 words.
The Mirror reserves the right to edit for length, clarity and fairness. Full names and addresses must be included with all mail.
Bill Hofer Duncansville
Big Ben needs to change lifestyle
After contemplating Ben Roethlisberger's latest escapade, I find it increasingly difficult to believe he is totally innocent.
However, we have this rule in America that one is innocent until proven guilty.
If Big Ben walks away from this one with little more damage than what he has laid out to attorneys, I would hope he learned his lesson: Stay out of questionable establishments and away from people who will lead you astray. My mother taught me that when I was very young.
Big Ben professes to be a Christian. He should begin acting like one. Former Arizona Cardinal quarterback Kurt Warner needs to talk to Roethlisberger.
Big Ben needs some new friends. And he needs to keep his birthday parties on his patio and not invite questionable people.
For the sake of Steelers' pride, Dan Rooney, Mike Tomlin's sanity, and Big Ben's reputation, he had better begin changing his lifestyle before Rooney and Tomlin show him the exit door.
William Snyder Jr.
Altoona
Focus on PSU behavior
This letter details how our group, the Penn State Sportsmanship Initiative, has begun to work on campus to promote a better atmosphere at Penn State sporting events.
A report online surfaced recently that Penn State ranks among one of the rowdiest student sections and overall atmospheres in the country for college football. In recent years, a general thought process has surfaced among alumni that students are pushing the limits on fan behavior, while others believe that the atmosphere as a whole has lost the values of an age where the team was great and the attendees respectful.
We at the Penn State Sportsmanship Initiative are going to try to change all that.
As a public relations director, I'd like to let the people of central Pennsylvania know that next year, we're going to try and be different. From what we've seen at other schools (Ohio State, Nebraska, etc.), it is possible for students to rally for a more cohesive, warm fan base and get results in the stands.
We've been present for the last few years (since 2005) but have only now begun to push our agenda to new heights as most of the feedback we've been getting over the last few months have been positive, especially by alumni.
When you stop down next year for a football game next year, we're going to be there to try and make a conscious effort to help you feel Penn State proud cheering on the team with no names on the back of their jerseys.
Matt Glasgow
Public Relations Director
The Penn State Sportsmanship Initiative
University Park
