Cure For Blackout Blues
August 21st, 2010
Joe knows that not every Bucs fan will be at the CITS tonight and will be grumbling for the next day until they can watch the game on tape-delayed basis on WFLA-TV Channel 8 Sunday at 11 a.m.
To help Bucs fans survive the blackout, Joe has some tips for you:
First of all, listen to the radio. Yeah, old school, the radio. It doesn’t get much better than listening to Gene Deckerhoff on the radio. He may have outlasted Bobby Bowden and Chucky but the dude still has the pipes.
The radio broadcast can be found on the Bucs radio network (in Tampa WFUS-FM, 103.5 and WDAE-AM, 620) as well as Sirius Channel 126.
There are any number of places on the internet to “watch” the game. By that Joe means you can follow the play-play-play with updated stats. NFL.com is Joe’s first choice. Also there is Yahoo!, CBSSports.com and BSPN.
Then there is Twitter. There are all sorts of ways to follow the Bucs on Twitter, including Joe. Here’s a brief rundown of some of the best Twitters documenting the Bucs.
The official Bucs Twitter feed can be found at @TBBuccaneers though Joe is not sure how often or how much the Bucs (intrepid multimedia specialist Scott Smith) will Twitter during the game. Otherwise, it’s a good feed to follow.
Perhaps the best Bucs beat writer who Twitters is Rick Brown of the Lakeland Ledger. His feed is @LedgeronBucs. Rick very much believes in interactivity and he will respond to your queries, which for Joe makes him the best Bucs Twitterer.
Maybe the next Bucs beat writer who Twitters often is good guy Stephen Holder of the St. Petersburg Times, found at @HolderStephen. He Twitters nearly as much as Brown but doesn’t respond to queries as often as Brown, though that’s not to say he isn’t interactive.
The Tampa Tribune gang of Woody Cummings, eye-RAH! Kaufman and Anwar Richardson triple-tag team the TBO Bucs Twitter feed @TBO_Buccaneers. While the trio does a damn fine job of providing some very substantive Twitter updates, it’s not an interactive forum, though Richardson will respond on occasion.
Perhaps the best Bucs Twitterer does not work for the Bucs nor does he work for an MSM outlet. That would be former Bucs defensive end Steve White, who also writes a weekly Bull Rush column for Joe.
Joe’s not sure if White will be at tonight’s game but during the broadcast tomorrow morning, Bucs fans can be sure White will Twitter often about the game, and throughout the week with football tidbits. White’s Twitter feed can be found at @sgw94.
How popular is White on Twitter? He has over 1,100 followers, more than TBO, more than Holder and significantly more than Brown.
St. Petersburg Times Bucs beat writer Rick Stroud, who publicly has stated he is not a fan of Twitter, will Twitter from time to time at @NFLSTROUD but watch and read closely. Periodically, his Twitter posts will vanish beneath your very own eyes.
Joe is personally chagrin that Tom Balog of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune doesn’t Twitter. He’s very pointed in his opinions and doesn’t pull any punches which generally makes for fantastic reading. Come on Tom, join the 21st century! Get on Twitter!
Between the various play-by-play sources on the internet, Gene Deckerhoff’s pipes, and several Twitter feeds, Bucs fans should not go wanting for much information in order to pass the time away until Sunday morning when they can see the game on TV.
August 21st, 2010 at 2:00 pm
Or you could just find it streaming on the internet, like I did the last Bucs game (and most of last season’s games, as I’m not local). This is illegal of course, but only for the person streaming it, not the people watching it.
August 21st, 2010 at 2:23 pm
This blackout is cruel for people with serious disabilities who can’t get to Ray Jay. I’d pay for a ticket just to watch it on TV.
August 21st, 2010 at 2:29 pm
i will see the game sunday..so i wont come on this site or watch the news..so its new to me sunday…oh yea cant wait
August 21st, 2010 at 2:30 pm
Dave where do u go
August 21st, 2010 at 2:32 pm
all of those options can not compare to going and watching the game !
Twit is the root word for Twitter….what a bunch of twits “fans” have morphed in to…..go see the freak’n game Bay Area !
August 21st, 2010 at 2:41 pm
Caution guys:
Please do not use this forum to advocate pirating a Bucs TV feed. The very last thing Joe needs is for NFL lawyers to come after Joe.
Joe knows there are ways to get it but you will not read those instructions here.
Joe’s going to try a live chat for the game tonight since there was so much traffic last Saturday and quite a few commenters requested a live chat.
Cross your fingers that it works. 🙂 It’s scheduled to launch at 7 p.m.
August 21st, 2010 at 2:42 pm
@goodfellajay – There are a few options. Google ‘watch sports online.’
August 21st, 2010 at 2:43 pm
Adele M:
The game is on TV tomorrow. Locally, on WFLA-TV Channel 8 at 11 a.m.
August 21st, 2010 at 3:29 pm
well also the nfl is playing all preseaon games live for 40$ online
August 21st, 2010 at 3:56 pm
Was this supposed to be on Fox or CBS?
August 21st, 2010 at 4:09 pm
nbc…….i found a website ill be watching…thx Dave
August 21st, 2010 at 4:12 pm
ZeroExpectations:
Neither. WFLA-TV Channel 8, which it will be at 11 a.m. Sunday.
August 21st, 2010 at 4:15 pm
Don’t live in Tampa… so I guess NBC it is.
Live streaming may be illegal in the USA, but this stuff being streamed from a foriegn IP address makes them tough to ‘go after’ per se.
Kind of like the off-shore gambling websites.
August 21st, 2010 at 4:16 pm
goodfellajay:
Yes, but those are blacked out too. The NFL covers all bases.
August 21st, 2010 at 5:02 pm
man Joe Nfl dont mess around…i was going to buy it ..lol
August 21st, 2010 at 5:13 pm
Yes, I know about the $40 deal, however, we can’t get them either. I had season club tix and could no longer attend.
August 21st, 2010 at 5:29 pm
Google is your friend people just search for ways to watch it.
August 21st, 2010 at 5:33 pm
What is it about equal access that no one gets? There are millions of people confined to their homes, hospitals, assisted living facilities – who can afford tickets to Bucs games but can’t get from the “HANDICAPPED” Lot to the stadium, can’t do steps, have been turned away by the golf carts. This is not about money; it’s about accessibility and without TV – well, figure it out.