We’ve been getting a few phone calls and emails at the station, asking us to air the Vikings-Lions game this Sunday, but due to the NFL’s rules, we can’t.

There are a variety of rules governing the broadcasts, which network they are on and which games can be shown.

One of those states, basically, that when a team is playing at home on one network, another network can’t air a different game at the same time.

Which is brings us to this Sunday.

A) The Packers are at home against Cincinnati at noon. For AFC vs. NFC games, the game is assigned to the network of the visiting team. In this case, CBS gets the game.

B) The Vikings play at Detroit at noon. Both are NFC teams, so the game is on FOX.

C) It is a CBS doubleheader Sunday, meaning FOX stations can only air one game.

D) Because the Packers are at home, we can’t air any of the noon NFC games. (The other choices, incidentally, are New Orleans vs. Philadelphia, St. Louis vs. Washington, Carolina vs. Atlanta, and Arizona vs. Jacksonville)

E) FOX 11 is airing the Seattle vs. San Francisco game at 3 pm. The other possibility would be Tampa Bay vs. Buffalo, but we were assigned the other game by FOX.

F) The rules governing broadcast stations do not affect the NFL Sunday Ticket package (in terms of out-of-town teams), so you might be able to find a sports bar showing the Vikings & Lions.

I hope that helps explain the situation this Sunday.

As for getting to watch the Vikings or Lions, there are several games we plan to air. Assignments change based on records, etc. and the NFL’s flexible scheduling rules kick in for the last seven weeks (but that’s another column). Our initial schedule this week had us airing the Tampa-Buffalo game, for example, but then changed this week.

Here’s the tentative list of games on FOX 11 for the rest of the season, but – and I can’t stress this enough – these are not written in stone for the non-Packers games.

WEEK 3 Sunday 09/27/09
Noon – Green Bay @ St. Louis

WEEK 4 Sunday 10/04/09
Noon – Detroit @ Chicago
3PM – Dallas @ Denver

WEEK 5 Sunday 10/11/09
Noon – Minnesota @ St. Louis

WEEK 6 Sunday 10/18/09
Noon – Detroit @ Green Bay

WEEK 7 Sunday 10/25/09
Noon – Green Bay @ Cleveland
3PM – Atlanta @ Dallas

WEEK 8 Sunday 11/01/09
Noon – Minnesota @ Green Bay
3PM – NY Giants @ Philadelphia

WEEK 9 Sunday 11/08/09
Noon – Green Bay @ Tampa Bay

WEEK 10 Sunday 11/15/09
Noon – Detroit @ Minnesota
3PM – Dallas @ Green Bay

WEEK 11 Sunday 11/22/09
Noon – San Francisco @ Green Bay

WEEK 12- Thursday 11/26/09
11:30AM – Green Bay @ Detroit

WEEK 12 Sunday 11/29/09
Noon – Chicago @ Minnesota
3PM – Game assignment is TBD due to Flexible Scheduling

WEEK 13 Sunday 12/06/09
Noon – St. Louis @ Chicago
3PM – Minnesota at Arizona

WEEK 14 Sunday 12/13/09
Noon – Green Bay @ Chicago

WEEK 15 Sunday 12/20/09
Noon – Green Bay @ Pittsburgh
3PM – Game assignment is TBD due to Flexible Scheduling

WEEK 16 Sunday 12/27/09
Noon – Seattle @ Green Bay

WEEK 17 Sunday 01/03/10
Noon – Game assignment is TBD due to Flexible Scheduling
3:15PM- Green Bay @ Arizona

And, finally, if you are curious about game distribution, here’s a link you might be interested in. A fan creates national maps based on the network assignments. It gives you an idea of who is seeing which game.

http://the506.com/nflmaps/

As always, if you have any questions, please let me know.

    First of all, I like Chad Ochocinco’s (ne Johnson’s) antics.  I think it helps make the NFL fun.  He reminds everybody that though the NFL is big business, it’s just a game, where players who can back up their mouths with their play are allowed to talk a little junk.  With the Bengals coming to town, Ochocinco has promised that if he scores, he’s headed for a Lambeau Leap.  I, for one, would love to see him try a Lambeau Leap, just to see the reaction of the Lambeau faithful.

     Two years ago he jumped into the Dawg Pound in Cleveland after scoring against the Browns, and earned a beer bath for his troubles.  I have a feeling the fans around the end zone will be saving a brewski for a Lambeau Field baptism if Ochocinco makes good on his promise to make the leap. 

      That being said, I don’t know if he will get the chance.   The Bengals aren’t a very good football team, and this year the Packers are just better.  It’s a game the Packers should win going away, and  I think they will.  I talked to members of the defense on Wednesday who say they will be focusing on stopping the run.  Does that mean Ochocinco will be ignored?  No, but it doesn’t mean he’s going to have a free roll to the end zone.  However, if he does get there, I suggest the fans give him a welcome into the stands worthy of an interloper who is stealing a venerable tradition.  I’ll let the fans decide just what that is.

Here’s a followup to the previous blog about the NFL on FOX – and should answer questions such as the one the Steelers’ fan posted about what other teams’ games FOX 11 will show.

Below I posted our entire tentative schedule of games, as assigned by FOX.

Note that in the last seven weeks, the NFL’s flexible scheduling rules are in effect. Those rules allow the currently-assigned game for Sunday night to be swapped out with another game to put more important or better matchups on NBC. As a result, many of the slots are to be determined.

That means, even though a particular Packers game might be listed (i.e. Green Bay vs. Seattle on Dec. 27) as a noon game on FOX, that could change if it’s selected for Sunday night. Or, those games could shift time slots, too.

Furthermore, for some of those late-season games, I’ve listed the Minnesota Vikings games here because FOX 11 has requested that assignment. There’s no guarantee we will get those games, and, as with the Packers, those games could be shifted to Sunday night as well.

So, as always, it’s a tentative schedule and subject to change. But I thought fans might want to see the full lineup as it stands now.

WEEK 1 Sunday 09/13/09
Noon – Minnesota @ Cleveland
3pm -  Washington @ NY Giants

WEEK 2 Sunday 09/20/09
3 PM – Tampa Bay @ Buffalo

WEEK 3 Sunday 09/27/09
Noon – Green Bay @ St. Louis

WEEK 4 Sunday 10/04/09
Noon – Detroit @ Chicago
3PM – Dallas @ Denver

WEEK 5 Sunday 10/11/09
Noon – Minnesota @ St. Louis

WEEK 6 Sunday 10/18/09
Noon – Detroit @ Green Bay

WEEK 7 Sunday 10/25/09
Noon – Green Bay @ Cleveland
3PM – Atlanta @ Dallas

WEEK 8 Sunday 11/01/09
Noon – Minnesota @ Green Bay
3PM – NY Giants @ Philadelphia

WEEK 9 Sunday 11/08/09
Noon – Green Bay @ Tampa Bay

WEEK 10 Sunday 11/15/09
Noon – Detroit @ Minnesota
3PM – Dallas @ Green Bay

WEEK 11 Sunday 11/22/09
Noon – San Francisco @ Green Bay

WEEK 12- Thursday 11/26/09
11:30AM – Green Bay @ Detroit

WEEK 12 Sunday 11/29/09
Noon – Chicago @ Minnesota
3PM – Game assignment is TBD due to Flexible Scheduling

WEEK 13 Sunday 12/06/09
Noon – St. Louis @ Chicago
3PM – Minnesota at Arizona

WEEK 14 Sunday 12/13/09
Noon – Green Bay @ Chicago

WEEK 15 Sunday 12/20/09
Noon – Green Bay @ Pittsburgh
3PM – Game assignment is TBD due to Flexible Scheduling

WEEK 16 Sunday 12/27/09
Noon – Seattle @ Green Bay

WEEK 17 Sunday 01/03/10
Noon – Game assignment is TBD due to Flexible Scheduling
3:15PM- Green Bay @ Arizona

Football season is upon us, and that means lots of games on FOX 11.

We’ve got several preseason games, including two this week:

* Tonight, the Eagles play the Colts at 7pm.

* Friday, the Cowboys debut their new stadium in a game against the Titans at 7pm.

Ah, Friday night. The Vikings also play Friday night. It appears that the game will not be shown in these parts. We can’t air the game because of the FOX committment. And, another local station told the Press-Gazette they inquired with the Vikings about the rights, but were denied because the Vikings didn’t want to upset the Packers.

Every year, we get lots of calls asking us to air a particular game. In general, it works like this during the regular season:

* We air every game we can. If we have a Packers post-game show, it’s not replacing a game that’s available to us.

* Just because FOX has games in both the noon and 3:15 pm slot doesn’t mean we can air two games every week. The networks (usually) alternate doubleheader weeks. Sometimes we can air two, sometimes we can’t. FOX usually has late games because of the west coast NFC games, but that doesn’t mean we can always air them. It’s not our choice – it’s network rules. The upshot here, the on-air promos don’t necessarily translate to games on air here.

* FOX assigns us the other games, based on regional interest. This means we usually get NFC North games. We can request a change, but the network doesn’t have to grant it.

And, of course, that brings us back to the Vikings.

The initial schedule from FOX has us airing six Vikings games this year:

- Sept. 13, at Cleveland Browns
- Oct. 11, at St. Louis Rams
- Nov. 1, at Green Bay Packers
- Nov. 15, Detroit Lions
- Nov. 29, Chicago Bears
- Dec. 6 at Arizona Cardinals

There’s another day when the Vikings are playing on FOX at the same time the Packers are playing on CBS. However, because the Packers are home, we cannot air another game at the same time.

There’s also a Week 17 Vikings game we might be able to air, but we’ll wait to see what the playoff implications are before requesting a particular game.

I hope that helps you understand some of the ins and outs of the NFL on FOX. If you have any questions, let me know.

  Day One: There is little like the tranquility of a canoe trip, and the Boundary Waters of Northern Minnesota is one of the most beautiful and accessable places on earth.   A million acres of lakes and wilderness to explore.

    I got a chance to take the trip in mid-July, my second one to the Boundary Waters area.  I also took a small camera with me, and did a video blog day by day while I was there- click here for the link for day one!  While the first couple of days were nice weather for paddling and portaging, the last four were where nature decided to take it out on us, with wind, rain and cold the rest of the way.  However, the scenery was still stunning, and with a group of young people (14-18 year-olds) it was fun to see them discover the wilderness for the first time.

Day Two:  Click here for day two of my video blog!

Day two of the journey in the Boundary Waters of northern Minnesota was sunny but windy, and portent of things to come. We paddled and portaged about 12 miles, going deeper into wilderness.
We also stopped at a campsite that was on the edge of a set of cliffs to do some cliff jumping for the younger members of our group. Everyone had a great time making the leap, and everyone got down, and back in the canoe, safely!
Wildlife hasn’t been as plentiful as expected, but we’ve had glimpses of eagles and loons, and got some fishing in in the evening, to no avail. I can safely say no fish were injured in the taping of these segments! User error, I’m sure.

Day Three in the Boundary Waters: Click here for my video blog day three!

A windy, and rainy day today, as we pushed south through the Boundary Waters to lake Muckwa, staying on an island campsite for the third night in a row.

The weather has turned a little on us, as we got some more wind, with some rain as well.  We had an interesting view of some loons today, as well as an area that had been decimated by a forest fire within the last year- just gutted between lakes.   Interesting to see how nature cleanses the landscape.

Still no fish, but maybe tomorrow!

Day Four on the Boundary Waters: Click here for my video blog day four!

Another day on the Boundary Waters, and another day of gray weather.  Nonetheless, we made almost 10 miles again, stopping on an island campsite for the night.

Last night a frightening front came through with high winds and severe pressure changes that actually pulled our tent pegs out of the ground and took down part of our dining fly.  You never know what you will find when you head out to the wilderness, so be prepared!  The fish are still eluding us, but we’re hoping to get at least one before we have to pull out.

Day five on the Boundary Waters: Click here for video blog day five!

Day five of my trip to the Boundary waters was, unfortunately, a gray day again.  We haven’t seen the sun since Monday afternoon, so are feeling rather soggy. 

Today we canoed in the worst conditions I have ever experience in my time in a canoe!  The waves were so large, we had to angle into them to make sure we didn’t capsize, and still we weren’t sure we wouldn’t go under.  We probably shouldn’t have been out on the water.  However, we were without a campsite, so had to plow through to get to somewhere we could set up camp.

We also hit the longest portage on our trip: 240 rods.  One rod = 16 feet, with 320 in a mile, so a 2/3 mile high through woods and mud with a 70 pound canoe or pack on your back is a tough one.  We made it, however, and plan to push to the end of our journey tomorrow.

Boundary Waters day six: Here’s the link to the video blog day six!

Day six, and we are off the water, a day earlier than planned, thanks to the weather.   After four wet days, we decided to get out a day early to get warm and dry!  

Our last night we got more rain and wind, and before bed ate all the deserts remaining in the food barrel!  We had pudding, cheesecake, and camp muffins to warm our spirits and our bellies- delicious!

We ended up traveling more than 56 miles on the water and through the portage trails, seeing lots of wildlife, and having a ton of fun.  The experience, which is life changing for some who come out here, will be a lifetime memory for the young people who came with us especially.

Check out my other Boundary Waters information for more tidbits about the million acre wilderness area that gives a once in a lifetime experience.
Check back every day, and I’ll have more updates from the Boundary Waters, one of the most beautiful places on earth!

     Wimbledon is one of my favorite sporting events of the year.  I generally watch hours of tennis during the fortnight, once even subscribing to HBO (where they used to show much of the early action) just to watch Wimbledon.   I lived in England for four years growing up (and actually went to grade school in the town of Wimbledon for about four months), and though I never got to go to the tournament-the year I was old enough, I got pneumon- I did watch Davis Cup tennis at the facility.  I thought nothing would ever top last year’s finals between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, but this year’s gentlemen’s finals sure came close. 

      Five sets of tremendous tennis, with a fifth set that went longer than many full matches.  That’s some serious drama.  Federer’s win over Andy Roddick cements him as perhaps the greatest player in the open era, with 15 majors, besting the 14 of Pete Sampras.

     What strikes me is the similarities between Sampras and Federer.  Both had big serves, tremendous ground strokes, great net play, and couldn’t play on clay.  Sampras never did get his French Open, while Federer got his this year.  I had the chance to hang out with Sampras at an event in Houston years ago when he and Andre Agassi were trading titles after Agassi’s comeback, and found him very low key, focused and polite.  However, you could tell there was a burning desire to win that went with it.

      Tennis isn’t a sport that a lot of people follow like they used to.  However, it has what I love about sports: the man on man competition, hand-eye coordination, 140 mph serves, power and finesse, no ties; it’s great.  Perhaps the personalities just aren’t as compelling, but the tennis is just as good.  Hopefully Nadal’s knees allow him to be the main competition to Federer for the next couple of years.

Packers public OTA (organized team activity) for Wednesday, June 10.

Conditions- perfect for practice!  Sunny and 65, light breeze. Of course, that’s also perfect for golfing, but hey, we all have to make sacrifices.

11:15 am- Stretch them out- some faces returning to camp- LB Clay Matthews (1^st round pick 2009) is participating today, and NT Ryan  Pickett also is here.  S Atari Bigby is also participating today.  It will be interesting to see how he picks up the new defense.  He has said it is perfect for a safety who likes to come up and hit, which he does.  Speaking of safeties, Nick Collins absence has become conspicuous.  He says it isn’t contract related, and I have a good source that tells me his family issues truly are tough right now, so we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.

11:25- Seems like we are down a punter- only two on the field.  Adam Graessle is nowhere to be seen.  I mean, how injured do you have to be to not be able to take a knee on the grass, like most punters do for 75% of the practice? (Note: Just found out he was cut!  That’s how you have to be as a punter to miss practice…)

11:35- Brad Goode is snapping into a net, but when they turn around and do punter snap catching practice, they use the JUGGS machine.  Someone please explain that to me.  Perhaps they would get done too quickly if they put the two drills together, ie: the long snapper practicing snapping to the punter who is practicing catching.  Call me crazy…

11:45- Had a great conversation with former long snapper Rob Davis, who is now in charge of player development in a non-football sense.  He puts together a program that teaches the players how to handle their money, all about taxes, beware of groupies, find a passion after football.  He mentioned how Brett Favre can’t step away from the game because he doesn’t have anything else in his life he is passionate about enough to make him move into that realm.  Rob’s doing a great service to the young players, if only they will listen.  We’ll do a story on this soon.

11:53- Matt Flynn running the offense.  Have you ever noticed he looks just like Matt Damon?  I told him I enjoyed his work in the Jason Bourne series, but Matt didn’t think that was particularly funny.  I’m guessing he gets this all the time.  Maybe he switches identities as a pick-up line, however.  No? Just me who thought of this?

12:02- OL coach James Campen is urging his troops to put a little more hustle in between drills, in a little more colorful language than I’m comfortable using here.  His players respond well, and get their feet off the ground as they walk to the next drill.

12:05- DL Aaron Kampman is getting some one on one attention with coach Kevin Greene.  This is going to be quite a journey for Aaron.  He did himself no favors by his frosty interview last week, making those who heard it assume he was angry.  I think he’s just cautious, because he has made a couple of pro bowls and doesn’t know if his skill set will translate.  If anyone knows that position, however, Kevin Greene is the guy.

12:10- I look down on the sidelines, and I see various hats and sweatshirts, and sweatpants lined up.  It reminds me of my daughter’s school.  All in a neat row and in numerical order, each with the player’s number sewn in the back, just like my daughters name in her school stuff.  What happens to all that gear when someone gets cut?  Does the next 41 just get the stuff the other guy wore, regardless of fit?  Or does he get to pick out new stuff?  So many questions unanswered…

12: 15- General Manager Ted Thompson shows up in his customary baseball cap and sunglasses.  I say hello, he nods.  Not much information exchanged.  I don’t think he’s going to show his cards on the Jennings or Collins extensions, but it’s nice to be acknowledged.

12:25- About 100 railbirds were watching practice today.  They were treated to some nice catches by Jordy Nelson, Jermichael Finley, Brett Swain (!) and Korey Hall.  Not a loud group, but very dedicated to be attending an OTA.

12:30- Souvenirs!  Punter Durant Brooks has just shanked two punts onto Oneida Street!  Into traffic!  Luckily, no one drove off the road.  I’m thinking if you can’t keep it in the practice facility, your chances of making the team are looking a little worse.

12:45- Nice play by Brandon Chillar- tipping an Aaron Rodgers pass in the air, then making a nice catch for the interception.  A very interesting dress choice for the linebackers, by the way.  Chillar likes his sleeves hiked all the way over his shoulders (Welcome to the gun show!) and has neoprene leggings under his shorts.  Poppinga is the same way.  AJ Hawk and Desmond Bishop, on the other hand, have the neoprene top AND bottom under their jersey and shorts, while most everyone else is just in shirt and shorts.  Maybe they called each other before practice…

12:54- Did I mention Jordy Nelson has been making some nice catches?  Gets another.  James Jones will have a fight on his hands this training camp for that number three spot.

1:04- There has been a Pat Lee sighting!  He had a couple of nice knock aways today.  Would be nice if he were to develop into a future replacement for the “two aging corners” (I believe copy law dictates we have to refer to Woodson and Harris that way), but I’m not sold just yet.

1:12- Practice finishes!  Another OTA in the books.  The Packers have more next week, then the mandatory mini-camp is from June 22-24.

   Could Matt Gamel be the next big thing for the Brewers?  I think the answer is yes, though with a condition.  He will most likely start getting some regular at bats, and if last Monday night is any indication, if he can field well enough, he could be a solid addition.  That sounds a lot like Ryan Braun a couple of years ago.  The Brewers ended up having to move Braun to left because he had such a poor performance, but with Rickie Weeks out for the season, the infield will be a bit of a patchwork, so expect Gamel to get more at bats.

    I like his swing, and his eye at the plate, though a little anxious at times, isn’t bad.  His minor league numbers this year, hitting .336, with 8 home runs and 31 RBI in just 119 at  bats, show he is absolutely ready.  He has hit everywhere he has played, and will continue that in the majors.  The question is whether or not his glove will be able to keep up with his bat.

     Right now he’ll be used as a DH in the upcoming Twins series in Minneapolis, removing the problem, but the Brewers will have to address the situation at some point.  Monday night was a perfect example, as he hit a home run, made a tremendous diving play for an out, then threw an easy one away all in the same game.  That has to become more consistent before Gamel will find a permanent spot on the field.

     What do you think about the Brewers chances this year?  Let me know!

   The struggle with the last two years of covering Brett Favre is separating fact from fiction.  However, I’ve finally figured it out.  The conspiracy theorists are right.  That’s how I know Brett Favre will play football next year in the NFL.

    Sure, it seems absolutely ridiculous that Favre would even consider playing another year after the way last year ended with the Jets.  It would make sense to just fade away, get his jersey retired next year by the Packers, go into the Packers Hall of Fame, then finally head to Canton in five years.  However, nothing Favre has done has been logical.  In the past year, he has been rumored to retire (he did), rumored to be thinking about playing (he was), rumored to be unsure of staying retired (he was) and rumored to be wanting to come back (he did).  Almost all of these things were denied by Brett or someone close to him, but ended up being true.  So now, as Favre and his agent say he isn’t interested in talking to the Vikings about playing again, I know one thing.  It’s almost certain to happen.

    The Vikings head coach Brad Childress has said he would be interested in talking to Favre, and we all know how much he wanted to stick it to Ted Thompson, who made the tough decision to move on with Aaron Rodgers.  You can debate all you want whether it was the correct decision, but when it was done, it was time for everyone to move on.  I think Brett still feels he has unfinished business because he wanted to beat the Packers in another uniform, just to show them.  I think he’ll get that chance, and the more he denies it, the more I am absolutely certain it will happen.

In looking at the Packers draft top to bottom, it was a pretty solid weekend.  I thought day one was very good- I already described how I feel about the agressive Ted Thompson.  While Sunday was boring (no trades!!) it was still very useful for what the Packers need.

It seems every draft has the requisite project (Jarius Wynn, DE in the 6th), the chance taken on a problem guy who may have the skills (Brandon Underwood, CB in the 6th) and the big as an oak offensive lineman.  The Packers had all that, and addressed some needs as well.  Mark Tauscher will probably never play for the Packers again, so getting two tackles was smart to be prepared.  T.J. Lang could even be accomplished enough to start this year.

The only head scratcher was Quinn Johnson, the fullback, in the 5th round.  Aren’t fullbacks a dime a dozen?  The Packers have now drafted a linebacker-turned-fullback in two straight drafts (Korey Hall) so will have a little competition. If I had to grade the draft: A-/B+.  I would have liked to see a running back at some point, probably at the expense of the second LB in the 7th round (Brad Jones), though in the 7th, it’s really a roll of the dice anyways.   Fans should be happy after this weekend.  Now if the rest of the guys who still work at 1265 Lombardi can buy in to the new system, things should be exciting this year.