Some Days, You Just Can't Win.

I'm postponing the rest of Leonard Stern week until next time.
Today is going to be some of that classic "Rothman does his major bellyaching"
If you like that sort of thing, keep reading.
If not, come back Thursday.

I don't usually watch ice hockey.
I don't usually like ice hockey.
I certainly usually don't bet on ice hockey.
But this was the Stanley Cup Finals, and I guess that meant something to me.
Enough that I did all of the above.
HD on a 60 inch screen makes it a lot easier to like ice hockey.
Because you can actually see the puck.
So I was genuinely looking forward to watching last night's sixth game of the Stanley Cup Finals.
Rooting for the Boston Bruins, the team I bet on for the series against the Chicago Blackhawks, to avoid being eliminated.
So at eight o'clock, I turn on my NBC HD station, where most people in America went to watch the contest.
But not in Detroit.
Detroit is one of those TV markets where you know you're out of town.
Local events often take precedence, even on network stations.
Even though Detroit is a hockey town.
Let me amend that.
Detroit is a hockey town when the Detroit Red Wings are involved.
When the Detroit Red Wings are not involved, Detroit is not a hockey town.
In this instance, the Detroit Red Wings were not involved.
So last night, the NBC affiliate decided to pre-empt the Stanley Cup Finals with the annual Henry Ford fireworks display.
For three and a half hours.
Who the hell can watch fireworks for three and a half hours?
Why the Henry Ford fireworks display is not held on July 4th is anybody's guess.
But it isn't.
It's held on June 24th.
Just early enough to louse up my viewing of the Stanley Cup Finals.
And oohh, did it louse it up.
At first, I had absolutely no idea where to find the hockey.
Then a streamer passed on the bottom of the screen, under the fireworks, telling me that the hockey was on one of the local channels.
Channel 38.
Detroit has a handful of local channels.
Channel 38 is the only one that does not have an HD version.
Some channels that aren't in in HD at least present their programming in letterbox format, making the screen wider than longer, and generally providing a clearer image.
Not channel 38.
They presented the boxy, higher than wide, blurry non HD image.
You had to squint hard to see the puck.
Then, in the middle of the second period, I got the brilliant idea to go to NBC Sports online to see if I could watch the game there.
Lo and behold, there it was.
In glorious HD.
The screen was much smaller, but I could still see the puck.
I was kicking myself for not thinking of it sooner.
Problem solved.
But only momentarily.
NBC Sports Online did this asinine thing called "Having a scoreboard just above the screen".
And the game was on ten second delay.
But that feshtunkenah scoreboard wasn't.
So I got to see goals register on the scoreboard before I got to see them get scored.
And there was nothing I could do about it.
Except to go back to Channel 38.
Sophie's Choice.
I stuck it out with the feshtunkeneh scoreboard, trying to avert my eyes, and failing.
Which was particularly painful when, with a minute and a half left in the game, and Boston clinging to a one goal lead, within the next thirty seconds, I saw the scoreboard registering a tying goal for Chicago, then seeing the goal scored, and then the scoreboard registering the go-ahead goal for Chicago, then watching them score the game and series winner.
Like I said.
Some days, you just can't win.

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My books ,"Show Runner" and it's sequel, "Show Runner Two", can be found at the Amazon Kindle Store.
Along with the newer ones, "The Man Is Dead", and "Report Cards".
You can search by typing in my name, Cindy Williams, Laverne & Shirley, The Odd Couple, or Happy Days.
Check them out.
You don't need a Kindle machine to download them.
Just get the free app from Kindle, and they can be downloaded to an IPhone, IPad, or Blackberry.
The paperbacks, "Mark Rothman's Essays", and my new novel, "I'm Not Garbo" are available for people without Kindle.
I have many readings and signings remaining, and the thing about Kindle is you can't sign one.
If you'd like one, contact me at macchus999@aol.com.
And now, we've got my reading of my "Laverne & Shirley Movie" screenplay on YouTube.

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