Beginning on February 4th with UFC 143, Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit, we’ll get to [...]]]> The UFC has accomplished what no other sport has in bringing their live PPV events to select movie theaters. To make things a little more juicy, the event will be in 3d, which is sure to further excite many fans.

Beginning on February 4th with UFC 143, Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit, we’ll get to watch 3+ hours of MMA action for $25 a ticket. To get a good seat, you’ll need to arrive early as seating will be on a first come, first serve basis.

Want to see which theaters in your area will be showing the event? Visit UFC 3D and enter your zip code to get a listing. I’ve already purchased my ticket from my local theater and can’t wait to check out this exciting event, donning my 3d glasses. What about you? Will you be going?

You screwed me Playstation and I [...]]]> Update (Sun, 4pm): I was able to get in without the error, but same choppy, freezing and sub standard definition issues make it unwatchable. So, I missed an entire day of football through the service again, which I calculate was a waste of $21.25 today.

You screwed me Playstation and I won’t forget it. I thought I’d share my short story after yet another frustrating Football Sunday with my Playstation subscription to the NFL Sunday Ticket. (My internet speed: 40Mbps)

Like many others, I became a cable cutter several months ago. Though I haven’t looked back since doing so, the biggest hole I hadn’t found away to fill is watching my football games each Sunday. Admittedly, I’ve been a little spoiled the last few years and purchased the DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket. It’s the package that originally brought me to become a DirecTV customer.

With the NFL season approaching, you can imagine my delight when I heard about the Playstation providing access to the NFL Sunday Ticket through the Playstation Network. Though the price was steep ($84.95 per month for 4 months) and I didn’t yet have a PS3, I was willing to get creative to bring my Bears games back to my big screen.

So, I began watching Craiglist on a daily basis until I found the right deal. I scored a PS3, that wouldn’t read discs, for about $100. My only purpose was to access my games through the Playstation Network, so I didn’t care much about the inability of my used PS3 to read discs.

After making my purchase, I turned on my game only to be underwhelmed. Initially, I tried to use my wireless connection and the game was choppy and froze every few seconds. Next, I did the logical thing and connected my Ethernet cable directly to the PS3. The quality did increase and was even HD for the most part.

However, it still froze at times and flipping from one channel to the next takes a little time to load. I kinda sucked it up and just appreciated the ability to watch my game.

Fast forward to today. The service was already subpar, then I’m greeted with an update to the NFL Sunday Ticket. I process the update, log back in and see that I’m treated as if I don’t have a subscription. My options are to become a new customer or login with my DirecTV account.

Already annoyed, I call Sony @ 1-800-345-7669 and am told that I need to choose to become a new subscriber again and pay for the current month to access. I ask “isn’t this a subscription that I have set up to automatically renew?” The response is “yes, but it’s not working the way it should so has to be done manually.”

After making my second $85 purchase for the new month “manually,” I access the Sunday Ticket, which is taking forever to load. It finally loads and as you can probably guess, the quality is less than Standard Definition and is now freezing every 2 seconds. Now I’m getting really aggravated.

I call Sony back and said I’m completely dissatisfied with the service and want to cancel my subscription. The response, “I can walk you through how to cancel the auto renew of your subscription, but for the month you just paid (today), I can’t guarantee you’ll get a refund.” After going back and forth, I’m told I’ll get an answer whether or not I’ll get a refund between 7 and 10 business days.

Atleast I’ll be able to kinda watch games until my current month runs out right? Well, I just accessed the Sunday Ticket through the Playstation Network and was greeted with “We are currently experiencing technical difficulties. Please try again later.”

Playstation, your NFL Sunday Ticket subscribers are paying you $340 for you to get it right one day a week. Your service sucks and apparently you didn’t work out all the bugs before pushing the Sunday Ticket to your loyal customers. Do the right thing and give the people you are ripping off a refund. I’m not asking for a refund of the first month, just the month I paid for today. Apparently, that’s asking too much.

The quality of games I get through my $35 antenna is far superior  to any game you are giving me. Though I am limited to only the games shown on major networks (with my antenna), I’ll save $340 and the headache of dealing with the Playstation network and Sony. My PS3 is going on sale and I’m going back to my antenna and an occasional sports bar to catch my game.

Are you currently a DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket subscriber through the PS3? Please share your experience.

Note:  There are several different devices and applications to use, but I chose to share [...]]]> Earlier this month, I made the decision to cut my cable. I now save approximately $123 per month by dropkicking my Direct TV out the door in exchange for Roku, my computer and an Internet connection.

Note:  There are several different devices and applications to use, but I chose to share the ones that have worked the best for me. Just last month, I had a DirecTv Bill that cost me $140 per month and another $60 for cable internet. $200 a month is a ridiculous bill to have with all the free alternatives available. I kept my cable internet and now only pay $17 per month for movies and tv shows using the options below.

Devices To Hookup To Your Television

Though I have both a Roku and Apple TV, there is no way I would have cut my cable without Roku. This device requires a high speed wireless connection. It connects directly to your television and streams content to your television from countless channels that include Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon On Demand, Pandora, Flickr and more. While you won’t find YouTube in the channel lineup for the Roku player, you can manually add this awesome channel using these simple setup steps. You could get by with the Roku alone, but let me show you some more options.

I keep my laptop connected to my television using a HDMI cable. You would be amazed to see how many of your favorite shows are available for free online. I am a big Survivor fan and can simply go to CBS.com the day after Survivor airs to stream the newest episode. With my computer connected to my television, it’s just like watching it on TV.

Roku cost me $100 to purchase and there is no monthly or additional fees. Some of the channels available requires a pay subscription to use. I pay $9 per month to stream movies from Netflix and $8 each month to stream television shows. If I can’t find content on either of these channels, my next option is to see if it’s online.

You can turn your computer into a media server by downloading some pretty awesome free applications such as Windows Media Center or XBMC. Windows Media Center has an Internet TV window channel does the work for you by finding great shows from online sources.

If it’s not online and it’s a show or movie I really want to see, I can pay to rent it from the Amazon On Demand channel. An episode typically cost $1.99.

Want to still get free local channels? By using the AntennaWeb tool, you can see what the ideal Antenna would be for you to purchase. Based on my area, once I have my Antenna set up, I should get more than 20 channels (including HD) free. My Antenna cost $35 from Amazon.

Want to Stream More Free Movies And Television?

While I could provide an exhaustive listing of free movie and tv sites, I’m going to instead point you to an amazing resource. OVGuide shows you all the best free movie sites and by using the useful search button, you can find movies and television shows you want to watch.

A Last Resort

If you decide you just can’t cut the cord on your cable or satellite, at least take some time and search online for better deals than you’ll get through Best Buy or over the phone. Many third party service providers like TvByDirect.com offer local specials that include free channels. While not as cost effective as going full-streaming, you can definitely cut a large portion of your bill.

1972 – The “Immaculate Reception” is the nickname given to one of the [...]]]> The NFL has delivered some truly memorable and amazing moments over the years. While I await this weekend’s games, I thought I’d take a moment to reflect on 5 of the absolute greatest plays in not only football, but sports history. Enjoy!

1972 – The “Immaculate Reception” is the nickname given to one of the most famous plays in the history of the NFL.

Hang onto your hats, here come the Steelers out of the huddle. Twenty-two seconds remaining. It’s down to one big play, fourth down and 10 yards to go. Terry Bradshaw at the controls. And Bradshaw….running out of the pocket, looking for somebody to throw to, fires it downfield, and there’s a collision! [volume increases] And it’s caught out of the air! The ball is pulled in by Franco Harris! Harris is going for a touchdown for Pittsburgh!

—Jack Fleming on the steelers radio broadcast

1978 – “The Miracle at the Meadowlands” is coined as Herman Edwards returns a fumble for a touchdown.

It’s Giants football now, third and two. We thank our producer Bob Rowe, our director Jim Silman, and our CBS crew, spotter and statistician John Mara and Tom McHugh here at Giants Stadium. As the clock winds down on the Philadelphia Eagles, a game they thought would project them into a possible wildcard position, it would bring them 7-5 had they won, but a late interception by the Giants will preserve a Giant victory, an upset win as the Giants lead 17-12, we’re inside 30 seconds, the Eagles have no timeouts.[at this point, the snap happens and the ball is fumbled] Wait a minute… here’s a free football, I don’t believe it! The Eagles pick it up and Herman Edwards runs it in for a touchdown! An incredible development! – Don Criqui, CBS Commentator

1982 – “The Catch” is made as Joe Montana passes to Dwight Clark to make the winning touchdown reception.

Montana lines up at the five…and on third-down-and-three he rolls right, looking to throw…looking to throw…and he throws into the end zone…Touchdown! Touchdown! Touchdown, San Francisco, by Dwight Clark! – Jack Buck, CBS Radio

2000 – The “Music City Miracle” is one of the greatest, yet most controversial plays in the history of the NFL.

Do the Titans have a miracle left in them in what has been a magical season to this point? If they do, they need it now. Christie kicks it high and short. Gonna be fielded by Lorenzo Neal at the 25; he dishes it back to Wycheck; he throws it across the field to Dyson…He’s got somethin’…He’s got somethin’…30, 20..10, 5, endzone…touchdown, Titans! There are no flags on the field! It’s a miracle! Tennessee has pulled a miracle! A miracle for the Titans! – Mike Keith on Tennessee Titans Radio Network

2007 – After dominating the regular season and playoffs, the Patriots were upset by the Giants at Super Bowls XLII, after a memorable drive capped off by an amazing catch by David Tyree. 

When you see the guy in trouble, you have to break off your route. I saw he was under duress, and I just pulled up and cut it short. —David Tyree

Though it never occurred in the NFL, I wanted to add one more highlight to the list.

1984 – Doug Flutie’s “Miracle in Miami” is born as he throws a last-second Hail Mary pass to wide receiver Gerard Phelan also known as Hail Flutie.

Flutie flushed………throws it down………CAUGHT BY BOSTON COLLEGE! I don’t believe it! It’s a touchdown! The Eagles win it!

—Brent Musberger calling on the final play.

And I thought as a bonus, I’d throw “The Indecision” mix (by DJ Steve Porter) into the post as well, highlighting the best of our old [...]]]> In anticipation of the upcoming NFL season, I wanted to revisit one of my favorite creations, You Play to Win the Game, courtesy of DJ Steve Porter.

And I thought as a bonus, I’d throw “The Indecision” mix (by DJ Steve Porter) into the post as well, highlighting the best of our old buddy Brett Favre.

The apps within this entry are all free and will help you better prepare for [...]]]> Continuing on with my Fantasy Football preparation, I decided to concentrate on the Android platform and explore the best in free Android Apps. The worst thing we can do is go into our live draft-room unprepared.

The apps within this entry are all free and will help you better prepare for your draft, while keeping tabs on your fantasy players and enhancing your overall Fantasy Football experience.

(To download the apps below, visit the Android Market, directly from your Android device

Fantasy Guru (Yahoo Sports)

4.34 Stars, 638 ratings

Fantasy Guru is the best Yahoo! Fantasy app currently available. It enables you to view and edit your roster, keep up-to-date on your stats, check out all the transactions and more. The ability to research trades and proposing and accepting trades from within the app is valuable. If you are a commissioner, you get access to all the tools necessary to manage your league.

The app is a solution for all your Yahoo! Fantasy sports, including baseball, hockey, and basketball.

ScoreMobile for Android

4.34 Stars, 1303 rating

ScoreMobile is geared more towards getting the up-to-the-minute scores, standings, news and betting odds, but you can also keep an eye on your fantasy football statistics. The app comes with a built-in widget (shown below).

NFL Mobile

4.24 Stars, 3616 ratings

NFL Mobile gives you news, headlines, updates and NFL draft coverage and analysis. They provide a daily inside NFL Total Access news show as well as Live NFL Network coverage. The app is well designed and provides videos and coverage helpful for your Fantasy Football team. I just watched a Fantasy Football Sleepers video clip. Great quality! The video below demonstrates the iPhone App, but the App is almost identical on the Android.

Fantasy Football Cheatsheet

3.17 Stars, 47 ratings

When you’re in the draft room, you need a cheat sheet to know which moves to make next. Though there is room for improvement, the developers are working to improve the app. They also offer a .99 enhanced version with more players and better sort options.

NFL Superfan

4.25 Stars, 325 ratings

To use this app, you have to be a DirecTV subscriber, have the NFL SuperFan subscription and reside in the US. If you fit in this category and have already dropped the extra cash to become a SuperFan subscriber, you’ll love this free app! Not only can you check out player and team stats, scores and highlights from every game, but you can stream your favorite games while on the go directly from your Android device.