Helping friends during a powerout... not the kind you'd expect

As I left my aunt and uncle's house yesterday, I noticed on ABC that the update of the Chargers/Bills game said "Susp"... which meant suspended.

I get in my car, and turn my Sirius on to tune in the game. Both the Bills' and Chargers' broadcast are being done over phone lines. The Bills' announcers said that the power had gone out about 30 minutes before game time. It turns out that a combination of helium balloons with metallic ties getting stuck at a transformer and a utility pole fire a mile away caused all the problems.

I texted my friends Doug and Chrissy, and her response was simply "no power." A few minutes later, one of the Bills got injured... she texted me (300 miles away) to ask who was hurt. Luckily, the cell phone towers weren't affected. The Bills' announcers were forced to do the game on cell phone on three separate occasions.

What really sucks for Bills fans is that one of the main cable companies and the CBS station in Buffalo are not under contract. The only way to see Bills games in about half the area are through old-fashioned rabbit ears or by satellite dish. Since CBS had no access to generators, viewers only saw half the game.

Why am I spending so much time talking about the Bills? It's because they're doing much better than my Seahawks. I admit I watched the Rays/Red Sox last night instead of the 2nd half of the Seahawks game.

Congrats to "Broad Street Joe"... Joe Maddon and the Rays. It's gonna be a fun World Series, but I hope it doesn't go longer than five games.

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My thoughts and prayers go out to the family of State Senator Jim Rhoades. I was stunned Saturday night when I heard of his death. The last time I spoke with him was on air back in August. He had an impact on so many people locally and statewide... I personally thanked him for passing the Clean Indoor Air Act. Rest in peace, Jim.

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Follow the bouncing horsey... the Breeders' Cup is this weekend. Friday's races are on ESPN2, starting at 3:30. Saturday's start on ABC at 1pm, then switch to ESPN at 3:30pm.

Buckle up,
TS