News-Record.com

Maybe now we'll find out just how influential East Carolina alumni and fans can be. The test case is MASN v. cable operators of North Carolina. MASN, for the uninitiated, is the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, which is owned by diabolical Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos.

As a Washingtonian, it's hard to side with Angelos on anything. Especially after he saddled the Nationals with a horrible TV deal that essentially denied DC viewers the ability to see their Nats on TV last year. But, it's '07, and Angelos has learned he can make a ton of money by putting the O's and Nationals on the same network. And, now I unfortunately have to side with Angelos in his battle to get MASN picked up by Time-Warner, which has monopoly rights on Greensboro cable TV, as I'd rather not shell out the money for a satellite dish at this time.

I realize not many in this market care about the Orioles and Nationals, but MASN's case gains traction when you consider that the network carries a number of ACC and SoCon games, not to mention 9 of East Carolina's 12 football games this season. That fact has spurred the mayor of Greenville to write this plea to that area's cable monopolizer.

Mayors of Durham and Raleigh have heard their constituents, too, and are putting some pressure on Time-Warner to do the right thing there. Can we now count on Triad politicians to pressure Time-Warner to end its boycott?

I would think many area residents would even be willing to pay for digital cable if it were so packaged to see games on MASN. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe local politicos aren't hearing from their constituents. Or maybe Angelos' people are dirty dealers and Time-Warner wants nothing to do with them for good reason. If the cable operator showed me some evidence to support such a claim, that would be one thing. Instead, I'm price-shopping for a dish.