NFL and Comcast to Kiss and Make Up?

So, what's the latest on that lawn mowing guy in Mississippi? I really wish all these news outlets would cover him more! Surgery or no surgery?! Dr. James Andrews! Bicep tendons! Rachel Nichols! Bus Cook! Playing football with high school kids! The most frequently mowed lawn in the history of lawns!

Look, I get it. This is a Vikings blog, the Vikings are our team, and our team and He Who Shall Not Be Named seem to be on a collision course with each other for the '09 season. But I refuse to get sucked into the annual circus of meaningless minutiae when I'm 99% certain that nothing of substance will actually happen for at least a couple of months. I'll let the other great writers on this site give you the day-to-day stuff and try to convince you that he wouldn't be all that bad. (Et tu, Gonzo?) But like I've said before, I plan on enjoying my summer.

While everyone remains enamored with all things F----- (yes, that name is still an F-word until further notice), I have some news that everyone should be happy about, especially Comcast customers like myself. As Peter King reported on Sunday, it appears that Comcast and the NFL are close to finally striking a deal after a lengthy standoff.

So what does this mean for the 24 million Comcast subscribers, including thousands in the Twin Cities area?

It means that Comcast subscribers will get the NFL Network with the regular digital package and they won't have to pony up an additional $7/month to get it as part of Comcast's "pay-tier" sports package. Seven bucks may not seem like a ton, but as any Comcast customer will tell you, we're already paying plenty for what we currently get. (For example: my place has internet, digital cable, HBO and Showtime, and we're north of $150/month. Yuck.)

It also means that we might finally be able to watch the Red Zone Channel on cable. For those unfamiliar, the Red Zone Channel switches back and forth between games on Sunday when a team is close to scoring. Obviously, this is incredibly for convenient for the 1.6 kajillion people that participate in fantasy football these days. Until now, the channel has been exclusive property of DirecTV's ridiculous monopoly on NFL's Sunday Ticket package.

(Note: I'd share my rage with you about how terrible it is that only one company gets exclusive rights to the country's most popular sport when many households can't even get DirecTV, but ESPN's Gregg Easterbrook (aka TMQ) has covered the topic very well throughout the years.)

Finally, it means that Comcast customers will be able to avoid Chris Berman & company during draft coverage! You have no idea how often I pined for the option to switch over to the NFL Network during my epic first-round draft live blog last month.

We're definitely in for a long summer here at the Daily Norseman thanks to the constant drama surrounding Mr. F, but at least we have some news that everyone should be happy with.