Shoveling out this week's sports media notes, which you probably wish I had the kids next door do, kind of the way they did with the walk:
They play hardball in Green Bay. The Fox affiliate, having heard that Eli Manning is a Seinfeld fan, has decided to pull tomorrow night's rerun of the show so the New York Giants quarterback won't be able to enjoy watching it the night before his game against the Packers.
In a clip from a newscast shown at the station's Web site, WLUK's general manager, Jay Zollar, said: "We do not want to give any comfort to the enemy when they come to town. ... We heard that Eli Manning, one of his favorite shows is Seinfeld and we know that laughter is good medicine and we decided that we're not going to give that to him."
Of course, Zollar ends with saying: "No Seinfeld for you!"
(Thanks to Deadspin.com for pointing this out.)
Fox's Troy Aikman said it's tough to choose between the two young quarterbacks left in the NFL playoffs - Manning and the San Diego Chargers' Philip Rivers.
"It's a little bit like the question that has been asked all season: Who do you take, Peyton Manning or Tom Brady?" Aikman said, according to highlights of a conference call. "I think you can get into a similar discussion when talking about Eli and Philip."
There was no need to crank up your television while watching the Maryland-Wake Forest men's basketball game Tuesday night. The way they played made analyst Billy Packer cranky enough.
Late in the game, the Terps seemed bent on trying to blow their lead by rushing on offense, losing the ball or taking bad shots. Packer said of Maryland's Gary Williams, "This has got to be one of the most frustrating teams he's coached."
And when it was over, summarizing the entire game, Packer said, "I've seen a lot of guys playing unintelligent basketball."
Easton Cable has decided to drop Comcast SportsNet, citing the channel's high cost relative to its no longer carrying Orioles games. Easton Cable will continue to carry Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (which, by the way, twice forwarded me a copy of Easton Cable's news release on dropping Comcast SportsNet) so its subscribers can see the Orioles. Easton Cable said Comcast SportsNet was its second-most-expensive channel, behind ESPN.
An Easton Cable spokesman said MASN and Comcast SportsNet were "comparably priced," though Comcast SportsNet was "a good bit more." It's worth noting, however, that Easton Cable is different from most cable providers. It is a not-for-profit municipal utility.
In more positive Comcast SportsNet news, the channel has a deal with the Ed Block Courage Awards and will have live coverage from the event March 11 in Baltimore.
CBS' Jim Nantz has won his third National Sportscaster of the Year award, given by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.
The NBA and Turner Broadcasting yesterday announced a partnership under which Turner will be responsible for NBA TV, the league's digital channel, and NBA.com, as well as NBA League Pass, which delivers out-of-market games.
ray.frager@baltsun.com