I Heart US Sports!

When Setanta went under last June I was worried that that could be it for sports on Virgin Media.  I've had NTL/Virgin, cable, in the flat since October 2005 and when Setanta Sports was added to the XL TV package I was, as a sport loving bloke, more than a little happy.

Although I never really watched that much of the Premiership coverage; I was either at GP or some far flung northern outpost for the Saturday tea-time games and the Monday night games weren't usually up to much, it was nice to have the option to flick the cable box to 538 or 539.

So last June when Setanta went into administration I thought that was it for sport on cable bar Eurosport.  What I hadn't accounted for was that ESPN, the huge American sports broadcaster, would step in and bring with it so much more that the occasional decent game of footie.

OK, having had a grandmother from County Clare, an extended family dotted all over Ireland and mates who are big fans of the other Munster Counties, the loss of live Hurling and Gaelic Football was a blow but this has more than softened by what ESPN has brought into my living room.

I'm still not watching much of what I often hear is the most exciting league in football but there is so much more on offer.  At the moment I've got 'College Hoops' on.  It's the second day of the 2010 NCAA Basketball Championship, which is known across the pond as March Madness.  For some reason I've always liked Villanova, hopefully they'll reach the Final Four for the season straight year.

When ESPN started broadcasting last August the MLB baseball season was heading towards the play-offs.  Sadly 'my' San Francisco Giants missed out on the play-offs that each Autumn; or Fall, if you're that way inclined, lead to rather the grandly named World Series.  It was however a real treat to be able to watch the conclusion to the regular season and then the postseason in W12.

The NHL ice hockey season has picked up where the MLB left off and has brought the world of checking, fighting and power-plays into my living room.  Team wise it's better news this time round because the San Jose Sharks are well on course to reach the Stanley Cup play-offs.

The NBA season is also in full swing.  Unfortunately the Seattle Supersonics franchise morphed into the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2008 and I just can't get on the bandwagon.  However continuing my Bay Area theme to picking teams I've taken the Golden State Warriors under my wing, lucky them!

Sky have the rights to the NFL but I still keep an eye out for San Francisco 49er games on Channel 5.  The memories of three Super Bowl wins in the 80s and with one more in 1994 are fading but an 8-8 season last time round is at least a sign that the team are heading in the right direction.

The down side to supporting west coast teams is that when they are on ESPN, they are on late.  The good news though is that there are numerous magazine shows that give me the chance to catch-up.  Thanks goodness for my V+ box and series links for SportsCenter, NHL on the Fly, NBA Fastbreak and Baseball Tonight.

GO ESPN!!