Posted September 18th, 2006 by Steven Leventhal

A Heidi-esque afternoon on an NFL Sunday

originally written September 17, 2006

It's great to work in sports, because one of the perks is having Sunday Ticket at the office. Perhaps the best feature of NFL coverage on satellite is "The Red Zone" channel. It seamlessly switches to the best action moments in EVERY game. Mostly live, with some replays; it's fabulously entertaining, especially if you're not obsessively following a team outside of your home TV area.

I was reminded (sort of) about the fiasco forever to be known as "The Heidi Game" while watching Bear game coverage on the local Fox affiliate in Chicago. There was a Heidi- worthy moment shortly after the conclusion of the Bears' 34-7 victory over the Lions.

For those of you unfamiliar with the story(and by that I mean the game, not the forgettable made for TV movie,) the Heidi game lives on in broadcasting lore, because some clueless TV execs cut away from the Raiders – Jets game on Nov. 17, 1968, with the New Yorkers ahead 32-29 lead with 1:05 to play. NBC went to a commercial and returned to the movie "Heidi." Viewers never saw the Raiders score two touchdowns and win 43-32.

Back to the present day. After the early game, the Chicago audience, and presumably several others around the country went to the Fox post game show. In the meantime, RZC viewers got treated to two fantastic finishes, one in Philly, and one in Minneapolis. So while Terry, Howie, and Jimmy were dissecting the already completed games, those willing to shell out for Sunday Ticket, and the additional ninety-nine bucks for the Red Zone and Mix Channels saw something much better.

Ryan Longwell(yes, former Packer kicker Longwell) threw a touchdown pass on a fake kick attempt, and then converted in overtime as the host Vikes beat the Panthers 16-13. The RZC, hosted by former Chicago radio reporter Andrew Siciliano, went back and forth from the Metrodome to the City of Brotherly Love, where the Eagles were sharing plenty of love for the Giants who rallied from 17 down in the fourth quarter to win 30-24 on a 31-yard pass to Plaxico Burress.

The major networks just don't get it. That's where ESPN is so much more in tune with the action on the field. You would never be denied the extra action on the Bristol network. Now, perhaps there is some arcane league policy that forces home teams to show the post game show only, but how can you NOT show two fantastic finishes still going on.

If the No Fun League(NFL) is intent on capturing younger viewers, it better keep them watching. Otherwise they will retreat back to their Game Cubes and PlayStations. We are in the 21st century after all.