By Philip Newman
The game between the Amazin's and the Milwaukee Brewers was scheduled to be broadcast on the MSG network Tuesday night but Cablevision, which owns MSG, was locked in a dispute with Time Warner cable. There was no game on TV. What happened was that Time Warner's contract with Cablevision expired more than six months ago. Negotiations toward a renewal failed to reach an agreement by a Sunday deadline imposed by Cablevision.Time Warner removed MSG, Fox Sports New York and the Metro Channel from its cable broadcasting. Its message to viewers said Cablevision had threatened to sue if Time Warner continued to broadcast the games.Time Warner, which offered a $2 per month credit to its customers while the games are blacked out, said Cablevision was “demanding unprecedented fees for programming that continues to diminish in value.”For its part, Cablevision insisted it wants only a “fair price.”Dave Howard, a spokesman for the New York Mets, said “we are very upset that our fans may not receive our games. We hope both parties will make every effort to come to an agreement quickly.” Jerry Ingentio, a Sunnyside native, probably spoke for multitudes of Mets fans when he discussed the impasse and the blank screens.”Baseball is America's pastime,” Ingentio said. “It's a game we all grew up with and it's a shame the kids can't watch the games. There no consideration for the common fan.”Oh, yes, the Mets triumphed 12-3.
