You might as well just switch to something else, because you no longer have access to VERSUS.

It’s been the case since the beginning of September. Of course, if you’re not a fan of Bass fishing or . . . well, I’m not exactly sure what else is on that network except for the National Hockey League . . . then you likely didn’t even realize it until you sat down in front of the tube ready for some Black and Gold action.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but the only way you’ll get Bruins hockey tonight is via the newest sports-talk radio station - The Sports Hub 98.5-FM.

When is the last time you listened to a hockey game on the radio?

For me, I can say it was during last year’s playoffs when I switched on the Bruins for a 10 minute car drive to my cousins house to sit and watch the game on the TV.

I don’t know anybody who actually kicks back with the radio blaring for Bruins hockey coverage.

Red Sox baseball or Patriots coverage - heck, I’ve been known to put the radio on and have the TV on mute. Of course the delay can sometimes drive me nuts, so it ends up just being a radio day with book in hand as I listen to the play-by-play.

Hockey just doesn’t do it for me on the radio. I need to see the hits and the excitement. Maybe it’s the style of play, because I can get through an entire football game on the radio if need be. Hockey isn’t alone. Basketball is another sports I struggle with on the radio. It just doesn’t work for me.

So I wish all those Bruins fans with DIRECTV the best tonight. Maybe they can all offer up their takes on what the radio experience was like for the rest of us who are lucky enough to have any other cable or satellite provider.

But something happened on my way to the comfort of my black leather recliner in front of the new flatscreen. I remembered there was something more important than football on the tube Sunday.

More important than watching Mark Sanchez throw for 272 yards and one touchdown in his victorious debut for the New York Jets.

More important than Detroit’s Matthew Stafford throwing for 205 yards and three interceptions in his debut loss.

More important than Minnesota’s Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson’s love affair and opening weekend win.

Yes, fellow Eagles fans, even more important than whether or not Donovan McNabb will return to the field anytime soon with broken ribs, or will he go down for the count like the Bears Brian Urlacher?

You saw the highlights for all six touchdown passes thrown by Saints QB Drew Brees. The guy can wing it.

Somehow Tony Romo made it through a game with three touchdown passes and no picks or fumbles as Dallas won.

And Joe Flacco throwing for 300-plus yards. Seriously, a Ravens passing offense exists.

Despite the Cardinals surprising loss to Mike Singletary’s 49ers, Tim Hightower showed he may be the next big receiving back with 121 yards on 12 catches.

Reggie Wayne stepped it up as the official No.1 receiver in Indy. Yes, Marvin Harrison is still a free agent.

So with all that excitement, only one thing really had my attention on Sunday - King of the Hill.

OK, if Hank Hill is reading this, he will probably hunt me down and lay the smack down on me. First for saying a cartoon sitcom was more important than football, and then for bashing Dallas and its QB.

Still, it wasn’t until the hour of KOTH was complete that I turned back to football, and even then it was flip around the tube between some dinosaur show on discovery and Throwdown with Bobby Flay on FOOD Network. That Bears-Packers game just didn’t do it for me.

But to get back on point, KOTH is done, at least new shows, and it’s depressing. It is one of the best shows on TV in a long while. Well written and good family fun.

Even as I prepare to make my way to Foxborough, Mass., for the Patriots opener, I’m still depressed that Sunday nights will be missing a must-watch element. The series finale was a nice ending to the show. It had Hank and Bobby coming together for the first time on anything - meat and grilling. I won’t spoil it for those who DVRed, but it is worth watching. Just wish it wasn’t over.

Thank goodness for syndication and DVDs.

Just for you Hank I will try not to trash Dallas. Well, at least for the rest of this week.

CBS radio’s The SportsHub, 98.5-FM, scooped up another Boston media celeb by giving Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy a Saturday afternoon radio show.

While that move give the Boston Globe some more exposure, management must be disappointed in the loss of one of the cities top beat reporters. Mike Reiss, who has coverd the Patriots beat better than any other Boston reporter in recent memory, is helping launch ESPN’s newest local-market venture - ESPNBoston.com.

Here’s the release from teh Sports Hub on Shaughnessy:

DAN SHAUGHNESSY JOINS
98.5 THE SPORTS HUB

THE DAN SHAUGHNESSY SHOW TO AIR SATURDAYS
JOINS TANGUAY AND ZOLAK PROGRAM ONCE A WEEK

BOSTON - 98.5 The Sports Hub, Boston’s New Home for Sports is proud to announce the addition of Dan Shaughnessy to the on-air roster. Shaughnessy will join the Tanguay & Zolak midday program once a week and host the Dan Shaughnessy Show on Saturdays broadcast on-air on 98.5 The Sports Hub and online at 985thesportshub.com.

 

“It’s so exciting to be a part of Boston’s first and only FM sports station,”  Shaughnessy, a highly acclaimed author and Boston Globe sports writer for over 20 years, said. “I am looking forward to working alongside such sports minded talents as Gary Tanguay, Scott Zolak, Tony Massaroti, Mike Felger and the entire staff at 98.5 The Sports Hub. Boston sports fans are fanatical about their teams, and being a part of 98.5 The Sports Hub is quickly becoming a bastion for like minded Boston sports fans.”

Mike Thomas, 98.5 The Sports Hub Program Director, stated, “Having somebody with Dan’s knowledge of Boston sports join 98.5 The Sports Hub is a huge victory for us and for our listeners. We are very excited to have him in our lineup.”

And here’s the release from ESPN:

ESPNBoston.com To Launch September 14

Daily Sports News and Info Hub for New England Fans

ESPN announced today that Boston will be the next city to be featured in its expansion of local sports sites, joining Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and New York.  ESPNBoston.com, slated to launch September 14, will be ESPN’s home for New England sports news and information, online video, and original and customized content integrated from ESPN’s multiple platforms.  A stable of authentic Boston voices familiar to local fans will be at the core of the site, including newly hired Mike Reiss, formerly the Boston Globe NFL writer, who will cover the New England Patriots. The site will also feature dedicated reporter/blogger coverage of the Boston Red Sox, Celtics, Bruins, New England Revolution and major collegiate sports programs in the area.  The site will also grow to provide small college and regional high school coverage.

“Adding Boston to ESPN’s local sites network is a natural fit for our goal of serving sports fans,” said Jim Pastor, senior vice president, ESPN Business Divisions.  “It is one of the nation’s premier sports towns and home to one of the strongest and most passionate fan bases in the world.  We’re looking forward to launching ESPNBoston.com as a leading source of New England sports news and information.”

ESPN Boston.com will also feature contributions from ESPN writers and analysts with ties to Boston, including Peter Gammons and Michael Smith.  Gammons, the Hall of Fame honored ESPN Baseball analyst, is a Boston-area native (raised in Groton, Mass.) and spent nearly 15 years at the Globe. Smith, a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com and correspondent for E:60, spent three years covering the Patriots as they won two of their three recent Super Bowls.

Select columns and podcasts from ESPN.com columnist Bill Simmons (aka The Sports Guy) will appear on both ESPN.com and ESPNBoston.com. Simmons is a Boston native and devoted fan of the Red Sox, Celtics, Patriots and Bruins. Before joining ESPN, Simmons established himself by writing highly popular columns on his own Web site, BostonSportsGuy.com (part of AOL’s Digital City Boston).

Veteran ESPN.com editor Peter Lawrence-Riddell has been named the managing editor of ESPNBoston.com, supervising the day-to-day editorial operations. Like other local ESPN.com sites, ESPN.com executive editor Kevin Jackson will provide editorial oversight and coordination.

The announcement follows the recent news that ESPN will launch sites in Dallas, Los Angeles and New York in the next 10 months. ESPN’s first local site, ESPNChicago.com (which launched in April), has already established itself as the top sports site for Chicago fans and among the most popular news and information destinations for Chicago residents.  In July, ESPNChicago.com logged almost 1.7 million minutes of time spent on the site from over 700,000 unique visitors, up 19% in both metrics compared to June, and up 153 percent in total minutes and 87 percent in unique visitors since May. The site also struck a content syndication agreement with The Huffington Post Chicago in which ESPNChicago.com sports news and content complements HuffPost Chicago’s unique blend of news, opinion, politics, local news, food and style.  In exchange, The Huffington Post Chicago supplements ESPNChicago.com’s local content which includes ESPN Radio 1000, and Chicago news, traffic and weather from ABC-owned TV station WLS.

Like other local ESPN sites, ESPNBoston.com will have its own originally produced SportsCenter Boston, hosted by SC anchors and providing a 3-6 minute roundup of the city and region’s sports news, teams, figures and stories each day.  Additionally, ESPNBoston.com will feature:

• Online video, including highlights, news, analysis and original content from ESPN programs including Baseball Tonight, NFL Live, College Football Live and more;
• Coverage of the Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics, Bruins, New England Revolution, Boston College, Boston University, Northeastern University, Harvard University and more;
• Small college and regional high school coverage;
• Real-time scores, GameCasts and video highlights;
• Original reporting, blogs and commentary from a stable of local voices;
• Breaking sports news and information;
• Clubhouse pages from professional and college leagues;
• Community tools such as Fan Profiles, SportsNation chats and polls, ESPN Conversations pages and ESPN Travel Passport, ESPN.com’s digital fan scrapbook;
• ESPNBoston.com Mobile site and podcasts;
• The same innovative local and national advertising opportunities that ESPN.com offers.

The launch of ESPNBoston.com coincides with ESPN’s Monday Night Football season opening doubleheader, featuring the Buffalo Bills vs. New England Patriots (7 p.m. ET). The MNF doubleheader will be part of the NFL’s celebration of the 50th anniversary season of the American Football League (AFL), of which the Patriots were an original member.  The game also marks Tom Brady’s anticipated return to the field following a season-ending knee injury in the opening game last year.

No, the Red Sox season wasn’t cut short - just your chance to hear them on WGAM. Entercom Communications, who owns the rights to the Red Sox, has blocked Absolute Broadcasting from broadcasting games. It looks like this embargo may last the rest of the season.

So to answer the e-mailers to The Telegraph and its own station, Absolute Broadcasting e-mailed over the following statement:

Statement of Absolute Broadcasting regarding Red Sox Broadcasts
Nashua, NH – Following is a statement released today by Absolute Broadcasting, which owns New Hampshire Sports Radio WGAM “The Game,” AM-1250 in Manchester and AM-900 in Nashua.

“WGAM ‘The Game,’ AM-1250 in Manchester and AM-900 in Nashua is extremely disappointed that Entercom Communications has once again blocked our stations from airing Red Sox baseball.   In doing so, Entercom is denying thousands of listeners across southern New Hampshire the enjoyment of listening to Red Sox baseball during this critical drive to the playoffs.”  

Following are the facts of the situation:
1. Without notification, Entercom blocked WGAM’s access to broadcast Red Sox games Monday August 24th, Tuesday August 25th and Wednesday August 26.
2. Absolute Broadcasting proactively approached Entercom in early August and requested to renegotiate certain terms of our contract.  Specifically, we requested a few extra weeks to submit payments for the broadcasting rights.
3. Absolute requested a brief extension from Entercom because we found it necessary to grant similar extensions to some of our advertisers.   The down economy has affected everyone, and Absolute has worked collaboratively with our sponsors to create flexible agreements.
4. Absolute has been a loyal partner to Entercom and the Red Sox, having broadcast games for five years in Nashua and three years in Manchester.
5. Absolute pays Entercom the highest broadcast rights fees of any Red Sox affiliate station.
6. Absolute offered to pay Entercom on a date certain, and has secured a loan to do so.  Entercom has taken an extremely hard line and refused to negotiate.   Rather than wait a few weeks for payment-in-full, Entercom has apparently decided to sever our relationship by blocking our access to the broadcasts.

“Absolute remains hopeful that an agreement can be reached with Entercom and our partnership can be saved. We take very seriously our responsibility to listeners, and advertisers, who are counting on AM 900 and AM 1250 to broadcast Boston Red Sox baseball.”

I’m pretty sure WEEI 850-AM is. That’s the only logical reason Entercom has decided to shift what was the majority of Red Sox baseball broadcasts from WRKO 680-AM to WEEI. No, not just the majority, they are shifting every game for the rest of this season to WEEI.

Why? Well according to a press release sent out Tuesday, it’s simply to consolidate anything sports related to one station.

Entercom New England’s vice president of AM Programming Jason Wolfe put it this way:

“This move will add consistency to our lineup, whereby all of our sports assets will be consolidated in the same place. There’s no better compliment to the Boston Celtics, Patriots Monday and Patriots Friday, Sunday Night and Monday Night NFL football, the Super Bowl and NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, than adding Red Sox baseball back to nation’s biggest sports radio station.“ 

The timing is just all too funny. Let’s just say WEEI is hearing the footsteps. They slacked off on getting their signal to an FM station in Boston - likely thinking nobody else would do it - and now they see some buzz created by another sports talk station.

With the Sports Hub 98.5-FM going all out as the Flagship Station of the New England Patriots, WEEI had no other choice than to pull out its credentials as the Flagship Station of Boston Red Sox baseball.

From 1995-2006, the Red Sox were exclusively on WEEI. With competition in town, the station had to regain that claim - and fast.

Julie Kahn, Entercom New England Market Manager/VP drove that point home in the release:

“We’re delighted to bring the Red Sox back to their original home on WEEI.  The Red Sox and WEEI have a long history together and it’s a partnership that’s a win for all – WEEI, the Sox and the Boston sports fans.”

It’s definitely a smart move for the station. Unfortunately it comes at a time when the Red Sox seem to be trying their hardest to give away even the wild card spot. What would be a saving grace for the Red Sox and WEEI would be if the team switched a number of games to the drive-time slot, thus covering up all that noise normally heard on the air at that point.

Hey, a guy can dream can’t he?

(AP Photo) Fran Tarkenton, shown sitting on the sidelines as time wound down on his Vikings in Super Bowl XI (Oakland Raiders 32, Minnesota Vikings 14), is no fan of Brett Favre.

The former Minnesota Vikings quarterback has been very outspoken on Brett Favre since his first retirement fiasco. Not only did the Hall of Fame quarterback roast Favre for how he treated the Green Bay Packers after the loyalty they showed the Gulfport, Miss. native for 15 years of his NFL career, but he was ripping him for dragging out this summer’s negotiations with the Vikings.

Tarkenton hated Favre’s self-made soap opera - despite the high rating it seemed to receive on ESPN when he left Green Bay then ended up as a New York Jet last season.

Jump to this off-season, and Tarkenton was opening fire on Favre again. Who can blame the Vikings legend. After all, the newest QB in Minnesota was playing coy all summer. In the end, with camp closing up, Favre decided what the heck.

Tarkenton wants none of it, he wants none of Favre. At least that’s what he told 790 The Zone in Atlanta on Tuesday. Rick Alonzo of the St. Paul Pioneer Press offered up his take of the radio interview.

The main point Tarkenton wanted to get across:

“It just wasn’t about Brett Favre. In this day and time, we have glorified the Brett Favres of the world so much, they think it’s about them. He goes to New York and bombs. He’s 39 years old. How would you like Ray Nitschke in his last year (playing for) the Vikings, or I retire and go play for the Packers? I kind of hope it happens, so he can fail.”

(AP Photo) New Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre throws a pass during Tuesday's practice in Eden Prairie, Minn.

Well Tarkenton got his wish and now we can all wait and see if he hurts the Vikings - a team with the league’s best running back and a top-notch defense already in place - just like he did last year with the Jets. Maybe history can repeat itself. Tarkenton hopes so.

I find myself on Tarkenton’s side for this battle. As somebody who always enjoyed watching Favre’s wild play, I’m also sick of the storyline and the main character.

Maybe the Vikings coaches will have the guts to bench Favre down the stretch if needed unlike Eric Mangini and Co. in New York, who just didn’t have the nerve to do it when a playoff spot was on the line.

The 59-year-old golfer did more in one day to make me pay attention to professional golf than that young whippersnapper Tiger Woods has done in his entire career.

(AP PHOTO) Tom Watson, right, looks on as Stewart Cink receives the winners trophy at the British Open at the Turnberry golf course in Scotland.

Yes, I am calling Tiger Woods diminutive and insignificant. The hype surrounding him has reached levels equal to Terrell Owens’ morning mirror talk. There is no doubt that Woods has owned the game of golf in recent years, but from where I sit there has never been a need to go out of my way to watch him or any other golfer play in a tournament on TV - all majors included.

Watson’s historic run was something magical. It was Roy Hobbs hitting a home run to win it all for the New York Knights in “The Natural” - the movie version that is. True, Sunday’s final round and four-hole playoff ended more like the Bernard Malamud novel. Simply put Watson struck out to end the game. Still, I couldn’t stay away from the TV, radio or internet to find out what was going on as the day progressed.

Never has Tiger Woods pulled me into the world of woods, irons, drivers and those unforgiving putters. Watson knows what I mean.

I admit it. I was happy the day Woods missed the cut.

I was even happier to spend a good portion of my Sunday watching golf on TV in hopes that an American not with the name Tiger Woods would make history.

Guess it wasn’t meant to be. Now I’ll just go back to my normal Sunday rituals - playing golf or avoiding it all together.

Somehow the curse-laden, over-the-top celebration of former WWE performer and now UFC fighter Brock Lesnar is just too much for their highbrowed community to handle. Boo hoo.

Last time I checked, the so-called sport of Mixed Martial Arts was nothing more than a legalized beat-the-ever-living-snot out of your opponent in any way shape or form until they submit or a referee calls the fight.

OK, so the fighters can’t bite or cheap shot opponents in the groin.

Yeah, I can see how this crowd - a group of people who thirst for blood to spill all over the ring - can find swearing and thrusting the middle finger in the air offensive. Are these people, both fans and UFC personnel for real? Yes, they actually are.

Sure, there is something that can be said for good sportsmanship in any athletic endeavor.

Taunting his opponent after beating him into a pool of blood probably isn’t the nicest thing to do, just as badmouthing one of the company’s biggest sponsors may have been very foolish.

But giving the double bird to fans in the audience who were booing the decision, in my mind that’s just priceless.

In Lesnar’s apology, he admitted that maybe emotions got the best of him, and his former WWE post-fight antics probably kicked in.

Still I just can’t understand what the uproar is about. We’re talking about a group of blood-thirsty morons that find no problem dishing out hundreds of dollars for pay-per view viewing parties or tickets to a live fight card.

Well, I see no problem with what Lesnar did. And I see no need for an apology. Too bad he caved in to UFC management, likely to make sure he’s still on cards to fight.

You know, to be allowed back in the cage to beat another guy into a pulp for the pure enjoyment of “sport.”

I’m trying to wrap my head around this idea, and just can’t. Would it be nice to have another Boston-based sports-radio option? Hell yeah. Well, that is if it doesn’t turn into a WEEI clone with one host screaming over another to prove their point. Fellas, screaming louder doesn’t mean you’re right - it just means you’re a jackass giving all of us a headache.

I understand the WEEI concept - it’s supposed to be buddies hanging out at a bar talking over the days biggest sports topics. I like that idea. I just don’t like the delivery on every show.

What 98.5 The Sports Hub will do - at least in the first few weeks - is draw in former listeners of 850-AM, as well as those wanting to hear something other than loud obnoxious hosts. Then it’s a matter of holding on to them. That’s where the trouble is. ESPN lost people with the simple fact you couldn’t hear the damn station outside of Boston. That is one of three things CBS has going for it. Unfortunately for this new station - as much as people complain about WEEI for the reason listed above, they are always sucked back in.

The other two holdings that can help this station when it launches on Thursday, Aug. 13, is it will serve as the home of the New England Patriots and Boston Bruins.

In a press release sent out on Tuesday, Mark Hannon, senior vice president and market manager of CBS Radio Boston said, “Boston fans eat, sleep and breathe sports, and are some of the most diehard followers in the country, so it makes sense for us to bring the city’s favorite pastime to an easily accessible platform where listeners - for the first time in Boston - will be able to take advantage of sports programming through the crisp and clear reception offered on the FM dial. CBS Radio has a rich and influential background in sports radio and we are excited to join such illustrious company.”

We’ll see how excited they are when the ratings war really kicks into high gear.

Oh wait, there’s nothing Belichick can do about it anymore.

(AP PHOTO) Rodney Harrison shows off his Super Bowl XXXIX championship ring.

Harrison, known for laying the smack down both on and off the field prior to his stint as a Patriots safety, wasn’t pulling any punches in his first day of retirement from the field.

The 36-year-old Harrison, who announced his retirement from the NFL after 15 years with the Patriots and San Diego Chargers on Wednesday, has joined NBC for its Sunday night “Football Night in America” broadcasts.

Harrison and former Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy, who both appeared on NBC’s Super Bowl pregame coverage earlier this year, were introduced Wednesday night as studio anaylists for the upcoming season.

While Dungy, known throughout the league as a classy guy, may shy away from calling out players and coaches, Harrison made it clear he will talk on air like he played on field.

“Just like I played the game,” Harrison said, “I’m going to be honest and I’m going to be forthright and I’m going to do it with passion. It’s the only way I know and I know Tony feels the same. We are going to be honest, but we are going to be fair.

“Certain guys you definitely respect their opinions but other guys I felt like they were afraid to come out and really tell the hard truth, and as an analyst, it is your job be fair but honest. And sometimes you have to be brutally honest with guys who you have played with, guys that are your friends.”

Now if guys he played with better be ready for his sharp tongue, his former opponents are sure to feel the wrath. Just ask Peyton Manning, who recently talked about his disappointment with the Colts’ coaching situation. More importantly, with the lack of communication of what will happen on the offensive side of the ball this fall.

“That really gives Tom Brady the edge over Peyton Manning in terms of leadership because he’s a guy that if this went on in New England he wouldn’t come out publicly and he wouldn’t make a big fuss about it,” Harrison said. “I think as a leader on a team, you being Peyton Manning, a Hall of Famer, you need to keep it in house. You have so many guys looking up to you and once they see the panic on your part, then all of a sudden they start getting nervous. I have a lot of respect for Peyton Manning but this is a guy at times that needs to control his emotions and not allow these things that should stay in house, get outside of those walls.”

There’s no doubt NBC sports chief Dick Ebersol had a big smile on his face with that response.

Harrison is a breath of fresh air in the analyst business. Too many times former coaches or players are afraid to ruffle feathers. Especially of their peers. Harrison isn’t one of those lightweights. If he has something to say, he’ll say it. Just his addition makes “Football Night in America” worth watching. Well, at least until the game starts. Then you have to put up with Cris Collinsworth. Then again, it wouldn’t be worth watching if John Madden was still in the booth.

One other change for the NBC broadcast will be Tiki Barber serving as an onsite reporter at games. No, that won’t even help overcome Collinsworth in the booth.