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Tuesday, July 13, 2010

MLB.com

Recently, after deciding I was much more productive before my overpriced cable TV, I made the decision to cancel. In truth, there was more to the story: the DVR I was also paying for failed twice and that was enough to irritate me to the point of canceling. I had intended to purchase an MLB.com subscription so that I could still watch the Red Sox, the only thing I really had the TV for. I was just reviewing the subscription plan, only to discover that ALL local games are blacked out for live broadcasts. This is asinine to the Nth degree. I could understand it if they were broadcasting for free, but if you're going to charge for the service, how, in good conscience, can they black out the broadcast? Of all the low-brow, back-handed broadcasting maneuvers, this might be the lowest. Here's an idea: NESN.com, just charge me to watch online -- I don't want a fucking TV! Instead, I'm relegated to the WEEI broadcasts. That wouldn't be so bad if the signal were a bit stronger at my house. Not that MLB actually gives a shit about its fans, but this is something they should seriously consider fixing. Hell, charge three times what your charging, but let me see my team.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Dunkin' Donuts (Yankee Curmudgeonism)

Okay, flat out -- I do not like Dunkin' Donuts. Somehow this has become a mortal sin for people from New England, but really, they suck. Their coffee sucks, their donuts suck, and their alleged "consistency" is highly overrated. If you really believe their donuts are the same ones that we grew up with, you're either nuts or brainwashed. Their current product has as much to do with the product we grew up with as Coca-Cola Classic has to do with what we drank in grade school -- legitimately nothing.

On our way out last night, I decided to grab a coffee, figuring it was bound to be a late night. I pulled into the drive thru [sic] and ordered a Dark Roast, one cream, one sugar. I can drink their dark roast because it's not quite the flavorless swill they typically pass off as a cup o' joe. When I got to the window, I was served an ice coffee. Given the evident combined IQ of the drones at the window was somewhere in the vicinity of 41, I opted not to complain, but was still annoyed. No matter, I choked it down and plotted my blogger's revenge.

This morning, leaving the hotel we stayed at, we hit the Dunkin' Donuts across the street before trying for brunch at Pepperland. I tried for another dark roast, this time specifying hot. To my horror, I was informed that it was only available as an iced coffee. This is particularly asinine. I'm no Starbucks fan, but I'll be much quicker on the draw to go there for my emergency fix in the future. I ordered a regular coffee and a muffin. The muffin was biscuit-dry and the coffee, while molten hot, was predictably flavorless. Dunky's, you've got a captivated market; why do you insist on producing a sub-par product and hiding behind the excuse of "predictable consistency"? McDonald's is predictable, too -- that's why I don't eat there. Puh-lease! Somebody step up and displace these shitbags and their horrid, sub-par products. The market is ready to be taken, but somebody needs to take a little pride in their product to pull it off. I will not hold my breath.

It's more likely that a developing nation will capture this market -- that's about par for the course. Indonesia, what do you say?