Because this is how the great minds work over in the Grading The Week offices, the scrum between Kroenke Sports & Entertainment and Comcast always reminded us a little of this old Bugs Bunny routine.
In this particular gag, our man Bugs is getting Yosemite Sam all worked up again. The long-eared galoot draws a line in the sand and dares Sam to cross it. Sam does. He does it again. Sam crosses it again. Bugs keeps drawing lines and backpedaling out of town, through the desert southwest, and eventually up a slope. Eventually, Bugs draws a line that will clearly leave Sam’s right foot dangling over a cliff and send him careening from great cartoon heights into a deep gorge below. Sam crosses the line anyway and, sure enough, falls.
Six years ago, KSE said that it was balking at Comcast’s attempts to move it to a separate, premium sports-related tier and away from the basic cable package to which it had so long been stationed.
Five years ago, same line. Same complaint. Four years ago, same line. Same complaint.
Then three years. Then two.
This past Tuesday, Altitude held a news conference to triumphantly announce its return to Xfinity customers — on a separate, premium, sports-related tier. Sam crossed that line after all.
KSE-Comcast dispute finally ending — A-minus
Now it’s not a letter-perfect comparison, and any deal that makes the best two teams in town — the Nuggets and Avalanche — available to a majority of Front Range television homes is better than no deal.
Although, did we mention that all sides also announced, as part of the agreement, that the said separate, premium sports-related tier, was increasing in price in April from $9.99 per month to $15.95? Just in time for the playoffs.
The RSN model is fading, yet the over-the-air ratings for the Nuggets and Avs were reportedly solid enough to keep Comcast at the bargaining table. These are good things. But to the scorekeepers in the GTW crew, there was only one winner in the Altitude-vs-Comcast standoff, ultimately — and it was the latter. By a nose.
Sadly, the victory was largely symbolic. Because there was a heck of a lot of losers. Denver fans, some of whom missed one of the greatest seasons in Nuggets history (’22-23) and the Avs’ first title-winning team (’21-22) in roughly two decades, were chief among them.
Necas vs. Mikko — B
Meanwhile, when it comes to the biggest trade of the winter, the deal that sent Avalanche star Mikko Rantanen to Carolina, the only fair judgment will come after the Stanley Cup Playoffs for both Colorado and the Hurricanes. That said, Team GTW can’t deny that the cat-quick, 26-year-old Necas has come out of the gate faster than the Moose in his new digs. From Jan. 31-Feb. 7, the new Avs forward piled up four goals and an assist in five games — and the burgundy and blue won four of those five heading into the 4 Nations break. Rantanen, meanwhile, put up a goal and two points over his first six games since joining Carolina. And the ‘Canes, as of Saturday morning, were 2-4 since the trade. Time will tell, but maybe there’s something to this whole “Nathan MacKinnon Effect” after all.
Calvin Booth — D
The trade deadline came. The trade deadline went. Zeke Nnaji and Dario Saric are still here. The Nuggets general manager threw his bench under the bus. He threw their contracts under the bus. But how come he didn’t find room under said bus for the guy who gave out those deals to begin with? Booth caught lightning in a bottle in helping the Nuggets win their first NBA championship two years ago. Too bad he never found a cork.