The Comcast Xfinity Mega-FAIL

So there I was late on Sunday afternoon, in front of my computer, which is in my basement. I think I've mentioned that before, but in case you weren't aware, keep this in mind as you continue to read. I was scrolling through my Twitter feed when I noticed that none of the pictures people were posting, via Twitpic, Instagram, etc., were opening when I clicked on them. I looked at the cable modem and the little light on the side that indicates a signal is available, was out. I had no Internet service.

I tried cutting the power to my modem and rebooting, but it didn't help. I figured Comcast, or Xfinity, or whatever they're calling themselves this week, was having a temporary glitch. (I'll just use Comcast the rest of the way, because Xfinity is a monumentally stupid name.) So I went up to my living room to watch the rest of the NFC playoff game (by the way, as well as the New York Giants played, the Green Bay Packers really, really gave the game away with flat-out awful play). When it ended I watched "The Simpsons," and then went back downstairs to try the computer again.

No luck. No Internet connection. Which means, because my phone service is VoIP, I had to rely on my cell phone as I called Comcast. I was on the phone for an hour as their representative tried various things or had me try various things. Because my cell phone gets no signal in the basement, I kept having to run up and down the stairs each time the guy did something. First he sent a signal to refresh my cable modem, then tried something else, then asked me to push the reset button, then asked if I had a wireless connection of some kind. Then he asked if my modem was connected to a splitter or if it was connected directly to the main wire. Since I have an extra TV outlet in the basement, there is a splitter. One line then goes to the TV, the other to the modem. So I suggested I try switching out the cable going from the splitter to the modem, because my TV service was fine; I thought that stretch of wire might be causing the problem. I took off the old cable, put on the new cable, and...still no luck.

The rep finally said he'd have to send a technician out, but because of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday the earliest someone could come out was Tuesday. I told him I didn't want to go two days without service. He said that they have some people to work emergencies, but that in my area of the city they didn't have anyone to cover it (really!). He said he could set up a service appointment for 5 pm-7 pm Tuesday. I explained that I could not miss work and, because of my lengthy commute, wouldn't get home until 6 pm at the earliest. He said that the best he could do was put a note on the schedule to make my stop the very last stop of the day. So I told him to do that, but if everything didn't go perfectly that I'd cancel my entire Comcast service, noting that I've been a customer for over 20 years.

My Super Bowl XLV Prediction

I've really been going back and forth about which team I think will win the Super Bowl. Cases can be made for both the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers. And considering that I was 2-6 in the playoffs before somehow correctly calling both conference final results, it's not like I'm confident whichever way I go. I don't even have much of a rooting interest one way or the other. I sort of lean towards wanting Green Bay to win because the Steelers have won it all more recently and because of Ben Roethlisberger's douchebag behavior towards women that got him suspended for the beginning of the season. But it's not like I have any real hate for Pittsburgh. They're not the Dallas Cowboys or anything.

Speaking of the team from Texas that sucks, it is sooooooooooo freakin' great that SB45 is being played at that monstrosity of a stadium in Arlington where the Cowboys now call home, and they didn't even sniff the playoffs this year. Put a stroke on the tally sheet under the "Yes, there is a God" column.

Anyway, who to pick? The Steelers can run the ball, the Packers can air it out (and Aaron Rodgers is on something of a roll), both teams are strong defensively, injuries have taken more of a toll on the Steelers...but the one thing that seems to stand out in my mind is that the Steelers have a lot more playoff and Super Bowl experience than the Packers. So...Steelers 23, Packers 21.

My NFL Picks, For What They're Worth

Since I've been wrong 75 percent of the time in the playoffs I'm not sure the following predictions are worth anything. I got only 2 out of 8 correct, although I got to wondering today how I did against the point spread. If anyone wants to do the research, I will reward you, but not in any valuable manner. But they'll at least give us a chuckle as we wait for the Eagles to finish scraping the bottom of the barrel for a new defensive coordinator. And I got some help in writing this from a couple of fairies, so...

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

(6) Green Bay Packers at (2) Chicago Bears: The Cliche Fairy tells us that "to be the best, you've got to beat the best." The Packers beat the best, at least in the NFC, when they buried top-seeded Atlanta last week. (They also beat the Eagles. The Disclaimer Fairy would like to announce that this in no way is to imply that the Eagles were among, or even close to, the "best.") They each won a game against the other and have strong defenses, so I'll go with the better -- and, by most accounts, the better-looking -- quarterback, Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers. (Although the hairstyle in this picture is not good at all.). I still don't believe in Jay Cutler, and if he and the Bears do get to the Super Bowl it'll be more because of the Bears defense than anything Cutler does. Packers 20, Bears 16.

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

(6) New York Jets at (2) Pittsburgh Steelers: The Cliche Fairy wishes to reiterate the previous statement regarding being/beating the best. The Jets stunned New England last week, the same New England team that dropped a 45-3 bomb on the Jets a little more than a month earlier. (The Disclaimer Fairy is glad to have a break, as neither of these teams played the Eagles in 2010.) The Jets beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh in December, two weeks after that 45-3 mess and one week after a pitiful 10-6 loss to Miami at home. Once again, I'm going with the better quarterback: the Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger over the Jets' Mark Sanchez -- although considering Big Ben's douchebag behavior towards women, I wouldn't mind seeing him lose. Then again, the Jets are a New York team. Sure, they're the other New York team, but they're still a New York team. Can I root for a tie? Steelers 17, Jets 16.

NFL: No More Eagles, Divisional Picks

Well, it was interesting in its way, yet it's also like a broken record. An Eagles team raises expectations and then drops out of the playoffs. At least this time, there's no Donovan McNabb for people to blame. But the loss to Green Bay didn't expose anything that wasn't already exposed. They have a defense that wasn't all that good during the 10-4 start and didn't get any better during the last two meaningful games (the season-ender against Dallas was just a glorified exhibition), both of which they lost. The offensive line, particularly on the right side, is a mess. Michael Vick, while showing a lot of improvement, still needs work. Of course, the Eagles have to sign him first. He's now a free agent.

Assuming they're still Vick fans, the Eagles have to decide what to do with Kevin Kolb, who still wants to start and has just one year left on his contract. Keep him as a backup again? He won't be happy with that. If they trade him, they need a backup for Vick or they're really in trouble. We saw Vick get hurt and miss some time this year. Imagine if that happens again and Kolb is gone.

Right now the Eagles' biggest problem is a two-pronged issue. They need a lot of upgrades to truly contend for the Super Bowl, but they won't be able to do anything until the NFL and its players' union have a new contract.

NFL Playoffs: Mediocrity, OT, Wild Picks

This weekend features the first round of the NFL postseason. There are a couple of perceived injustices, and I'm probably in the minority regarding both.

Let's start with the presence of 7-9 Seattle in the playoffs (because they won their division) instead of 10-6 teams Tampa Bay and the Giants (because both finished in second), and to make things worse, the Seahawks are at home against 11-5 New Orleans. Many people think that the Seahawks shouldn't be in it at all, let alone have a home game. They propose changes to allow a team with a better record to take the place of a losing team in the future. In theory this works. In reality, if you can win a division (even a pathetic one like the NFC West) and not be in the playoffs, if there's no reward for finishing first, why have divisions to begin with? For that matter, why have conferences? Just have all the teams listed 1-32 and have the top 12 in the playoffs.

Of course, you'd have to figure out a way to come up with a fair schedule (fair in strength-of-schedule as well as things like travel) without divisions, and somehow not destroy many (if not all) of the division and conference rivalries. Imagine the Eagles and Cowboys not playing a game in a season. Or the Steelers and Ravens. Or whatever. So forget that idea.

However, I do think the Seahawks should be on the road.