and they own 60% of the station, but in the end it could be problematic.  I think the only thing that might happen is FSN still wont air all the A's games and there might be more A's games on FSN plus this year.

What's really sickening is the Giants are now making money off of A's broadcasts.  That means WE are paying for Rowand's rediculus contract.  Ugg!

and create our OWN station already? Hey! Maybe we can try to pulla  Braves or Cubs, and get a National Cable TV channel =]

is the vertical integration that Comcast has achieved as both the controller of programming content and the dominant service provider.

Ask the folks up in Portland...if they have service from another cable company or satellite TV, they aren't able to watch the Blazers:

More than a month into the NBA season, tens of thousands of Portland Trail Blazers fans in Oregon and southwest Washington can't see most of their team's games on television.

Only Comcast Corp. cable subscribers can watch all games, carried on Comcast's new regional sports network. Even subscribers of Charter Communications Inc., a cable company owned by Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen, are shut out.

The reason: Comcast, which owns rights to game coverage and operates a dominant cable system, has not come to terms with satellite or other cable TV providers to transmit the games. As a result, nearly all residents who subscribe to satellite or live outside the Willamette Valley can't watch at home.

Industry observers say it's no coincidence that such a fracture would affect sports fans. Cable operators covet regional sports coverage because its power to draw an audience can boost their market shares -- and trim those of operators without it. But, observers say, it also illustrates a reality for everyone: Bare-knuckle competitive tactics can limit choices for viewers and potentially boost prices.

Full story in today's Oregonian

Oh sure, they'll be able to see those games eventually...as soon as their service providers bring enough gold to the corporate offices of Comcast.  The cost of said gold will eventually filter down into the subscribers' service bills.