Still better than listening to Jerry Remy and Don Orsillo

Well, this is depressing.  If you are a fan of the New England Sports Network, and a fan of gadgets that allow you to rub your finger constantly across a screen in order to bring up "information" or to post insightful comments like "this guy rox," here's the perfect combination for you and your sad, technology-addled little life.

Oh, and now you can group your friends in new and-- umm, "interesting" ways.  Check out the "Cool Kids" circle.  And the "my fave teams" circle.  I want to see the "just friends to keep my number up" circle and "never actually met but again, there's that numbers thing" circle.

And while you are scrolling and grouping and commenting, life is flashing by- only you don't see that happening, because you are too busy scrolling and grouping and commenting.  I imagine the people who own this gadget and subscribe to this service probably do take breaks to eat, sleep, and actually watch the sporting events they can't get enough "information" on from time to time, but I'm not absolutely sure- I was at a friend's house during a football game once, and every other person there spent three hours staring at their laptops, giving me (totally unsolicited) play-by-play updates on their fantasy teams.  I hope the noise of the game on the television didn't distract them too much.

Starting in late June, I'll be catching the Red Sox on NESN pretty much every day as they stumble to a likely third-place finish in the AL East, not even good enough to make the playoffs despite Bud Selig's latest tinkering with the sacred game for the purpose of assuring that every postseason includes both the Red Sox and the Yankees.  (Maybe Selig will wait until the last day of the season to announce that the rules have been changed- this year, all teams with the word "Sox" in their names which also play in 100-year old stadiums get to make the playoffs.  Hey, it wouldn't be any more blatant or manipulative than the end of "The Hunger Games.")  But even less than a likely poor season by my beloved Sox, I'm really not looking forward to NESN's nonstop barrage of stupid "check us out here, and here, and here" commercials.  Is it still ok if I just want to watch the game, then go do something else which doesn't require a flat, glowing screen?