MLB Nascar Media Watch

NASCAR fans across the country were treated to a pre-race show that consisted of nothing but balls and strikes after Fox Sports decided to keep a game between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox on the air deep into the NASCAR timeslot.

Fans who had tuned in for the NASCAR event in Phoenix, Ariz. were abruptly switched to racing as the field entered turn three during the first lap of Saturday night's Subway Fresh Fit 500, while viewers hoping to catch the end of the baseball game were told nearly a minute later that they could continue watching on FX.

All in all, the situation simply wasn't handled well.

Me? I was hoping to see the NASCAR action. But neither here (Fox) nor there (FX) could I see any of the pre-race show, much less "Gentleman, Start Your Engines".

I understand that there are obligations Fox Sports has to carry while covering these two events, but it seems pretty clear to me that Fox Sports should have just been proactive enough to at least start the NASCAR coverage over on FX.

The Red Sox/Yankees tiff was a close one and I understand that millions of people were wanting to see the end of that one. Was it right for those fans to have to quickly switch over to FX to catch the last few pitches of a one-run game?

I don't think so.

The solution to put one or the other on FX long before the green flag of the Sprint Cup Series race makes a lot of sense to me. What say you?

Some good news for sports fans who have had to choose between Sirius or XM satellite radio service to get some live sports coverage. The US Justice Department has given its blessing to Sirius' proposed buyout of XM.

The Justice Department, in a statement explaining its decision, said the combination of the companies won't hurt competition because the companies are not competing today. Customers must buy equipment that is exclusive to either XM or Sirius, and subscribers rarely switch providers.

"People just don't do that," said Assistant Attorney General Thomas Barnett, in a conference call with reporters.

The most intense lobbying effort to block the sale was from land-based radio powers. The Justice Department, though, recognized that the competition by satellite radio wasn't against each other. The competition is with regular radio, the emerging HD Radio and internet/streaming radio.

This doesn't end potential government disruption. The Federal Communications Commission still has to grant approval. It does, however, clear a major hurdle and makes it more likely that the two will be merged.

This will be a boon for those who have been torn about which satellite service with which to sign. XM holds the rights to the PGA, MLB, NHL along with deals with the six BCS conferences. Sirius, however, has the NFL, NBA, NASCAR, the NCAA (including the NCAA Basketball Tournament) along with the rights to individual college sports teams like Ohio State, Alabama, UCLA, Pitt and Notre Dame.