Its hard to be an MSU fan on the west coast. Just getting to see the games is a struggle.

After watching UNC blow them out on ESPN, I was so excited to hear that the next game would be against Texas and it would be on CBS. We dont have cable TV so a game on CBS means I can watch it in HD in the comfort of my own living room.

Saturday arrives and the TV shows me that CBS is actually going to show the Duke game instead. Crap. Having to watch an 11am game in a bar is an inconvenience but doing so when Seattle is locked down in snowy wonderland is a test.

Just before game time, I get a present! CBS College Sports All-Access is showing the game. I had heard that CBS was switching to Silverlight so I could watch the games on my Mac. Could this be the first time I can actually watch a game on the Internet?

I try to get the game loaded. First it makes me download and install Silverlight. Then I have to create an account. Then I have to PAY $10 to see the game. Then I find out they arent actually showing the game - I just paid to hear it on Internet radio. WTF. Even worse, the Gametracker is completely non-functional - it loads but wont update. Gotta love the quality of Internet apps.

So I put on my fuzzy hat and head out into the ice fields. My car wont start. The battery is dead. No juice at all. Ugh.

Plan C, or is it D?, I get in my wife's car and drive to downtown Kirkland. There are several bars there including a "sports bar". Its freaking cold. The bartender at the sports bar is exactly who you expect to see drinking for breakfast. They have DirectTV but no CBS games. Next comes a frigid walk around town. CBS locally, sure. CBS somewhere else? Duh, what do you mean?...

So I drive my frozen butt back home and sit down to suffer through the Duke game... That's when I get my first glimmer of good hope. The Duke Xavier game is a blowout and CBS switches to MSU!!!

Glory glory hallelujah! 10 minutes left in the game, HD and its a 2pt battle. Even better, Dicky V is not announcing. Christmas come early!

2 minutes left.
Its a 1 point game...
and they switch it back to local CBS to hear people talk about the NEXT game, Gonzaga and UCONN. TWO MINUTES LEFT!!! 1 POINT GAME!!! ARE YOU INSANE!!!

Now I am back at the PC with the broken game tracker and the crumby internet radio...

Amazing finish and MSU wins it in a last second nail-biter.

So I got my Xmas present. State wins a close game against a top team. I got to watch part of it.

But sheesh, does it have to be so hard to watch a game? Year after year I stand in amazement that there is no provider of streaming college sports games on the Internet. I would gladly pay for something that worked but year after year, nothing does. CBS? Amazon?? Netflix? Come on, can't someone make this happen?