The cable company draws the ire of subscribers after not showing the Red Sox-Yankees matchup.
By Mark LaFlamme
Staff Writer

In Norway, Bob Dixon was so upset he could barely speak. Over in South Paris, Ann Marie Crosby was so incensed, she wanted to rip her television cable right out of the wall.

The pair were among hundreds Wednesday night who were unable to watch the Boston Red Sox opening game against the New York Yankees.

The reason? Adelphia was unable to pick up a feed for the game in the Oxford area.

“How could they do this to us?” the 49-year-old Dixon wanted to know. “It’s driving me nuts. I’ve been waiting all year for this.”

Cable subscribers in towns like South Paris, Norway, Buckfield and Wilton could find baseball on both Fox and FX networks. Problem was, both channels were airing the National League Championship Series game between the Florida Marlins and Chicago Cubs.

Meanwhile, across the state, most cable viewers were happily watching the Sox and Yanks battle through game one in their legendary rivalry.

“This is huge. It’s a huge game,” said Crosby, 42. “I’ve been waiting all day for this. We were all ready for it.”

Dixon is a Yankees fan. Crosby and her family are behind the Red Sox fans all the way. Although rivals in the spirit of baseball, both shared a common loathing for their cable company Wednesday night.

“I’d like to see the headline: Adelphia cannot deliver,” Crosby said. “They need to be held accountable.”

A switchboard operator at the cable company said she had received numerous calls from angry baseball fans. The only thing that was known Wednesday night was that Adelphia was unable to pick up a feed for the Sox game out of Portland.

“I had my whole day planned around this game,” Dixon said, right around the time David Ortiz hit a two-run homer to put the Red Sox up in the fourth inning. “I have no idea what’s going on.”

Crosby and her family were listening to the game on the radio. Still, she considered her night ruined after anticipating it all day.

“We got the snacks, we got the wine and we got the soda,” Crosby said. “We were all ready to go. We’re listening to it but it’s definitely not the same.”

Crosby said she was told Adelphia technicians were working on the problem, but that there was no way the Sox game would be airing in that area Wednesday night.

A call to an Adelphia spokesperson was not immediately returned.

“This is horrible,” Dixon said. “It’s heartbreaking.”