Lions knocked off TV

And the first NFL blackout of the year goes to... the Motor City (and not Oakland for a change...)

The Detroit Lions game against the Washington Redskins won't be seen in the Detroit area on Sunday over WJBK-TV, the market's Fox affiliate (an O&O - or owned and operated.)

WJBK will air two reruns of Cops and a movie instead in the 1 p.m. time slot originally reserved for the game.

The blackout also has a domino effect - The CBS singleheader game, originally scheduled for 4 p.m. on CBS-owned WWJ-TV, has now moved to 1 p.m. (Jets-Chiefs.) Had the Lions game sold out, a CBS game would have aired at 4, to avoid competitng with a home game on TV.

The Lions are winless this year, and the team rcently fired its clown of a GM, the oft-maligned Matt Millen.

Usually, an organization or the TV station carrying the game would step up and purchase the remaining tickets to avoid the blackout. But that's not the case this time, given the current economic conditions.

The Lions had a streak of 51 straight sellouts.

And if you think you're going to drive out of town and see the game at a motel - think again. Since the blackout is in a 75-mile radius, the Lions game is also blacked out on Fox affiliates in Toledo (WUPW), Flint (WSMH), and Lansing (WSYM). Though given the way the Lions are playing, it's something fans wouldn't be itching to do anyway. They can stay at home and watch another NFL team (the Chiefs) screw up and not waste any gas.