This is not intended to step on the toes of my colleague, the enthusiastic Mr. Schott, but having a cable show about area hockey teams and not including the River Rats makes no sense.

I applaud Time Warner for finally embracing the fact that basketball is not the only winter sport played around here. What mystifies me is their decision to settle on college hockey, and ignore the only pro team in the area (sorry Patroons and af2, you don't count).

I'm sure there are some economics at work here, but why couldn't the show be called Capital Region Hockey Report and incorporate all three teams? It seems absurd that the Rats, who have already had three players called up to the NHL this season, wouldn't be included.

Not only would it broaden the potential advertsing base, but Time Warner's headquarters are in North Carolina, where the River Rats parent team plays. It appears to me to be a natural fit.

Please don't tell me it's because the Rats are off to a poor start. So is RPI, and as I recall, when Siena's mens basketball team went 0-40 or whatever it was a few years back, it didn't seem to affect the local media coverage, which remains way overdone.

It's nice to see hockey finally getting some respect; it's sad to see that the River Rats still don't.