RALPH AND RAZOR ARE UNDERPAID

What else would you say about a broadcast team that was rated 5-Star by SBN, multiple-tasks the simulcast year after year, and has seen ratings increases on FSN in each of the past 3 seasons?

The SBN love not withstanding, and the simulcast being just part and parcel to the territory, the ratings climb has been most unexpected. (Or has it? Really.)

During that same time - on the ice - the Stars have, sadly, and most recently - narrowly, failed to make the playoffs and have said goodbye to a few 'marquee' players. Both, usually counter-productive interest-killers.

But apparently not in this case.

Somehow we've concocted a 50% increase in viewership over three seasons ago in an ever increasingly splintered viewverse. Ya, I agree, unreal. And it's not like we've been beating the streets with a money-backed marketing blitz. That budget has been trimmed just like the player one. So, abr-ka-frigging-dabra all you haters!

Of course it's not just the makeup altered, Q Custom Clothier draped 'R and R' and our ability to talk pretty. No, big props should be given to our broadcast partners. (FSN, TXA 21, and Sportsradio 1310 The Ticket) as well.

Taking the lead has been Jon Heidtke, Mike Anastassiou and everyone at FSN Southwest who have powered our improvements with their unfailing commitment to the Stars, Stars fans, and perhaps most importantly, HD.

Last season was our first on TXA 21 and they were the carrier for "Game 82", with all it's heart-ripping failure, and thus can boast the highest rated tilt of the past season. Onward and upward you over- the- air compadres.

On radio, The Ticket has served the team extremely well. Yes, they don't have that 50,000 watt blowtorch signal, but they also don't cut into games to warn listeners of a tropical depression germinating off the Cape of Africa, and they more than make up for it with promotion, cross-promotion, an interest in sports, talk, multiple platforms, pregame shows, post game coverage and Stars guests (Musers, I love you. That means you too Gordon ... just not as much as the others)

And finally, and certainly least, the broadcast department of the DStars, who do what we say and therefore reap the benefits of working so closely with two mythical broadcasters. They are like the fibre-optics. We are like the really cool stuff that comes out at the end of the fibre-optics.

Anyway, hooray for all of us - and hooray for all of you who like to watch.

And you do like to watch, don't you. Yes you do. Its your little frozen-pond fetish. The numbers say so.