Pats fans attending a game and Rodney Harrison: two things contributing to unbelievable news lately.
1. The Chargers' rule for the upcoming playoff game that only Southern California residents are permitted to purchase tickets through official channels. First of all, this isn't going to solidify home-field advantage for them in any meaningful way, since the Globe story I just linked mentions the no-brainer solution to the problem for determined Pats fans: Ace Ticket and StubHub. Of course, what it means is that the Chargers have not prevented Pats fans from showing up, but they have made it so they are paying the $100 to $150 resale premium from those ticket resellers in order to get there, in addition to airfare, etc., and the Chargers don't get a cut of that money. So to recap, Pats fans will still show up, they'll show up prepared to be even angrier and more obnoxious than before, and the Chargers have just planted some big-time bucks in ticket-resellers' pockets for the tickets instead of their own. That, my friends, is weak and a half.
But the other thing that really bakes my noodle about this rule is the geographical limitation. What if, Heaven forbid, there are Chargers fans who live elsewhere--such as Northern California? Chargers fans are only permitted to be from Southern Cal? Is that the deal?
Here's the bottom line: the Chargers appear to have such a weak fan base that they fear a couple hundred (if it's even that many) overly dedicated Pats fans who want to pay the considerable airfare on short notice to get out to San Diego for this game. That is double weak.
I also am wondering if this rule applies to the wine-and-cheese and / or celeb fans who are going to show up to the playoff game just because it's a place to be seen. You know, people like Donald Trump and Joe Perry. My guess is the answer is an emphatic no.
2. I don't know what I find more unbelievable: Barry Bonds' seeming inability to stay off drugs; his arrogance at taking what he knows to be a banned substance given his personal history as well as the fact that the league said they were going to be cracking down on it; his scumbag strategy of avoiding responsibility by pleading ignorance and throwing a teammate under the bus, or the fact that under baseball's dumb-assed amphetamines policy, he gets another chance. Actually, yeah, I think I can safely say that the most mind-blowing fact about that particular situation is the last one. Seriously, if Bonds breaks the Aaron record, it will be an absolutely indelible stain on baseball.
3. The Red Sox were already committing what I think is an asinine move by looking to sign oft-injured OF JD Drew to a ludicrously lucrative contract, but at least they had the sense to make the contract contingent upon his passing of a physical. JD Drew had his physical and did not pass. Seems simple enough to me. And yet though the intrigue about this situation is deep indeed, most reports seem to indicate that the Red Sox are still interested in signing Drew.
This to me is like going down to a car dealership, going for a test drive and having the transmission conk out on you halfway through, but still negotiating with the dealer to buy the car. Why?
4. That we're going to have to face LT without Rodney Harrison this weekend. I had gotten my hopes up when it was reported his status has changed to "day-to-day", but recent reports indicate he won't be available. I know Harrison's a safety, but he frees up some of the LBs when he's in there to be more effective against the run. When he's not there, I think the secondary gets spread too thin and the defense as a whole is less effective, and the Pats sorely miss his leadership, too. We're going to need all the help we can get in this game, and having to do it without Rodney is a pretty tough pill for me to swallow.
5. I've been avoiding writing about this, but the utter shellacking put on Ohio State by the Florida Gators the other night also falls into the realm of the unbelievable. OSU tackling was piss-poor and as an entire team the Buckeyes seemed to be constantly a step or two behind every player on the Gators' squad. It was like watching a big lumbering giant try to fight a mongoose. Crazy--and a total surprise, it seems, to a majority of college football experts, who had favored Ohio in the game.
This to me is like going down to a car dealership, going for a test drive and having the transmission conk out on you halfway through, but still negotiating with the dealer to buy the car.
Maybe the FO has seen Herbie hiding under that broken-down old Beetle.
Then again, maybe not.
Posted by: Iain | January 11, 2007 at 11:30
That whole SoCal ticket thing is very lame.
It is a shame that Rodney will miss the game. We could certainly use him out there and you know it must kill him to miss facing his old team.
Also, I made a really good rhyme there!
Posted by: Ernie | January 11, 2007 at 12:59
what *really* concerns me are the reports starting to come out that Rodney is done for the season, that if the Patriots get past this game (which of all the possible match ups, scares me the most), they will be finishing out the playoffs with a big Rodney-sized hole on defense. where is that Bobby Wade? i'd like to unleash some of my frustrations on *his* knee.
Posted by: Dawn | January 11, 2007 at 13:03