Shout Out

As I mentioned in a previous post, I am a member of the athletic aesthetics cult. Although I've been a long time reader of the Uni Watch blog, I've never contributed until now. That's right, I got a shot out in the UW ticker. I sent in three Redskins items to Uni Watch founder and writer, meat aficionado, and Mets fan Paul Lukas. He posted what I thought was the dullest of the three items I sent in. I guess the other two will get posted in future tickers or they will be part of the upcoming annual ESPN NFL uniform article, which is also written by Lukas, or maybe they will be ignored. Regardless, I'm happy.

I noticed after re-reading my Monochrome post from November 2008 that I foretold of things to come for the Redskins, at least in the uniform department- "Or bring back the yellow gold pants, like they wore in the '70s." The Redskins did that very thing last season. Thanks to the Gridiron Uniform Database blog (another of my favorites) for the image. Hopefully they'll be wearing them again this season. 

Free Money

Image via WikipediaI know what your thinking - "money ain't free". I not talking about a handout. What I mean by "free money" is unearned money; obtained through means other than my paycheck. I guess you could call it random passive income. I always seem to get some free money here and there, whether it be a rebate, a class action settlement, or selling something on Craigslist. I wanted to know how much free money I received, so I started tracking it in 2010. I created a Google Docs spreadsheet to do so. The total free money amount for this year is a whopping $1337! About half of that came from a contest I won which had an approximate retail value of $598. I won the Redskins "AAA Ultimate Fan Zone Sweepstakes" for the Sunday night game against the Colts back on October 17. The prize included: 2 suite tickets to the game, 2 passes to the AAA Ultimate Fan Zone pre-game hospitality area & 1 FedEx Field purple parking permit. Although technically not cash, I didn't pay for it out of pocket and is in essence free money so I'm counting it. The second biggest amount was $200 in Southwest Airlines credit we got for a long delay coming home from Louisville, KY for Lebowski Fest a couple years back that I used to purchase my flight to the National Beard and Moustache Championships in June. Rounding out the top three is $101.65 in oil royalties. My wife's family owns a small stake in land leased for obtaining oil in Texas. The smallest amount is $.59 which was another oil royalty. We actually cashed a $.59 check. It probably cost more to drive to the ATM. But every little bit counts.

"Convenience" Fees?

Buying event tickets from anyone other than private buyers is a complete ripoff. But everyone knows this. I bought a ticket to the Redskins first game of the season, a Sunday night game against their hated division rival the Cowboys on September 12, for my brother Chris. He's coming into town to go to the game with the wife and me. It's an annual ritual. Long story short, I was able to purchase a ticket at face value through the teams official Ticketmaster website. But the final transaction price was not the ticket's face value.  You saw this coming. Let me break it down for you. The ticket's face value was $70.40. The team tacked on a whopping $25 FedEx shipping charge! It was the only shipping option. Presumably FedEx's partnership with the Redskins (FedEx owns the stadium's naming rights) is clearly being abused. It's not like the game is tomorrow and I need overnight delivery, the game is three weeks away. They could drop the ticket in the mail and it would get here in plenty of time and for the price of a postage stamp. To add insult to injury, Ticketmaster charged me a $3 "convenience" fee. What the hell is that? On Ticketmaster's FAQ page it states:

[The convenience] fee covers costs that allow Ticketmaster to provide the widest range of available tickets while giving you multiple ways to purchase. Tickets are available in many neighborhoods via local ticket outlet locations, our telephone reservation system and Ticketmaster.com. Tickets can be purchased through at least one distribution channel virtually 24 hours a day. The convenience charge varies by event and is determined by negotiations with arena operators, promoters and others, based on costs for each event.

What a line of crap. In the case of the Redskin's ticket, there was only one venue to purchase the ticket, online. They can shove the convenience fee up their ass. Here's the final breakdown:

Ticket face value = $70.40

FedEx shipping = $25

TM convenience charge = $3

Total Price for 1 Redskins upper level sideline ticket = $98.40

Getting ripped off buying event tickets = EXPECTED!

After all was said and done, I actually got the ticket for a good price. Going rate on StubHub "The Redskin's Official Ticket Reseller" is $200 per ticket. (Don't get me started on StubHub. They are an even bigger ripoff). Trying to buy a Redskins ticket on Craigslist is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. It was worth it. We always have a good time going to football games. 

Redskins tell fans "The Future is Now"

Not only have the Redskins made significant changes to the front office with the firing of Vinny Cerrato and the hiring of Bruce Allen as GM before season end and to the coaching staff by hiring Mike Shanahan to be head coach, but the team is working to improve the game day experience at the stadium which was rated 28th out of 32 teams in 2007 by Sports Illustrated. The most significant upgrade is 'Punter-Proof' HD Video Boards Coming For the 2010 Season. The old Jumbotrons were so 20th century. They were in bad need of an upgrade.   There is a package of information and brochures that the Redskins are mailing out to season ticket holders this week. The "exciting season ticket membership enhancements" include

New HD Video Scoreboards: State-of-the-art HD picture perfect videoboards, 100 feet wide (three times wider than current screens), showing more and faster replays, out of town scores and fantasy stats. See enclosed brochure for details.

New Auto Seat Upgrade Technology: The Redskins implemented a major technology ticket system upgrade this past season including "Wireless Access Control" which helps fans get into FedEx Field faster than ever. Part of the technology platform also provides for a significantly streamlined seat upgrade process for season ticket holders. This system will ensure that more season ticket holders will automatically receive seat upgrades each and every year.

New Automated Parking and Traffic Management System: Designed to expedite travel time to and from the stadium.

College Football Games: FedEx Field is pleased to announce that it is hosting not one, but two major college football games in 2010: Virginia Tech vs. Boise State on October 2nd, and Penn State vs. Indiana on November 20th. You will have special priority, before tickets go on sale to the public, to secure some of the best seats for these games.

I'm curious how the new automated parking and traffic management system and the auto seat upgrade technology works. At least they are making an effort. 

'Punter-Proof' HD Video Boards Coming For 2010 Season - Redskins.com

Redskins to Install HD Video Screens at FedEx Field - Washingtonpost.com

More details about the Redskins' new video boards - Washingtonpost.com

Misery Has Company

I'm not the only Redskins' fan who is distraught about the team. Fewer and fewer among the Redskins' faithful seem to believe the team's problems will be fixed. This Washington Post article by Tracee Hamilton perfectly articulates my feelings this season. Misery has company.

The Onion Sports: Redskins Hold Press Conference To Announce They Are Still Sort Of A Football Team

From The Onion: Sports: Redskins Hold Press Conference To Announce They Are Still Sort Of A Football Team: "WASHINGTON—Washington Redskins head coach Jim Zorn held a press conference Sunday to reassure fans that, despite an inability to effectively..."

Fail To the Redskins

The Redskins have finally gone and done it. They've become the worst team in the NFL. They allowed the lowly Detroit Lions to end their 19 game losing streak. When the worst team in the league beats you, then you become the worst team in the league. It's shameful. I saw this coming. I can no longer be a Redskins fan. I've already promised Fletch that I won't force him to be a Redskins fan. I'm giving serious consideration to canceling my season tickets next year. The SD Chargers need fans and I'm looking for a new team to root for.

Articles from the Washington Post:
A Debacle From Top to Bottom - Mike Wise
In Big Picture, Focus Disappeared Long Ago - Thomas Boswell
Worst D.C. Sports Moment of 2009 - D.C. Sports Bog by Dan Steinberg

Related articles by Zemanta

• Redskins Allow Lions to End 19-Game Losing Streak (ballhype.com)
• The Long-Awaited Redemption of the Detroit Lions (time.com)
• Source: Washington Redskins coach Jim Zorn safe ... for now (sports.espn.go.com)
• Lions 19, Redskins 14: Detroit Ends 19-Game Losing Streak (nytimes.com)
• Detroit Lions' First Win Brings Back Sunday Intrigue (bleacherreport.com)

A Clockwork Orange - 50th Anniversary AFL Referee Uniforms

NFL Refs Make MNF a Tangerine Dream. Orange on orange AFL referee jerseys. My favorite color combination.

Shared via AddThis

Hail to the Redskins

With the NFL season starting this week, I thought I'd give a "shout out" to my favorite team, The Washington Redskins. I've been a fan my whole life, and I lived a majority of my life in Atlanta! The Redskins were once a proud franchise.  They've been to five Super Bowls, and have won three of them during the tenure of Joe Gibbs 1.0.  I'm a proud season ticket holder. But since Gibbs retired the first time, the team has gone downhill. And since Danny boy bought the team, the decline has been swift and the team is a laughingstock. Right before the season started the Washington Post did an expose on the Redskins. Here is a list of the articles and interactive graphic (the graphic is especially fun):

Redskins Fans Waited While Brokers Got Tickets
For Redskins Fans, Hard Luck Runs Into Team's Hard Line
Once Again, Redskins' Public Trust In Jeopardy
A Decade of Snyder The Decider [interactive graphic]

Good luck this season. Hail to the Redskins!

Related articles by Zemanta

• Suing 'Skins fans only latest in Snyder's reign of error (cbssports.com)
• Redskins Makes Fans Wait While Scalpers Cherry-Pick Tickets [Nfl] (consumerist.com)
• The Washington Redskins Will Sue Your Grandmother Into Bankruptcy [Nfl] (deadspin.com)

More on Super Bowl tickets

Back in October I blogged about my quest to obtain Super Bowl tickets. I entered the NFL Super Bowl ticket random drawing back in May. I just got my response in the form of a blue postcard.

Dear NFL Fan:

Your name was part of the Super Bowl XLIII random drawing that included all written requests received by this office between February 1 and June 1. The National Football League requests to notify you that your entry was not selected. All Super Bowl tickets available from the NFL for public sale have been allocated.

We appreciate your continued interest in Super Bowl games and the NFL.

Sincerely,

The National Football League

Well that's that. But not all hope is lost. The NFL is vowing to cut out ticket middlemen, a.k.a. "scalpers". The league is studying possible methods to attempt to get its lowest-priced Super Bowl tickets directly to fans and not under the control of ticket brokers. "The reality is that Super Bowl tickets are trading at four to five times face value," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said. The league is taking it a step further. The NFL is reducing playoff ticket prices by about 10 percent. The league is making the move in response to the national economic crisis. The league also, for the first time, has authorized lower ticket prices for games in the first round of the playoffs than for games in the conference semifinals the following weekend. Tickets usually have been priced the same for those initial two rounds of the playoffs. "We want to be responsive to the economic challenges facing our fans," an NFL spokesman told the Associated Press.

I'm indifferent about this. I love watching football. I love going to games. Football gives me a respite from a hectic week. It gives me solace. During the spring and summer I yearn for it. But while I appreciate the NFL reducing the price of playoff and Super Bowl tickets, the league is pricing out the middle class. No family of four can afford to go to a football game. The price of tickets is ridiculous. But so is the price of movie tickets, automobiles, real estate, food...the list goes on and on.

Monochrome

The Redskins played the Steelers on Monday Night Football. The game was significant for two reasons - 1. A Redskins loss means that Barack Obama wins the election and 2. for the first time in team history, the Redskins wore a burgundy monochrome uniform. Burgundy jersey with burgundy pants. They looked awesome. That was the best part of the game for me. They got their asses handed to them on national tv, but they looked great doing it. The uniform feedback on the internet was decidely negative, but from the articles I read, the team liked it and the burgundy monochrome uniform could show up again. I hope so. I'm obsessed with football aesthetics, especially when it comes to my favorite team. The Redskins 2007 Lombardi era throwbacks with the Packers style helmet left a lot to be desired. Some NFL teams have a third alternate jersey. The Redskins do not. I imagine a killer looking yellow gold jersey with burgundy numbers. They would be the only team in the league with a yellow gold jersey. Or bring back the yellow gold pants, like they wore in the '70s. Danny, you are a master of marketing. Please create the gold alternate jerseys. I'll definitely buy one.

Super Bowl Tickets (updated)

I've always wondered the face value of Super Bowl tickets. I'd never seen or heard the actual price. Aftermarket prices on the internet are extremely inflated so they don't give any indication of the what they cost the reseller. Finally, I found the evidence. The face value of some Super Bowl tickets has reached $1,000.

The Associated Press reports that 25 percent of the tickets for this season's game in Tampa will be priced at $1,000, according to the NFL. Tickets for last season's game were priced at $700 to $900.

The prices of 1,000 tickets for this season's game will be dropped by $200 to $500 each, the first Super Bowl price cut.

There will be 17,000 club and suite seats priced at $1,000 each, another 53,000 seats at $800 apiece and 1,000 seats at $500 each.

The only way for the general public to get rights to buy Super Bowl tickets directly from the NFL at face value is through the annual random drawing. You have to send a self addressed postcard registered or certified mail to the NFL. A few months later you'll get a postcard back telling you whether your name was picked. I've never been randomly chosen. As I discussed in my previous football blog post, the number of credit card points needed to get a pair of Super Bowl tickets has risen to 300k. My only route to attend the Super Bowl looks to be buying them from resellers on the internet. I'm going to have to get a second job.

Here's a link to a story about the Super Bowl random drawing. Check out the comment on my post as well.

Football

It's about time I blogged about football. The season got underway three weeks ago, and this is my first post. My Redskins are off to a 2-1 start under rookie head coach Jim Zorn. They didn't look so good the first game of the season on the road against division foes and defending Superbowl champs the Giants, but looked like a playoff team in home wins against the Saints and Cardinals. They face the Cowgirls this Sunday in their last regular season game in the rust bucket Texas Stadium. The Cowgirls are arguably the best team in the league, but like the saying goes "On any given Sunday." The pic says it all. I had a VA Redskins license plate on the Z [RIP]. Gots to show my love to my team everywhere I go. The Redskins are in the toughest division in the league. The NFC East is a combined 10-2 after 3 weeks.

My season ticket upper bowl pair were upgraded this season, so we are not in the nosebleeds anymore. Chronic appreciates that. I love going to the games. I redeemed some of my Redskins credit card points for a new Redskins waterproof windbreaker and a polo shirt I can wear to work. I also redeemed points for a 19" LCD HDTV. It's great getting this stuff for "free". I was shooting for a free pair of Superbowl tickets, but they are 300,000 points. I'll be dead before I could earn enough points.

I'm fantasy football league commissioner for the 7th straight year. We changed fantasy websites from Yahoo to Flea Flicker this season. We've retained the league name "All Killer No Filler" for consistency sake. Flea Flicker is a free keeper league, neither of which Yahoo offers. The core group of players are back. We have one new player this year, another female, putting the league chick count at 3. Lots of girl-on-girl action. My team, "Reefer Sutherland" is 3-0, ranked 1st in the division and 2nd in league. I was the #1 seed and scored the most points going into last years playoffs (thank you Tom Brady), but lost both playoff games and ended up 4th overall. After 5 years of mediocre seasons, it's nice to be one of the dominant teams.

Hail to the Redskins!

Redskinz Finally Hire A New Head Coach

After a search that lasted 32 days, the Washington Redskins finally hired a new head coach-Jim Zorn. Who's that you ask? Well he's most recently the long tenured quarterbacks coach of the Seattle Seahawks. The Redskins originally hired Zorn two weeks ago to be the team's new offensive coordinator. Then they turn around and promote him to head coach. Zorn has never even been an OC of an NFL team and the Skins make him the HC. It's a departure from the big name HC hires the Redskins are known for since little man Danny Snyder bought the team-Gibbs 2.0, Spurrier and Schottenheimer. Whether it's a big name or a no name, the Redskins organization is screwed up. Washington Post sports columnist Sally Jenkins said it best in her Feb 7 column:

It's a bitter shame to say this, given how much it surely pains local fans, but the truth is that Redskins Park is no place for someone with a bright future. It's too dark and dysfunctional. The phrase "coach killer" comes to mind. No good one, except possibly Joe Gibbs, has had a decent experience under Snyder, not Norv Turner, Marty Schottenheimer, Steve Spurrier, Al Saunders or Gregg Williams. Which is why the only people who seem to be realistically entertaining the job now are either those desperate to get back in the game, such as Jim Fassel and Steve Mariucci, or climbers looking for their first head coaching office.

There is a consistent, central weakness in the Redskins' organization that no coach can fix. It's Snyder's tycoon mentality, his assumption that he can purchase people and make them do what he wants, and if they displease him, discard them. His paycheck players and presto coaching solutions fail every time. The franchise is based on a series of extravagant bribes, not a dime of which has ever been spent on the qualities that made the Giants into Super Bowl champions, namely good faith, loyalty, patience, unity and, above all, belief in the leadership at the top.

Something else in the NFL world saddens me as well. After 31 years, HBO is "sacking" Inside the NFL. I love that show. I didn't like any of the hosts-Bob Costas and former NFL players Dan Marino, Cris Carter and Cris Collinsworth-but it was a "deep" football highlights show, if there is such a thing. Inside The NFL was unique. I'm a traditionalist, so when I see a institution like Inside the NFL taken off the air by a dominant TV station due to competition, well all is not right in the world.