Guess Who's on the Front of the Packers-Vikings Tickets?

Favre or no Favre, Packers Opening Night Tickets Still in Demand

Fans have begun pondering a pilgrimage to legendary Lambeau Field as the 2008 NFL schedule approaches, hoping to snare seats to the start of a new era in Green Bay Packers history.

For the first time since early in the 1992 season, the Packers will have someone other than Brett Favre starting at quarterback on September 8. While the game with the Minnesota Vikings was originally billed as Brett Favre Night, when the club would retire the jersey of the future Hall of Famer, Favre’s decision to return and his subsequent trade to the New York Jets hasn’t dampened enthusiasm among Packer fans.

PackFanatics, a website which brings Packer tickets and memorabilia on eBay to one central location, reports that there were over 550 completed auctions for Packers-Vikings tickets during the first 3 ½ weeks of August, with tickets selling for roughly double to triple their face value.

Ironically, it is Favre’s face which adorns the front of the tickets for the game.

Not long after Favre announced what would be a short-lived retirement, the Packers designed and ordered the printing of their 2008 game tickets. Like many NFL teams, the Packers have turned their game tickets into collector’s items with special designs commemorating a specific moment, personality or season.

Favre, perhaps the team’s greatest ever legend, was set to have his jersey retired that night and it was only logical that the long-time veteran’s image grace the ticket for the season opener against the Vikings.

The Packers will indeed open the season on September 8th against Minnesota, but Favre won’t be in the stadium. With Aaron Rodgers set to debut as the team’s new leader and the game set to be broadcast as the first of an ESPN Monday Night Football doubleheader, excitement is high.

Over 230 active listings for Packers-Vikings tickets were on eBay as of late August, with that number expected to grow in the days leading up to the opening game.

“Regardless of who is playing quarterback, a Packers season opener is always special,’ said PackFanatics.com founder Rich Mueller. “When it’s against the Vikings and played on national TV, it just adds to the excitement. Packer fans have been waiting months for this game and they’re anxious to see if the Packers can match last year’s incredible season.”

While ticket prices aren’t nearly selling for what they would have if Favre had kept his retirement promise, the absence of Favre—either as a player or honored guest—has meant tickets to a season opener are still relatively affordable for fans without a big bankroll.

PackFanatics.com is all things Packer and tickets are at the top of every fan’s wish list,” Mueller said. “The tickets themselves will be collector’s items because they show Favre on the front. It’s really a unique piece of Packer history and if you can buy tickets to watch the new era start, it’s the best of both worlds.”

And if you’re still a Favre fan at heart?

“We’ve got links to Favre Jets jerseys too.”

The Water Car

My entire family thought I was nuts. They were too polite to say so, but I could sense them thinking that my overactive imagination was at it again.

We had the conversation again when I was home in Northeastern Wisconsin a couple of weeks ago.

A water car, huh?

Saw it when you were a kid?

Bright red convertible with propellers? OK. Sure. Could be. Who knows?

Saw it drive onto the water and zip around? Hmmm...don't remember that.

I'd halfway convinced myself I was just remembering some vivid dream.

Except, while looking at another story tonight I saw it. A video clip from a newscast out east. God Bless the internet.

Thanks Michael: NBC Scores Big Ratings

NBC's broadcast of the Olympics last night was the most viewed Saturday night program (31.1 million) on NBC since 1990, when Michael Phelps was four years old. On the night when Phelps, now considered the greatest Olympian of all-time, won his unprecedented eighth gold medal of these Games and record 14th career Olympic gold medal, the audience peaked at nearly 40 million viewers in the 11:00 p.m. half-hour during the Men's 4x100 medley relay.

"The mystery of China combined with the unbelievable phenomenon of Michael Phelps, the terrific performances by gymnasts Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson and defending Olympic gold medalists Misty May-Treanor and Kerry Walsh at beach volleyball have captivated the imagination of the country," said Dick Ebersol, Chairman, NBC Universal Sports and Olympics and Executive Producer of NBC's Olympic coverage.

· NBC's 31.1 million viewers for last night's broadcast represents the best Saturday night viewership of a program on the network since Michael Phelps was four-years-old. The "Golden Girls" spin-off "Empty Nest" starring Richard Mulligan drew 31.4 million viewers on Feb. 24, 1990.

· Through nine days NBCU has reached 191 million total viewers, 14 million more than the first nine days for Athens (177 million) and 5 million more than the Atlanta Games (186 million), which was the most viewed television event in U.S. history. The nine-day total for these Games now surpasses the final overall 17-day viewership totals for the Salt Lake City (187 million) and Sydney (185 million).

· NBC's Beijing Olympic nine-day average primetime viewership is 30.1 million, 15 percent ahead of Athens in 2004 (26.2 million). NBC's average of 17.4 rating/30 share is the best through the second Saturday for a Summer Olympics outside the U.S. since Barcelona in 1992 (18.6/35) and is a 10 percent jump from Athens in 2004 (15.8/28).

· Saturday night garnered 70 million total viewers in primetime and 31.1 million average viewers, a 38 percent gain from the comparable night in Athens (22.5). The night earned a 17.6 rating/32 share, which represents a 29 percent increase (13.6/26).

THE PHELPS PHENOMENAN: Michael Phelps, over the last nine days has become the most decorated Olympian in history and the biggest star in the Beijing Games to date. NBC's broadcast peaked last night with 39.9 million viewers during the 11:00 p.m. half hour, as the U.S. team won the 4x100m medley relay, giving Phelps his eighth gold medal of the games. Below is what NBC's Bob Costas, Dan Hicks and Rowdy Gaines have said about Phelps:

COSTAS: "What Phelps provided in Beijing was more than just sustained excellence. He provided the kind of theater that none of us will soon, if ever, forget."

HICKS: "That is the kind of feat that just may never be surpassed and certainly one of the greatest feats of sports history."

GAINES: "The sport of swimming will never be the same. The name Michael Phelps will be synonymous with perfection."

MOUNTAIN & PACIFIC TIME ZONES RATE HIGH:
Through nine nights, the metered market averages (56 markets) for NBC's Beijing Olympics are a 19.3 rating/34 share. Below is a breakdown by time zone:
Eastern Time Zone: 18.6/33
Central Time Zone: 19.4/33
Mountain Time Zone: 22.7/41
Pacific Time Zone: 20.3/39

TOP 20 METERED MARKETS THROUGH 9 DAYS:
1. Salt Lake City: 24.7/48
T2. Minneapolis: 24.5/45
T2. Denver: 24.5/45
4. Baltimore: 23.5/39
5. San Diego: 23.3/44
T6. Indianapolis: 22.8/40
T6. Oklahoma City: 22.8/36
8. Nashville: 22.6/36
9. Columbus: 22.4/39
10. West Palm Beach: 22.0/36
11. Phoenix: 21.0/39
12. Portland: 21.5/44
13. Sacramento: 21.4/40
14. St. Louis: 21.3/35
15. Austin: 21.1/36
16. Washington DC: 21.0/37
T17. Los Angeles: 20.5/38
T17. San Francisco: 20.5/42
19. Kansas City: 20.3/35
20. Louisville: 20.0/33
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Phelps memorabilia is red-hot on eBay with autographed cards selling for hundreds of dollars and over 1300 items now for sale.

Brett the Jet Favre Jerseys Create Buzz

There isn't much doubt which NFL player will have the most jersey sales in 2008. Brett Favre Jets jerseys are in so much demand, the team's website shutdown because so many people were trying to access it early Thursday.

The plant where the official Reebok jerseys are made is busy creating them to meet the demand in New York and in Green Bay where Favre's legion of fans will want something new to wear while in mourning over his departure.

You won't find the Favre Jets jerseys at the Packers Pro Shop--and that certainly makes sense for an organization that is "moving on". We're not sure who will emerge as the Packers' top-selling jersey. It's been Favre for so long the numbers of whomever supplants him atop the marketing list will pale in comparison.

So...you're asking just where can I get a Brett Favre jets jersey? PackFanatics.com has links to both Favre Jets jerseys and the old standby in green and gold (as well as every other Packer item on eBay. You can also grab them at Amazon.com, which is a place a lot of people don't think about.

Packers to "Welcome" Favre

Packers president Mark Murphy explains the club's reluctance to fully embrace the return of Brett Favre.

The Packers have really handled this awkwardly..not that it's an easy situation. Favre, though, should have been given an opportunity to come back and take his old job once he committed fully to returning. It appears now as if that will finally happen, but it may be too late to create a situation that will be uncomfortable for awhile.

Hopefully Aaron Rodgers won't get fed up and leave. Here's the statment from Murphy, released Sunday afternoon.

Hoop Chicks Brawl!

After a tough day at the office, there is nothing that makes me feel better than a good old fashioned WNBA brawl:



Candace Parker, Plenette Pierson, Cheryl Ford and Detroit Sparks' assistant coach Rick Mahorn (somehow it now makes sense) were ejected.

If you're feeling like your league is on the verge of becoming irrelevant, a fight is a sure-fire way to get people to notice you. No one outside a 500-foot radius of WNBA arenas ever talks about the league, but you can bet they are today. League officials will issue the appropriate messages about proper behavior and role models while secretly enjoying all of the Google hits (to which we are, by the way, pleased to contribute.

It's not the first WNBA fight, though. Latasha Byears got into it with Michelle Marciniak in 2002:

Meow!

Babe Ruth Baseball Cards Sell for ...What?!?

Collectors now have a place to track the top selling vintage graded sports cards each and every day through the launch of the Sports Card Top Ten Lists on SportsCollectorsDaily.com.

In a sponsorship arrangement with VintageCardPrices.com, Sports Collectors Daily will present a list of the top ten prices realized for vintage baseball, football, basketball, hockey and other sports cards over the previous seven-day period. Broken down by sport, the five Sports Card Top Ten Lists will track sales of individual graded cards by the major auction houses as well as those conducted via eBay and rank them 1-10 by selling price. The list will be updated 365 days per year and like every page on Sports Collectors Daily, the information is free to view.

Pricing baseball cards is one of the more popular pastimes on the internet, but until recently it was often difficult and current data was often difficult to obtain. The Sports Card Top Ten Lists will give collectors of all graded vintage sports cards the opportunity to get a quick overview of their marketplace and perhaps track the real value of their collection. Utilizing information gathered by Vintage Card Prices, the lists will provide the title of the card sold, as well as its grade and final selling price. Additional information about recent sales of specific cards is available through membership at VCP.

The vintage card market continues to grow and the professional grading/authentication companies have increased the amount of money spent on high-grade material. It’s perhaps the most active, vibrant part of the multi-million dollar sports memorabilia industry. Through one mouse click, collectors and dealers will now be able to quickly monitor which cards have generated the highest winning bids in the seven-day window.