Cheque this out

-- Let's kick it off with some Free Agency news. LaDanian Tomlinson has found a new team. The New York Jets have scooped Tomlinson off of the Free Agent mire and look to place him on their roster as mainly a third down back. And I don't get it. I understand the money thing, you didn't want to pay Thomas Jones. That doesn't stop you (to the best of my limited knowledge) from releasing him and then offering him a more palatable contract. And really, when you think about it, you've essentially just traded a 1,400 yard rusher for a 3rd down back. I know the focus is on Shonne Greene now, but he's young and was doing fine coming fresh off the bench to spell for Thomas. Ever heard of the phrase 'if it aint broke, don't fix it'? -- On the other hand, if it is broke, then do fix it. Fix it now. Like uhm... the Browns entire franchise. The Browns have unveiled their latest master stroke; trading QB Brady Quinn to the Broncos in return for young FB Peyton Hills and a sixth round pick in 2011. It's believed there is also a conditional pick that may change hands in the future. All I can say is, Peyton Hills had better be some kind of diamond in the rough. I know Quinn hasn't exactly coated himself in glory lately, but neither have the two QB brought in to replace Quinn. Seneca Wallace has been solid, but on a team with much better receivers (and when the Seahawks are described as having 'much better receivers' than you, you know things are dire). Meanwhile Jake Delhomme, who had no lesser a receiver than Steve Smith at his disposal, has been nothing short of a pick machine over the last two seasons. God knows what the Browns are hoping will happen. Their draft had better be something special to behold. -- The Lions have parted ways with their seventh round pick in the 2011 draft in order to acquire a backup QB for Matthew Stafford. And it comes in the form of Shaun Hill, from the 49ers. Guys, you're welcome to him. -- Chargers backup QB Charlie Whitehurst (exactly, who?) is being assessed as a possible candidate by both the Cardinals and the Seahawks. Whitehurst is a restricted free agent with a third round tender, so the Chargers have up to seven days to match any offer he signs with a potential suitor. If the Chargers decline, they will be due a third round pick from the team that signs him, unless the two sides can negotiate something else, such as a guaranteed later round pick plus another, conditional, late round pick. And so we move on, and now I try to convince you that paying high ticket prices and beer prices is good for you. Because it is. This seems on the face of it a stupid thing to say. How can paying more for tickets, beer and hotdogs possibly be in the best interests of the fans, short of perhaps generating some extra cash for free agency? Well, the answer is simple; it means everybody gets a turn. If I opened a brand new franchise and sold tickets to my 100,000 seater stadium for a dollar each, then in about 10 minutes I'm pretty sure I could sell all 100,000. The trouble is, how do I stop those same 100,000 people coming back next week, and the week after, and the week after, and leaving other fans in the lurch. I could setup a waiting list, but how long would each person have to wait? Two years, three? What if someone signs up to the list under multiple names and nabs tickets that way? Simply put, high ticket prices and high concessions prices make football a treat. A day out with the family to watch a football game can be expensive (to put it mildly), so it's typically not something you're going to be doing eight times a season. That means there are tickets spare for others to come and enjoy the game. Everyone gets a go. Everyone gets a chance to take their kid to watch the local franchise and enjoy a live game. In turn, this generates more interest in the club over the long term. More people in a city go to watch games, become fans, and generate interest in the team over the long haul. Everyones a winner! And now I'm going to be even more bold and play advocate for the corporate boxes that spring up everywhere. People complain that these boxes take seats from real fans and that owners are too obsessed with them. But let's get one thing straight here; boxes make huge sums of cash. A box can go for as much $250,000 per season. Just 100 boxes can therefore generate $25,000,000 which goes into the teams pockets. That's almost as much money as the Packers generated in total profit last season. Why is this important? Number 1, that money can be spent in free agency, contract renewals etc, and number 2, if the club makes a healthy profit the owner is more likely to stick around for a prolonged period of time without even considering the possibility of selling up and moving on. That way, your local team stays local and you wont find yourself cheering on your childhood team from the other side of the country. Again, everyones a winner! Including me, as I can now go and relax with a large glass of Amaretto. See you tomorrow.