Ticket stub photo album

Something I've wanted to do for a long time: put together an album of all my old ticket stubs for the sporting events I've been to. I've done my best to save every ticket stub I've ever used, however I had a massive stack of stubs accidentally thrown out a few years back. While it was discouraging to have all those tickets, those memories, no longer with me, I'm working hard to preserve my legacy of attending all sorts of games. It is with that in mind that I present to you my album of ticket stubs....

Ticket Stubs from:
2004
2006
2007
2008
2009

2004

May 23, 2004: NY Yankees @ Texas Rangers


May 26, 2004: Arkansas Travelers @ Frisco Roughriders


2006

Nov 21, 2006: Washington Wizards @ Dallas Mavericks


Nov 22, 2006: Nashville Predators @ Dallas Stars


Nov 23, 2006: Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Dallas Cowboys


Dec 14, 2006: NY Rangers @ Dallas Stars


Dec 22, 2006: LA Clippers @ Dallas Mavericks


Dec 31, 2006: Detroit Lions @ Dallas Cowboys


2007

Jan 2, 2007: Seattle Super Sonics @ Dallas Mavericks


Sept 9, 2007: New York Giants @ Dallas Cowboys


Sept 15, 2007: Miami Northwestern vs. Southlake Carroll


Sept 30, 2007: St. Louis Rams @ Dallas Cowboys


Oct 9, 2007: San Antonio Spurs @ Dallas Mavericks [preseason]


Oct 14, 2007: New England Patriots @ Dallas Cowboys


Oct 21, 2007: Minnesota Vikings @ Dallas Cowboys


Nov 3, 2007: Sacramento Kings @ Dallas Mavericks


Nov 15, 2007: San Antonio Spurs @ Dallas Mavericks


Nov 17, 2007: Memphis Grizzlies @ Dallas Mavericks


Nov 26, 2007: Washington Wizards @ Dallas Mavericks
saw former USC standout and classmate Nick Young (now a Wizard) and said hey to him after the game

Nov 29, 2007: Green Bay Packers @ Dallas Cowboys


Nov 30, 2007: Portland Trailblazers @ Dallas Mavericks


Dec 31, 2007: Nashville Predators @ Dallas Stars


2008

Jan 2, 2008: Golden State Warriors @ Dallas Mavericks


Jan 4, 2008: Miami Heat @ Dallas Mavericks


Jan 13, 2008: NY Giants @ Dallas Cowboys
NFC Divisional Round Playoff



Feb 25, 2008: Chicago Bulls @ Dallas Mavericks

Jason Kidd's first game back with Dallas

March 10, 2008: New York Knicks @ Dallas Mavericks


March 14, 2008: Indiana Pacers @ Dallas Mavericks


March 17, 2008: Colorado Crush @ Dallas Desperados


March 18, 2008: LA Lakers @ Dallas Mavericks


March 20, 2008: Boston Celtics @ Dallas Mavericks

eventual World Champions visit the AAC

April 8, 2008: Seattle Super Sonics @ Dallas Mavericks


April 11, 2008: Toronto Blue Jays @ Texas Rangers


April 14, 2008: Arkansas Travelers @ Frisco Roughriders


April 15, 2008: Anaheim Ducks @ Dallas Stars
1st round playoff series - Game 3


April 16, 2008: New Orleans Hornets @ Dallas Mavericks
(Blog: Mavs wrap up regular season)


April 20, 2008: AVP Dallas Open


April 21, 2008: San Antonio Missions @ Frisco Roughriders


April 25, 2008: New Orleans Hornets @ Dallas Mavericks

Opening Round Series - Game 3

Mavs 97, Hornets 87

(Blog: Great night for North Texas sports)


April 26, 2008: Minnesota Twins @ Texas Rangers
(Blog: The errors of their ways)


April 27, 2008: Lone Star Park - horseracing


April 29, 2008: San Jose Sharks @ Dallas Stars
2nd round playoff series - Game 3
(Blog: Starting to BELIEVE)


April 30, 2008: San Jose Sharks @ Dallas Stars
(Game 4)
(Blog: Game Fourgetable)


May 3, 2008: New York Mets @ Arizona Diamondbacks

stopped off at Chase Field to catch a game while driving from Dallas to LA

May 16, 2008: Tampa Bay Rays @ St. Louis Cardinals


Summer 2008: Orange County Flyers (GBL) games


July 27, 2008: Washington Nationals @ Los Angeles Dodgers

went to the game with my family, visiting from Dallas. Couldn't find my ticket stub, but here's the parking pass I used

Sept 15, 2008: Cowboys 41, Eagles 37 (recap)



Sept 27, 2008: Texas Rangers @ LA Angels of Anaheim
(Blog: Another season squandered)


Oct 1, 2008: Red Sox 4, Angels 1 (recap)


Oct 4, 2008: USC 44, Oregon 10 (recap)
(Blog: Sanchez shouldn't have been pulled)


Oct 5, 2008: Cincinnati Bengals @ Dallas Cowboys
did not attend this game, but here's a parking pass from it


Oct 11, 2008: Arizona State @ USC (football)
(Blog: Ugly Sanchez)


Oct 11, 2008: Washington @ USC (women's volleyball)


Oct 12, 2008: NLCS Game 5: Dodgers 7, Phillies 2 (recap)
(BLOG: Dodging Abuse)


Oct 15, 2008: NLCS Game 5: Phillies 5, Dodgers 1 (recap)


Oct 19, 2008: Cowboys 14, Rams 34
(Blog: Ramming Speed)


Oct 21, 2008: Suns @ Clippers [preseason]


Oct 25, 2008: Washington Capitals @ Dallas Stars
(Blog: Dimming Stars?)


Oct 26, 2008: Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Dallas Cowboys
(Blog: The Bucs stopped here)

Oh, and here's what the actual tickets looked like:

Nov 2, 2008: Cowboys 14, Giants 35 (Blog: Giant problems)


Nov 7, 2008: Dallas Stars @ Anaheim Ducks
(Blog: Parrish debuts with hat trick)


Nov 9, 2008: Mavericks @ Clippers
(Blog: Maddening Mavericks, Life behind the bench)
ticket autographed by Mavericks owner Mark Cuban


Nov 11, 2008: Dallas Stars @ LA Kings (Blog: King me!)


Nov 23, 2008: San Francisco 49ers @ Dallas Cowboys
(BLOG: Enjoying popcorn)


Nov 25, 2008: Indiana Pacers @ Dallas Mavericks
(Blog: Feels so Wright)


Nov 27, 2008: Seattle Seahawks @ Dallas Cowboys
(Blog: Thanksgiving Feast)


Dec 30, 2008: Minnesota Timberwolves @ Dallas Mavericks
(Blog: Massive Mavericks comeback)


2009

Jan 2, 2009: AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic
Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. Ole Miss Running Rebels


New Ticket Stubs

NFL playoffs set up just fine

The NFL's wild card weekend sparked some controversy as teams like the 8-8 Chargers and 9-7 Cardinal made the playoffs while the 11-5 Patriots did not qualify.

Many critics have proposed taking the top six teams regardless of division winners and using the divisions simply for scheduling. Others are suggesting different reformatting techniques. The fact of the matter remains the NFL's current playoff format does not need any tweaking, adjustments or tune ups - even if it means a team like 8-8 San Diego gets to play at home while 11-5 New England sits at home.

The reasoning is simple.

With the 32 teams and the current alignment of eight four-team divisions, NFL schedule makers have a set rotating formula to determine which teams will play each other in a given year. Each division plays it's own division foes (six games), an intra-conference divisional slate (four games), an inter-conference divisional slate (four games), and two other games usually from within the conference. So when the AFC East (Bills, Dolphins, Jets, Patriots) is scheduled to play the NFC West and AFC West in 2008, they have an easier road than AFC North teams that played the NFC East and AFC South in 2008.

Some divisions just have tougher competition from year to year. Here's a breakdown of each division and their cumulative W-L-T records from 2008 to better illustrate my point.

Division	W-L-T	Winning Percentage
NFC South	40-24	.625
NFC East	38-25-1	.602
AFC East	38-26	.594
AFC South	38-26	.594
AFC North	31-32-1	.492
NFC North	25-39	.391
AFC West	23-41	.359
NFC West	22-42	.344

Yes, the Cardinals finished 9-7 this season, but hidden in that 9-7 record is the fact that the Cardinals had to face two of the three toughest divisions in football (NFC South, AFC East). So while it's easy to see that the NFC West was very, very watered down this season, they had a tough time facing some of the NFL's top teams in 2008.

Rather than forbid a team like the Chargers to advance to the playoffs because they won a division at 8-8, perhaps that 8-8 records is really a testament to how good a team against that schedule can do. For the Patriots, going 11-5 might appear impressive, but they were gift-wrapped a schedule full of pigskin pansies in '08.

So anytime you hear someone talk about just how unfair it is that teams hovering at .500 make the playoffs while a 11-win team like New England or a 10-win team like the 2007 Browns miss the playoffs, consider the schedules those teams play before making a ridiculous argument that the best overall records should make the playoffs. If that were the case, then playoff participants would be decided more by schedule-makers than on the actual field.

All right, which division is playing the softest schedule this season? The AFC East. Okay, looks like they'll have three playoff teams this year while the NFC West winner will not be assured a post season berth.

The playoff format doesn't need any fixing. Just play the games, and you'll find that teams like the 8-8 Chargers and 9-7 Cardinals belong just as much as - if not more than - the 10 and 11-win teams that don't make the tournament.