Press Row

What Are Abbott Lines?

“Dallas Cowboys fans might want to wear comfortable shoes to the new stadium in Arlington. The team estimates that some ticket holders will walk nearly a mile from their parking spaces to the stadium, which opens next year. But Cowboys officials also said that shouldn’t be an adjustment because the back-row parking at Texas Stadium in Irving is about the same distance. …

“Maximizing parking is particularly crucial because the Cowboys have one of only two NFL stadiums without nearby public transportation. The other is Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis., although there is minimal usage of bus service by fans at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Arizona Cardinals stadiums.” ~ Jeff Mosier, Dallas Morning News, Some fans will have to park almost a mile from new Dallas Cowboys stadium, 6/28/08

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“Unfortunately, Flo Welch never got to celebrate the moment. Hospitalized with cancer, she lay in a coma on Super Bowl Sunday. She was surrounded by her three daughters, the youngest of whom I married. The little hospital TV was tuned to the game and the room was decorated with balloons, as they turned a vigil into a Super Bowl party. They cheered through the tears. …

“Now there is the PSL issue, and the family, like countless others, must weigh priceless tradition against practical economics. It shouldn’t be like this, but the landscape has changed. From generation to generation, from Mara to Mara, from personalized letter to mass e-mail, everything has changed.” ~ Rich Cimini, New York Daily News, PSLs just a kick in the seat, 6/28/08

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“There’s no question Young has made strides under Heimerdinger. He’s doing a better job planting his feet when he throws and he seems a lot more comfortable. Young is still inconsistent overall, however. Friday’s minicamp finale was one of his best practices, but on Wednesday he threw four interceptions. Of course, how much Young improves will depend largely on his supporting cast[.]” ~ Jim Wyatt, The Tennessean, Titans analysis: 7 pressing questions still need answers, 6/29/08

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“Atlanta police were called to domestic disputes between Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall and longtime girlfriend Rasheedah Watley three times in a three-month span in 2007, according to police reports obtained by The Denver Post on Friday. According to the reports, Watley claimed Marshall punched her in all three incidents.” ~ Lindsay H. Jones, Denver Post, Marshall focus of three incidents in Atlanta, 6/29/08

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“Righteous Roger is at it again. That would be NFL commissioner Roger Goodell — ownership mouthpiece, Pacman Jones probation officer, destroyer of Sypgate evidence. The more Goodell talks, the less I think there will be an NFL season in 2011. …

“How convenient. So because NFL leadership and owners spectacularly miscalculated, the union and the fans have to bail out the supposedly financially strapped league? Or else we get a possible lockout in 2011? …

“As usual, the NFL will rely on our addiction to the league. That’s usually a smart play. Except that this latest mess is the owners’ own doing. They signed off on the original CBA. They signed off on the recent opt out. So in this case, the NFL shouldn’t take its fans for granted. Why? Things happen.” ~ Gene Wojciechowski, ESPN.com, Goodell wants a do-over; fans want some answers, 6/30/08

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“Now let’s compare football to basketball and baseball. In basketball and baseball, there are a limited number of premium seats. And in those courtside seats or in those seats in the front row behind home plate, you are visible to everyone else in the venue. You’re guaranteed to be on the Jumbotron. The folks at US Weekly, People, and TMZ have an easy time snapping your picture to show you out relaxing the week your movie is set to premiere. …

“Let’s think football for a moment… the most premium seats are either skyboxes where you are hidden from sight, or about halfway up the lower deck at the 50 yard-line, where you’d just blend into the crowd. No celeb wants to blend into the crowd. That’s why despite the fact that all of the L.A. hotspots have dedicated back entrances for celebs to avoid the paparazzi (yes, I plunked down a lot of money at Koi and The Ivy among other places), on most occasions, celebs opt to go in and out the front door, knowing full well they are going to be crushed by a blinding array of flash bulbs popping. …

“Simply put, the demand won’t be there for the premium seats because while they might be nice for an exec or an agent to be able to wield to talent, what the talent really wants is to be part of the scene.” ~ East Coast Bias, Why the NFL Cannot Survive in L.A., 6/30/08

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“It works like this: Your friendly neighborhood football baron demands that you pay thousands of dollars for the privilege to buy an overpriced ticket to his games. You don’t just pay for the ticket. You pay for the chance to pay for the ticket.” ~ Ian O’Connor, FOX Sports, NFL robbing fans with PSLs, 7/2/08

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Non-football:

“Why did Baron opt out?
I’m not really sure on this one but I have to think it was a combination of factors:

1) He wanted a long term deal now. He’s coming off a season where he started all 82 games and with his injury history, the time to cash in is now. He proved he can stay healthy, albeit in a contract year, and teams in need of a top flight PG will want his services.

2) Mullin and Co. have done nothing to improve the team. I’d say another factor in Baron opting out was his way of him telling management that he can only come back if the team is improved. Simply resigning Monta and Beans, drafting a guy who won’t contribute for 2-3 seasons, and letting the trade exception expire are not signs that the Warriors are trying to win this year. Baron knows he doesn’t have much time especially with Nelson around for most likely, 1 more year. If I were him, I’d be upset that the Warriors did nothing at the draft to improve the team and did nothing creative with the trade exception as well.This puts pressure on Mullin to make a decision to build for the future (just play the young guys this year) or re-sign Baron and make another play for a top player (Artest? Brand? Marion?)” ~ Golden State of Mind, The Offseason Just Got Interesting, 6/30/08

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“How did Baron Davis know–REALLY KNOW–that there was $65M of Clipper money waiting for him if he opted out? How did he know that if he didn’t know what Elton Brand would get and demand and if he didn’t know what the Clippers would pay for either? …

“Now you can all scream BECAUSE THE CLIPPERS TAMPERED with Baron before his June 30 opt-out deadline, and I guess I’d have to acknowledge the possibility. …

“But that doesn’t sound Clipper-like to me. I really haven’t ever heard of any Clippers executive being savvy/devious enough to go to two separate stars and figure out exactly the procedure (wait, say you’re staying, opt-out, wham) and the price for a double-signing.” ~ Tim Kawakami, San Jose Mercury News / Talking Points, Was David Falk the mastermind of the Baron/Brand double-deal?, 7/1/08

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“I don’t think I’m out of line when I say that we sports fans, as a collective, are a little jaded by today’s athletes. And while some may question A-Rod’s motives in this situation because of the timing and need for some good publicity, I think it’s important to remember that none of that probably matters to John Challis or his family. John and his family have been through hell and kept their heads up.

Hopefully, more athletes and teams continue to get involved with kids like John, because they do have a positive experience in their lives. Simply put, kids like John deserve it. Even if it does mean my Cheerios taste a bit more teary.” ~ The Big Lead, ESPN and A-Rod Aren’t All Bad, 7/2/08

Got any good lines from your favorite writer or blog—or maybe your own? Send them over.