Front Row.com Blog

 It may be better than anyone thought. Weeks ago the odds were being laid down that NBA fans would be seeing a matchup of all time greats as Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers took to the court against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. It’s the stuff dreams are made of or at least the dreams of media moguls. The NBA TV revenue looked to be fantastic. NBA Finals Tickets were going to the hottest thing since sliced bread.

 The King James and company ran face first into one overwhelming truth: You need a TEAM to take you to the promised land and LeBron couldn’t do it all alone. Despite a superhuman effort it still comes down to execution and playing as a team. Isn’t that a good thing?

 So now NBA Finals tickets will present what every NBA fan wants to see anyway. The two best TEAMS playing for all the marbles.

 It may be a good thing for the Cleveland Cavaliers also, in the long term. Maybe now management can get over the whole superman thing and put a better cast of characters around what’s probably the best NBA player to ever hit the court. With just a smidgeon more help, LeBron could have carried Cleveland to the top. Now they’ll have to watch the Lakers and Orlando Magic show just how far the team concept can carry you.   

Tags: sports by edrouant
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 Dallas Cowboys tickets usher in a new age of Cowboys football in 2009 with theopening of Cowboys Stadium. This is one heck of a structure you’re looking at here folks. Just as the new York Yankees have kicked off a new Golden Age with a new Yankees Stadium, the Cowboys are looking for big things from their new home.

 For one thing they’l be trying to fill it up. Sold out Callas Cowboys tickets may be the norm for awhile. Football fans, whether Dallas lovers or haters, will be trying to get a look at the Cowboys new home base. It is big. 80,000 seats available on a regular basis and a design that allows that number to be pushed up to 100,000 if necessary. What does a billion dollars buy in 2009? Try a retractable roof naturally, a video screen in the center, not the ends, and glass end zone doors that can be opened or closed. Flexible, Cowboys Stadium already has a full schedule, with a Super Bowl on the way in 2011, a Final Four already booked, and an NBA All Star game locked down.

Tags: sports by edrouant
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 OK, so Green Day lyrics may notr be what you want you’re third grader listening to and Wal Mart won’t carry their record in it’s undiluted form. I’m fine with that. But don’t let some mega record retailer stop you from getting Green Day tickets and enjoying one of the best show bands I’ve ever seen.

 My wife dragged me to a Green Day concert several years ago and I totally enjoyed it. First of all it was in a small ex-movie theater in downtown New Orleans. We had great concert tickets with seats right up in the balcony and close to the stage. Excellent sight and excellent sound. Green Day blew me away with a high energy, high audience participation show. I’ve been a Green Day fan ever since. Yes, sometimes the lyrics and subject matter of the songs is a little over the edge but hey, you can’t live at Wal Mart your whole life.

Tags: sports by edrouant
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 Like most NBA Fans I’ve had this picture in my mind of two playoff battles. The first was a showdown between the Boston Celtics and the Cavs. The second was a showdown between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Cleveland Cavaliers. We may get none of the above.

 Both the Denver Nuggets and the Orlando Magic are giving us lessons in expectations. It isn’t always the team that looks best on paper that comes out ahead. You’ve got to do it on the court in the NBA Playoffs and the NBA Finals. Right now, the Orlando Magic representing the Eastern Conference looks like just as much of a sure thing as the Cavs did a month ago. The Western Conference is more uncertain, but who would be knocked off their feet with surprise if the Nuggets came out on top? Surprise isn’t in the equation anymore. What is in the equation may be the best NBA Conference Finals we’ve seen in a long time and two unexpected teams left standing at the end. You gotta love it. Meanwhile I won’t be one of those guys fumbling for excuses. I called the Lakers and Cavs from the beginning. Right now it looks like I’ll be at best half-right, which is NOT surprising, since I have always been called half-witted.

Tags: sports by edrouant
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 The Cleveland Cavaliers entered the post-season as the annointed team, the NBA could have no other. Did anyone seriously think that any team but the Cavaliers would be representing the Eastern Conference? I certainly did not. But in the last few games of the current Cavaliers series with the Orlando Magic I have begun to question myself. Not that it’s anything unusual. I am frequently dead wrong as my wife will willingly attest.

 It’s just that I didn’t see the Orlando Magic as being as resilient as they have been. This character trait really didn’t assert itself until the playoffs. But if I had been an intelligent man I would have looked to the past. The Orlando Magic may be the only team in the NBA that has outgunned the Cavaliers over the past two seasons. Last night’s victory puts the Magic at 7-2 against Cleveland in the last nine games. Apparently, LeBron CAN’T do it all. he’s going to need some help to get past this Magic team. The question now is: Can the Cavaliers, who rely so much on james, now come to his aid? Their tickets to the NBA Finals are at stake.  

Tags: sports by edrouant
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No Doubt about it, No Doubt tickets for their latest tour may be the most sought after concert tickets of 2009. It’s been a long five years since Gwen Stefani and crew have taken to the road and the demand for LIVE No Doubt hasn’t dissipated. If anything it’s intensified.

 While most fans expected a new album before No Doubt went on tour that hasn’t happened. Maybe it’s better that way. After all, if the inspiration isn’t there, and Stefani has said it wasn’t, sometimes it’s best to fall back to basics. For No Doubt, those basics include, Just a Girl, Ex-Girlfriend, and Underneath it all. Fans, including myself, don’t have a problem with that. I’ve sat through too many concerts where sub-par new material was shoved down my throat while the best of the past was laid to rest. I’m all for fresh material but it’s got to be up to par. For No Doubt fans in 2009 that means a rejuvenated No Doubt re-inventing the wheel that rolled them to the top in the first place.  

Tags: concerts by edrouant
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 Man this is a tough time of year. The NBA Playoffs are exceeding all my expectations, even considering the fact that I am an idiot. Then there’s the big guessing game going on in the NFL with mini-camps, speculation on retired players, and formerly imprisoned players, and players soon to be imprisoned. Let’s take a step back, grab a cold one and contemplate our NASCAR tickets that end the Merry Month of May.

Coca Cola 600 tickets will be bringing you the longest race of the year atLowe’s Motor Speedway. Kasey Kahne took this one last season and another strong performance could move him up from the 16 spot he currently occupies. Meanwhile, the tight trio on top of Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, and Kurt Busch will be doing some jockeying for points.

 The end of May heralds the Autism Speaks 400, formerly known as the MBNA 400. A Day at Dover International Speedway is called for here and that’s always a good thing. Kyle Busch can repeat this year, but even if he doesn’t, he’s still in pretty good shape. 

Tags: Uncategorized, sports by edrouant
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 Let’s get one thing perfectly clear at the beginning. I love the NFL. There is no better sport, in my opinion, and TV ratings and fan attendance pretty well bear that out. I love a good baseball game, enjoy the NBA, and have been known to watch NHL hockey when it’s available to me. But NFL football is my favorite sports.

 Now, more to the point, I look at my sports feeds on the internet and televeision today and what do I see?

 Travis Henry, former running back for the Denver Broncos, has been arrested.

 Michael Vick, former QB of the Atlanta Falcons, is out of jail and at home.

 Dante Stallworth, wide receiver of the Cleveland Browns, may POSSIBLY avoid a manslaughter charge.

 Somewhere out there, floating around on the internet, is a comprehensive study of NFL players and a comparison of their tendency to commit crimes against that of the general public. Call it a gut feeling but I think the numbers probably favor NFL players. For the most part, these are guys who worked hard, kept their noses clean, and got really really really lucky. But that’s not a story.

 Here’s my advice. Take a look at the schedule of your local team. Get some NFL tickets, and enjoy the game. Forget the headlines and the media circus every time one of these guys spits on the sidewalk. There is no better bargain in sports than NFL tickets. The game combines speed, power, strategy, skill, and chance in a way unlike any other sport. But that’s just me.

Tags: sports by edrouant
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 As bad as the Detroit Lions are that’s how good the Detroit Red Wings are. The Detroit Tigers offer equal hope. Just about everything else in Detroit may be falling apart but they’ve got two teams to keep their spirits up. Maybe a few antics by T.O. will spice things up.

 The Detroit Red Wings are moving almost inexorably toward another shot at a Stanley Cup. Which, by the way, would make an even dozen for the Wings. For it not to happen the Chicago Blackhawks need a miracle. Not likely to happen.

 The Detroit Tigers too, have given a reeling city reason for hope. The Tigers have managed to claw their way up to the top of the standings in the MLB American League Central, just a game ahead of the Kansas City Royals.

 So, here’s to you Detroit. As much as you’ve been beaten down, you deserve to have some winners. I hope your Red Wings bring home another Stanley Cup. I hope your Tigers win the World Series. I hope I don’t lose all my money in that GM stock I bought.

Tags: sports by edrouant
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 Lately I’ve been fond of pointing out the Cleveland Cavaliers amazing home dominance. I’ve used this as my foundation for believing the Cavs would represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals. Whoops.

 The Orlando Magic came out and kicked but in Quicken last night, waltzing away with a 1 point victory in the last seconds of the game. Despite a 49 point performance by LeBron James, Orlando takes a lead in the series and maybe most importantly, plants a seed of doubt in the idea that the Cavaliers are pre-ordained to be in the NBA Finals.

Tags: sports by edrouant
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