Want to Go to LII?

The Eagles are in Super Bowl LII (that’s 52 for all of you non-Romans). After absolutely dominating the Vikings this past Sunday and facing the revered and hated Patriots in two weeks, what Eagles’ fan would not want to make the trip to Minnesota to watch the Super Bowl?

I mean, attending ANY Super Bowl is pretty much on every sports fan’s “bucket list”. And now that the Eagles are actually in the game, is now the time to make the dream come true?

First, a little history – This will be the third appearance for the Eagles in the Super Bowl. They lost the previous two. The Oakland Raiders beat them in 1980 and the Patriots won Super Bowl XXXIX in 2004 when they scored 10 fourth-quarter points to win 24-21 (sound like a familiar Patriots game?).

They have won three NFL championships – all prior to the existence of a Super Bowl in 1948, 1949, and in 1960 (with Chuck Bednarik going both ways and Norm Van Brocklin at quarterback). That’s 58 years ago!

We could conclude that if you want to see the Eagles in a Super Bowl, it only happens, at best, around every 15 years or so.  Have I convinced you that this might be the year to actually go?

Now, there are a few things to consider. First, and most importantly, there is the cost of a ticket.  The Eagles will get about 5,800 tickets for the game.  The cheapest ticket (you can imagine where that is) will cost you $950.  But, your chance of getting one of those tickets is slim to none.

How about going to StubHub? Right after the game, their site was advertising tickets for the upper deck of the end zone for a meager $5,935 which included their fees.  They do have tickets near the field for a bit more than $20,000 apiece.

Another site will seat you at midfield in the second row for $41,400 (how can you possibly pass that up?). Better yet, why not take a 20-person suite for just $405,955 (at least it’s not $406,000).

I would go into the additional cost of a flight, a hotel room, meals, etc., but I would imagine your desire to attend has subsided.

Now I would like to remind you that you can buy some food, some liquid refreshment, and an Eagles’ jersey and invite as many friends as you would like to your “suite” and watch the game in the comfort of your own home for considerably less money.

Use whatever money you save by not attending the game on eliminating your mortgage, a more practical item on your “bucket list”.

Enjoy the game!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS) 

1. ESPN’s Todd McShay has selected Saquan Barkley as the #1 draft pick for 2018. Here is what he says:Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State*
   Grade: 95 | Previous rank: 2
   Barkley was the best running back in the nation this season, racking up over 1,200 yards on 5.9 yards per carry and 18 TDs despite regularly facing eight-and-nine men in the box. Barkley has a distinctive combination of size, agility and power. There just aren’t many 230-plus pound backs with his feet and acceleration. Barkley is also a three-down back with solid hands as a receiver and above-average blocking skills in pass protection. Making it an even easier evaluation is the fact that Barkley is a driven competitor with very good leadership skills and no off-the-field issues. This guy is clean and complete as they come.Not bad for a local kid!
2. Tom Brady played “pretty well” this past Sunday for a guy who had 12 stitches in his throwing hand. He gashed his right thumb in practice handing the ball off to a running back. I have to admit I was skeptical about the injury the week prior, but then I saw a picture. So the legend of Brady is only enhanced after the comeback against the Jaguars.
3. It’s not an NFL game without some officiating controversy. Did you think the Jaguars were unfairly treated by the officials? They suffered 98 yards on six penalties called against them, while the Patriots were only penalized once for 10 yards. The Jaguars, by the way, were the least penalized defense in the NFL during the regular season and had only five pass interference penalties all year. They had two this past Sunday. Hmm…
4. Rob Gronkowski was the latest victim of a concussion with a helmet-to-helmet hit on Sunday. Football needs to create better helmets and do it quickly or no parent will let their child play the game.

• Mark your calendar for Friday night’s Central at Bethlehem Catholic basketball game. We’ll have it LIVE on RCN-TV at 7:00pm.
  

Gary’s Guesses: NFL Picks – (LAST WEEK – 2-0; OVERALL – 171-94 – 65%)

SUPER BOWL CHAMPION

COMING NEXT WEEK!