PERHAPS A LITTLE TOO CONFIDENT

The following message was e-mailed to my dad the other day, from the Jets, under the heading "Playoff Ticket News" (and which he forwarded to me with his message, "They sound confident".):

It has come to our attention that there is some confusion with this years Playoff invoices. This week you will be receiving Playoff invoices in the mail. The invoice is also available online. The invoice will contain prices for the Wildcard, Divisional, and Championship games. As a season ticket holder you should ONLY pay for the Divisional and Championship events. These events are 08DIVIS, 08CHAMP, 08DPK, 08CPK. Full payment is due on or before December 15, 2008 in order to secure your playoff ticket request. If you are paying by check your playoff payment should include 2 games, the divisional game and the championship game, and any associated parking. If you are paying by credit card the invoiced amount is correct. If the first game is a wildcard game instead of a divisional game, a credit will be issued to your season ticket account for the difference.

"If the first game is a wildcard game instead of a divisional game....." I understand there's a business aspect here, and it's better to collect more money (for a more expensive divisional game, I guess) than less (for the first round wildcard game), and better to pay people out than to go collecting again...but I'm not entirely comfortable with this.

I'm secretly hoping the Jets host two playoff games. Every time I write about it, though, I couch it with the words like, "If the Jets do what they are supposed to do the rest of the way, and win the games they should....." Because the Jets don't always do what they're supposed to do.

I think mostly of 1993, when at halftime of a Jets-Dolphins game we were at I had the stupid idea of saying to my dad, "How do we get Super Bowl tickets? This is awesome!" I brought it up because the Jets were leading 24-6, in a game there was no way they were going to lose that would put them alone in first place in the division. Then Dan Marino brought the Dolphins back, culminating with the fake spike that ruined the Jets season. They went from 6-4 to 6-10.

All I'm saying is that these things happen to the Jets. And don't think someone like devious Bill Belichick hasn't gone and gotten a copy of this letter and secretly mailed it out to the Jets' remaining opponents, especially the Bills and Dolphins.

I hope, hope, hope I'll be sitting at a divisional playoff game at the Meadowlands in January, and dare I say it, an AFC Championship Game...but I'm not going to talk about it. I hope the Jets' business office doesn't say much about it anymore either.