The Seattle Seahawks have sold out their season tickets this year and for the first time. It's a great sign that beyond just winning, Seattle has responded to the total product -- team, stadium, and marketing. The stadium's a great place to watch a football game. Probably the best place. The video below captures all the excitement of the Seahawks' victory over the Carolina Panthers for the 2005 NFC Championship. Here's the Seattle P.I. Article and video
Seahawks Notebook: Season-ticket sales top 61,000
Fan base best in Hawks' history
By CLARE FARNSWORTH
SEATTLE P-I REPORTER
KIRKLAND -- The good vibes just keep on coming for the Seahawks.
One day after passing out rings to commemorate the franchise's first conference championship in 2005, the club announced another milestone Thursday directly related to the unprecedented success from last season.
More than 61,000 season tickets have been sold for the 2006 season at Qwest Field, creating the highest season-ticket base in franchise history and guaranteeing that every game this season will be sold out.
The remaining 4,000-5,000 individual game tickets will go on sale July 29.
"We feel great. This has been a long time coming," CEO Tod Leiweke said. "It was a dream -- it was when the stadium was built, it was a dream when Paul Allen acquired the team.
"To announce something like this is really a sign of the organization coming of age, but it's also a sign that our fans are truly some of the best in all of sports and certainly in the NFL," he added.
More than 19,000 new season-ticket packages were sold, a franchise high, and there is a waiting list of 2,000 to purchase season tickets -- a first since the early 1990s.
The Seahawks have come a long way since those games in 2002 and 2003 when the seats behind the visiting team's bench were filled with fans wearing the opposing team's colors.
"We used to draw this kind of crowd to announce we were selling out a game," said Leiweke, who was surrounded by reporters and TV cameras.
"I have a distinct memory of that Steelers game my first year (2003) and seeing all the black and gold," he said. "It was a great disappointment."
That made the sellout announcement a little sweeter.
The team renewed 97 percent of its season tickets, the highest since the late 1980s, and the club level is sold out for the first time since the new stadium opened in 2002.
"One of my goals is always to create a football team that the fans can be proud of," coach Mike Holmgren said after a practice that ended the first week of the team's final minicamp.
That was the case in 2005, when the Seahawks went 8-0 at home in the regular season and added two postseason wins at Qwest Field, including a victory over the Carolina Panthers in the NFC Championship game.
"If I talk to opposing coaches and some players that came in, they say it's a very difficult place to play," Holmgren said. "The players respond to a crowd like that. And the fact that those fans now will be Seahawks fans, instead of a good block of tickets going to our visiting team, that's all very special."
Friday, June 09, 2006
Thursday, June 08, 2006
I've got a MacBook (But I'm keeping my iBook G4)!
I purchased an Intel-based Mac out of pure need. For some reason my iBook G4 would not start with the AirPort card in it, but would with the card out of it. (The Apple Store Genius Bar figured this out, not me.)
So I'm in the middle of adjusting this new Mac, while the "old" one is being fixed by Apple. I'm excited to have two computers and will dive into doing some neat things with them.
So I'm in the middle of adjusting this new Mac, while the "old" one is being fixed by Apple. I'm excited to have two computers and will dive into doing some neat things with them.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
New Orleans Saints Trade Johnathan Sullivan To New England for WR/KR Bethel Johnson- The Times-Picayune
The NFL war on the "player with an attitude" continues -- and rightfully so. Meanwhile the Pats trade a fast kick returner that can hurt a opponent -- just ask the Colts.
Saints done with Sullivan
2003 first-round pick is traded to Patriots
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
By Mike Triplett
Staff writer - The Times-Picayune
The Saints traded their underachieving 2003 first-round draft pick to the New England Patriots on Monday in exchange for receiver/kick returner Bethel Johnson.
Saints officials declined to comment Monday, as the deal is pending league approval, and Sullivan could not be reached for comment.
Sullivan and Johnson, a second-round pick, have been disappointments since being drafted in 2003. Sullivan, 25, likely will be remembered in New Orleans as one of the Saints' biggest draft busts.
The Saints traded up to acquire Sullivan with the No. 6 overall pick in 2003. They sent the 17th and 18th picks, along with their second-round pick, to Arizona in exchange for the Cardinals' first-, second- and fourth-round picks.
Sullivan, who is listed at 6 feet 3, 315 pounds, left Georgia after his junior season and was disappointing in his first two seasons with the Saints, struggling to keep his weight down and often being criticized for his lack of desire and effort.
Last season, Sullivan finally showed some glimpses of his potential, playing in 15 games and making a career-high 42 tackles.
But Sullivan failed to show enough evidence to the Saints' new coaching staff that he had turned things around.
His attendance in the Saints' offseason workout program was sparse and his conditioning was poor, as evidenced by fatigue problems during last weekend's minicamp.
Sullivan provided some optimism last weekend, saying he weighed 328 pounds -- an improvement over the days when he weighed 350 to 355 pounds. He also said when he wasn't in New Orleans this summer, he was working out at home in Georgia, where he was moving into a new house.
Still, the Saints have demanded change under first-year coach Sean Payton, cutting ties with several veterans and seeking players with high character, desire and work ethic.
Sullivan still will cost more than $5 million against the Saints' salary cap during the next two seasons, stemming from his original signing bonus. But they will be relieved of his scheduled 2006 salary of $689,083.
Johnson, 27, is due $478,000 this year and $546,000 next year in the final two years of his original contract.
The 5-foot-11, 200-pounder is regarded as one of the NFL's fastest players, but he was used sparingly as a receiver in New England, where most of his value came as a kickoff returner.
Johnson caught 30 passes in three years for 450 yards and four touchdowns. He returned 102 kickoffs for a 25.1-yard average and two touchdowns, and he returned six punts for 21 yards.
With the Saints, Johnson will compete with a crowded group of young receivers for the third-, fourth- and fifth-receiver roles. He could also complement or compete with veteran Michael Lewis as the primary return man.
Johnson's character and work ethic were never issues in New England, but health and toughness were question marks. He missed last year's training camp and much of September with foot and thigh injuries.
Johnson had a series of surgeries on his spleen while at Texas A&M, but the condition has not been an issue in the NFL.
Last month, Johnson expressed frustration with his inability to earn more playing time, telling the Boston Globe that he has been "totally disappointed."
"It's hard for me to sit here and watch. I hate it. I hate it with a passion," Johnson told the newspaper. "I'm doing everything I have to do every single year to make it happen. But it's not up to me. I've asked the question for the last three years, really. Catch the ball better -- I stay and catch the ball. Run more routes -- I run more routes. Something's not there."
Johnson and Sullivan now will have an opportunity to turn things around.
Saints done with Sullivan
2003 first-round pick is traded to Patriots
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
By Mike Triplett
Staff writer - The Times-Picayune
The Saints traded their underachieving 2003 first-round draft pick to the New England Patriots on Monday in exchange for receiver/kick returner Bethel Johnson.
Saints officials declined to comment Monday, as the deal is pending league approval, and Sullivan could not be reached for comment.
Sullivan and Johnson, a second-round pick, have been disappointments since being drafted in 2003. Sullivan, 25, likely will be remembered in New Orleans as one of the Saints' biggest draft busts.
The Saints traded up to acquire Sullivan with the No. 6 overall pick in 2003. They sent the 17th and 18th picks, along with their second-round pick, to Arizona in exchange for the Cardinals' first-, second- and fourth-round picks.
Sullivan, who is listed at 6 feet 3, 315 pounds, left Georgia after his junior season and was disappointing in his first two seasons with the Saints, struggling to keep his weight down and often being criticized for his lack of desire and effort.
Last season, Sullivan finally showed some glimpses of his potential, playing in 15 games and making a career-high 42 tackles.
But Sullivan failed to show enough evidence to the Saints' new coaching staff that he had turned things around.
His attendance in the Saints' offseason workout program was sparse and his conditioning was poor, as evidenced by fatigue problems during last weekend's minicamp.
Sullivan provided some optimism last weekend, saying he weighed 328 pounds -- an improvement over the days when he weighed 350 to 355 pounds. He also said when he wasn't in New Orleans this summer, he was working out at home in Georgia, where he was moving into a new house.
Still, the Saints have demanded change under first-year coach Sean Payton, cutting ties with several veterans and seeking players with high character, desire and work ethic.
Sullivan still will cost more than $5 million against the Saints' salary cap during the next two seasons, stemming from his original signing bonus. But they will be relieved of his scheduled 2006 salary of $689,083.
Johnson, 27, is due $478,000 this year and $546,000 next year in the final two years of his original contract.
The 5-foot-11, 200-pounder is regarded as one of the NFL's fastest players, but he was used sparingly as a receiver in New England, where most of his value came as a kickoff returner.
Johnson caught 30 passes in three years for 450 yards and four touchdowns. He returned 102 kickoffs for a 25.1-yard average and two touchdowns, and he returned six punts for 21 yards.
With the Saints, Johnson will compete with a crowded group of young receivers for the third-, fourth- and fifth-receiver roles. He could also complement or compete with veteran Michael Lewis as the primary return man.
Johnson's character and work ethic were never issues in New England, but health and toughness were question marks. He missed last year's training camp and much of September with foot and thigh injuries.
Johnson had a series of surgeries on his spleen while at Texas A&M, but the condition has not been an issue in the NFL.
Last month, Johnson expressed frustration with his inability to earn more playing time, telling the Boston Globe that he has been "totally disappointed."
"It's hard for me to sit here and watch. I hate it. I hate it with a passion," Johnson told the newspaper. "I'm doing everything I have to do every single year to make it happen. But it's not up to me. I've asked the question for the last three years, really. Catch the ball better -- I stay and catch the ball. Run more routes -- I run more routes. Something's not there."
Johnson and Sullivan now will have an opportunity to turn things around.
Jamie Fox Video On LL Cool J and J-Lo - In Oakland He Talks About His Run-In WIth LL Cool J and Telling J-Lo She Couldn't Sing
The Academy Award-winning star of the motion picture "Ray" Jamie Foxx gave a hilarious performance to a sold-out crowd at the Paramount Theater. In this video he talks about how rapper LL Cool J treated him on the set of Oliver Stone's movie "Any Given Sunday" -- leading to a series of altercations -- and that Jennifer Lopez (aka J-Lo) was upset with Foxx because he reportedly said she couldn't sing. A claim he didn't deny in this video.
Here's Jamie Foxx:
Here's Jamie Foxx:
American Idol Tour Video - Kelly Clarkson, Katharine McPhee, and Others Sing
Just in time for the American Idol Tour, this video is a compliation of American Idol artists featuring Kelly Clarkson. You can get tickets to The American Idols Tour with a click here.
Here's the video:
Here's the video:
Billy Preston Passed Away - Video With George Harrison
Billy Preston -- known for his massive hit "Nothin From Nothin Leaves Nothin" -- passed away today at the age of 59. I remember him most for that song, and was totally unaware of his legal problems as reported by CNN. I prefer to remember his music. Here's a video of a concert he recently performed with George Harrison, and both formerly of The Beatles.
Monday, June 05, 2006
Nancy Nadel Video - Oakland Mayoral Candidate Nancy Nadel Talks About Keeping The A"s In Oakland
At the first "Choose or Loose" gathering at Uptown in downtown Oakland, Oakland Councilmember Nancy Nadel explains how she feels about keeping the Oakland A's in Oakland. (Video by Robert Limon)
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