Commentary : A True-Blue Fan : Football May Be the No. 2 Sport, But It Registers High on Excitement Scale

I’m a sports fan. You know, The Big Three . . . baseball, football and basketball. I watch them all. Maybe a little tennis, golf and even some hockey.

I’m really excited about the Super Bowl being here. To me, it’s the second-greatest event in sports. You know what I think is the greatest. I don’t have to tell you.

But the Super Bowl might be bigger than the World Series in one way. It all happens on one day. One Sunday. Today.

Of course, I didn’t realize the hassles. The airport. The traffic. I go down to our locker room and there are TV guys down there. I won’t even be able to get near our clubhouse today. Heck, I won’t even be able to get near our stadium .

I guess that’s probably an example of about the only thing I don’t like about it. It’s not like baseball or basketball, where a home team is involved in the playoffs and World Series and NBA finals.

I remember the 1984 National League Championship Series. For us, it was unbelievable. Coming back from Chicago, we were two games down, and I didn’t think the town would be very excited. We pulled into the stadium parking lot and saw all these cars and we couldn’t figure out what was going on.

Finally, we realized all those people--3,000 or 4,000--were there for us. They surprised us. They gave us the inspiration to come back. It got more exciting after Game 3 and then more exciting after Steve Garvey hit that home run in Game 4. Then it was absolutely crazy after we won Game 5 and went to the World Series.

You can only get that kind of excitement when there’s a home team involved.

If the Chargers were in it, this town would be going nuts. It would be outstanding if they had made it . . . a bunch of firsts. You know, their first Super Bowl and our first Super Bowl at the same time. I thought they might make it, at least to the playoffs. I was really rooting for them. Like I say, I’m a fan. But we fell a little short this year.

But I guess it doesn’t make any difference who’s here. People will still root for either Washington or Denver.

One thing I just wish is that more people from town could go see the game without paying inflated prices. The average fan won’t get a chance to go see a Super Bowl very often.

I was sitting in the end zone behind the third base dugout one morning a few days ago thinking what a great seat it would be. I could picture myself sitting there for the Super Bowl.

I have made some inquiries about getting seats, but not with much luck. I was in the Garvey Marketing Group offices one day when some guy called offering to sell end zone seats. He wanted $1,700 a seat. I’m talking behind the goal posts. I didn’t want to sit there for that steep a price, and that was about the lowest price I got. Can you imagine spending $6,800 to take my family of four to a football game?

It hardly seems fair that seats that go for $100 face value get sold for such inflated prices. I wish there was some way they could put a limit on it, but I guess that isn’t the way it works in business. I guess I can live with it, but I’d sure like to be the first guy in line to buy tickets at the regular prices.

As it is, my family and I will be right in front of the television set. Most of us will be right in front of our television sets.

That’s not too bad a place to be. I remember traffic and parking were a mess at the playoffs and World Series, and this will probably be worse. That part isn’t a whole lot of fun.

Even though I won’t be there, it has still been fun. The Super Bowl is all anyone’s talking about. The game might not turn out to be the greatest, but it’s in our city. Plus, look at the revenue all these people are bringing to our town.

We haven’t had this kind of excitement around here since 1984.

I remember thinking back then that we’d be back in the playoffs in the next year or two. I want to do it again. I want to feel that kind of excitement.

We’ll do it again, but the next best thing right now is the Super Bowl. We’ll ride that wave of excitement.

I just wish the Chargers were in it.

But that’s the fan in me coming out.