Dick Move, Santa Clara County

I'm not sure how Santa Clara County can get away with pulling $30 million earmarked for the new stadium off the table, but they sure as hell are going to try.

I get that the money could be better spent on teachers (which, in a perfect world, may happen, but I'm very pessimistic that teachers will see much of this money, as usual). Building facilities to support billionaires and big business shouldn't ever be a top priority for public funding.

What pisses me off is this quote from county tax collector George Putris: "Let’s be real: That stadium is going to get built whether or not you get this $30 million." Dick move, George.

Ummm, okay. So that's like me saying "let's be real - Safeway is going to continue to make money whether or not I pay for my groceries." I'd be five steps out the door with my unpaid food before the store manager would call the cops. Yet somehow, local government thinks they can use this logic to take back $30 million dollars after the stadium construction is already well underway, knowing the 49ers can't do anything about it (except hire lawyers, which they will certainly do).

Here's what I can't understand - without getting into specifics, I pay a SHITLOAD of property taxes to Putris' office in Santa Clara County. And there are probably a half-million or so other homeowners doing the same. Plus, there are hundreds (if not thousands) of new homes still being built around here that will be appraised for nearly a million bucks (or more) each. All will generate an endless source of revenue for a county that apparently can't get its shit together to keep the streets evenly paved.

So where's the money going? And how could county leaders fail to recognize this potential shortage of funds when they originally pledged this money not very long ago? Honor your commitments or don't make them at all.

In the grand scheme of things, the $30 million is just a drop in the barrel for the Yorks and NFL. The stadium will be built and (maybe) this money will be used to make improvements in the county. I just hate it when some dickhead public servant that I write several checks to every year decides to push his weight and make his own rules while the rest of us have to abide by those same rules he's breaking.

R.C. Owens, RIP

Man, I feel like I've already published too many of these RIP posts during the brief history of this blog...

Former Niner receiver R.C. Owens passed away yesterday at the age of 78. Of course, everybody knew him by his nickname, "Alley Oop," thanks to the passes that he would haul in from Y.A. Tittle on the play of the same name.

He was a fixture on the sidelines while he worked for the team during the their Super Bowl heyday in the 80s - you can see him celebrating with the players and coaches on the TV broadcast following Dwight Clark's catch in the '81 NFC Championship game.

I'm too young to remember Owens as a player, but he was always happy to greet fans with a smile and represent the team at various functions during his tenure as a community ambassador.

My favorite memory of R.C. was when he was identified on the sidelines during a Monday Night Football broadcast by Frank Gifford. At the time, R.C. had put on a few pounds and was sporting a good-sized boiler, leading Don Meredith to quip "looks like the Oop's gone out of his Alley." That always cracked me up, for some reason.

Rest in peace, R.C. - and thanks for the memories.

Two Grand? It Coulda Been Worse

Funny that this picture was taken at night, since there
won't be any Monday or Thursday night games hosted
by the Niners due to parking restrictions with the lots
shared by local Santa Clara businesses.

So the big news last week was that the 49ers announced their season ticket prices for the new stadium. And for all of the grumbling, bitching and moaning about the cost, I was actually surprised that $2,000 will get you an upper-deck sideline PSL in the new building.

Granted, my old seats would have cost me at least 10x as much, but for a couple grand, I could see a guy in my position buying in, especially at 95 bucks per seat per game (which is about 65 bucks less than what I paid per game during my final season as a ticketholder).

Of course, after a season of watching the Niners (and the rest of the NFL schedule) at home on a 60" HDTV with a fridge full of beverages and snacks while cherry-picking a couple of games per year to attend, it would be a very hard sell to get me back in the game. Even with the stadium being a 20 dollar cab ride away, which would allow us to conveniently tailgate at home until a half hour or so before kickoff, it would still be difficult to convince me to leave the comfort of my own couch while watching the conclusions to the early games.

I think that's going to be the problem the league faces as the TV gameday experience becomes more and more attractive than actually attending the event in person. For several decades, the NFL built itself as the top league in North American sports because it is such a great televised product. The main reason the league has succeeded over the past 50+ years will eventually result in less paying customers through the turnstiles.

Will this hurt the league? Probably not - the majority of their revenue is from the ridiculous television contracts they have negotiated with the various broadcast and cable networks. But at some point, I figure it has to affect the stadium experience (and demand) on gameday. For better or worse, I'm sure Robot Goodell will find a way to draw maximum profits out of that, too.