Thanks, TWC

Thanks to a mysterious Time Warner Cable outage, I was completely out of commission all day yesterday. No internets, no cable. Nothing. It felt like 1979 all over again.

Anyway, I was unable to watch the end of that wacky MNF game between the Eagles and Cowboys. I was unable to check how much of a dent Michael Westbrook put into my big deficit. Most importantly, I was unable to comment about two three major things yesterday.

Since I'm on my way out the door for work, I have to boil them down to two sentences each.

Rod Brind'Amour underwent surgery to "clean up" the surgery that he had back in February. He isn't expected to miss any time.

The NHL voided Eric Staal's new contract because of the wording of the no trade clause. That situation was resolved and everything is a-okay.

Most importantly..... my season tickets arrived yesterday. I wasn't able to hug the fedex guy like I usually do because I wasn't there.

There's going to be a major change to this blog coming today. More details in a few hours.

Changes coming

Although season tickets won't be mailed out for another two weeks, I've checked the status of mine, and there's going to be a change this season.

Since the second half of the 2002-03 season, I've had mini-season ticket plans with a seat somewhere in section 112. I love it there. I've moved around four times within that section, but I haven't strayed. I've gone to a random game here and there where I sat somewhere else, but section 112 of the RBC Center has been my home away from home. I know a lot of the regulars, and I love the view from there. This year, it's going to be a little different.

At my request for "closer to the ice rather than on the aisle", my ticket rep was certainly able to do that. I'm in the fifth row. However, in order to get that, I had to move all the way over to section 113. It's not very far. Just a few feet, really. Actually, this will put me right behind a guy who lived across the street from me 30 years ago. That makes me feel old to say that.

As usual, the Canes are offering some trade-in dates. Season Ticket Holders can turn in an unused ticket for a ticket to a different game. This year, they're also giving each STHer vouchers for free tickets. With the package that I have, I get two vouchers. There are a couple of games that are blacked out, but for the most part, the only restriction is that they must be redeemed at least two days before the game. This is a nice gesture by the team to mitigate the price hikes.

So I'll have to get used to some new neighbors and a slightly different vantage. I'm up for it. Since I will once again be extremely close to the ice, I may start taking game photos again. I'd like to buy a new camera, but that's a whole nother pot of stew that I don't need to start cooking just yet.

Speaking of change, there will be some changes here at RBH in the coming weeks. You'll know when we get there.

It looks like Tim Gleason will also be undergoing a change. He'll be wearing Bret Hedican's old number. I'll no longer have to hold my breath when I see #6 climbing over the boards. This will be Timmy's third different number in as many seasons with Carolina. I wouldn't plunk down any cash for a Gleason 6 sweater, as he's liable to change again next season.

Another change will certainly come in the way of who wears the As. Eric Staal and Ray Whitney will be wearing them. For the past couple of seasons, Carolina has used three Alternates in rotating fashion. The NHL regulates that a team can have one Captain and up to two Alternates in the lineup, or, if the Captain is out of the lineup they may have three Alternates. Anyway, Glen Wesley has been one of the Alternates forever, and Carolina may name a defenseman to be the third Alternate. Tim Gleason is the only guy who could fit into that role. The other guys are either too new, or too quiet (Wallin) or can't speak English to save his life (Kaberle). Since one of the functions of the Alternate is to speak with the referees, speaking English is pretty crucial.

Season tickets more spendy next season.

The other day, I got an email indicating that I was about to receive a package from the Carolina Hurricanes. Season ticket renewal stuff. What was odd, though, is that it was being shipped via courier. Whichever the hell one of those companies has the yellow truck.

I thought it was weird, and I didn't have time to talk to any of my fellow season ticket holder friends. I was able to gather that that was the way they sent them out to everyone this year, and I assumed that it was just a silly waste of money.

Today, said package arrived. Immediately, I saw why they sent these things via courier instead of USPS. They included a two-disc DVD set highlighting the 10 years the Hurricanes have been here. It looks pretty spiffy, and I haven't watched it yet, but the jacket makes it look like a pretty comprehensive retrospective.

I guess I'm watching these tonight.

The second thing is that, as expected, prices went up. By quite a bit. My 10-game package last year cost me a little over $500. This year, I'll have to pay $720. However, it's not quite that bad. The package is now a 12-game package, and apparently they throw in two vouchers for extra games. So I'll be getting 14 games. Looking at it like that, it's not so bad. Plus, they've thrown in some incentives to keep people on board. At my level, I can get a free Hurricanes tailgating chair or a Hurricanes messenger bag, or a Hurricanes gym bag, or a Hurricanes beach cooler, or a couple of other small gifts.

I'll withhold judgment until I've watched the DVDs, but I'm still a little sore that the Hurricanes didn't produce their own DVD celebrating the Stanley Cup win in 2006.