Irregular season

I went to the Cavaliers' home opener on Thursday night, and noticed that on my ticket stub, it says very clearly: "Game 4." The ticket that I have to today's Browns game, their 4th home contest of the season, reads "Game 6."

Give me a break. Can we please not play this charade where we act like preseason games have any significance? I almost expect this from the NFL, who charges full price for preseason games as a sort of tax on season-ticket holders (sports' most aggressive bite-the-hand-that-feeds-you maneuver). As unwatchable as their exhibition games generally are, the league at least has some economic motive for pretending that they offer some legitimate entertainment value. This doesn't excuse the practice, it simply explains it.

But et tu, NBA? The Cavs played "home" preseason games in Pittsburgh and Columbus - shall we add those games to the season's running tally as well? Why not add practices, photo shoots, and Scream Team auditions as well? I saw Nine Inch Nails in the Q - let's add that as well! I'm arguing this point ad absurdum, but the point is this: a NIN or even New Kids on the Block concert at the Q is no more or less a regular-season NBA game than a preseason NBA game is. That win over Charlotte the other night was Game #1, and today's Browns-Ravens contest is Game #4.

As an aside, I don't have my ticket from this year's Tribe opener, but I'm guessing it's marked as Game #1, since baseball plays its exhibition slate down south. Free pass.

The most annoying part to me, other than the leagues' classic corporate stubbornness and hubris, is the incongruity of having a home opener listed as "Game #N", where N>1. A third-grader could tell you that's inherently wrong. Stop doing this, professional sports leagues.