Autumn's In the Air?!?

Sure, it's Memorial Day weekend, and it's 90 degrees out. But it's not too early to start thinking about this fall, specifically Patriots football. A limited number of single-game and standing-room tickets are on sale today. There aren't going to be many out there, so act quickly. Which games might you actually have a chance at getting to go to?

Preseason (2) vs. Tennessee, NY Giants. Preseason football, combining the high prices and long parking-lot waits of the regular season with the name recognition of a Minnesota-Purdue Big 10 matchup. Probably your best bet at getting into the stadium.

Regular Season: You know the Jets game and the Chargers game will be the big tickets this year. So don't count on that. There's also Romeo Crennel's return to Foxboro as coach of the Browns; it might be a little touching, but the big draw will be Brady Quinn. Pencil this in as a "maybe".

The NFC opponents this year are Washington and Philadelphia. The Redskins have that "natural rival" thing going (at least according to baseball standards), since they were the Boston Redskins back in the FDR Administation. So you'll have to scramble for tickets to that, before they're all bought up by misty-eyed nonogenarians.

The three games in December feature the Jets, who we've covered, along with Pittsburgh and Miami. The Steelers have lost a little of their cachet since Bill Cowher and his iron jaw left town. But it's always fun when the NFL sends the Dolphins up to Foxboro in December to freeze their pampered little Florida fannies off for an afternoon. And maybe we'll get another Dan Shaughnessy recap of the Snowplow Game, a holiday tradition right up there with "Deck the Halls". Those tickets might go quick, too, since people have short memories and may not remember how cold winter can be.

So that leaves Buffalo on September 23rd. Or, if you're just looking to get into Gillette, don't forget the Revolution this Saturday. It'll be cheaper, you may be out of the parking lot before 2AM, and you get a free Ireland-Bolivia game too.