As reported today on WDFN, the Pistons have sold an additional 100 season ticket packages since making the AI deal. I think they have also taken orders for at least 1000 Iverson jerseys.

What will happen to those ticket plan purchasers if Iverson is one and done with the Pistons?

If they make it to the NBA Finals A.I won't be one and done with the Pistons. If he is one and done all those new ticket holders will be chanting "LeBron in '10" all day

AI getting the POSITIVE publicity we need.

I thought we were in a recession? I guess some people still have money to burn. Why buy an Iverson jersey when you don't know he will stay a Piston and secondly if he does play here next season he will be wearing number #3. It makes no sense to me. Maybe I am just cheap or don't got it like that to blow $80 bucks on a jersey that may be useless after June.

He's a future hall of famer is one main reason.

I see people wear Lakers Carmelo Jersey or other crazy custom jersey and I just laugh because I don't ever see it happening. At least people WILL know Pistons at one time had Allen Iverson.

Winless, I'd say an AI Pistons jersey with #1 on it is definetely a catch. Just think about lucky guys who a Sean Elliot Pistons jersey, a Rasheed Wallace Atlanta Hawks jersey (ok, that may have never gotten on sold) or a Michael Jersey #45 jersey. These are going to turn out into classics on the long road.

Winless, you are a man of my own financial sensibilities.

But hey, let's not kid ourselves. Part of the reason for bringing in AI was to stimulate seat and ticket sales.

Technically, we aren't officially in a recession yet. We may be, but will have to wait for this quarter's GDP data to verify it.

Until then, we're all free to buy as many jerseys as we want!

The NBER goes back and revises the data. It is a popular myth that a recession is defined as two periods of GDP shrinkage. That was changed a long time ago.

The NBER’s Recession Dating Procedure

FAQ Item #1

'For the past three recessions, the NBER decision has approximately conformed with the definition involving two consecutive quarters of decline. However the 2001 recession did not involve two consecutive quarters of decline, it was preceded by two quarters of alternating decline and weak growth. '

That's why I'm just using the "rule of thumb" of 2 consec Q's. If we get alternators like '01, I'll recognize that too.

It's like hurricanes. Without the wind speed definition, we could debate a big storm all day. "A hurricane is a really big storm that knocks down trees and stuff and also rains." That would be useless.

__________________
You can never have perfect introspection: because if you could, then you could determine what you were going to do ten seconds from now, and then do something else.