Thursday morning, January 3, 9:15am. My college friend from New Orleans calls to rub my nose in my inability to get tickets for the National Championship game between Alabama and LSU. It would be easier to arrange a Celebrity Smackdown between Obama and Rosie O’Donnell. (I’d pull for both of them to lose.)

“Everybody’s going to be here, but you’re not,” was his comforting encouragement. “I guess we’ll have to trash your character in your absence,” That’s what guy friends do. We have so much dirt on each other that a few more clumps never hurt.

Ladies would plan a luncheon for you if you missed. Feelings would be expressed.

Thursday night, January 3, 6:10 pm,. With the game 3 days away, I drove home resigning to watch the game on TV. My wife had moved past any chance of going too. We “justified” the consolation prize with comments like “The bathrooms are cleaner! And hey, no parking problems!” It would be fine.

Yet my wife greets me at the door with, “You won’t believe what happened. We have some plans to discuss.”

Usually that type comment would portend an ominous issue, like a tree had visited my living room, or my dog was being featured on “When Good Pets Go Bad”. But her tone was more upbeat, and I must say a little breathless.

“Four tickets came available today because a family in Baltimore can’t make the trip. I called them. She said a travel agency in Alabama has the tickets. I called them.” She was almost panting.

“I got the price, which is half of current rate. He’s holding them until tomorrow morning for us to decide. If we don’t call by 9, he sells them on the open market.” I felt she would slump to the floor like the messenger dude in Hubbard’s “Message to Garcia”.

Soon as I revived her, questions emerged:

Would I need to sell my house to pay for the tickets? Do we get all 4 even though only 3 of us can go? Where would the band set up for the party my high-school daughter was plotting in our absence? These questions haunt parents on a number of levels.

Then I remembered the most important question to ask when faced with any difficult decision: “Would the cops find out?” Wait, no, THAT’S not it. But it’s a question that can be used in sales, marketing, business planning, hiring, marriage, or whether to over-spend on a 3 hour sports spectacle, and that question is here…