Wow -- good stuff, John. As a mutual friend keeps telling me, "News is what people are talking about," and I can't count the number of times I've been asked about Owens in the last three weeks. And this is in a small town in northern Pennsylvania.
I was at the Bonnies game when I got the text about the presser the day he signed, and when I got home, the "most users ever" stat was the first thing I looked at. (For the record, the previous high of 1,450 was from the day Donahoe left/was pushed out the door.) Just imagine what that number would have been if the news hadn't hit on a Saturday afternoon.
Before the Owens era began, I was actually thinking about trying to get credentials for a day or two at SJF -- nothing special, maybe snag a couple of interviews with the rookies while staying out of the beat guys' way. Now? Fat chance. The place is going to be a zoo, with all the "national" guys parachuting in. Oh yeah, and the VH1 camera crew ...
(Note: yes, unfortunately, the archives do only go back to 2004, and a hard drive crash wiped out the entire 2007 season. And while I do help run the place, SDS is the head honcho here ...)
Add: And I think Joe Mesi copyrighted "third franchise," didn't he?