Hungry puppy almost makes a meal out of O's playoff tickets

Like many Orioles fans, Karl Breslaw had today's date circled on his calendar. He was awaiting the delivery of his postseason tickets, coveted ducats that would allow him to view his beloved Birds in the American League Division Series, maybe the American League Championship Series and, hopefully, their first World Series since 1983.

There's only one problem: Breslaw briefly ignored the sound of the package being tossed onto his porch by a FedEx driver. And there were almost disastrous consequences.

Remember that old elementary school refrain about the dog eating your homework? The excuse never carried much weight with skeptical teachers. Imagine the disbelief that might have occurred if Breslaw, a route salesman from Catonsville, had to call the Orioles to tell them his 80-lb. Bernese Mountain Dog had scarfed down his postseason tickets for lunch.

But that's exactly what almost happened.

"I was lounging on the couch waiting for 2 p.m. so I could go online to try and buy additional tickets," explained Breslaw, an Orioles season plan holder. "It's a beauitful day, so I closed the gate and left the dogs out on the porch."

Fezzik, the hungry 7-month-old puppy named for the character from "The Princess Bride," and Montana, a 14-year-old Lab mix, were enjoying the last day of summer when the FedEx driver tossed the ticket envelope on the porch. Only about five minutes had passed when Breslaw realized his eagerly anticipated delivery had come, but some damage had already been done.

Rut-roh!

"When I went out, Fezzik was chewing on a piece of one of the tickets," he said. "He had ripped the envelope in half and was chewing on a piece. I reached down and grabbed it and rescued the tickets. Disaster averted."

Montana had wisely chosen to ignore the package. Maybe she'll get some treats later as a reward.

There are still telltale chewed portions of the corners of upper tickets on the perforated cards - those for entrance to the World Series games that would be played in Baltimore - but the seat numbers and barcodes were undamaged. Almost an hour later, Breslaw can joke about the flakes of postseason tickets that still litter his porch.

As the owner of dogs, he's used to the fact that canines chew when they get bored. He's used to shoes, furniture, even the hat that Fezzik recently tried to scarf down and then delivered to him like some sort of prize.

Breslaw could do little but chuckle and the events that unfolded, and hope he gets to attend his first World Series games in Baltimore since 1983, when the Orioles beat the Phillies in the Fall Classic. He worked for the Memorial Stadium concessionaire back then and attended all of the postseason games. In 1996 and 1997, he went to playoff games at Camden Yards.

"It's been a long time," Breslaw said. "I've been waiting for tickets like everybody else. I knew they were coming today. Luckily, I rescued them."