I begin with the best news of all: I'm going to the Winter Classic! A Blackhawks "fan" decided he didn't want to sit out in the cold, put his two tickets up for sale, and I bought them.

How does this affect you, loyal reader? Well, since I'm sure there are others who might be interested in some memorabilia from the Winter Classic, I'm going to have a little contest. The winner gets $25 worth of stuff from the Winter Classic. You tell me roughly what you want, and I'll get it for you and ship it back! Want a t-shirt, or a program, or whatever up to $25? Name it, and it's yours.

It's a one-question contest: I spent $1,000 on a pair of tickets. Where am I sitting? And when I ask that question, I'm looking for an aisle and row number.

Some information to help you

1. Here's the seating map (opens in a new window) for the Winter Classic. Note the regular ticket prices listed below the chart. If you have difficulty reading the aisle numbers, here's the Cubs Wrigley Field seating map (opens in a new window).

2. For those who have not been to Wrigley Field: the single- and double-digit aisles (Club Box) are about 10 to 15 rows, the 100s (Field Box) are also about 10 to 15 rows, the 200s (Terrace Box and Terrace Reserved) are about 25 to 35 rows, the 300s (Bleachers) range from 10 rows in the shallow ends to 20 to 25 in center field, the 400s (Upper Deck Box) are about 8 to 12 rows, and the 500s (Upper Deck Reserved) are about 10 to 15 rows.

3. I purchased these tickets on December 4 from the original season ticket holder himself.

4. The price I paid did not include shipping/handling/etc.

Who wins

The person who selects the lowest "difference" will be the winner. To determine the "difference," I'll use this formula:

• Break the aisle number into two numbers: the hundreds digit, and the remaining two digits (so 421 becomes 4 and 21).
• For the hundreds digit, subtract your guess from the actual section, then multiply by 3.
• For the remaining two digits, subtract your guess from the actual section.
• Add those two numbers together to get the "difference." Lowest score wins.
  
• If there's a tie, the closest to the row number wins.
• If there's still a tie, the earlier entry (as determined by the timestamp on my e-mail) wins.

So if you enter 125, and the correct aisle is 231, the difference would be ((2-1)*3)+(31-25)=9

How to enter

E-mail me at hassgocubs at gmail dot com with the subject line "Winter Classic Contest." Put your name, your e-mail address, the aisle and row numbers in the body. Send it to me before 11:59:59 p.m. ET on Sunday, December 28.

One entry per person. The decision of the judge (me) is final. Good luck.