Yesterday afternoon, we received this e-mail from Life Time Fitness: Dear Michael,

Thanks for being a loyal Life Time member. It always is our goal to provide you with unparalleled experiences as you pursue a healthy and active way of life.

In recognition of your tenure with us, we want to provide you with the opportunity for a different kind of experience – completely FREE.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are getting ready to kick off the new season and we invite you to take in the action – courtesy of Life Time.

Simply stop by the Member Services desk at the club. On a first-come, first-served basis, you can request a pair or up to four tickets (subject to the number of people on your membership) for the Friday, November 2 game against the Sacramento Kings.

We thought: Really? Free tickets to the opener? There must be some kind of catch.

Later in the evening, around 9 p.m., we were at the Life Time we normally use. We were casually talking about the promotion with the RandBall Better Half as we approached the check-in desk. Suddenly, the guy at the desk said, "Are you talking about tickets? They just came in." And then he went over to a drawer, reached in, and pulled out a free pair.

Now, they're not the greatest seats -- upper deck, in a corner, but at least not super-high up. But it was A) An excellent little surprise. B) A little worrisome that the team in this area that seems to have the most promise is having that much trouble distributing tickets for its opener on a Friday night. Maybe Sacramento just doesn't draw much water in this town? Overall ticket sales, after all, seem to be doing quite well.

The whole thing struck us as a little odd -- not that we minded -- in how easy it was to get free tickets to a major professional sport. When we were young, tickets to a game were revered. A generation later, is that no longer the case? Your thoughts, please, in the comments.