Laura Vozzella’s Sunday column in the Sun (the same one that mentioned there being no American flag at last week’s debate) has this little item:

First Mariner Arena promotes a preacher’s appearance – how else? – with a fake traffic alert to the media. “Joel Osteen Traffic Warning,” the news release was titled. The televangelist appears Oct. 26. Let’s hope he’s more credible than the arena press office.

Vozzella may very well be correct, but then again she could be very wrong. The fact that the “Traffic Warning” was put out this far in advance does seem to be on the side of it possibly being a stunt. However, even though I’m not a huge Joel Osteen fan, even I knew that there probably really will be traffic problems whatever day Osteen is in town. I’ve seen the news coverage, the television reports and interviews, the mainstream news magazine covers he’s been on, etc.

I have heard traffic alerts on the radio before about events at the arena that probably would be missed if they didn’t issue a warning about them either. Zig Ziglar’s motivational speaker series with some really big names comes to mind – traffic was horrible getting to downtown that day.

Looking further into the matter, I discovered that the event is called An Evening with Joel Osteen. It’s on Friday October 26 and the times are 1:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Ticket prices are $11 and $8.

Joel Osteen is the pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. When the city was selling the Compaq Center, the former home of the Houston Rockets, Lakewood Church purchased the arena and uses it as their church building. The building seats 16,000 for church services and they reportedly have 52,000 people attending all services (including Spanish-language ones) on a single weekend.

I’m predicting that when you throw in the usual Friday afternoon and evening traffic in for downtown Baltimore that there will be traffic problems related to Joel Osteen’s appearance at First Mariner Arena. The “traffic warning” press release from the arena might be a publicity stunt, but, with the facts presented above, it could very well be a legitimate warning and Vozzella is just ignorant of the actual impact that an appearance by Osteen could have on traffic.

UPDATE: Vozzella’s Wednesday column contains the following blurb:

The folks at 1st Mariner Arena weren’t amused by my suggestion that a traffic alert issued last week for an Oct. 26 event was really just a way of promoting the event. The arena always gives the media and city officials a lot of notice, said Jamie Curtis, director of marketing and PR. “A traffic alert is not for hype.”