List the things you've done or want to do, aspire to do,
etc.


If you've done them, tell us how you liked it and why.



If you haven't done them but want to/are curious, ask about
them here.



You could even include practical details like how to
get tickets for them and what bars/restaurants to go
to (if you have them).


GO!


----------------------------

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O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

i remember as a kid back in LA

people would get their shoes stolen off their feet and beat up at Raider games

I'd like to experience this same rush as an adult in a place with a higher crime rate

It almost doesn't matter who you go to watch. Of course
the farther along in the tournament, the better, but it
almost doesn't matter.


The thing people forget about MSG is that its a *serious*
ass place to watch basketball. Its not fun and flim-flam
like a lot of other arenas. That's something people aren't
used to. I went to watch a Celtics game last year in Boston
and it was all cutesy and fun and shit and it was sorta
irritating. No lightweight shit at MSG. You watch the game,
very few silly antics.



The city and surrounding cities (and NJ( are loaded with
graduates from all the schools, but tickets usually aren't
that hard to get, especially for the earlier round games.


----------------------------

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O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

you think the SEC has passion? sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeit

Siena is a medieval walled city in Tuscany, with a population of about 50,000. The town is divided into 17 "contrade" which is basically "neighborhoods"

twice each summer, they have a horse race in the town square, with a rider representing 10 of the 17 contrade (the 7 that didn't get to race last time, plus 3 that are selected via a drawing). It's free, but it's general admission, so we had to get there like 4 hours early and stand around in 102 degree heat until it started. There's also a two hour parade before the race, featuring delegations from each neighborhood, all in medieval dress. Trumpets, drums, flutes, flags, all that shit.

They've been doing this race twice a year for over SIX HUNDRED YEARS. Needless to say, it gets intense. The winning neighborhood parties all night long, marching through the streets with drummers and flutes, singing songs and carrying the Palio (flag/banner).

We didn't even have a hotel room, we just partied all night and then took turns sleeping right in the square.

fucking unbelievable. Here's a youtube clip of the race we attended. we're in the throng in the middle of the track somewhere.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9cTrTPbH8s

it was also in the opening scene of the last Bond movie (Quantum of Solace)

I never would have known about this if not for this post.

>you think the SEC has passion? sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeit
>
>Siena is a medieval walled city in Tuscany, with a population
>of about 50,000. The town is divided into 17 "contrade" which
>is basically "neighborhoods"
>
>twice each summer, they have a horse race in the town square,
>with a rider representing 10 of the 17 contrade (the 7 that
>didn't get to race last time, plus 3 that are selected via a
>drawing). It's free, but it's general admission, so we had to
>get there like 4 hours early and stand around in 102 degree
>heat until it started. There's also a two hour parade before
>the race, featuring delegations from each neighborhood, all in
>medieval dress. Trumpets, drums, flutes, flags, all that
>shit.
>
>They've been doing this race twice a year for over SIX HUNDRED
>YEARS. Needless to say, it gets intense. The winning
>neighborhood parties all night long, marching through the
>streets with drummers and flutes, singing songs and carrying
>the Palio (flag/banner).
>
>We didn't even have a hotel room, we just partied all night
>and then took turns sleeping right in the square.
>
>fucking unbelievable. Here's a youtube clip of the race we
>attended. we're in the throng in the middle of the track
>somewhere.
>
>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9cTrTPbH8s
>
>it was also in the opening scene of the last Bond movie
>(Quantum of Solace)


----------------------------

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O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

and wanted to see it.

Independently of that, my wife and I decided to do Italy for our honeymoon. When I realized that the race was going on during the time we were there, I told her I didn't care what else we did on the trip, we were DEFINITELY going.

well worth it, and the only trade off was that since I made her wait for 4-5 hours in the heat for the race, I had to take her to Times Square for new years 2010/11 and stand in the cold.

I want to experience what its like to see the most watched sporting event in the world.

plus, its Brazil...a beautiful country w/a bunch big booty mulatto chicks...add to that, ppl from all over the world gathered in one place. Its a once in a lifetime experience.

>I want to experience what its like to see the most watched
>sporting event in the world.
>
>plus, its Brazil...a beautiful country w/a bunch big booty
>mulatto chicks...add to that, ppl from all over the world
>gathered in one place. Its a once in a lifetime experience.

Too much prostitution and wild shit going on...I'd almost
rather go to a more obscure World Cup and just go to
Brazil on my own to grab ass like you're supposed to.


----------------------------

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O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

Cup keep saying as of right now they're not on schedule and that it might end up being a rush job...and they don't really know if they're equipped, security/law enforcement wise, to keep the crime in check


>>I want to experience what its like to see the most watched
>>sporting event in the world.
>>
>>plus, its Brazil...a beautiful country w/a bunch big booty
>>mulatto chicks...add to that, ppl from all over the world
>>gathered in one place. Its a once in a lifetime experience.
>
>Too much prostitution and wild shit going on...I'd almost
>rather go to a more obscure World Cup and just go to
>Brazil on my own to grab ass like you're supposed to.
>
>
>----------------------------
>
>Young Broadway Star Urgently Needs a Bone Marrow Donor. Is it
>you? http://MatchShannon.com/
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"
>
>
>
>
>"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."
>
>(C)Keith Murray, "

for the past decade and the photographic evidence that comes back from those excursions hurts my soul.

He does speak some Portuguese too which helps but that's mainly been acquired along the way.

I will have him set you up with a trip-to-brasilia starter kit in terms of vital traveling information.

I want to go at some point & will but my trips since moving to Cali usually end up being weddings, holidays with fam, funerals, sporting events, etc.

Once all that's said & done each year taking two to three weeks in South America sorta fades out of the realm of possibilities.

I have a boy that described Brazil this way:


"Everything you've heard, is true."


That's literally all he has to say about it, ever.


Not a single word more.


----------------------------

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O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

>
>I have a boy that described Brazil this way:
>
>
>"Everything you've heard, is true."
>
>
>That's literally all he has to say about it, ever.
>
>
>Not a single word more.
>
>
>----------------------------
>
>Young Broadway Star Urgently Needs a Bone Marrow Donor. Is it
>you? http://MatchShannon.com/
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"
>
>
>
>
>"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."
>
>(C)Keith Murray, "

>Once all that's said & done each year taking two to three
>weeks in South America sorta fades out of the realm of
>possibilities.

skip peru if you do go. was there in 2010 - never seen such a sparse sample of at least average-looking women.

i just gotta work out the logistics. a friend of mine went to school with some brazilians, so if i can work that connect, i am there.

To keep it short.

It is a month long party, that mixes 32 different cultures. It's the most positive, uplifting experience you can have in sports. Oh and the tournament is usually compelling as well. You'll have a blast, you'll meet a ton of people from all over the globe and if you get to see your country play, it's patriotism on steroids. Standing in the stadia, hearing your anthem played is hard to put into words.

and the Brazilian women always show out.

Shit like 'Brooklyn Cyclones' games (minor leagues).

I haven't been, heard they are fun.

Same with D-League games -- anyone been?


----------------------------

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O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

Fort Myers, Florida is the minor-league capital of the world. It wasn't terrible. Maybe it was just cool for me to see some live basketball at that point. But it was definitely not NBA-caliber ball. I can't even remember any players of note. To be honest, having a local college squad is probably more compelling and that's independent of the quality of play.

Ft. Myers also had an Arena League team, a minor league hockey squad and Minnesota Twins & Boston Red Sox spring trainin/minor league squads.

I'm curious if D-League games have that same fun quality
that minor league baseball games do

Baseball is such an individualistic sport by nature that
the teams still seem like TEAMS

I wonder if that's the case with D-League games...or if
niggas is just tryna go for self and don't GAF if they
win/lose

I know summer league basketball with free agents and niggas
who are on the end of the bunch can be fantastic fun...I
was hoping D-League ball was like that

----------------------------

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O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

stadium is hella nice

If you've never been to a minor league game, though, it's worth checking out. plus the scenery is dope.

sidenote - my dad used to play in an over 30 baseball league (not softball), and I went to one of his games in the Cyclones' stadium, and a plane crashed onto the beach just outside the stadium. Craziest shit I've ever seen. Everybody on board was killed.

then, I heard the thud.

the backstory on the victims was depressing as shit. it was a group of kids who were celebrating their HS graduation. One of the girls got airsick, and the pilot took her back to the airport, and the father of another girl took her place in the plane. the fiancee of the pilot lived right across the water and saw the crash, but didn't know he was the pilot until she rushed to the airport to make sure he was not on the plane.

This is one of the team Bill Murray owns. Pigs giving balls to the umpire, ridiculous promotions, and until two years ago the only outdoor baseball in the Twin Cities. Back in the 90's there would be an occasional big name player doing a stint with the team (Daryl Strawberry, JD Drew.)

I've been to a Daytona Breakers game in the Ocean Center. HEAT ROCKS. Syracuse Crunch game at the War Memorial. FANTASTIC.

Also, I highly recommend going to the FU Center (suck it, Wells Fargo!) for a Philadelphia Wings (Lacrosse) game. The fanbase gets HYPED, and though you have to sit through a ton of awful nu metal, the action is ridiculous.

my life would be fulfilled...

courtside at Staples for an NBA playoff or Finals game

NBA All-Star Weekend

Rams in the Super Bowl

Obviously, I'm partial towards the swamp, but I'd bet you'd have just as great a time in Tuscaloosa, Baton Rouge, Starkville, etc.

I was in Knoxville for a game, and it was great (plus the Gators won).

SPEED
PASSION
GRITS

>Obviously, I'm partial towards the swamp, but I'd bet you'd
>have just as great a time in Tuscaloosa, Baton Rouge,
>Starkville, etc.
>
>I was in Knoxville for a game, and it was great (plus the
>Gators won).
>
>SPEED
>PASSION
>GRITS

This is definitely on my list. I'm guessing I'll hit
a Big 10 game before I do an SEC game, just because
I see more of a reason to be in the midwest (on other
business) than deep south, but I like college football
enough to justify a short vacay in SEC country just to
catch a game

----------------------------

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O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

our friend had a pickup, and we put a rectangular kiddie pool in the back, filled it up, and would sit in it, drink beer, and grill for several hours.

As a New Yorker, I never got tired of sitting in the sun in a pool in the middle of November, drinking a beer and having a burger.

When I went back this year, my friends had stepped their game up.

They had SIX of the 10x10 canopies lashed together for shade. DirecTV with two 32" flatscreens showing other games (they have a generator). three coolers filled with various beer. and food galore.

It was an 8 PM game, and we were all there and drinking by 9 AM.

I would recommend that whichever school you decide to visit, you learn some of the cheers beforehand.

Aside from the chomp, one of the big Gator traditions is that between the 3rd and 4th quarter, the whole stadium locks arms, sways back and forth, and sings a song called "We Are The Boys (of old Florida)"

It's truly an epic sight.

1. Get drunk before you come.

2. Wear the dumbest fucking outfit you can possibly muster up.

3. Cram into a West Campus parking lot with a thousand other drunk idiots.

4. Stop by the free soft pretzel truck. Eat a hundred of them.

5. Pour beer on as many people as you possibly can.

6. Go to the game and buy overpriced food.

7. Pass out during the first quarter of the game. Have your friends carry you home or stop by the first aid tent to be taken to the hospital.

I have some wonderful tailgate photos somewhere. From my famous shark hat to my ensemble composed entirely of Wal-Mart girls' High School Musical merchandise... all good times.

And so white. So, so, so very white.

for the more marquee matchups, a lot of the hotels in town fill up within weeks of the date being announced.

football game in a big football town. nah, sorry Eugene -- you don't make the cut.

I'm no Florida fan at all but I respect big-time programs. I went to a mid-major that was lousy while I was there. My girl is a BG grad so we may try to roll up to Gainesville for that game.

it's literally a shelter for bats. it's right next to Lake Alice on campus, and just after sundown, the bats come out. one at a time at first, and then a steady stream of bats for a good 10-15 minutes. I believe it holds over 140,000 bats.

Drunk Marbles and a cave full of bats = bad idea jeans.

My suggestion for tailgating is Broward Beach, which is the grassy area behind Broward Hall.

this past season but plans changed at the last minute, I will definitely be down there for a game this year.

my first time since I moved to the state, and I died laughing inside at all the "GO COCKS" chants.

absolutely fantastic

that you're allowed to drink in the RV while it's on the road, as long as the partition curtain is closed.

We got a keg. For six people (not counting the driver). For an 11 hour drive.

Jeebus.

it's cliche, but it got that way for a reason.

I do remember how close the apartments are that sell extra seating on the roof, but besides that, it always just seemed like a baseball game to me. I enjoy my memories of screwing around at the Single A San Jose stadium more than Wrigley in the end...

I must admit, I'm a Chicagoan ( White Sox fan), so I've been to both Chicago parks ( and Old Comiskey ) a gazillion times.

All this Wrigley Worship is a recent phenomenon. Before the 80's and the whole "Bleacher Bum" thing got national attention, Wrigley was pretty much an old piece o' shit ballpark. Nobody really gave a shit about going to a game at Wrigley. Day OR night. you could walk up and get tickets to just about any game. Then the Yuppies took over Wrigleyville and turned the neighborhood into a tourist trap.

I'm not shittin' on it, but once you get there, you'll be like: "is this IT?"


Lee Elia said it best:

"85% of the world has jobs...the other 15% come here"

It looks more grand on TV than it does in real life. The sightlines are terrible. The food and beer suck, and the bathrooms are worse than gas station bathrooms. And I know it's bad, but it's kind of annoying not to have a modern scoreboard sometimes, especially if you wanna see in-game stats and such.

>And I know it's bad, but it's kind of annoying not to have a modern
>scoreboard sometimes, especially if you wanna see in-game
>stats and such.

Exactly. It means going there isn't about seeing a baseball game and they're comfortable with that. It's about having "the Wrigley Field Experience". I don't think I'd have a problem with that if we hadn't turned "the Wrigley Field Experience" into the Platonic ideal of baseball viewing. It isn't. They don't even have that much to do with each other.

Watching a baseball game is awesome. Wading in ankle deep urine, drinking gallons of Old Style, hitting on trixies, and watching Darwin Barney, starting infielder is something different entirely.

It's a terrible park. Smells bad. Poor views. Inattentive and unpleasant fans. Awful on-field product. And coming and going from the park is a pain too.

Go to US Cellular. Chicago's the best baseball city in the country that doesn't know it's a baseball city, and 35th and Shields is a substantially better place to catch a game.

>It's a terrible park. Smells bad. Poor views. Inattentive and
>unpleasant fans. Awful on-field product. And coming and going
>from the park is a pain too.
>
>Go to US Cellular. Chicago's the best baseball city in the
>country that doesn't know it's a baseball city, and 35th and
>Shields is a substantially better place to catch a game.

Cheaper too

I hear all kinds of weird racial stuff about Wrigley, but
these are friends of mine, and so might be talking about
Wrigley like I post on Okaysports

----------------------------

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O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

>It's a terrible park. Smells bad. Poor views. Inattentive and
>unpleasant fans. Awful on-field product. And coming and going
>from the park is a pain too.

Agreed on ALL counts. and what kinda major professional arena doesn't have a parking lot? It's ridiculous.




>
>Go to US Cellular. Chicago's the best baseball city in the
>country that doesn't know it's a baseball city, and 35th and
>Shields is a substantially better place to catch a game.

A

...everywhere

Me & my crew had more fun at some reggae bar w/n walking distance after it was over

I was out there with my buddy who is a huge Doyers fan (oddly he is from upstate NY) and so we went and saw a whole Cubs-Doyers series. Two day games and a night game. Of course my parents were Chicagoans when they met and my dad lived two blocks from Wrigley.

To me, it's lost its identity as the Cubs have become a huge spender with actual expectations. And it was just an old kind of neat place, without the feel to go with it, meh, it's just another cool baseball experience and an overpriced one at that.

I liked the post-partying better than the games themselves, Chicago has the best people of any major city IMO, very personable, fun, and cuter girls than most.

the Timbers Army section got a little frustrating with the jump to MLS, though, but if you have any doubts about soccer in America, you just need to attend one of those games -- you'll see team gear FLOODING downtown, you won't be able to get a drink at any of the bars right around the stadium, the atmosphere inside is incredible, and crazy/great stuff might happen on any given night.

if and when the USMNT comes to play in Portland ... that's prolly the biggest dream right there.

used to dream of attending a F1 race, but that sport has changed so much I don't know if it would be the same thing I dreamed about when I was younger.

besides that, wanna go to a MLS game in NY, KC, and Philly, but that might take like 10 years to do all that.

>the Timbers Army section got a little frustrating with the
>jump to MLS, though, but if you have any doubts about soccer
>in America, you just need to attend one of those games --
>you'll see team gear FLOODING downtown, you won't be able to
>get a drink at any of the bars right around the stadium, the
>atmosphere inside is incredible, and crazy/great stuff might
>happen on any given night.
>
>if and when the USMNT comes to play in Portland ... that's
>prolly the biggest dream right there.

If I recall...that was Portland, right?

Very interesting. How did Portland become such a soccer
hotbed?

>used to dream of attending a F1 race, but that sport has
>changed so much I don't know if it would be the same thing I
>dreamed about when I was younger.

Yeah, I'm waiting for someone to post F1 or Indy 500
or something like that

>besides that, wanna go to a MLS game in NY, KC, and Philly,
>but that might take like 10 years to do all that.



----------------------------

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O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

>If I recall...that was Portland, right?
>
>Very interesting. How did Portland become such a soccer
>hotbed?

that gameday was amazing, pretty much a once-in-a-lifetime thing, because it was BIG BIG BIG to have the first MLS home game. that was an all day party around the stadium even with the terrible weather. they made a special documentary from that night and gave it to season ticket holders at the end of the season and I got teary eyed when I watched it.

as for why it's so crazy, the most simple explanation is probably in the "Little Beirut" scarves that the Timbers Army sells. it's a quote attributed to George Bush I from when he visited in the '90s about all the protests he faced, and the supporters' section here now wears it (printed in Arabic on the scarf) with pride. it's weird here, people like counter culture, and this community sprang up around the minor league soccer team that's pretty tight knit, ultimately was a major driving force in landing the team here through direct community organizing to help get the city council to approve stadium redesign plans.

but yeah, I've watched the TV, it looks good, but the full breadth of just how crazy it is can't really be seen until you're moving through the stadium and seeing what it's like in person.

and basically got into coaching after his career and tried to develop a Euro-style system of training young players and working with high school and college coaches, and he was a big reason why a lot of pros are from the NW and why soccer is so big there.

dont remember his name though...

he took over the University of Portland team after his playing days in the NASL and it's proven to be a pretty productive American talent factory -- tons, tons, tons of the women's team has UP roots (Hope Solo and the blond chick whose name I forget right now were from UP, I think, along with lots of other), and some American men's notables like Kasey Keller went from UP to Europe in the early '90s with Charles as his coach, current guys like Casey Conor and Heath Pearce went there.

there's another dude, too, Jimmy Conway, I think, that set up essentially a youth academy system, so lots of guys attending games now were coached by these guys growing up, but Clive Charles is the really big one because he was responsible for turning University of Portland into a soccer school. so yeah, there's that, too.

little known trivia that Pele played his last professional game at Civic Stadium aka JELD-WEN field now (where they currently play), so yeah NASL roots are something, too.

edit: Clive Charles was a british black dude with a fat ass afro in the '70s, hence the baller-ism in the mural.

Any tips on getting tickets, gameday activities, etc?

if you're coming as a Seattle fan, holler at the ECS (Emerald City Supporters). they charter buses, put kegs on them, and then drive them down from Seattle. they also get the away seating section with its own entrance and a security line to keep them separated on the concourse (seriously, my friend was at the game with ECS last year and he told me to not even bother coming over and dap him up at half time because security was keeping a tight wall between the fans).

as for tickets, not totally sure. try to get them from the box office, then soccercityusa.com has a message board that might be a decent place to ask if there's spares. it's the only Timbers fan message board that I really know about (aside from the supporters' members only board at timbersarmy.org). there's usually scalpers on the sidewalk before games, too.

use the MAX (light rail) to get to the game, parking isn't worth the hassle. if you are driving for some reason, I can tell you where to park for free and hop the MAX, too (Lloyd Center, lots of fans do it). bars around the stadium ---> Bitter End is the Timbers Army bar, always packed, always the "regulars" there. Cheerful Bullpen is my fav cuz it's got an open patio out back with the nice Clive Charles mural. if you get an actual TA ticket, lines for the TA section start literally hours before kick off (because it's general admission). it's a bit tedious. gates 90m before and the best seats are comopletely taken up by about 60m before.

and if you DO have Sounders anything on? stay away from Bitter End, keep a low profile, and be prepared to have people fuck with you. you should be fine, but I couldn't promise anything like not getting your scarf yanked if you wear it anywhere near the stadium. claims of actual violence are greatly exaggerated.

Good looks on the transportation situation. Not sure whether we're gonna drive up there or rent a car (we're coming from SF) but it sounds like it's hella easy to get around Portland on public transportation.

Do you know when single game tickets are supposed to go on sale? I've been checking the official website regularly but they haven't made any announcements yet.

Also, I'm sure I can find this information on the websites (I read Stumptown Footy), but any other TA tidbits you wanna share or we should know about?

Thanks for the tips man. Now that the Niners are out, I'm hella hyped for first kick already.

and the trains go all over the city -- out to the suburbs, up to the airport, down to the Portland State campus now. and there's a major transport hub around downtown, close to the stadium, so basically if you have access to bus or light rail, you can get to the stadium really easy (and it will be easier than trying to park down there).

I *might* get a pre-sale where I can buy some tickets early as a season ticket holder. I did last year (and I think the Sounders tickets vanished before I could even get Ticketmaster to respond, although I did snag some extra opening day ones). dunno about individual games sales besides that. if you're on twitter, I've seen people ask for tickets on the #RCTID tag and have it work out, but their screen names might be recognizable to others (and good luck with Seattle). Stumptown Footy is nice, @timbersinsider (who I think runs that one?) and @geoffreycarnold (the Oregonian beat writer assigned to the Timbers) are definitely the best sources of info on there. @TimbersFC is really well run, too, even if other sources can have news faster.

but yeah, stadium is really close to the heart of downtown, so you can actually hang out a lot of places and mosey over pretty easy. there's even a bar near the river (Kell's) that has a gametime bus that takes patrons to the stadium, and a bunch of bars around that place, too. you could even go to a brewery like Deschutes or Rogue and be able to walk to the stadium in like 10 minutes. I went to Widmer before a game once last year because you can hop the MAX from there, too. it's cool, it's a really great place to see a soccer game.

>besides that, wanna go to a MLS game in NY, KC, and Philly,
>but that might take like 10 years to do all that.

It's a shame the PATH station for the stadium is out of 1980s Eastern Europe, though.

I was there for a Spurs/Sporting, NYRB/Man City doubleheader. Sat in the 101, from where we gave Joe Hart shit for the full 45 that he was in front of us. The Spurs support was above and to the right, and made a pretty good showing throughout their match. Here's what my vantage point looked like: http://kayceephoto.tumblr.com/post/1107004546

You gotta spring for good seats, but whatever.

went last year. of course it was the only soccer match i'd ever been to so i have nothing to compare it to besides other sports. i'm trying to go to PPL park next. other than that, the rest are a little too far for me right now (Charlotte, NC). i do want to try to hit up a US Open Cup game if an MLS team comes nearby. Galaxy game in Cary sold out way to quick this past year.

We're talking about going to see the Braves, Reds or (most likely) the Rays.

That was my opinion when I saw it back in December

I've been to all these places but never when you really want to be there.

>I've been to all these places but never when you really want
>to be there.

Like, how do you get tickets (probably dumb question)

Is there a dress code

Are there things to do around golf courses

Any rituals other than people talking about how
they love Mitt Romney

Do cats go grab on some ass before the last round

Must I attend with a white woman?

What's the steez?




----------------------------

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O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

Augusta National has an unstated dress code: dress like you're playing. And the tickets are sold via lottery years in advance for the Masters. Brokers or knowing a sponsor are the only way to go. I've been for a practice round, but never the real deal. It's the best place to watch golf because the course is so surreal and picturesque, plus you can get a beer for like $3 and a sandwich for $2. Not at all like it is at other tourneys.


I've been to 1 US Open final round and 2 PGA Championships (1 final round), and tickets were pretty easy to come by. It depends on which course they are at. Each course can set a dress code, but I doubt you want to be out there in jeans anyway.

The lower profile the tournament, the easier the tickets are to come by and the less stiff the environment at the event are. You can always do one of two things:
Camp at one spot on the course and just wait for whatever to happen
or
follow a group.

I always camp; see the best variety of players and situations.

you get a new perspective and appreciation for professional golf when you see it live. But it's usually an all day commitment and can be taxing too.

Might have more questions later.

----------------------------

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O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

She and her husband would rent out their house for a grip every year.

In Tulsa, they live a few blocks from Southern Hills, which has hosted a handful of majors. They rented their home each time and, at a minimum, made at least $8k each time plus there was tons of shit left in the house. At the 01 US Open, I think Azinger rented their home and, aside from paying a shitload of rent, left his full golf bag and all his clothes that he used at the tournament, except for his putter.

atmosphere looks crazy, and the women gotta be ridiculous.

n/m

----------------------------

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O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

With Raymond's, Anthony, Seton Hall Prep, etc

I'm embarrassed to say I've never been


----------------------------

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O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

Lived in NC all these years (one of which was in Chapel Hill) and still haven't been to either matchup.

It was the game where we beat the UNC team that ended up winning the title that year.

I rioted drunkenly for hours. What a glorious, glorious evening.

I was in my last year of grad school, so I got to sit in the student section with the graduating seniors. It was NOT the "wine and cheese" crowd that the Dean Dome had a reputation for having.

That was the first home loss to dook in ages. Carolina went toe-to-toe with dook for a half, and then got blown out in the second.

Later that season, UConn beat dook in the title game, and we UNC students went out to Franklin Street and celebrated... ha!

I wish I had been able to get in the game the year before... which featured this classic missed dunk: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3e0yaSQuej8


- fabulous / 26

www.facebook.com/ebaker26
www.twitter.com/ebaker_26

One was the Bloody Hansbrough game, and the other was the year when we won the title. I probably went to ~20 games, and we never lost when I was in attendance.

shits were televised

I'd love to be in the stands

Posters in High Griffinition.

Don't think-FEEEEEEEEEEEEEL! © Bruce Lee

Its not really a sporting even but it happens every friday the week before the superbowl as something for eagles fans to look forward to since they wont be in the superbowl most likely. It is basically an eating contest. Each eater enters with an entourage that includes for the most part strippers. The sold out crowd is drunk by 8AM. People stay out overnight and tailgate. If you want to build up on some ammo to use against philly fans pretty much the bottom of the barrell is there.

I went the last year that it was free. Got up and started drinking around 5am took the subway down. Was first in a long line for a beer that they started selling at 7 am. Drank a lot. Don't really remember much about the competition. Then afterwords pretty much everyone goes to a strip club. my friends and I and about 2 other people seemed to be the only ones that were depraved enough to go to the gold club located downtown (about two blocks from where I work, glad no co-workers saw me.) The strippers there are not the best in the world for sure.

anyhow it was fun to do once but I will never go again I am sure.

Just for the spectacle of it. Also, if you go to get a dog right after, the competitors' bus is parked right on Surf Ave, so you see them roll by afterward- I swear, Joey Chestnut looked like he was battling the dogs even more 20 minutes after the comp than he did during.

Tickets are cheap. The fights are VERY short so you have
to pay attention because the fights start and end quickly.

I'd read up on some of the fighters beforehand...read the
website prior, the best finalists will all have little pieces
written about them

I saw Pauli Malignaggi and Danny Jacobs in the Golden
Gloves tourney...you are likely to see a good pro or
future world champion so pay attention

The women's fights are also quite good

As an aside, I remember there being lots of pretty women
at the event...its sort of a casual, hang-outty type of
vibe...not stuffy


----------------------------

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O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

he's like 33

All I know is that motherfucker is so ripped running like 12 miles killing his sparring partners

the fight is scheduled to take place in brooklyn feb 7th... it'll be my first boxing match period watched in person

Until I TORE MY FUCKING PECTORAL MUSCLE lifting weights

SMH

Next year I'm in...the Lowell, Mass one probably (there
isn't in in Boston, Lowell is the home of the Golden
Gloves in that area)

>he's like 33
>
>All I know is that motherfucker is so ripped running like 12
>miles killing his sparring partners

DOPE! Good for him

>the fight is scheduled to take place in brooklyn feb 7th...
>it'll be my first boxing match period watched in person

DOPE!!! Good luck to him


----------------------------

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O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

never tore a pec but have down serious damage to both shoulders over time doing weights smh


>Next year I'm in...the Lowell, Mass one probably (there
>isn't in in Boston, Lowell is the home of the Golden
>Gloves in that area)

what weight you fighting at?? And lowell... does that mean there's gonna be all types of Cambodians fighting and shit? lol

>never tore a pec but have down serious damage to both
>shoulders over time doing weights smh

Yeah, I learned my lesson


>what weight you fighting at??

I forget the exact classes....I think there was one
below 208...191 or something, i would probably do that.

And lowell... does that mean
>there's gonna be all types of Cambodians fighting and shit?
>lol

Bwhahaha not in my weight class, no cism-o

I'm guessing all kinds of fat Micky Ward types at
my weight who are in bad shape but can probably punch

being in your 30s fighting against REAL pro prospects who are 17-18 yr old?
sheesh
at that point you're basically just doing it to say you did it
and that's saying alot given the amount of training and determination a lot of those kids are putting in and if you're in your 30s you presumably have a full life/career etc
i'm not even in my 30s yet and i thought i was too old 3 years ago, lol
that and my former stable mate (jesse hart) had my weight class on lock in the open division
dude was only 17 then but he was a grown ass man in the ring. i'm good
and OE is right GG is an underrated event. more ppl should go. it's cheap, u get to see dudes who will potentially become house hold names in the future, etc

>being in your 30s fighting against REAL pro prospects who are
>17-18 yr old?
>sheesh
>at that point you're basically just doing it to say you did
>it

Yeah....this is often more valuable than anything else,
though....unfortunately(or fortunately) it takes you
until your older to understand this

My brain is worth a whole lot of money, I get paid to
be a huge nerd and I won't give up boxing because its
changed my life in a number of ways. I'm indebted to it.

>that and my former stable mate (jesse hart) had my weight
>class on lock in the open division
>dude was only 17 then but he was a grown ass man in the ring.
>i'm good

Hahah "i'm good"

I hear that

The only reason I'm *decent* in the ring is that I'd
rather fight heavier fighters than lighter fighters
because I can't deal with fast hands....most cruisers
and hw in the amateur circuit are big hitters who can't
box for shit, so I can potshot my way in some close wins/
losses (I learned how to box at 14 when I was like 100lbs
and am far from an expert, but don't do dumbass shit like
telegraph punches and overextend)


>and OE is right GG is an underrated event. more ppl should go.
>it's cheap, u get to see dudes who will potentially become
>house hold names in the future, etc

>....most cruisers
>and hw in the amateur circuit are big hitters who can't
>box for shit, so I can potshot my way in some close wins/
>


this is one of the first things i noticed when i first got exposed to amateur boxing.
big dudes by and large can't box and aren't mobile
and i'm not talking klitschko size
i'm talking dude's who are holyfield size lol
that's why i use to think paul koon was going be the next tyson
seeing a dude who has any kind of agility and boxing skill at those weights is kind of rare on the amateur level (sadly)

dumb ripped though.

more 'fit' than a lot of boxers you see on televised fights

obviously that doesn't mean shit but I think his hands are good he trained when he was very young

more or less he's been working out everyday though after work. he posts his workouts and the shits sound pretty crazy.

definitely is something that his boy who does kickboxing put him up to, like "yo you should really do it before it's REALLY REALLY too late"

>dumb ripped though.
>
>more 'fit' than a lot of boxers you see on televised fights
>
>obviously that doesn't mean shit but I think his hands are
>good he trained when he was very young
>
>more or less he's been working out everyday though after work.
> he posts his workouts and the shits sound pretty crazy.
>
>definitely is something that his boy who does kickboxing put
>him up to, like "yo you should really do it before it's REALLY
>REALLY too late"

Like, why am I WARMING UP with 295? Cold off the street?
Pushing it up 20 times? WHYYYY???

UGGGGHHHHHH


----------------------------

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O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

I used to come in throw on 275 and do 3x8 then 225 3x8 on incline and over time that shit popped both my shoulders to where i couldn't lift my arm over my head

I go waaaay lighter now as a result

>Like, why am I WARMING UP with 295? Cold off the street?
>Pushing it up 20 times? WHYYYY???
>
>UGGGGHHHHHH
>

although apparently in february, this year (olympic implications so it's earlier i guess?)

i'll probably be in the house. it's on base at fort carson this year, which is weird, though.

>although apparently in february, this year (olympic
>implications so it's earlier i guess?)
>
>i'll probably be in the house. it's on base at fort carson
>this year, which is weird, though.

That is weird. Yeesh.

----------------------------

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O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

I've already told my bosses (I work for a Japanese company) that if they ever have to send me to Japan for training, to do it during Koshien, because I'd love to see it.

I read about it in this book called You Gotta Have Wa, which was about the history of Japanese baseball, and the struggles of american players who went to Japan (it was published pre-Nomo, I've since learned they published an updated post-Nomo version a few years ago).

http://www.cnngo.com/tokyo/play/koshien-kids-whole-other-ballpark-927586

Koshien: The most emotional sports tournament in the world
Japan's high school baseball tourney is sentimental, sappy and saccharine. Just the way we like it
By Daniel Krieger 19 August, 2011


Although baseball is a team sport, the one-on-one showdown between pitcher and batter resembles the duels found in sumo, kendo and judo.
“It was a beautiful game,” said Hideshi Masa, manager of Osaka’s Tennoji High School baseball team, after losing in the first qualifying round of the summer baseball tournament.

Masa did not say “disappointing” or mention “the ump’s bad calls” or “fumbled fielding” or “lame pitching.” His boys gave it their all. And it was beautiful.

Sure, their hopes of making it to the hallowed Koshien Stadium in Hyogo were dashed at the first hurdle -- for the fifth year in a row -- but ultimately that doesn’t matter, painful though it may be.

There’s more to it. Japan’s high school baseball is not a game for fun only -- it’s a means of instruction.

Masa calls this “the education of the heart,” the point of which is, he says, “to teach students through baseball how to endure whatever misfortune befalls them.”

Considering the fierce competition they face and their losing record, the Tennoji squad has ample opportunity to practice this particular mantra.

Purity of Spirit

For two weeks every August, Japan turns its collective attention away from Nippon Pro Ball to a bigger dog day fixation -- the high school baseball championships, or just “Koshien,” whose final game takes place on August 20 this year.

Nearly 850,000 fans attended the 95th edition last year and, with a TV viewership several times that, its popularity outranks the pro game.


The seniors cry the hardest in defeat, because this is their last chance to get to Koshien.
Even Japanese people who ordinarily have no interest in baseball get caught up in the games, broadcast nationally on several stations.

As Japanese baseball historian Robert Whiting wrote in his classic, “You Gotta Have Wa,” for many Japanese, Koshien is “a celebration of the purity and spirit of Japanese youth.”

The contest could be described as more religious rite of passage than sport, replete with ritual and devotion, culminating in the pilgrimage -- for the lucky few -- to Koshien Stadium, the sport’s greatest cathedral.

But for Masa’s boys, just an hour away by train, the Grand Canyon separating them from that destination is so vast they will never make it across, short of a miracle.

Learning experience

When I got together with Masa-sensei one night to talk baseball, over a few beers and with much boyish excitement, he waxed lyrical about the transformative power of the game.

“By playing baseball and persistently trying to get to Koshien,” he told me, “students can learn charity and gratitude and get a better sense of who they are,” regardless of the results.

This year’s team captain, 17-year-old Yusuke Sasaki, who plays third base, wholeheartedly agrees.

“Playing baseball has made my heart and body mature,” he told me.

His teammate, shortstop Kosuke Yamamoto, 16, also credits baseball for his growth. The hard practices, he said, has made him stronger and will give him “confidence in the future” as he faces life’s trials.


At all tournament games, tradition calls for the winning team to sing its school song while the losing team stands by watching tearfully.
Though personal enrichment is all well and good, the players I spoke to also confessed that they really, really want to play at Koshien.

But it’s a long and treacherous road -- of the 4,014 teams that went into the regional preliminary rounds in July, just 49 made it out. In Osaka this year, 186 teams competed on what is not exactly a level playing field.

The top teams recruit all-stars from around the country, while the likes of Tennoji have to settle for whoever shows up. One of Osaka’s behemoths of baseball, PL Gakuen, has gone to Koshien many times, taking seven championship titles.

On a muggy, overcast afternoon last month, the Tennoji boys were playing a practice game in the run-up to their first-round game against Kinki Daigaku High School, which they ended up “beautifully” losing 1-0.

A group of elderly men -- called “OB,” or old boys -- came to cheer on their team. One of them, Osami Kuwahara, graduated more than a half-century ago.

“Has Tennoji ever made it to Koshien?” I asked him.

“Once,” he said. “In 1948. But we lost in the first round.”

Different ballgame

In 15 years, Masa has not made it past the halfway point of the prefecture-wide preliminaries that determine which team will advance to the final rounds in Koshien Stadium.

At an academically rigorous school like Tennoji, players can’t practice as much as the more accomplished teams, whose boys live and breathe baseball without worrying about such quotidian concerns as study. Nevertheless, Masa demands 100 percent.

“Even if they are losing, they must fight hard until the end of the game,” Masa told me.

If they can pull that off, even in defeat they will have achieved a measure of mastery over themselves, which is really the aim beyond hits, home runs, RBIs and strikeouts.

The key is not giving up -- ever. This is the way to educate the heart through baseball

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLSMhUXEh9c


Absolutely outstanding documentary. Easily one of my all time favorites.

Highly recommend.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/78682/kokoyakyu---high-school-baseball

they have in Vegas every year...he said its a must see event

he use to go every year and tells me abt all the players he's seen before they went on to the next level.

(he said Chris Herron and Scooney Penn's aau team DESTROYED everybody in the tournament)

That looks like such a great atmosphere.

----------------------------

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O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

I'd go to the softball one too -- should I happen to be in Oklahoma City -- but would feel a creep unless I had a daughter or niece with me

>I'd go to the softball one too -- should I happen to be in
>Oklahoma City -- but would feel a creep unless I had a
>daughter or niece with me

Especially the farther removed you get from being in college.

Often

I def plan on going soon
The new stadium is beautiful

Obviously the Bruins, who are apparently the lower
IQ relatives of Red Sox fans (which I didn't think
was possible, but apparently lends to fun fucking
times)

The rival is the Canadiens, right?

I'm obviously a Rangers fan, but I'm black and ain't
wearing no Rangers shit like that, sorry

But I heard the Boston U hockey games are off the hinges

I went to some ivy league hockey games that were fun
as fuck





----------------------------

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O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

Four teams tournament with BC/BU/Northeastern and Harvard at the Garden.

Should be early next month, not sure on the dates.

>Four teams tournament with BC/BU/Northeastern and Harvard at
>the Garden.
>
>Should be early next month, not sure on the dates.

my family chose regular season tickets because the beanpot was a little too expensive when we didn't have that much of an investment in the games, so we saw the regular season BU/Harvard game for like 20 bucks (harvard arena, which is basically like a larger high school arena. good crowd and you were right on top of the action) and it was fantastic. Harvard up 3-1 in the first, no scoring in the second, BU ties it in the 3rd and then wins it in OT.

We used to have a smaller rink, sat about 3200, and shit would get loud as hell. It had a low ceiling and noise just reverberated like crazy. The student section was appropriately Section 8, and it was crazy in there (I covered the team for two years, but freshman year when I was writing other stuff, and senior year when I had a column and I didn't need to be in the press box, I was a full blown hockey lunatic during games). Now you still get a good crowd, but it doesn't have the same charm (and I'm 80% sure that's mostly due to the rink...obviously the fact that I'm not a kid going nuts plays some part too, maybe more than I realize). That said, it's a great atmosphere, there's not a bad seat in the house and you'll see some good hockey there if you wanna check it out. Band is fun, students are into it and it's one of the whitest experiences you can have at a Boston sporting event, so it'd be a nice social experiement for ya, hahaha. Worst part about it is the price, it's steep for a college hockey game.

As far as other rinks, Conte is pretty worthless, as are BC hockey fans by and large (the good ones are good, but hockey, despite being by far their most successful sport, is the redheaded stepchild to the football and hoops teams). Harvard is way too dead, but Bright is a cool, old-school feel rink. Northeastern is fucking awesome though. Matthews is an old school barn and has a balcony that overhangs the ice and first row on that balcony is probably the best seat to watch hockey in the city. The Dog House gets loud as hell also and since it's not as huge as Agganis (our rink), it gets louder than Agganis usually does.

Beanpot is fun, but you'll also have large swaths of fans not in attendance during the first Monday (or in Harvard's section). The final gets more fans and is usually a loud and fun game to be at. Basically, it's a tournament played on the first two Mondays in February. First round rotates (this year its BU-Harvard at 5pm, BC-NU 8 pm on Feb 6th), and the winners play the next Monday at 8 (consolation game, aka the worst game of the year, is played at 5 pm the same night). We've owned the tournament, winning 29 of 59 times and making the final 48 times. It's for Boston bragging rights, and a fun fact is that all of the 10 national championships by the teams (5 for us, 4 for those cunts in Chestnut Hill and 1 for Harvard) involved have followed a Beanpot victory. I've seen some epic hockey in that tourney and it's probably really fun for a neutral too.

-----------------------------------------------------------
BOSTON BRUINS, 2011 STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS

2010 OKAY COLLEGE FANTASY CHAMPION

but now that i think about it you live in Boston right?

cant really see you taking a trip to Detroit just to watch hockey, but if you do, you can see elite players on every level.

NHL
OHL (canadian juniors...plymouth whalers are actually in suburban detroit, windsor spitfires are across the river)
NCAA
US Mens National Development Program (in ann arbor actually, but close)
High School (my alma mater won 2 national championships while i was in school)

Such a great atmosphere, and a ton of kids who just went in hard in the stands. I will definitely make the trip again someday like I did the first time, two games at Yost and one at the Big House...if it can be when BU plays there again, it'll be a perfect weekend.

-----------------------------------------------------------
BOSTON BRUINS, 2011 STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS

2010 OKAY COLLEGE FANTASY CHAMPION

ive heard its one of the best experiences in college sports, with fans going IN like you said

Old barn just seems more conducive to a crazy atmosphere. Shit, we had an exhibition one game where the entire student section was chanting "Ozga-pussy" at a goalie named Phillipe Ozga. Shit was just creative, fun and loud. A lot of drunk fun and rowdiness, but rarely did it stray into over the line kinda shit (which you actually see at rinks like Providence and UMass, where all kinds of bros act like you're a faggot because you're wearing another jersey...contrast that to Maine, where they treat you like guests, talk hockey with you and then scream shit at the team...I fuckin love it up there too).

-----------------------------------------------------------
BOSTON BRUINS, 2011 STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS

2010 OKAY COLLEGE FANTASY CHAMPION

World Cup in 94...well, Bulgaria vs. Greece in the 1st round

Saw Barca at Camp Nou last April

Tailgated at LSU, Penn St., & Notre Dame (ew)

In 2010, I went to the Big East Tournament (the whole thing) one week and then spent the next Friday/Sunday at the 1st and 2nd round NCAA games in Milwaukee.

Heading to Phog Allen next month for the first time...can't wait for that

Bought tickets for the US games in South Africa in 2010, but the rest of the trip was too pricey.

Biggest regret: staying home to take the LSAT in June 2006 while a few friends went to Germany for the World Cup. The worst part? I never even applied to law school. Still kicking myself for that one.

I have an unpaid internship offer at an NGO in Kiev this summer, so I could do the Euro 2012 thing, but the operative word here is "unpaid," so that's looking like a no-go.

2014 in Brazil is a must. My buddy's stepmom is from there, so we'll have places to stay, which is a huge help.

-----------
It's only funny till someone gets mad. Then it's hilarious.

Something about the smaller-ish college gyms is appealing to me. Cameron, Hinkle Fieldhouse, Hec Edmundson here in Seattle.

----------------------------

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O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

and after winning on campus this year, maybe we'll just decide to not go back to the Palestra

SJU-Temple is great there, SJU-Nova, Big 5 Classic ... however IMO the best is Penn-Princeton. I went to two amazing ones where Penn came roaring back, once to win in OT after trailing by 13, another time to win in regulation after trailing by 17. In Ivy League bball, those are BIG deficits. I stormed the court and everything, why turn down the opportunity?

You can also sneak in the side doors easily, I actually did it by accident once and then figured, eh, whatever. The seats are cheap though, no real need, you're looking at $5-$30 pretty much

and some at the old spectrum.

I went May 2009 to Villa Park, for Villa-Newcastle. It was the last game of the season, and Newcastle got relegated after the match. My wife and I were doing a Euro swing of London, Paris and Amsterdam that matched up with the match. We grabbed the train up from London to Birmingham morning of, and hit the city before the match. I had looked up pubs to check before hand, and as we approached the street on which the Briar Rose was, we heard BOOMING sounds from the street. We turn the corner and sure enough, like a hundred Newcastle supporters were across the street from the pub, singing and drinking. Those guys were super friendly, singing Villa songs, singing anti-Birmingham City songs, and basically just being really cool over all. The Geordies are a good people.

So then, we hop the train up to Villa Park. Man. There is NOTHING like being part of the crowd walking up to the stadium from the train before the match. The energy was incredible. And then, as we came through the tunnel to our section (Lower Holte End, Row E, just to the left of the goal), I got hit with even more energy from the crowd. The pitch was absolutely gorgeous. The match was pretty good (ended one-nil off a Newcastle own goal- Gareth Barry's shot deflected in by Damien Duff), we got to give retiring club captain Martin Laursen a sendoff before it, gave John Carew a rousing reception while he warmed up as a sub; the crowd was pretty electric (both home and visiting support). . . such a great experience. Again. Highly recommend.

I want to hit up Craven Cottage next, b/c that seems like a GREAT ground.

B/c I don't think the new stadium, if it ever gets built, will be a four-stander like Anfield. And the four-standers are where it's at (despite liking RBA, which is based a mini Euro-bowl).

I studied abroad in fall of 1998, it's HUGE as a rivalry because Rome being the city, Lazio being the region. Fans were said to go crazy in the stands. I heard that in years prior, someone lit off a little rocket that hit someone in the face and killed them. So of course of all games that season, that's the one I go to.

Now while the highest level of team sport I've been to is an NBA playoff basketball game in Chicago (post Jordan, in 2007), I challenge any other sport to compare with the intensity, passion, and actual ELECTRICITY I could feel pulsating through the crowd. I mean to see a middle aged dude pull out his team handkerchief and start waving that shit while his eyes watered...gives you chills. I realized soccer is the world's most popular sport, but its really different when you get to see how the rest of the world does it. Haven't been to a soccer game since but I can still remember the feeling of that match and can't even come close to remembering who won.

World cup
Boxing title fight
Indy 500
Bulls game at united center
Super bowl
Supercross

Drunken Loudmouth from Chicago punches Drunken Hillbilly from Green Bay in the face.

Drunken Hillbilly's Girlfriend says something stupid and gets a beer thrown at her from next row. Usually something akin to "C'maaaahhhhn AY-Rahhhhhhhhhd!!! WOOOOOOO!!!!"


Little Drunken Bears Fan picks on the Big Motherfucker from Green Bay thinking he has back-up from other Bears Fan. Big Motherfucker from Green Bay beats the piss out of him. One of my co-workers came in with a Black eye and stitches. ( He's a Season Ticket holder). We didn't even have to ask him what happened.

Drunken Fans in Hunting Suits ( regardless of team affiliation ) start a fight with each other.

now play that scenario out about 75 times. Or 100 times if the temperature is above 30 degrees.

Security is like "fuck it...we'll just let 'em tire themselves out and arrest anybody who gets knocked unconscious..."

I've been to Bears/Packers, and it's ALWAYS the same shit. Drunken assholes and fistfights. Whoever loses gets clowned from the last tick of the clock until they get to their vehicles.

n/m

True rivals in sports are always gonna hate each other. But Bears/Packers is some extra shit. It doesn't even have to be football season.

I'd like to see Fenway, but if I don't get there, I'll live.

But I'd like to see:

an English Premier League game
an NCAA Final Four game ( but I'd settle for a regional Final )
an NFL Playoff Game ( of course I'd love to see the Super Bowl )
a World Cup Game
any Winter Olympic event ( except Figure Skating )
Track and Field or Basketball at the Summer Games
The Penn Relays
the MLB All-Star game
some kinda pro surfing event

>The Penn Relays

I've also been to the Milrose Games

I used to be a huge track head, maybe will
get back into that


----------------------------

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O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

Great event for professionals. Great event for NCAA runners. But the high school relays are what makes this the greatest track event in the US. I ran in it in 1997, but I remember almost nothing about the actual competition. Obea Moore anchored the 3:08 John Muir team in the low 45s. Some Irish kid named Gareth Turnbull anchored the 1600 leg of the boys DMR in 4:00 flat and walked down DC area prep legend Sharif Karie in the final 100m. The Jamaican/American flags came out in greatest volume during the high school races, too.

Anyhow. I think it works best if you pick favorites (even arbitrarily) and let yourself get into it. Don't be an analyst. Be a fan and let some teenage kid too dumb to realize he's (or she... don't ignore the girls' races) supposed to be scared of the atmosphere do something great.

And eat around the stadium. I didn't do this because I was racing, but it smelled delicious all weekend.

>Great event for professionals. Great event for NCAA runners.
> But the high school relays are what makes this the greatest
>track event in the US. I ran in it in 1997, but I remember
>almost nothing about the actual competition. Obea Moore
>anchored the 3:08 John Muir team in the low 45s.

Obea Moore. How could I forget...olympic trials at 16

A guy I know raced against him in a tourney (he was from
some school in New Jersey) in the 1600 relay, ran anchor
and was ahead of Moore's team until he said he heard the
announcer: "And Obea More hits the corner..." after which
Moore just galloped past his ass..and my boy's form broke
down and he almost fell....and my boy was prettyfast,
ran 400 at a I-AA school


>Some Irish
>kid named Gareth Turnbull anchored the 1600 leg of the boys
>DMR in 4:00 flat and walked down DC area prep legend Sharif
>Karie in the final 100m. The Jamaican/American flags came out
>in greatest volume during the high school races, too.

Yeah, I was chasing Jamaican girl tail the whole time.
I recall that being a huge draw (for my demographic)

Saw 2 races, maybe.

Had personal animosity against the mile, because I was
did the pentathalon and would have been great if I didn't
suck miserably at the mile. The mile and high jump where
my nemesis. I could discus, long and hurdle pretty well


>Anyhow. I think it works best if you pick favorites (even
>arbitrarily) and let yourself get into it. Don't be an
>analyst. Be a fan and let some teenage kid too dumb to
>realize he's (or she... don't ignore the girls' races)
>supposed to be scared of the atmosphere do something great.

Very good perspective.


>And eat around the stadium. I didn't do this because I was
>racing, but it smelled delicious all weekend.

I didn't race that weekend. We missed qualifying

GREAT event, though


----------------------------

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O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

We used to go to first couple of days, sometimes watches the races, but mostly to try and pop at females. I feel bad for not appreciating the actual athletic exhibition as much as I should.

Mostly, I remember the Friday night concerts. But I'm not trying to make this post all Lesson-y and shit.

probably routine for a lot of EC OKP's, i know, but as a west coast born and raised cat, i've always wanted to take in the experience live...in part because native east coast fans just seemed to be wired differently, at least from anyone i've ever met. the shit's almost cultural.

i mean, i've seen cal/stanford, dodgers/giants, the niners play up and down the west coast and in AZ, and the raiders play the entire afc west...and it gets pretty intense. then again 98% of the crowd is raider fans 'cause opposing fans don't wanna come.

the heat between yankees/red sox.... the nfc east... etc is quite compelling. like, do family members literally stop talking to each other over sports?

that shit was nuts, man. it was the rematch of the previous years Champions League final. i went with my German roommate at the time and we sat top level along with the insane Bayern fans.

those people are fuckin crazy. lighting fireworks. CONSTANT SINGING. YELLING. people pissing in corners. pretty cool. the Inter fans weren't nearly as rowdy, sat most of the game... especially the lower level snobby Eyetalians. but the other side of the stadium upper deck was goin pretty crazy.

it was 0-0 the entire match and then in the 90th minute Bayern scored a goal, dude's were going fucking nuts. it was like each person collectively won the lottery. that was probably the best atmosphere i've ever been involved in sporting wise, great experience.

but the piss poor organisation and pricing of tickets for this years ganes here in london completely put me off. I'll probably catch another event though

In person. Just once. So I can see in person what a TV camera can't really capture-- just how fast that motherfucker is.

He was th last leg of a 4x100...Id say no less than 70% of the crowd was decked out in Jamican gear waving Jamaican flags wildly...except for maybe Wrestlemania, this was the livest I've ever seen a crowd all before he even runs. As soon as he gets the baton you could feel and hear this audible wave, like "awwwwwWWWWWWAAAAAAA" it was real magic

In the 80's at Durham Athletic Park (The DAP) which is where they shot a big chunk of Bull Durham. There really weren't many bars in town back then and The DAP had crazy beer specials on 32 oz cups so people would get wasted. A lot of the same folks that were Cameron Crazies during basketball season and doing summer school would show up and lead chants. The most popular chant was "Bulls Hit" repeated faster and faster until it sounded like "Bullshit." Folks would chant "air ball" at wild pitches. I would go there as a kid on a friday night or saturday afternoon and the place would be packed and LOUD. The movie sorta ruined a lot of stuff in that park. It got so popular that hundreds were getting turned away every game. So of course they built a really nice new park (The DBAP.) More people show up on a weekend now than could ever fit in the old park but the atmosphere is gone. I still love going to games and I love seeing top prospects get their game together before they move on (Evan Longoria, BJ Upton, Carl Crawford, David Price, Jeremy Hellickson most recently) but it will never be the same. One of those "had to be there" sorta things. For what it's worth the playoff games are under attended usually but it's the hardcore fans and has more of the feel of the old park.

Now it's Triple A. There was a lot more errors in the old days so routine plays weren't always routine. Made the game exciting.

Got to see some good games. One of the most memorable was Duke vs LSU with Christian Laettner and Shaq going head to head. I never would have guessed that Shaq would become SHAQ after that game. I also got to be at Senior Night for Bobby Hurley and Thomas Hill when Bobby broke the NCAA assist record. Special night. If you go, go early and check out the museum. Try to go when the students are in session.

i've already seen a laker game in every round of a playoffs in which they win a chip.

felt like a big kid again, especially since it was something I'd always wanted to do. Glad I got to experience it with my son.....



<---- Downtown Kansas City, Missouri 5/24/2011

I usually go for the 1st and second round games.

Thursday Saturday or Friday Sunday.

4 games on Thursday and 2 on Saturday.

The Thursday tickets are actually two sessions and separate tickets, they make you leave in between but its a good time for dinner. I saw sean payton dining out with kenny chesney two years ago in no.

Only thing is, if you decide on a location and set up travel early, you might not get to see your team. Sometimes the NCAA selection committee is predictable when picking where teams play though. A team cant play in its home city, but the NCAA will put them at the next closest one.

So i schedule early based on location, and sometimes i get blowouts but its because the team is amazing, like UCLA with Westbrook and love, or UK a couple years ago.

Last year might have been the best when i went to the mckale center in Tucson. They have a balcony outside so you can get some sun during breaks.

I used to get cheap tickets and try to sneak down, but they mostly stopped that with guards recently. Worth a try though. Sat next to artest at the rca dome in 2002. Now i just buy the better tickets.

Great experience and sometimes i get the benefit of seeing some amazing players and plays like buzzer beater finishes to games. Pretty good value when you consider how many games you get for the price.

I go pretty much every year. Amazing event.

The feeling i get when 33 cars are roaring down the main straight towards the green flag is unlike any other. It is absolutely exhilarating. Its how I'd imagine I'd feel if i saw the space shuttle take off in person. Just full of pride and amazement for what we have accomplished as a race.

The track is huge and has a big infield area with a few holes of a golf course, a museum, part of their GP course, and all the red carpet celeb event stuff. I usually hang out around the museum and pagoda area before the race to watch the festivities and check out whats there. Chevy usually has a display and they had a huge model of the bumblebee transformer and I've seen some ridiculous cars like the zr1.

The spectacle beforehand is unlike any other race. Reminds me of a college bowl game with parades, concerts, a huge release of balloons, ridiculous vintage cars.

The traffic and crush of people can be staggering and possibly frustrating. Talk to someone thats been there before, plan ahead.

The race can start getting hard to follow at about 100 laps with all the pit stops and yellow flags that mix up the field. Try following one car like a penske or target that you recognize. Also a pocket radio and headphones (noise cancelling) will help you follow along, ear plugs will help you not go deaf. Or just forget about the race and party.

The infield is where the party's at, people drive their RVs in and get fucked up all day. You can sit in the bleachers or on the grass. The track is so big that you can't see it all and there are big displays around the track. You can bring in a cooler and food and drinks but cans only, no bottles.

Its a great time and some people make a full weekend out of it, camping outside the track until race day, then going in on Sunday.

Its something that i go to every year because i live fairly close and have family nearby, but I'd recommend it to everyone at least to try once. The adrenaline rush on that first green flag is worth the ticket alone.

>I go pretty much every year. Amazing event.
>
>The feeling i get when 33 cars are roaring down the main
>straight towards the green flag is unlike any other. It is
>absolutely exhilarating. Its how I'd imagine I'd feel if i
>saw the space shuttle take off in person. Just full of pride
>and amazement for what we have accomplished as a race.
>
>The track is huge and has a big infield area with a few holes
>of a golf course, a museum, part of their GP course, and all
>the red carpet celeb event stuff. I usually hang out around
>the museum and pagoda area before the race to watch the
>festivities and check out whats there. Chevy usually has a
>display and they had a huge model of the bumblebee transformer
>and I've seen some ridiculous cars like the zr1.
>
>The spectacle beforehand is unlike any other race. Reminds me
>of a college bowl game with parades, concerts, a huge release
>of balloons, ridiculous vintage cars.
>
>The traffic and crush of people can be staggering and possibly
>frustrating. Talk to someone thats been there before, plan
>ahead.
>
>The race can start getting hard to follow at about 100 laps
>with all the pit stops and yellow flags that mix up the
>field. Try following one car like a penske or target that you
>recognize. Also a pocket radio and headphones (noise
>cancelling) will help you follow along, ear plugs will help
>you not go deaf. Or just forget about the race and party.
>
>The infield is where the party's at, people drive their RVs in
>and get fucked up all day. You can sit in the bleachers or on
>the grass. The track is so big that you can't see it all and
>there are big displays around the track. You can bring in a
>cooler and food and drinks but cans only, no bottles.
>
>Its a great time and some people make a full weekend out of
>it, camping outside the track until race day, then going in on
>Sunday.
>
>Its something that i go to every year because i live fairly
>close and have family nearby, but I'd recommend it to everyone
>at least to try once. The adrenaline rush on that first green
>flag is worth the ticket alone.
>
>


----------------------------

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O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

in the garden, at a casino, wherever. the crowd is usually full of mobsters and ballers and pimps and trophy sluts. everyone has blood-lust and the energy is really unique.

>in the garden, at a casino, wherever. the crowd is usually
>full of mobsters and ballers and pimps and trophy sluts.
>everyone has blood-lust and the energy is really unique.

Love to hear this.

I hope to make it to Atlantic City for a fight soon.

I write about boxing too so I hope to cover some fights
for a magazine sooner rather than later.

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O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

he was climbing on the ropes after low-blowing his opponent, doing neck-slashing gestures. it was great. i imagine the tito/cotto puerto rican revivals are really fun too.

i can't even get the address smh, they keep info on a tight leash.

In march

Going to the serg fight at MSG

I've been to Golden Gloves at the Garden many years,
but amazingly never been to a big fight.

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O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

Its the only event that I would like to do WITH
A WOMAN (not that I wouldn't do other events with
a woman, but I really want to do the derby with
a woman)

I hear its a ball....and women love that funny hats
shit that women do there

I've been to Louisville, really enjoyed myself


----------------------------

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O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

i get the feeling it's a little different from the grandstand than from the infield.

at any rate, it's a lot of fun. flasking is a good idea because drinks are expensive but enforcement of outside alcohol isn't too tough.

it was rainy the weekend i went, so that kind of put a damper on it, but it's a cool event.

Havne't been to the Superbowl, but its supposed
to be mad fun, just tailgating and going to parties

A lot of the people who go dont' have ticket

Same with NBA all-star weekend

I mean, I wanna go to the Kentucky Derby with a bird,
mostly because it looks fun and shit


----------------------------

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O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

ST

wouldve been a
PhD student Poly Sci
likes to drink

Well, not really, but haven't really dated one in
a cool minute

Why you ask? She know me?

LOL

I might watch more sports than anyone on this board, but Ive been to relatively few events


for example,

I have never been to a NFL or Major NCAA football game.
Ive never been to a boxing match big or small
Ive never been to an MMA fight
I went to my 1st pro soccer game last year and it was at Red Bull Stadium (MLS ugh)
Never been to a playoff game of any sort


But yea some of this stuff seems cool.
Id still like to get to a big fight an MMA match
a NFL game

an SEC football game

But instead, we're in the parking lot at a tailgate,
grilling up food, throwing around the football with
the boys and your son, drinking beer and cracking jokes

Sports ambiance is some real fun shit man



----------------------------

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O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

people are too drunk
too stupid
too obnoxious

I'd rather be on my couch

etc etc

i do think there is an argument for sports on TV versus the cheap seats, but a good seat is always better than watching at home. the NFL is maybe an exception or if you're really fixated on the pitching in baseball. nba with any kind of decent seat>watching on TV, with hockey any seat in the arena is better than the living room IMO, same with soccer.

Last year, the affiliate for a Twins fan to watch was in the Appy League, at Elizabethtown, TN. Luckily, this is the closest affiliate to the miserable shitbucket in which I live. Unluckily, it's still about four and a half hours away and not in an area where there's much else to do. So it never happened.

This year, the guys who made that affiliate worth watching (BA's Twins #1 and all-around superprospect Miguel Sano as well as #2 Eddie Rosario fresh off a move to second base to try and even out the team's centerfield logjam) will be at low-A Beloit in the Midwestern League. Add in some solid sleepers like Madison Boer and Niko Goodrum and Beloit is going to be a great place to see future Twins players.

By lucky coincidence, I will be spending about four weeks in Iowa right near one MWL team and within an hour drive of one or two others. So I'm making it happen in April.

It's a cool "this is what soccer could be in the US" experience.

Nice stadium. Soccer-only. Extremely easy to get to via the PATH train. Actually have pretty good beer selection and pretty good food.

You can buy cheap seats and then just move up.

There's a crazy supporters section that yells and bangs drums all game but I've never sat there.

Anyway, I went last season and can now say that I got to see Theirry Henry play. Plus he wasn't even RedBulls best player in the match.

Really enjoyed it.

I sat in the 101 (the supporters section) when I went, and that is a hell of a time.

On the flipside, don't waste your time going to a DCU match; I went when Everton came to town last Summer. There's a crazy supporters' section there, too, but RFK is a depressing stadium to sit in these days, and that section is pretty well removed from the majority of the seating.

It's like a huge high school stadium. Bowl all the way around. Bench seating. Really classy & vintage.

The non-league stadiums always look kinda cool when they show the early rounds of the FA Cup. Plus you get to see a bit more passion and not as much preening. I've been thinking of checking this side out: http://www.cockfostersfc.net/CockfostersFC.new/index.htm

Because I'd prolly be heading to London anyway, and this is the most amusing team name I could think of.

I don't know about the other sports, but it really is one of the livest things you can attend.

I was lucky, I was at school in Baltimore when the All-Star game was in DC. Shit was crazy...and even the Saturday day events designed for kids is fun.
I don't even think it matters what city it's in...my boy had to work the ones in Houston & Denver (he used to work for the retired players association), and would attest to the same shit. He would be able to get into the parties though

Plus, your inner G-Money comes out when the influx of women are there...DA BITCHES?! OHH LORD DA BITCHES!!

I have family in Melbourne so the Aussie Open will be happening soon, the US Open is only a 5 hour flight across the country which isn't too bad....but the two I want to attend the most, Wimbledon and the French Open are going to take some more planning. One of my closest friends, basically the dude I play and discuss tennis with religiously, just had his first son so I was thinking of maybe doing a father-son-uncle trip some years down the line because I know the kid will be into tennis lol.

shit has been a good year of sporting events.

I went and saw a fight with my pops at Ratchadamnoen Stadium in Bangkok, one of the two major muay thai joints in the city. you can go and pay a little more to sit closer or pay less and chill with the locals, who are basically a bunch of old guys betting and getting drunk.

it's a trip because of all the tradition and ritual that goes into it. they have some musicians that play some music (that is both beautiful and unsettling) as the fighters enter and during the match. the entrances are pretty elaborate, with the fighters paying respect to deities and sometimes, that stuff takes longer than the fights.

the fights range in age from little kids to heavyweight badasses. when I went, there was a fight between what looked like 10 year olds. one of the kids had his mom in the corner and started crying when he got kneed in the stomach too many times. kinda felt bad for the kid like he was being forced to fight, but I guess you gotta start somewhere. then you have some shit thats straight out of Bloodsport later on, with dudes really going at each other. some pretty awesome shit.

i've ever seen.

I want to see a football game in Death Valley.

.

NFL: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ.

This place is magnificent. It is state of the art without being obnoxious, it has great views all over the place but the lower bowl is particularly strong and it gets LOUD AS FUCK when the roof is on. They usually keep the roof on. I really, really like this place and being essentially equidistant to the Stick (just as crappy as Qualcomm, worse really) it's pretty much the only money stadium in the southwestern part of the country. Love it, and I've been to most of the stadiums now. Seattle and New Orleans are on my short list of places to visit though.

NBA: Cmon, indoor arenas are lame as hell and basically all the same. I enjoy the atmosphere some places like Chicago and the concessions are the best in Philly. I don't know what to pick here honestly. I have always enjoyed Golden State games. Arco Arena would have been my pick 10-12 years ago. Maybe the Rose Garden, that stands out to me, great floor, cool atmosphere as long as it's a decent game. What a long non-answer.

NHL: Le Centre Bell, Montreal, QC.
Only one choice here and that is Montreal. Incredible facility with the uncommon mixture of league-leading seating capacity and top-to-bottom good views. The crowd goes nuts, the presentation is excellent, just top-shelf, maybe my favorite all-around stadium experience period in any pro sport. I have been to almost every NHL arena, one of the very few I am missing is Winnipeg which I hear is just unbelievable. There's so many great arenas, any arena is great for a big game.

MLB: I'm going off the board here and picking a dumpy venue with Oakland tied with a mostly empty one in Baltimore.

Oakland is just a fun time, especially for the crowd here. I went a few times in college, people were intensely into the game but also partying, getting stoned in the bleachers and what not. Baltimore is a similar "for the die hard" crowd filled with fat drunks who keep score and provide a great audience. It's a lovely stadium in a great location, absolutely timeless, brilliant IMO.

Fenway part is a cool novelty, new Yankee is better than the historic rat trap, Wrigley has lost its identity, so screw the old parks IMO. Philly is incredible, Texas and Cleveland are pretty cool, there are some great parks built in the past 20 years IMO. I love Target Field, I could warm up to as a favorite if I were around the Twin Cities more often and the Twins could actually field a professional team since it opened.

NCAA Hoops: The Palestra!

There are some great floors and atmospheres (Vandy, Duke, 'Cuse, and the list goes on) but there is NOTHING like the Palestra. If you fail to take in a game here, you have failed as a human being and failed in life. It's richer in history than any building out there and it embraces that. The pit-style setup is just awesome for a fan and cool for a player, too. I lovethe Palesta so much I used to watch Ivy League games there and I didn't even go to Penn.

n/m

hahahhah

Watch the eliteness...

I live a block from Howard. US News and World Report says it has an enrollment of 7,164. If you take that total enrollment back seventy years and assume that nobody has died or just didn't feel like showing up to homecoming, that's 501,480 people. I'm not really very good at affixing a number to a crowd, but I'm pretty confident there were more than that many people in front of my apartment a couple weeks ago.

So I'm going to assume that there are other events that are ostensibly related to a single University that draw more than just that limited crowd?

>I live a block from Howard. US News and World Report says it
>has an enrollment of 7,164. If you take that total enrollment
>back seventy years and assume that nobody has died or just
>didn't feel like showing up to homecoming, that's 501,480
>people. I'm not really very good at affixing a number to a
>crowd, but I'm pretty confident there were more than that many
>people in front of my apartment a couple weeks ago.

I can't breathe

LMMFAO @ the image of Walleye looking at his window
to thousands of random people outside his building
giving the

*people's eyebrow*


>So I'm going to assume that there are other events that are
>ostensibly related to a single University that draw more than
>just that limited crowd?

Nah, Howard Homecoming is one of the biggest African-American
cultural weekends in the country. I'd say less than 10% of the
attendees have anything to do with the university

Maybe slightly more than half know anyone who attended or
have anything to with the university

The reason for this is that it has something for everyone:

- Lots of middle class blacks willing to spend money
(which means business flock too...middle class blacks
waste more money on superficial things than whites of
the same SES...sad but true)

- hordes of attractive women. I'm talking ARMIES.

- Great parties of various kinds (ignorant kiddie club
parties, bougie black tie events, reunions and exhibits with
upper middle class black snobs, the whole 9 yards)

So it has pretty wide breadth...most of it is just dumb
fun but you feel *classy* doing it at Howard Homecoming

>- Great parties of various kinds (ignorant kiddie club
>parties, bougie black tie events, reunions and exhibits with
>upper middle class black snobs, the whole 9 yards)

I think that's what caught me off guard. My wife and I ended up being surprised by the Bub Biliken parade when we first moved to the West End of Hyde Park, but we were more on the periphery of that and the range of ways to enjoy that event seemed a lot more limited. Folks' age and attire just in the block and a half surrounding our place was pretty much exactly what you're describing above.

It was completely nuts. I think we'll be ready next year. At the very least, I'm not going to try and drive anywhere.

what i have done:
seen my Knicks, Giants, Yankees and Red Bulls (first time last year) at home. seen them a few times on the road. since i've moved to NC i've been to 2 NASCAR races. not even a big fan and i thought it was great. it's WAY louder than you think. also went to a PGA event and saw some golfers up close. that was way more interesting than i thought it would be. can't say i'd do it all the time, but it was fun.

what i haven't done:
of course i'd love to go see the Superbowl, World Series, NBA Finals or MLS Cup as i've never been to any of those. if my team was in it, that'd be even better.

though i have been to 2 of the NASCAR races here, i've never been to the NASCAR All-Star race which i hear is fun and very different. i've actually never been to any sports All-Star game. tho i have been in town for an All-Star weekend in Philly. only other All-Star even i'd care to go to is the NBA.

though i went to the PGA event, Tiger didn't play that weekend. wouldn't mind seeing him in person.

i've never been to a college football game. not that big on college football, but i'd want to go once. when UNCC gets their team going, maybe i'll go check em out.

soccer wise, a USOC match would be cool to see, especially featuring an MLS squad. i missed the Gold Cup when it came around last time. that would be cool. World Cup sounds cool and all, but it sounds a little to crazy to me. if it was in the U.S. i'd definitely go though.

Tennessee and South Carolina*. Fantastic atmosphere. The way you guys talk about the rivalries I didn't expect everyone to be so friendly to their rivals (not just at the game, I mean watching fans of various teams all week). Maybe Tennessee and South Carolina just aren't at each other's throats (school me, please) but I suppose it helps that the game was at noon and there's no alcohol in the stadium.


*We didn't really see what happened to Lattimore until we were watching TV later, that was awful.

not a bad seat in the house, the crowd is almost always live, and for whatever reason the cards there are always excellent.

saw rios-alvarado I here which was amazing, cheered on paul williams vs margarito in a 95% mexican crowd, saw an untelevised undercard featuring andre ward before he blew up. always had a great time.

my cousin has season tickets and I was in town on business. I never really warmed to the Knicks, and the only time good, affordable tickets are available is when they were awful.

hard to get excited about 84-78 games.

Even Bron might show up for that one

i got another trip across country coming.

he may or may not be able to use them, he is some dude from the burbs of seattle who lives in medellin. i would love to go, one of my must-gos off the list and in grand fashion

>he may or may not be able to use them, he is some dude from
>the burbs of seattle who lives in medellin. i would love to
>go, one of my must-gos off the list and in grand fashion

No doubt. I'm guessing he's already gotta back up plan to the back up plan to back up his back up plan but keep me posted regardless assuming this all comes to fruition.