Memoirs Of A Sportsaholic
Hello. My name is Darth Marc and I'm a sportsaholic. I thought that once that baseball was over that I'd get my life. Little did I know that my life wasn't mine to have. That I was an indentured servant to sports. So when I was approached by my Jets tailgate buddy Andy about getting a six game package with the New Jersey Nets this year (I could pick any six games I wanted and I got opening night for half price as a seventh game)for some reason I couldn't resist.
Now you might ask, why did a lifelong Knicks fan get season ticket package to the Nets? With the Knicks struggling to get sellouts now, why hadn't I bought a Knicks season package? Had he changed teams before the season started? The answer is no, I haven't become a Nets fan. And I would have loved to have gotten a Knicks package, but the smallest plan they were offering was 14 games and it was still too expensive for me. I'm a junkie, but you can't get a fix without loot. The Nets are the only team to allow you to pick the games you want. They have a fun team to watch and it gives me the opportunity to see some of the teams and players that I want live when they come to Jersey (Including the Knicks). And while I was annoyed by some of the remarks that the Nets have made about the Knicks over the years, they are a team worth rooting for (as long as they're not playing NYK) and if nothing else I would be entertained.
So I took my old friend and fellow basketball junkie Clay to the game. He works in Jersey so I told him that I'd take the bus over to the Continental Airlines Arena. I've taken the bus for Giants games so I figured that it would be an easy trek. It was easy. But depressing. Waiting on that line for the bus was one of the most depressing feelings I've had in a while. I don't know why. It could be something about Port Authority and waiting on line like you're on a welfare cheese line or the bleak atmosphere of the terminal in general. But outside of the occasional Sunday bus trip for a Giants/Jets game, I can't imagine anyone doing this for 20, 30, 40 games. Thank god Clay offered me a lift home.
It was a good game. The Nets controlled much of the first half, but Michael Redd, TJ Ford and Mo Williams took over in the second half. Redd, in particular. He started lighting Richard Jefferson up. When RJ got ejected for tussling with Mo Williams, Redd made Jason Kidd his personal bitch. He showed me why there was such a fuss over him being left off the 2004 Olympic team. He's a beast. The Nets lose opening night.
But worse, there were about 5,000 empty seats, when the Nets announced a sellout!! Pathetic.
I made a return trip to the Continental Airlines Arena last Saturday, to watch the Nets play the Bulls. This time, however, instead of taking the bus, I have a car I rented to run some errands. I also have Imperial Vixen Erica riding shotgun with me for the trek to the Meadowlands.
Before the game, Erica warned me that it was her first pro basketball game and that she didn't know much about the sport. I won't lie, that did concern me a bit. And I normally avoid taking neophytyes to a game because of all the stupid questions that usually follow. But she follows baseball and football pretty well. And basketball is far easier to follow than either of those so I figure that she was worth the risk. I gave her a quick crash before the game started and she was able to follow the game for the most part without too many girl questions.
She got to see a good game. The Nets pulled it out in the last second when Jason Kidd rebounded a missed free throw, drove it the length of the court before passing it to Jefferson who laid it up and got fouled for the three point play. The Nets won 100-99.
My third visit to the swamp for the week was a forgettable one. Not even a great tailgate could put a smile on the faces of my Jet buddies after Gang Green lost to the Chargers 31-26. It was the worst sort of the lost. The Jets were totally outplayed in the first half with LT making the game his personal highlight reel. Then, when Vinnie gets hurt, Brooks Bollinger comes into the game and brings the Jets back. The Jets have a chance to win in the closing seconds, with four chances on the goalline. What happens? Maybe the worst sequence of goalline playcalling that I've ever witnessed. The Jets turn the ball over on downs and the Bolts win.
No rant that I could write on this blog could do such a awful moment justice. If you want to hear a master ranter at work click onto WFAN's page for Joe Benigno and listen to his rant on the November 7th.
The one real downer (outside of the loss)was a near altercation that I had with a guy sitting in the same row as me and my buddy Yankee Mark, who sat with me. Two guys, who sat in the middle of the row, must have gotten up two or three times in the first half to got to the bathroom. Because Mark and I sat at the end, we had to keep getting up so they could get by. After the second or third time, I tease the guys about it, saying they have little bladders if they have keep going to the john. One guy takes in stride and smiles about it. The other gives me a dirty look and says "How did you get those seats?(Lower Level, Behind the End Zone)Scalpers?"
It was a pretty lame comeback, except for the inference. It was his punk-ass way of calling me nigger without actually doing it. How did that come to that assumption. His tone for one. You know it when you hear it. If you've ever been on the receiving end of a redneck who wants to call you a nigger, but know that he can't, so he says something else inferring it...you know the tone. Plus, why couldn't I be a season ticket owner? Maybe I sold my tickets or gave them away? And it was my second game in those seats this season. So it's not as if was my first game.
And more importantly why the hell would I scalp tickets for a 2-5 team? What kind of idiot would I be to pay over face value to see this team?
The only reason he said that was because he didn't think a black guy could be a season ticket holder. He just didn't have the guts to say it.
It's one thing to be a racist. Another to be a coward and an idiot. It's really sad to be all three. When he came back to the seats, he tried to diffuse the situation by saying to me jokingly "quit counting!" I said, that I was joking before, but since he wanted to be a fake tough guy, we can take this to another level. He was mum for the rest of the game.
The jackass and his friend didn't stay for the end of the game. They left at the end of the third quarter. Weak. Real weak.
I like the Jets, I really do. Their fans (except for that jackass) are a lot of fun for the most part. But thank god, I'm a Giants fan. I never thought I'd say that, particularly after the last couple of dreadful years. I was homicidal after last year's collapse coming right after the Yankees ALCS collapse to the Infidels. But barring a ridiculous wave of injuries this year, Big Blue should make the playoffs.
I got to Blondies just in time to see the end of their win versus the 49ers. That game had trap written all over it. Particularly with the Niners starting a friggin' rodeo star at QB. But despite some sloppy moments, the Giants pulled through with a 24-6 win. Hopefully they avoid another potential trap game tomorrow...this one against the Vikings.
After the game, I ran into some Eagles & Redskins buddies who were there to watch their game Sunday night. They start giving me grief for wearing a Jets Jersey (Wesley Walker #85). They asked me how I could wear a Jets jersey being a Giants fan. That I'm suppose to hate the Jets. I told them that, no I don't have to hate the Jets being a Giants fan. That I like the Jets since they were the first professional team that I ever saw in person (Jets/Pats, 1981 at Shea)and that I've always had a soft spot for the green. I also said that as long as I wasn't wearing the colors of a team I hated that I could wear anything I wanted. They didn't buy it.
I run into this a lot since I own over 20 sports jerseys of a variety of teams. People always ask me who I root for and how come I"'m wearing this when I'm a fan of that." Brothers and folks who understand Hip-Hop culture don't ask these stupid questions. But because I'm all about educating the masses, here's a list of the teams I root for and the teams that I hate. If you don't see a team on either list, then there's a chance that I might wear their colors. So don't be surprised.
TEAMS I HATE....
Baseball
Red Sox
Indians (No teams with Native American Mascots)
Mariners
Mets
Dodgers
Angels
A's
Marlins
Blue Jays
Cardinals
Braves (ditto)
Devil Rays
Orioles
D-Backs
Football
Cowboys
Eagles
Patriots
Redskins
49ers
Ravens
Dolphins (only out of respect to my Jet friends)
Chiefs (see above, although their colors are cool)
Basketball
Lakers
Celtics
Heat
Pacers
Bulls
Hockey
Flyers
Devils
Bruins (No Boston Teams ever!!!)
College
Notre Dame
Florida State
Georgia (Since I root for Florida in SEC)
Tennessee
DOOK
Indiana
Oklahoma
Kansas
Boston College
UMass (Dr. J is the ONLY exception)
Illinois
If you ever see me in any of these colors feel free to kill me...otherwise, shut the f--- Up!
There's a reason why I haven't brought up the Knicks 0-5 start up yet. I just don't have the energy to deal with them yet. I keep telling them that they're young and that they're still trying to figure out how to play under Larry Brown. But it's frustrating to watch them lose the way they have the past week and a half. Despite the rants by the pundits, this team has talent. I knew that they would start off slow. But damn, can we win one game before the month ends? Please.
More soon...I promise...
Now you might ask, why did a lifelong Knicks fan get season ticket package to the Nets? With the Knicks struggling to get sellouts now, why hadn't I bought a Knicks season package? Had he changed teams before the season started? The answer is no, I haven't become a Nets fan. And I would have loved to have gotten a Knicks package, but the smallest plan they were offering was 14 games and it was still too expensive for me. I'm a junkie, but you can't get a fix without loot. The Nets are the only team to allow you to pick the games you want. They have a fun team to watch and it gives me the opportunity to see some of the teams and players that I want live when they come to Jersey (Including the Knicks). And while I was annoyed by some of the remarks that the Nets have made about the Knicks over the years, they are a team worth rooting for (as long as they're not playing NYK) and if nothing else I would be entertained.
So I took my old friend and fellow basketball junkie Clay to the game. He works in Jersey so I told him that I'd take the bus over to the Continental Airlines Arena. I've taken the bus for Giants games so I figured that it would be an easy trek. It was easy. But depressing. Waiting on that line for the bus was one of the most depressing feelings I've had in a while. I don't know why. It could be something about Port Authority and waiting on line like you're on a welfare cheese line or the bleak atmosphere of the terminal in general. But outside of the occasional Sunday bus trip for a Giants/Jets game, I can't imagine anyone doing this for 20, 30, 40 games. Thank god Clay offered me a lift home.
It was a good game. The Nets controlled much of the first half, but Michael Redd, TJ Ford and Mo Williams took over in the second half. Redd, in particular. He started lighting Richard Jefferson up. When RJ got ejected for tussling with Mo Williams, Redd made Jason Kidd his personal bitch. He showed me why there was such a fuss over him being left off the 2004 Olympic team. He's a beast. The Nets lose opening night.
But worse, there were about 5,000 empty seats, when the Nets announced a sellout!! Pathetic.
I made a return trip to the Continental Airlines Arena last Saturday, to watch the Nets play the Bulls. This time, however, instead of taking the bus, I have a car I rented to run some errands. I also have Imperial Vixen Erica riding shotgun with me for the trek to the Meadowlands.
Before the game, Erica warned me that it was her first pro basketball game and that she didn't know much about the sport. I won't lie, that did concern me a bit. And I normally avoid taking neophytyes to a game because of all the stupid questions that usually follow. But she follows baseball and football pretty well. And basketball is far easier to follow than either of those so I figure that she was worth the risk. I gave her a quick crash before the game started and she was able to follow the game for the most part without too many girl questions.
She got to see a good game. The Nets pulled it out in the last second when Jason Kidd rebounded a missed free throw, drove it the length of the court before passing it to Jefferson who laid it up and got fouled for the three point play. The Nets won 100-99.
My third visit to the swamp for the week was a forgettable one. Not even a great tailgate could put a smile on the faces of my Jet buddies after Gang Green lost to the Chargers 31-26. It was the worst sort of the lost. The Jets were totally outplayed in the first half with LT making the game his personal highlight reel. Then, when Vinnie gets hurt, Brooks Bollinger comes into the game and brings the Jets back. The Jets have a chance to win in the closing seconds, with four chances on the goalline. What happens? Maybe the worst sequence of goalline playcalling that I've ever witnessed. The Jets turn the ball over on downs and the Bolts win.
No rant that I could write on this blog could do such a awful moment justice. If you want to hear a master ranter at work click onto WFAN's page for Joe Benigno and listen to his rant on the November 7th.
The one real downer (outside of the loss)was a near altercation that I had with a guy sitting in the same row as me and my buddy Yankee Mark, who sat with me. Two guys, who sat in the middle of the row, must have gotten up two or three times in the first half to got to the bathroom. Because Mark and I sat at the end, we had to keep getting up so they could get by. After the second or third time, I tease the guys about it, saying they have little bladders if they have keep going to the john. One guy takes in stride and smiles about it. The other gives me a dirty look and says "How did you get those seats?(Lower Level, Behind the End Zone)Scalpers?"
It was a pretty lame comeback, except for the inference. It was his punk-ass way of calling me nigger without actually doing it. How did that come to that assumption. His tone for one. You know it when you hear it. If you've ever been on the receiving end of a redneck who wants to call you a nigger, but know that he can't, so he says something else inferring it...you know the tone. Plus, why couldn't I be a season ticket owner? Maybe I sold my tickets or gave them away? And it was my second game in those seats this season. So it's not as if was my first game.
And more importantly why the hell would I scalp tickets for a 2-5 team? What kind of idiot would I be to pay over face value to see this team?
The only reason he said that was because he didn't think a black guy could be a season ticket holder. He just didn't have the guts to say it.
It's one thing to be a racist. Another to be a coward and an idiot. It's really sad to be all three. When he came back to the seats, he tried to diffuse the situation by saying to me jokingly "quit counting!" I said, that I was joking before, but since he wanted to be a fake tough guy, we can take this to another level. He was mum for the rest of the game.
The jackass and his friend didn't stay for the end of the game. They left at the end of the third quarter. Weak. Real weak.
I like the Jets, I really do. Their fans (except for that jackass) are a lot of fun for the most part. But thank god, I'm a Giants fan. I never thought I'd say that, particularly after the last couple of dreadful years. I was homicidal after last year's collapse coming right after the Yankees ALCS collapse to the Infidels. But barring a ridiculous wave of injuries this year, Big Blue should make the playoffs.
I got to Blondies just in time to see the end of their win versus the 49ers. That game had trap written all over it. Particularly with the Niners starting a friggin' rodeo star at QB. But despite some sloppy moments, the Giants pulled through with a 24-6 win. Hopefully they avoid another potential trap game tomorrow...this one against the Vikings.
After the game, I ran into some Eagles & Redskins buddies who were there to watch their game Sunday night. They start giving me grief for wearing a Jets Jersey (Wesley Walker #85). They asked me how I could wear a Jets jersey being a Giants fan. That I'm suppose to hate the Jets. I told them that, no I don't have to hate the Jets being a Giants fan. That I like the Jets since they were the first professional team that I ever saw in person (Jets/Pats, 1981 at Shea)and that I've always had a soft spot for the green. I also said that as long as I wasn't wearing the colors of a team I hated that I could wear anything I wanted. They didn't buy it.
I run into this a lot since I own over 20 sports jerseys of a variety of teams. People always ask me who I root for and how come I"'m wearing this when I'm a fan of that." Brothers and folks who understand Hip-Hop culture don't ask these stupid questions. But because I'm all about educating the masses, here's a list of the teams I root for and the teams that I hate. If you don't see a team on either list, then there's a chance that I might wear their colors. So don't be surprised.
Teams I root for:
Baseball
Yankees
Football
Giants
Jets (a distant second)
Basketball
Knicks
Nets (only because I have tickets. they're a very distant second)
Hockey
Rangers
College Football (by conference)
ACC-Miami
SEC-Florida
Big 12-Texas (no I'm not a front-runner...I've liked them ever since Mack Brown, who I covered at UNC, came there in 1997...that and the fact that Chris Simms is only the son of my favorite player ever)
Big East-Syracuse
Pac-10-USC (Since Marcus Allen in the early 80's, and Rodney Peete in late 80's)
Big 10-Michigan
College Basketball
Big East-St Johns (over everbody)
ACC-UNC
SEC-Kentucky
Big 12-Don't care
Pac-10-Don't care
Big 10-Michigan
TEAMS I HATE....
Baseball
Red Sox
Indians (No teams with Native American Mascots)
Mariners
Mets
Dodgers
Angels
A's
Marlins
Blue Jays
Cardinals
Braves (ditto)
Devil Rays
Orioles
D-Backs
Football
Cowboys
Eagles
Patriots
Redskins
49ers
Ravens
Dolphins (only out of respect to my Jet friends)
Chiefs (see above, although their colors are cool)
Basketball
Lakers
Celtics
Heat
Pacers
Bulls
Hockey
Flyers
Devils
Bruins (No Boston Teams ever!!!)
College
Notre Dame
Florida State
Georgia (Since I root for Florida in SEC)
Tennessee
DOOK
Indiana
Oklahoma
Kansas
Boston College
UMass (Dr. J is the ONLY exception)
Illinois
If you ever see me in any of these colors feel free to kill me...otherwise, shut the f--- Up!
There's a reason why I haven't brought up the Knicks 0-5 start up yet. I just don't have the energy to deal with them yet. I keep telling them that they're young and that they're still trying to figure out how to play under Larry Brown. But it's frustrating to watch them lose the way they have the past week and a half. Despite the rants by the pundits, this team has talent. I knew that they would start off slow. But damn, can we win one game before the month ends? Please.
More soon...I promise...
posted by Darth Marc at 2:32 AM
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