Chicago / Milwaukee Sporting Events: Thu, Dec. 31

There is a busy sports day on New Year’s Eve today with quite a few afternoon games taking place. Here are your options:

1) Chicago Blackhawks vs. New Jersey Devils at United Center (7:30 pm) in Chicago, IL.
2) UIC Men’s Basketball vs. Detroit at UIC Pavilion (12:00 pm) in Chicago, IL.
3) Loyola (IL) Men’s Basketball vs. Wright State at Gentile Center (3:00 pm) in Chicago, IL.
4) Northwestern Women’s Basketball vs. Ohio State at Welsh-Ryan Arena (3:00 pm) in Evanston, IL.
5) Milwaukee Wave vs. Baltimore Blast at U.S. Cellular Arena (2:00 pm) in Milwaukee, WI.
6) Harlem Globetrotters vs. Washington Generals at Bradley Center (1:00 pm) in Milwaukee, WI.
7) Notre Dame Women’s Basketball vs. Vanderbilt at Joyce Center (2:00 pm) in South Bend, IN.
8) Harlem Globetrotters vs. Washington Generals at Bradley Center (6:00 pm) in Milwaukee, WI.
9) Rockford IceHogs vs. Houston Aeros at Rockford MetroCentre (7:05 pm) in Rockford, IL.
10) Valparaiso Men’s Basketball vs. Milwaukee at ARC (7:05 pm) in Valparaiso, IN.

If racing is your thing, you can attend thoroughbred horse racing at Hawthorne Racecourse in Cicero, IL (post time 1:05 pm), harness racing at Maywood Park in Maywood, IL (post time 6:30 pm) or two sessions of greyhound racing at Dairyland Greyhound Park in Kenosha, WI (post times 1:00 pm and 7:15 pm).

Chicago / Milwaukee Sporting Events: Wed, Dec. 30

There are three games to attend in Chicagoland today. As usual I have ranked the games in the order in which I would attend them.

1) Chicago Wolves vs. Houston Aeros (7:00 pm) at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL.
2) Notre Dame Men’s Basketball vs. Providence (9:00 pm ET) at Joyce Center in South Bend, IN.
3) Northern Illinois Men’s Basketball vs. Temple (7:00 pm) at Convocation Center in DeKalb, IL.

In addition, you can attend thoroughbred horse racing at Hawthorne Racecourse in Cicero, IL (post time 1:05 pm), harness racing at Balmoral Park in Crete, IL (post time 7:20 pm) or greyhound racing at Dairyland Greyhound Park in Kenosha, WI (post time 1:00 pm).

NBA: Indiana Pacers at Chicago Bulls

After attending Monday Night Football some fans may take Tuesday night to relax and recover. I chose to recover at the Chicago Bulls game.

Obtaining Tickets
I am not sure if I would have actually attended tonight’s game if I did not already have a ticket. However, I had bought $10 tickets to a few games before the start of the season. The reason I bought the tickets is that my general theory is that you should pay as little as possible to just get into the game. Then you can sit anywhere you like – especially at Bulls games where there are usually many seats available. I normally sit in the first few rows of the upper deck (face value $60) rather than try to sneak into the lower level.

The Game
After the first quarter the Bulls were ahead by 19 points. A lead they lost when the Pacers took a 72-71 lead with 6:24 left in the 3rd quarter. After the Pacers took the lead, the Bulls went on a 10-0 run and won the game 104-95.

Chicago / Milwaukee Sporting Events: Tue, Dec. 29

One doubleheader is possible today as the Harlem Globetrotters are playing at the Allstate Arena at 2:00 pm this afternoon. You could combine this game with any of the other games this evening.

1) Chicago Bulls vs. Indiana Pacers (7:00 pm) at United Center in Chicago, IL.
2) Harlem Globetrotters vs. Washington Generals (2:00 pm) at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL.
3) Harlem Globetrotters vs. Washington Generals (7:00 pm) at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL.
4) Milwaukee Admirals vs. Rockford IceHogs (7:00 pm) at Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI.
5) UI-Chicago Men’s Basketball vs. Toledo (7:00 pm) at UIC Pavilion in Chicago, IL.
6) UW-Milwaukee Women’s Basketball vs. Marquette (8:00 pm) at Klotsche Center in Milwaukee, WI.
7) Northern Illinois Women’s Basketball vs. UI-Chicago (7:00 pm) at Convocation Center in DeKalb, IL.
8) Chicago State Women’s Basketball vs. Central Arkansas (7:00 pm) at Jones Convocation Center in Chicago, IL.

Monday Night Football: Vikings at Bears

It’s not every weekend that one gets to attend Monday Night Football after attending an NFL game on Sunday. But that is what happened this weekend. At the beginning of the NFL season, I knew the Chicago Bears were playing on the Monday night after Christmas. I also knew the San Francisco 49ers were home Sunday afternoon where Nicole and I were planning to spend the holiday. Thus, in order to attend both games, I booked a 6:50 am flight from Oakland to Chicago on Southwest Airlines.

Our flight landed in Chicago at 1:00 pm. By the time we collected our bags from baggage claim, caught the shuttle to the parking lot and drove home it was close to 3:00 pm. Even though the parking lots at Soldier Field opened at 3:30 pm, Bears Tailgater Rob was not planning to arrive until 4:15 pm. This delay allowed me to shower and get ready for the game before taking the subway to Soldier Field.

Tailgating
Bears Tailgater Rob was not hosting the tailgate this week as he has in the past. This was his brother-in-law’s game to host – meaning rather than paying Rob as we usually do we had to bring beer and food.

I was attending the game with Blackhawks Jimmy Jr., so I asked him to pick up the goods since I was running late. I now realize why paying Rob is a much better option than brining food and drinks to the tailgate – lugging a case of beer from the Roosevelt train station to the South Lot is a pain. We probably should have gotten off the train at Monroe and walked to the free shuttles at the Millennium Parking Garage. But, by the time I thought of it, it was too late.

This was definitely the coldest Bears game where I have tailgated. Luckily, Blackhawks Jimmy Jr. (his mom gave them to him) brought hand warmers we could use during the tailgate and throughout the game.

Monday Night Football after Sunday Football
This was the sixth time I have attended Monday Night Football after attending an NFL game on Sunday. The other five times were:

Sunday, September 15, 1996: Cardinals at Patriots
Monday, September 16, 1996: Bills at Steelers

Sunday, January 6, 2002: Jaguars at Bears
Monday, January 7, 2002: Vikings at Ravens

Sunday, November 24, 2002: Lions at Bears
Monday, November, 25, 2002: Eagles at 49ers

Sunday, December 22, 2002: Titans at Jaguars
Monday, December 23, 2002: Steelers at Buccaneers

Sunday, September 7, 2008: Cardinals at 49ers
Monday, September 8, 2008: Broncos at Raiders

The Game
Rather than sit in our cold seats in the upper deck, we managed to sneak into the media deck. The media deck has heaters above the concourse near the concession stands, so we decided to stand most of the game while staying warm.

Once again the Vikings and Bears put on a show at Soldier Field. Last year, the Bears defeated the Vikings 48-41 in the highest scoring NFL game I have ever attended.

This year the two teams combined for 66 points as the Bears defeated the Vikings 36-30 in OT. Brett Favre forced overtime as he competed a touchdown pass to Sidney Rice with 16 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.


For a moment in overtime I thought I might see my first NFL tie. Robbie Gould missed a 45 yard field goal and the two teams traded punts. However, On Minnesota’s ensuing drive Adrian Peterson fumbled as Nick Roach recovered for the Bears on the Vikings 39 yard line. On the next play Jay Cutler hit Devin Aromashodu for the game winning 39 yard touchdown – Cutler’s fourth touchdown pass on the day.

Chicago / Milwaukee Sporting Events: Mon, Dec. 28

Monday night football is in Chicago tonight as the Chicago Bears host the Minnesota Vikings. There are also a few other sporting events to attend in Chicagoland or Milwaukee tonight.

1) Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings (7:30 pm) at Soldier Field in Chicago, IL.
2) Harlem Globetrotters vs. Washington Generals (7:00 pm) at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL.
3) Milwaukee Admirals vs. Grand Rapids Griffins (7:00 pm) at Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI.
4) Loyola (IL) Men’s Basketball vs. St. Francis (IL) (7:00 pm) at Gentile Center in Chicago, IL.
5) Loyola (IL) Women’s Basketball vs. Colgate (4:45 pm) at Gentile Center in Chicago, IL.

NFL: Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers

As I wrote for the Emerald Bowl, I needed to buy seven tickets for the 49ers game today versus the Lions. However, Nicole, who usually is excited about tailgating before any football game was not that enthusiastic. After a short conversation it turned out she did not really want to attend the game and was only going for the tailgate. Rather than have her and her great uncle attend the game, we decided to go to brunch before the game instead. My parents, brother and I would still attend.

Obtaining Tickets
Fortunately this decision was made before I bought the 49ers tickets from the scalpers on Saturday outside of the Emerald Bowl. Also, since my friend never got back to me on whether he could attend, I only needed to buy four tickets. If I had known I would only need to buy four tickets, I would have waited to buy tickets outside of Candlestick Park.

However, I did not want to screw over the scalper I had made a verbal agreement with so I still bought four tickets from him. Originally, I had agreed to buy seven tickets for $325 (about $46.50 each). Earlier in the day I had called him to inform him I would only need five tickets. When I showed up outside of AT&T Park, I told him I only needed four. I offered him $180 for the four tickets ($45 each). He accepted reluctantly.

Parking
Since we ate brunch in San Carlos, we arrived at Candlestick Park about 45 minutes before kickoff. The Candlestick parking lot was full so we parked in one of the remote lots. The remote lots cost $30 to park while the official lot is only $25 – I believe it is more because you will have much less traffic if you park in one of the remote lots.

The Game
This is the second time I have seen the Detroit Lions play at Candlestick Park. The first time was on October 20, 1991 when the 49ers won 35-3. Steve Young connected with Jerry Rice and Tom Rathman scored twice.


Today was much different as the 49ers won 20-6 in a boring game. The 49ers punted six times and the Lions five. The score at halftime was 6-3. The 49ers managed to score two touchdowns in the third quarter to take a 20-3 lead which was insurmountable for the Lions.

Chicago / Milwaukee Sporting Events: Sun, Dec. 27

The sporting event calendar is back in full swing today.

1) Chicago Blackhawks vs. Nashville Predators (6:00 pm) at United Center in Chicago, IL.
2) Chicago Wolves vs. Rockford IceHogs (3:00 pm) at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL.
3) Marquette Men’s Basketball vs. Presbyterian (1:00 pm) at Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI.
4) Rockford Rampage vs. Baltimore Blast (5:05 pm) at Rockford MetroCentre in Rockford, IL.
5) Chi-Town Shooters vs. Battle Creek Revolution (3:20 pm) at Midwest Training and Ice Center in Dyer, IN.
6) Chicago Steam vs. Aurora Force (4:00 pm) at South Suburban College in South Holland, IL.

In addition, you can attend thoroughbred horse racing at Hawthorne Racecourse in Cicero, IL (post time 1:05 pm), harness racing at Balmoral Park in Crete, IL (post time 6:30 pm) or greyhound racing at Dairyland Greyhound Park in Kenosha, WI (post time 1:00 pm).

Emerald Bowl: Boston College vs. USC

There were three sporting events occurring at the same time in the San Francisco Bay Area today. First was the Emerald Bowl in San Francisco between Boston College and USC. Kickoff was scheduled for 5 pm. Second, the Golden State Warriors were hosting the Phoenix Suns in Oakland. Tip-off was scheduled for 7:30 pm. Third, the San Jose Sharks were hosting the Anaheim Ducks in San Jose. Puck drop was schedule for 7:30 pm. Since all of these games overlapped we could only pick one to attend.

The Emerald Bowl was the winner for three main reasons. First, as a rule, I try to attend the game is played the most infrequently. That was obviously the Emerald Bowl – one time per year versus 41 home games for the Warriors and Sharks. Second, the game started at 5 pm versus the 7:30 pm start times for the Warriors and Sharks. Nicole was not planning to attend any of the games but wanted to go out when I got home. Thus, it is easier to go out after a game that ends at 8:30 pm than a game that ends at 10 pm. Third, and most important, how many times do you get to see USC play in a non-BCS bowl game? Their last non-BCS bowl game was the 2001 Las Vegas Bowl.

Obtaining Tickets
In addition to attending the Emerald Bowl, I was planning to attend the San Francisco 49ers game on Sunday. We needed seven tickets for the 49ers game. Since seven tickets together are difficult to buy from scalpers outside the stadium, I decided to purchase them ahead of time. I found an advertisement on craigslist.org offering 10 tickets for sale. I agreed to buy seven tickets but the broker was located in San Francisco.

I told him we were going to the Emerald Bowl and that we could meet him in the city sometime before the game. He said he also had Emerald Bowl tickets and offered them for $25 each. Face value for the Emerald Bowl tickets was $40 and I did not believe we could beat that price too much so I agreed to buy four tickets for $100.

It turned out to be a good decision to buy tickets ahead of time as it was pouring rain when we arrived at AT&T Park. Trying to buy tickets from scalpers in a torrential downpour is not a pleasant experience – especially when your parents and brother are with you.

Rain and Our Seats
It consistently rained throughout the game. Thus, rather than sit in the seats we bought we sat down the left field line (where I sat when I attended a couple of Giants games in August). The seats down the left field line are usually empty, under the overhang (shade for San Francisco Giants games and out of the rain for the Emerald Bowl) and have a lack of ushers checking tickets.


The Game
After falling behind 14-0, Boston College scored two touchdowns in the second quarter to make it a 14-13 game at halftime. However, that was the end of Boston College’s scoring as USC won the game 24-13. It was USC’s 32nd bowl win which broke a tie with Alabama for the most all-time.

Chicago / Milwaukee Sporting Events: Sat, Dec. 26

Sports are back in action in Chicagoland and Milwaukee after a two day break for the Christmas holiday.

1) Chicago Bulls vs. Charlotte Hornets (7:00 pm) at United Center in Chicago, IL.
2) Milwaukee Bucks vs. San Antonio Spurs (7:30 pm) at Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI.
3) Rockford IceHogs vs. Milwaukee Admirals (7:05 pm) at Rockford MetroCentre in Rockford, IL.

If racing is your thing, you can attend thoroughbred horse racing at Hawthorne Racecourse in Cicero, IL (post time 1:05 pm), harness racing at Balmoral Park in Crete, IL (post time 7:20 pm) or two sessions of greyhound racing at Dairyland Greyhound Park in Kenosha, WI (post times 1:00 pm and 7:15 pm).

Chicago / Milwaukee Sporting Events: Wed, Dec. 23

With Christmas approaching there is only one sporting event to attend in Chicago or Milwaukee tonight.

1) Milwaukee Bucks vs. Washington Wizards (7:00 pm) at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI.

In addition, you can attend thoroughbred horse racing at Hawthorne Racecourse in Cicero, IL (post time 1:05 pm) or harness racing at Balmoral Park in Crete, IL (post time 7:20 pm).

Chicago / Milwaukee Sporting Events: Tue, Dec. 22

There is a rare weekday doubleheader to attend today in Chicagoland. The Northwestern women’s basketball team plays this afternoon and the Northwestern men’s basketball team plays this evening at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Or you can combine the Northern Illinois men’s basketball game with another event this evening.

1) Chicago Blackhawks vs. San Jose Sharks (7:00 pm) at United Center in Chicago, IL.
2) Northwestern Men’s Basketball vs. Central Connecticut (7:00 pm) at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, IL.
3) Loyola (IL) Men’s Basketball vs. Albany (7:00 pm) at Gentile Center in Chicago, IL.
4) Northwestern Women’s Basketball vs. Loyola (IL) (1:00 pm) at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, IL.
5) Notre Dame Men’s Basketball vs. Bucknell (7:00 pm ET) at Joyce Center in South Bend, IN.
6) Northern Illinois Men’s Basketball vs. Maryland-Eastern Shore (1:00 pm) at Convocation Center in DeKalb, IL.

Chicago / Milwaukee Sporting Events: Mon, Dec. 21

For the first time in three weeks there are sporting events in Chicagoland or Milwaukee on a Monday. Your best bet is to attend the Chicago Bulls game at the United Center.

1) Chicago Bulls vs. Sacramento Kings (7:00 pm) at United Center in Chicago, IL.
2) Chicago State Women’s Basketball vs. Eastern Michigan (7:00 pm) at Jones Convocation Center in Chicago, IL.
3) Marquette Women’s Basketball vs. Canisius (7:00 pm) at Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee, WI.

Standing Room Only: Red Wings at Blackhawks

My original plan for today was to fly to Pittsburgh in the morning, attend the Green Bay Packers at Pittsburgh Steelers game and fly back to Chicago after the game. That plan was changed when the game, originally scheduled for 1:00 pm ET, was changed to a 4:15 pm ET kick off – meaning I could no longer make my 6:50 pm ET flight back to Chicago.

With my trip to Pittsburgh cancelled, I took in the best event in Chicago today – the Detroit Red Wings were visiting the Chicago Blackhawks for the first time since the Red Wings defeated the Blackhawks 4-1 in the Western Conference Finals.

Obtaining Tickets
Since I had not planned to attend the Blackhawks game, I had to research ticket prices on Sunday afternoon. The cheapest price on StubHub was $65 for a single and craigslist.org had a $40 Standing Room Only (SRO). Prices were much more expensive than I thought, but I should have expected that. However, high ticket prices did not discourage me from driving to the United Center without a ticket.

I parked for free on the corner of N. Hoyne Ave. and W. Warren Blvd. That location determined my “scalping tickets walk”. I walked to the corner of W. Madison St. and S. Damen Ave. before heading towards the United Center. Even though I had not visited the ticket office yet, I used $25 (face value for SRO) as my price point.

One scalper offered me a ticket for $80 (face value $75 if bought on the day of the game). Even though I now knew prices were close to face value, I went to the box office to see if SRO was available. SRO was available to I bought one – rather than try to match $25 on the secondary market (cheapest seat in the arena for the game was $40 face value).

Standing Room Only at United Center
As usual I was able to find a seat in the upper deck (face value of my seat was $60 on the day of the game) so I paid less for the SRO ticket and sat in a good seat.

It is difficult to watch the game from SRO if you arrive late. If you actually want to watch the game from SRO you need to either:

1) Arrive early and get a good spot in the SRO section above the third level.
2) Arrive late and find an empty seat in the upper deck (lower level if you are lucky).
3) Arrive late and enjoy the new SRO concession stand above the third level and watch the game on the flat screen televisions. This area is basically a bar (consider your ticket a $25 cover charge) within the United Center.

I am always able to accomplish #2, which is why I will continue to buy SRO tickets for sold out Blackhawks games.

The Game
The Blackhawks shut out the Red Wings 3-0. The convincing defeat may be a changing of the guard in the Central Division – the Red Wings have won eight straight division titles.

Chicago / Milwaukee Sporting Events: Sun, Dec. 20

Below are the games to attend in Chicagoland and Milwaukee today:

1) Chicago Blackhawks vs. Detroit Red Wings (6:00 pm) at United Center in Chicago, IL.
2) UI-Chicago Women’s Basketball vs. Eastern Illinois (3:00 pm) at UIC Pavilion in Chicago, IL.
3) Milwaukee Admirals vs. San Antonio Rampage (4:00 pm) at Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI.
4) Rockford Rampage vs. La RaZa de Monterrey (5:05 pm) at Rockford MetroCentre in Rockford, IL.
5) Chicago Blaze vs. Battle Creek Revolution (2:00 pm) at West Meadows Ice Arena in Rolling Meadows, IL.
6) Notre Dame Women’s Basketball vs. Charlotte (1:00 pm ET) at Joyce Center in South Bend, IN.

In addition, you can attend thoroughbred horse racing at Hawthorne Racecourse in Cicero, IL (post time 1:05 pm), harness racing at Balmoral Park in Crete, IL (post time 6:30 pm) or greyhound racing at Dairyland Greyhound Park in Kenosha, WI (post time 1:00 pm).

WCBK: Chicago St. at Northwestern

After waiting for an hour between the men’s and women’s games, the Northwestern women’s team took the court. Although expected, it was amazing to see there were only 567 people (according to nusports.com) who stuck around for the women’s game even though it was free. 5,098 attended the men’s game versus Stanford.

The Game
Northwestern jumped out to an 11-0 lead and never looked back defeating Chicago St. 85-64. Amy Jaeschke scored 29 points for the Wildcats, while Brittany Orban scored 20. It was the first time since January 18, 2006 that two Wildcats scored 20 points in the same game.

CBK: Stanford at Northwestern

Today with my season ticket already in hand I headed up to Welsh-Ryan Arena for the Northwestern men’s basketball game versus Stanford. In addition to the men’s game, the Northwestern women’s team was playing Chicago St. at 4:00 pm (an hour after the men’s game ended). The women’s game was free with a ticket to the men’s contest.

Parking
For the first time I parked on Central St. in front of Ryan Field – there is a section of parking directly west of the main parking lot where four cars can park for free.

The Game
Northwestern and Stanford played neck and neck until Northwestern took a 60-50 lead with over four minutes left in the game, but Stanford cut the lead to one point with 1:46 left. In the past, Northwestern would fall apart and lose this game. But this year appears to be different. Michael Thompson made a three-pointer to get the lead back to four and the Wildcats beat the Cardinal 70-62. Northwestern is now 9-1 on the season – their best start since the 1993-94 season.

Chicago / Milwaukee Sporting Events: Sat, Dec. 19

There are three doubleheader possibilities today that are in the same arena – not to mention the doubleheaders you can attend if you drove between two arenas.

First, the Northwestern men’s and women’s basketball are playing back-to-back at Welsh-Ryan Arena – one ticket gains admission to both games. By combining the Northwestern games with a night game you could actually attend three games today. Second, Allstate Arena is hosting both the DePaul men’s basketball team (afternoon) and the Chicago Wolves (tonight). Third, the Bradley Center is hosting both Marquette men’s basketball (afternoon) and the Milwaukee Bucks (tonight).

Most likely you will only attend one game today. Below are how I rank the games in order of priority – based on location and stature of the league.

1) Chicago Bulls vs. Atlanta Hawks (7:00 pm) at United Center in Chicago, IL.
2) Milwaukee Bucks vs. Sacramento Kings (7:30 pm) at Bradley Center in Milwaukee, IL.
3) Northwestern Men’s Basketball vs. Stanford (1:00 pm) at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, IL.
4) Chicago Wolves vs. Milwaukee Admirals (7:00 pm) at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL.
5) Notre Dame Men’s Basketball vs. UCLA (2:00 pm ET) at Joyce Center in South Bend, IN.
6) DePaul Men’s Basketball vs. Texas State (1:00 pm) at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL.
7) Marquette Men’s Basketball vs. North Florida (1:00 pm) at Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI.
8) UI-Chicago Men’s Basketball vs. Northern Illinois (3:00 pm) at UIC Pavilion in Chicago, IL.
9) Northwestern Women’s Basketball vs. Chicago State (4:00 pm) at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, IL.
10) Rockford IceHogs vs. San Antonio Rampage (7:05 pm) at Rockford MetroCentre in Rockford, IL.
11) UW-Milwaukee Men’s Basketball vs. Miami (OH) (7:00 pm) at U.S. Cellular Arena in Milwaukee, WI.
12) Valparaiso Men’s Basketball vs. Concordia University (7:05 pm) at ARC in Valparaiso, IL.
13) Chicago Blaze vs. Detroit Hitmen (7:00 pm) at West Meadows Ice Arena in Rolling Meadows, IL.
14) Chicago Steel vs. Omaha Lancers (7:30 pm) at Edge Ice Arena in Bensenville, IL.

If racing is your thing, you can attend thoroughbred horse racing at Hawthorne Racecourse in Cicero, IL (post time 1:20 pm), harness racing at Balmoral Park in Crete, IL (post time 7:20 pm) or two sessions of greyhound racing at Dairyland Greyhound Park in Kenosha, WI (post times 1:00 pm and 7:15 pm).

Chicago / Milwaukee Sporting Events: Fri, Dec. 18

Not a great night for sporting events in Chicagoland, but at least the Blackhawks are home.

1) Chicago Blackhawks vs. Boston Bruins (7:30 pm) at United Center in Chicago, IL.
2) UI-Chicago Women’s Basketball vs. Illinois State (7:00 pm) at UIC Pavilion in Chicago, IL.
3) Rockford IceHogs vs. Chicago Wolves (7:05 pm) at Rockford MetroCentre in Rockford, IL.
4) Chicago Blaze vs. Battle Creek Revolution (7:25 pm) at West Meadows Ice Arena in Rolling Meadows, IL.
5) Chicago Steel vs. Omaha Lancers (7:30 pm) at Edge Ice Arena in Bensenville, IL.

In addition, you can attend thoroughbred horse racing at Hawthorne Racecourse in Cicero, IL (post time 1:05 pm), harness racing at Maywood Park in Maywood, IL (post time 7:20 pm) or greyhound racing at Dairyland Greyhound Park in Kenosha, WI (post time 7:15 pm).

NBA: New York Knicks at Chicago Bulls

Tonight the Bulls came back from a 17 point deficit to defeat the Knicks 98-89. The Knicks attempted 47 three-pointers falling two shy of the NBA record while only taking 39 two-point shots. Dallas holds the league record when they attempted 49 three-pointers on March 5, 1996.

The Northwestern Football team was in attendance as the Bulls wished them luck in their upcoming bowl appearance in the Outback Bowl on January 1, 2010.

Obtaining Tickets
I had already purchased my ticket for the game – cost $10. Since it is difficult to pay less than $10 on the secondary ticket market I buy a few games before the start of the season. Then I sit wherever I want in the United Center since plenty of seats are always available. Last night I sat in the first few rows of the upper deck – face value of those seats is $60 (non premium game).

Chicago / Milwaukee Sporting Events: Thu, Dec. 17

There are a couple of doubleheaders you can consider Thursday. First, Chicago St. has a doubleheader as their men’s and women’s basketball teams play today – one ticket gains admission to both games.

Second, the Northwestern women’s basketball team is playing at noon for Field Trip Day. Admission to the game is $1. Combine this game with one of the other games taking place in the evening:

1) Chicago Bulls vs. New York Knicks at the United Center in Chicago, IL. Game starts at 7:00 pm.
2) Northwestern Women’s Basketball vs. Arkansas at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, IL. Game starts at 12:00 pm.
3) Loyola (IL) Women’s Basketball vs. Northern Illinois at the Gentile Center in Chicago, IL. Game starts at 7:00 pm.
4) Chicago State Men’s Basketball vs. Olivet Nazarene at the Jones Convocation Center in Chicago, IL. Game starts at 7:30 pm.
5) Chicago State Women’s Basketball vs. Akron at the Jones Convocation Center in Chicago, IL. Game starts at 5:00 pm.

In addition, you can attend thoroughbred horse racing at Hawthorne Racecourse in Cicero, IL (post time 1:20 pm) or harness racing at Maywood Park in Maywood, IL (post time 7:20 pm).

CBK: North Florida at Northwestern

On a normal night, I would not attend a Northwestern men’s basketball game instead of a Chicago Blackhawks game. However, that was not the case tonight. Earlier this year, I bought Northwestern men’s basketball season tickets for the first time since the 2004-05 season.

My reasoning was the same as it was that year – the Ultimate Sports Wife is a Ph.D. candidate at Northwestern University. By having season tickets, we could drive to Evanston together. Then I drop her off at the department before the game so she could work, go to the game and comeback to the department after the game. Plus, we can eat dinner together before or after the game depending on the game time.

Pre Game Dining
Tonight we ate at Buffalo Wild Wings which recently opened in Evanston on November 23. For some reason, I can lure Nicole into attending a sporting event if she knows we will dine at BW3 in conjunction with the event.

The Game
Northwestern routed North Florida 84-54 for its seventh consecutive win. This is Northwestern’s longest winning streak since they won eight straight during the 1993-94 season.

Chicago / Milwaukee Sporting Events: Wed, Dec. 16

There is a good set of sporting events to attend in Chicagoland or Milwaukee tonight. I will be attending the Northwestern Wildcats men’s basketball game, even though I feel it is the third best game to attend tonight.

1) Chicago Blackhawks vs. St. Louis Blues at the United Center in Chicago, IL. Game starts at 7:30 pm.
2) Milwaukee Bucks vs. Los Angeles Lakers at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI. Game starts at 7:00 pm.
3) Northwestern Men’s Basketball vs. North Florida at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, IL. Game starts at 8:00 pm.
4) UI-Chicago Men’s Basketball vs. Oregon State at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, IL. Game starts at 7:00 pm.
5) DePaul Men’s Basketball vs. American University at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL. Game starts at 7:30 pm.

In addition, you can attend thoroughbred horse racing at Hawthorne Racecourse in Cicero, IL (post time 1:20 pm), harness racing at Balmoral Park in Crete, IL (post time 7:20 pm) or greyhound racing at Dairyland Greyhound Park in Kenosha, WI (post time 1:00 pm).

Chicago / Milwaukee Sporting Events: Tue, Dec. 15

After having no sporting events to attend in Chicago or Milwaukee yesterday, there are two events to attend on Tuesday.

1) Chicago Bulls vs. Los Angeles Lakers at the United Center in Chicago, IL. Game starts at 7:00 pm (CT).
2) UW-Milwaukee Women’s Basketball vs. Illinois State at Klotsche Center. Game starts at 7:00 pm (CT).

Los Angeles Lakers This Week
Are you planning to see the Los Angeles Lakers play this week? If so, it will probably be cheaper to drive to Milwaukee on Wednesday night rather than going to see the Chicago Bulls play Tuesday night.

Based on StubHub prices, tickets to “just-get-into” each stadium is $19 each for the United Center and $9.75 each for the Bradley Center – not necessarily a big enough difference to drive to Milwaukee. But seats at center court on the first level are $229 each at the United Center and $85 each at the Bradley Center (plus StubHub service fees). For that kind of savings I would make the drive to Milwaukee.

However, for both of these games you can save money buying tickets through craigslist.org or showing up at each arena without tickets and buying tickets from a scalper.

Doubleheader Day Game #2: Lightning at Blackhawks

After the Chicago Bears game, I took the CTA train back to our house to pick up the Ultimate Sports Wife, go to a holiday party near our house and then drive down to the United Center for the Blackhawks game – ah, the conveniences of living in the city.

Obtaining Tickets
When I called Blackhawks Jim to invite him and his wife to the Packers and Bears game, he said he had his usual four seats in the lower level for the Blackhawks game. So after a simple trade of tickets, the Ultimate Sports Wife and I were sitting in the same seats where the Vince Vaughn drama occurred a few weeks ago. Too bad tonight’s ceremonial first puck dropper, Jim Belushi, did not cause any drama.

The Game
The Blackhawks shutout the Lightning 4-0 – the second consecutive Lightning game I have attended in which they were shutout. Patrick Kane scored his 10th goal of the season to take the team lead.

Doubleheader Day Game #1: Packers at Bears

It was a day I have only participated in two times before – the first time on November 14, 1999 and the second, last year, on November 9, 2008. Yesterday, I attended both the Chicago Bears and the Chicago Blackhawks game in the same day. The timing for the games works perfectly. The Bears start at noon and the Blackhawks start at 6 pm on Sunday – meaning you have around three hours to grab dinner in between the games.

Pre Game Dining
Rather than tailgating before the game, I went out with a friend of mine to the usual pregame restaurants – Grace O’Malley’s and Weather Mark Tavern.

The Game
Although the Bears had the lead heading into the 4th quarter, the Packers intercepted Jay Cutler shortly after the 4th quarter started. The Packers scored the game winning touchdown on the ensuing drive to win 21-14 – officially eliminating the Bears from the playoffs.

This was the Packers sixth consecutive victory I have seen against the Bears. Actually, every time I have seen the Bears and Packers play the Packers win – in the old version of Soldier Field (1997, 2000), Memorial Stadium in Champaign, IL (2002), and the current version of Soldier Field (2003, 2005 and 2009).

Chicago / Milwaukee Sporting Events: Sun, Dec. 13

Today I am attending two sporting events in Chicago. First, I am watching the Chicago Bears host the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field. Second, I am attending the Chicago Blackhawks game versus the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The sporting events taking place in Chicagoland and Milwaukee today include:

1) Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field in Chicago, IL. Game starts at 12:00 pm (CT). On a rare occurrence, tickets for the game will be under face value on the secondary ticket market. So show up at Soldier Field if you want to see one of the NFL’s biggest rivalries in person.
2) Chicago Blackhawks vs. Tampa Bay Lightning at the United Center in Chicago, IL. Game starts at 6:00 pm (CT).
3) Northwestern Men’s Basketball vs. North Carolina A&T at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, IL. Game starts at 4:00 pm (CT).
4) DePaul Men’s Basketball vs. UI-Chicago at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL. Game starts at 5:00 pm (CT).
5) Notre Dame Hockey vs. Michigan at the Joyce Center Ice Rink in South Bend, IN. Game starts at 4:05 pm (CT).
6) Marquette Women’s Basketball vs. Robert Morris at the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee, WI. Game starts at 2:00 pm (CT).
7) UW-Milwaukee Women’s Basketball vs. Chicago State at the Klotsche Center in Milwaukee, WI. Game starts at 4:00 pm (CT).
8) Chicago Steam vs. Columbus Crush at South Suburban College in South Holland, IL. Game starts at 4:00 pm (CT).

In addition, you can attend thoroughbred horse racing at Hawthorne Racecourse in Cicero, IL (post time 1:20 pm), harness racing at Balmoral Park in Crete, IL (post time 6:30 pm) or greyhound racing at Dairyland Greyhound Park in Kenosha, WI (post time 1:00 pm).

Junior Welterweight: Diaz vs. Malignaggi

Tonight, even though the Chicago Bulls were playing the Boston Celtics at the United Center, I still chose to attend the boxing match between Juan Diaz and Paulie Malignaggi at the UIC Pavilion. The fight was for the NABO Junior Welterweight Title and was the first boxing event I have attended in over 4.5 years (not counting the AIBA World Boxing Championships held at the UIC Pavilion two years ago).

Parking at UIC Pavilion
Parking at the UIC Pavilion is painless. The parking lot is directly across the street and costs $15.

Obtaining Tickets
There were no ticket scalpers around the main box office (the corner of Racine Ave. and Harrison St). Thus, I needed to find myself a ticket if I wanted a discount off the box office. However, I waited for 10 minutes but nobody entering the arena had an extra ticket. I bought the cheapest seat available from the ticket office for $31.

Even though I bought the cheapest ticket (upper level) does not mean I sat in those seats. I sat in the lower level where the tickets had an $81 face value.

The Undercards
The undercard fights were not very exciting as most of the fights were slow and several went to decision. I probably could have shown up at 9:00 pm to watch the HBO matches only. One notable was Jimmy Herrera who, in his boxing debut, knocked out Gustavo Palacios within 28 seconds of the first round.

HBO Boxing After Dark
There were two fights scheduled for HBO’s Boxing After Dark. The first was between Victor Ortiz and Antonio Diaz. Ortiz cut A. Diaz above his eye and was able to attack the injury on way to a TKO after round 6 (or technically one second in round 7).

The second fight was the main event as J. Diaz fought Malignaggi. The fight was very competitive as Malignaggi edged out the decision. All three judges favored Malignaggi 116-111. J. Diaz was cut above his eye during the fight but Malignaggi chose to showboat rather than attack the eye. Malignaggi consistently played with the crowd when they chanted “Paulie,” put his hands behind his back and made windmill motions before throwing a punch.

The match was not without controversy as Malignaggi was credited with a knockdown even though replays showed it was more of a shove and that Diaz’s glove never actually touched the canvas. Maybe Diaz – Malignaggi III will be in the near future.

Chicago / Milwaukee Sporting Events: Sat, Dec. 12

Today is a big day for sporting events in the Chicago and Milwaukee area. There are 11 events with some afternoon college basketball games to professional basketball and boxing this evening.

1) Boxing: Juan Diaz vs. Paulie Malignaggi II in a NABO Junior Welterweight Title fight at the UIC Pavilion. Fight starts at 9:15 pm, but the 12 card day starts at 2:30 pm.
2) Chicago Bulls vs. Boston Celtics at the United Center in Chicago, IL. Game starts at 7:00 pm (CT).
3) Milwaukee Bucks vs. Portland Trailblazers at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI. Game starts at 7:30 pm (CT).
4) Notre Dame Men’s Basketball vs. Loyola Marymount at the Joyce Center in South Bend, IN. Game starts 7:00 pm (ET).
5) Loyola Men’s Basketball vs. San Francisco at the Joseph J. Gentile Center in Chicago, IL. Game starts at 3:00 pm (CT).
6) Valparaiso Men’s Basketball vs. Toledo at the Athletics Recreation Center in Valparaiso, IN. Game starts at 2:00 pm (CT).
7) Milwaukee Wave vs. Philadelphia Kixx at the U.S. Cellular Arena in Milwaukee, WI. Game starts at 6:00 pm (CT).
8) Chi-Town Shooters vs. Detroit Hitmen at the Midwest Training and Ice Center in Dyer, IN. Game starts at 6:45 pm (CT).
9) Chicago Blaze vs. Evansville Icemen at the West Meadows Ice Arena in Rolling Meadows, IL. Game starts at 7:00 pm (CT).
10) Notre Dame Women’s Basketball vs. Valparaiso at the Joyce Center in South Bend, IN. Game starts at 2:00 pm (ET).
11) Chicago Steel vs. Fargo Force at the Edge Ice Arena in Bensenville, IL. Game starts at 7:30 pm (CT).

My pick for this evening is boxing at the UIC Pavilion even though it is a long day.

Doubleheader Possibilities
The best doubleheader possibility would be to combine the Loyola men’s basketball game and the Chicago Bulls game. If you are from Indiana then consider combing either the Valparaiso Men’s Basketball game (2:00 pm CT start) or the Notre Dame Women’s Basketball game (2:00 pm ET start) with the Notre Dame men’s basketball game (7:00 pm ET start).

Horse and Greyhound Racing
If racing is your thing, you can attend thoroughbred horse racing at Hawthorne Racecourse in Cicero, IL (post time 1:20 pm), harness racing at Balmoral Park in Crete, IL (post time 7:20 pm) or two sessions of greyhound racing at Dairyland Greyhound Park in Kenosha, WI (post times 1:00 pm or 7:15 pm).

Chicago / Milwaukee Sporting Events: Fri, Dec. 11

Here are the events taking place in Chicago or Milwaukee tonight and the order in which I would attend them:

1) Chicago Bulls vs. Golden State Warriors at the United Center in Chicago, IL. Game starts at 7:00 pm (CT).
2) Milwaukee Admirals vs. San Antonio Rampage at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI. Game starts at 7:00 pm (CT).
3) Chicago Blaze vs. Detroit Hitmen at the West Meadows Ice Arena in Rolling Meadows, IL. Game starts at 7:25 pm (CT).
4) Marquette Women’s Basketball vs. Wisconsin at the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee, WI. Game starts at 7:00 pm (CT).
5) Chicago Steel vs. Sioux City Musketeers at the Edge Ice Arena in Bensenville, IL. Game starts at 7:35 pm (CT).

In addition, you can attend thoroughbred horse racing at Hawthorne Racecourse in Cicero, IL (post time 1:20 pm), harness racing at Maywood Park in Maywood, IL (post time 7:20 pm) or greyhound racing at Dairyland Greyhound Park in Kenosha, WI (post time 7:15 pm). However, be sure to check that the races are going on as Hawthorne has cancelled races the last two days due to weather.

Chicago / Milwaukee Sporting Events: Thu, Dec. 10

Not much going on in the world of sports in Chicago or Milwaukee today. The only event is harness racing at Maywood Park in Maywood, IL (post time 7:20 pm) – although check before you show up since it maybe cancelled due to the weather. Thoroughbred horse racing at Hawthorne Racecourse in Cicero, IL was cancelled today due to the extreme cold.

Chicago / Milwaukee Sporting Events: Wed, Dec. 9

There are three sporting events to attend in the Chicago and Milwaukee area tonight.

1) Chicago Blackhawks vs. New York Rangers at the United Center in Chicago, IL. Game starts at 7:30 pm (CT).
2) Milwaukee Bucks vs. Toronto at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI. Game starts at 7:00 pm (CT).
3) Notre Dame Men’s Basketball vs. IUPUI at the Joyce Center in South Bend, IN. Game Starts at 7:30 pm (ET).

In addition, you can attend harness racing at Balmoral Park in Crete, IL (post time 7:20 pm) or greyhound racing at Dairyland Greyhound Park in Kenosha, WI (post time 1:00 pm). Thoroughbred horse racing at Hawthorne Racecourse in Cicero, IL was cancelled today due to weather.

Win #2: Nets at Bulls

For the second consecutive game in Chicago, the worst team in the league came to town. On Sunday, the Rams (1-10) played the Bears. Tonight, the New Jersey Nets (1-19) played the Bulls.

The Bulls showed how poorly they are playing right now losing to the Nets 103-101. The Nets, who set the record for the worst start in NBA history by starting the season with 18 losses, have now won 2 out of 3. This was also the Nets first win on the road in 18 games dating back to last season.

The game was tied at 54 going into halftime. The Nets went on an 8-0 run to start the third quarter and were ahead 80-70 at the end of the third quarter. The Bulls went on a 9-0 run to start the fourth quarter but could not pull out the win.

Obtaining Tickets
Back in October when I attended a pre-season game I bought $10 tickets for a few games this season. Tonight was one of the games I already had a ticket. Good thing too since the snow was really coming down as I walked to the United Center – not the best weather to try and buy a ticket on the secondary market.

Chicago / Milwaukee Sporting Events: Tue, Dec. 8

There are three basketball games to attend in the Chicago and Milwaukee area tonight.

1) Chicago Bulls vs. New Jersey Nets at the United Center in Chicago, IL. Game starts at 7:00 pm (CT).
2) Marquette Men’s Basketball vs. UW-Milwaukee at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI. Game starts at 7:00 pm (CT).
3) Notre Dame Women’s Basketball vs. IPFW at the Joyce Center in South Bend, IN. Game Starts at 7:00 pm (ET).

NFL: St. Louis Rams at Chicago Bears

It was a bad NFL game to attend (with the Bears at 4-7 and the Rams at 1-10) but since we already had our season tickets we were planning to attend. At first, we were planning to meet Hawkeyes Bryon and Julie at a bar before the game. However, that was before my friend, Mike Holzman, hooked up the parking pass late in the week in the Waldron Deck – the parking lot directly south of Soldier Field. Thus, the Ultimate Sports Wife and I put together our own tailgate for the Bears game yesterday.

Tailgate
We arrived at the parking lot at 9:00 am. On the Ultimate Sports Wife’s menu was taco dip, barbeque meatballs and burgers from Whole Foods.

As I have written before, the best location to buy tickets on the secondary market is at the tailgate. On a rare occurrence for a Bears game, scalpers were walking the parking lot with extra tickets. Since the Bears were playing the Rams tickets were available.

The Game
The Bears defeated the Rams 17-9 for their first win after four consecutive losses. Steven Jackson rushed for 112 yards to give him seven 100-plus yard rushing games for the season.

This was the third time I have seen the Rams play at Soldier Field. The first time was a Bears victory on December 8, 1996 and the second, the Rams won on November 16, 2003.

NFL in Canada: Jets at Bills

The Buffalo Bills are playing one game per season for five years at Rogers Centre. Since they are playing a consistent game I added Rogers Centre as an NFL stadium I wanted to visit. I have already attended a Toronto Blue Jays (1993) and Toronto Raptors (1996-97) game at Rogers Centre when the stadium was called SkyDome.

Booking Flights
The wife and I had just spent Thanksgiving in central Florida and decided to stay a few days after the long weekend. With that I flew directly from Orlando to Buffalo on Southwest Airlines and planned to fly from Buffalo to Chicago on Friday afternoon after the game. I thought about flying directly to Toronto since I would avoid the two drive from Buffalo to Toronto but the flights were more expensive to fly directly to Toronto even though I needed to rent a car.

Pre Game Dining
By the time I checked into my hostel and started looking for a place to eat dinner it was 5 pm. There were dozens of restaurants and bars to choose from a few blocks north of Rogers Centre. I wanted to eat at Wayne Gretzky’s Restaurant but it was incredibly crowded. Instead I ate at Fox and Fiddle (located at 106 John Street) since they had a Thursday night dinner special and it was close to where I was staying.

After dinner I walked around Rogers Centre (about 0.5 miles from the restaurant) to check out the secondary ticket market and see if there were any bars closer to the stadium.

The closest restaurant I found to Rogers Centre was St. Louis Bar and Grill (located at 313 Bremner Blvd.). At the restaurant I met two Jets fans from New York City who drove to Toronto for the game.

Obtaining Tickets
One of the guys I met at St. Louis Bar and Grill had the same ticket strategy as me. He wanted to buy a cheap ticket right before the game started – his goal was to pay $50 each for lower level tickets. Lower level seats had a face value of $275. However, his logic was flawed.

1) We needed to buy four tickets if we were to sit together. If an individual scalper has a dozen or two tickets then getting four together for a low price is not difficult. Although there were a lot of scalpers, most did not have more than six tickets or so – meaning they would be more difficult to negotiate with.
2) There were a lot of other fans who wanted to buy tickets on the secondary market rather than pay $110 or $165 for upper deck seats from the box office – meaning tickets on the secondary market were more expensive and the scalpers would hold out to get the highest price they could.

Remember that every game is different for the secondary ticket market even at the same stadium. Do not expect to pay $20 for an NFL game just because you traditionally have in the past.

Last night most scalpers wanted $200 for their lower level seats (face value $275). That was more than any of us were willing to pay. They all upped their budget to $100 for lower level seats but I was becoming impatient with the strategy. At least my theory still holds true that you can save money by buying tickets on the secondary market rather than at the box office. You just not save as much money as you would like.

Finally, I decided to go alone as I found a guy who had a VIP seat - $495 face value. I was not sure where the VIP section was but the ticket did have a special entrance. I was hoping it was a luxury box. I offered him $100 for the ticket but he declined. The scalper next to me offered him $150 which did not work well for my negotiation. We finally settled on $130 for the ticket (in which I paid him $110 Canadian and $20 US since I did not take much money out of the ATM since I never thought I would pay that much for a ticket).

My Seat
My seat was not in a luxury box but it was a great seat. Row 25 at the 40 yard line in the VIP section. I thought VIP might get me something, but it was just a good seat in a “special area.” Special area defined as we had our own concession stand to buy food and drinks.

However, my ticket drama did not stop there. When I showed up the guys who I sat with asked me how I got the ticket. They had given the ticket to a contact of theirs (“Dave”) who is the same guy I bought it from. Once I told them I bought the ticket they told me the story of why they gave “Dave” the ticket and were angry that he ended up selling it. Note here: If somebody you know gives you a ticket do not sell it. If you cannot use it, tell your contact you cannot use the ticket and give it back. If worse comes to worse, give the ticket away – do not sell it. I doubt “Dave” will be receiving any tickets from these guys in the future.

The Game
The game was not as exciting as buying my ticket experience as the Jets defeated the Bills 19-13. Each team scored one touchdown and punted seven times.

Post Game
After the game I walked back to my hostel and stopped at Adelaide Street Pub since it was one block away from where I was staying.

NBA: New York Knicks at Orlando Magic

On our last night in Florida, I went to see the Orlando Magic host the New York Knicks. In the past the Ultimate Sports Wife and I have made a day of going to a sporting event in Orlando by combining a trip to either Disney World or Universal Studios. However, this time Nicole did not want to attend the game so I drove directly to Amway Arena.

Parking
After sitting in traffic for 30 minutes just to get off at Amelia St. (the Amway Arena exit), I did not drive towards the stadium as I have done in the past because traffic was so bad. Instead I turned right and ended up parking for free on Orange Ave. north of Concord St. The only downfall was that the walk was a few blocks to the arena.

Obtaining Tickets
When I got to the arena there were plenty of extra tickets available as the game had already started. As I did Monday night I asked a scalper for a $5 ticket and he accepted.

The Game
The game was relatively close through the first half until the Magic took a 10 point lead with three minutes left in the second quarter. The Magic held their lead throughout the second half and won the game 118-104.

One notable fan missing from the game was Tiger Woods – a Magic season ticket holder. Even though he only attends a handful of games per season, he had admitted to infidelity earlier on Wednesday and was an expected no-show.

NHL: Colorado Avalanche at Tampa Bay Lightning

Last night I chose to attend the Tampa Bay Lightning game. St. Pete Times Forum is a 90 minute drive from where we are staying in The Villages, FL.

Parking
Parking around St. Pete Times Forum is cheap. Most lots are $5 and if you bring change you can park at the meters for 75 cents per hour.

Obtaining Tickets
I always park at a lot with some distance from the stadium so I can pass scalpers on the way to the stadium. My goal last night was to pay $5 or receive a free ticket. The first scalpers I passed had between 10 and 20 tickets each. I’m not sure why they had such a supply but that was definitely to my benefit. I decided rather than spend time looking for a free ticket I would offer the next scalper $5 for a ticket. I did and he accepted the offer. In my mind, $5 is equal to free when I do not spend any energy searching for tickets.

The Game
Before the game, IKEA sponsored a $5 all-you-can-eat buffet with Swedish meatballs, hot dogs, chips and non-alcoholic beverages.

The arena was pretty empty last night. Even though the announced crowd was 12,214, only the first 8,000 fans were supposed to receive the night’s promotion of thunder sticks and gate attendants were still handing them out when I entered the arena.

The Avalanche scored a goal in each period to win 3-0. Matt Duchene had two goals as Craig Anderson made 33 saves to lead the Avalanche.