Snowy Night in Chicago: Stars at Blackhawks

It was a snowy night to attend the Chicago Blackhawks game. But I managed to make the drive from my home to the United Center in less than 30 minutes. Rather than park for free on the street as I have many times this season, I used one of the parking passes I bought last year from Red Top Parking. I parked in their lot rather than brave the snow on the city streets.

Obtaining Tickets
I parked just before 7:30 pm. I expected to see more ticket scalpers walking towards the United Center box office than I did – but it had snowed all day. The scalpers who were there, either looking for tickets or did not have a single. Meaning I bought a standing room only ticket for $25 from the ticket office – even though seats were available. I bought SRO because my cousin, “Blackhawks Jim,” was at the game and I was hoping to sit with them in the first level.

Standing Room Only
Since I arrived just before the game started, I immediately went to the upper deck and found a seat for the first period. “Blackhawks Jim” texted me that there was a seat in front of them so I met up with him during the first intermission. The seat was free so I sat in section 120 row 10 for the 2nd and 3rd periods.

The Game
Tonight was Tony Esposito Heritage Night. I actually attended the last Tony Esposito Night on March 19, 2008 when the Blackhawks started celebrating the hero’s of their past.

This was the fourth shootout game I have attended this season. Kris Versteeg scored in the 5th round to win the shootout 1-0 and give the Blackhawks the win 4-3. Patrick Kane scored two goals in the first period as the Stars and Blackhawks traded goals throughout the game.

Last Minute Ticket: Blue Jackets at Blackhawks

One reason (of many) I never buy tickets ahead of time to games I am planning to attend is because you never know if you might get invited to the same game. On Sunday Blackhawks Jim called me since he had an extra ticket to the Blackhawks game versus Anaheim. However, since I was in Ann Arbor attending the Northwestern at Michigan men’s basketball game, there was no way I could get back to Chicago in time for the 6 pm start time.

However, that bad luck probably led to good luck tonight as I received the same invite. Blackhawks Jim texted me stating he had an extra ticket to the game. This time I was in town and was already planning to attend. Instead of having to negotiate with scalpers outside of the United Center, I already had a ticket.


The Game
Blackhawks Goalie, Cristobal Huet, shutout the Blue Jackets 3-0. Huet made a great save in the second period as he blocked a hard slap shot from Fedor Tyutin and kept the rebound attempt by Kristian Huselius out of the net.

Tonight’s game was the third straight Blackhawks game I have attended where they shutout their opponent and it is the fourth overall shutout I have seen this season. Both Huet and Antti Niemi have two shutouts while I am in attendance.

This was the Blackhawks last game at home for three weeks. They are heading on an eight-game road trip and return back to the United Center on February 3 to face the St. Louis Blues.

NBA: Detroit Pistons at Chicago Bulls

As I have had for most of the Bulls games I have attended this season, I already had my ticket for the Bulls game tonight. I bought a $10 ticket at the start of the season. And, as usual, I sat in a lower row in the upper deck ($60 face value).

The Game
This game was not the most exciting game to attend but I figured I would have a free Monday night at the start of the season and I did. The Bulls defeated the Pistons convincingly 120-87 to give the Pistons their 13th consecutive loss. Detroit matched its longest losing streak since 1993-94.

Luc Longley was in the stands watching his first NBA game in about 10 years. He sat courtside.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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).

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.

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.

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.

Sunday Night Football: Eagles at Bears

For the second week in a row I attended Sunday night football. This time the game was in Chicago as the Chicago Bears hosted the Philadelphia Eagles.

Parking
Once again the Ultimate Sports Wife and I were attending the game with Blackhawks Jim and, today, Blackhawks Jimmy Jr. Since Blackhawks Jim was driving from Wilmette, IL he picked us up. However, we did not have the Waldron Deck parking as we did two weeks ago so we parked in the Millennium Parking Lot. The best part of the Millennium Parking Lot is that they run a shuttle from the parking lot to Soldier Field. The drop-off spot is by the South lot which is perfect if you are meeting up for a tailgate. The worst part of the Millennium Parking Lot is that you have to wait in line to board the shuttle after the game. Since our seats are on the North side of the stadium we chose to walk to the parking lot after the game rather than take the shuttle.

Tailgating
As we did for the Arizona Cardinals game, we attended Rob Wipf’s tailgate before the game. However, this time Rob made a major mistake – he only brought one case of beer for seven guys and the Ultimate Sports Wife. This proved not to be enough as we started to run out of beer before we started grilling brats. Even though Rob is a great tailgater he did admit his rookie mistake.

As with any beer crisis at a tailgate we tried to buy beer from another tailgate. I first headed over to my buddy’s brother’s tailgate, Dan Logan, who owns the Halas Hauler. However, he was nervous they would run out of beer as well so he handed me three beers and sent me on my way. At this point it appeared we would run out of beer well about an hour before the game would start. But as we were coming close to the beer shortage the tailgate next to us shut down and had plenty of beer left over. Rob saved the day as he handed the guy $20 and beer was handed to Rob.

The Game
The Bears and Eagles had four lead changes in the second half as the Eagles defeated the Bears 24-20. With 5:31 left in the fourth quarter LeSean McCoy scored the game winning touchdown from 10 yards out.