Citi Field: Cardinals at Mets

After the U.S. Open it was time to drive to Queens for the New York Mets game versus the St. Louis Cardinals. Last season, I wrote that I went to Nationals Park to attend a game at every existing Major League Baseball ballpark. Once again, MLB opened up two more parks this season – Yankee Stadium and Citi Field. With the Mets playing on Monday night, my decision to day trip to New York City for the doubleheader – Monday regulation play at the U.S. Open and a game at Citi Field – was definitely more justified.

Obtaining Tickets
While driving back from the golf course, I called the ticket broker I had tried to buy my U.S. Open ticket from earlier in the day. I told him the ticket never made it to Will Call and he said he would need to do some research. “For $20 I am not going to worry too much,” he said. I followed up that comment by saying I would be attending the Mets game and if he wanted to get me a Mets ticket we would call it even and he would not need to refund me the $20. After a few phone calls back and forth, he had an electronic ticket for me. Since I did not have a printer I was not able to print it, but I told him to email it to my cousin (who was at work) and he would print it out. That plan worked and we had our first ticket for the evening.

Pre Game Dining
Patrick and I made it back to Queens and he suggested we eat at some of the Irish Pubs in Woodside. Driving to Woodside (57th St.) from Citi Field (126th St.) is not that close, but is on the way to Citi Field from Manhattan on the 7 train.

We found parking on the street and made our way to Donovan’s Pub (located on the corner of 57 St. and Roosevelt Ave.). Donovan’s Pub has a sign on their store front stating they have the #1 burger. However, it does not say the #1 burger of what. New York City, Queens, Woodside, the bar next door?

However, with that sign, I, of course, ordered the burger. The burger was good but I am not sure how good. However, I did discover that Burger of the Month (BOTM) rates Donovan’s burger as #2 in New York City.

Parking
After Donovan’s Pub, we drove back to Citi Field and paid $18 to park the car – relatively cheap compared to paying $23 to park at U.S. Cellular Field.

Obtaining Tickets Part 2
Patrick decided he would attend the Mets game with my cousin and I, so we needed to buy two tickets outside the stadium. We crossed the 7 train tracks through the subway station from the parking lot and found a few scalpers in front of the main entrance of Citi Field. The first guy we saw had a stack of tickets so we offered $10 each for $20 face value tickets. We agreed on $15 each ($5 less than the $20 I paid to the broker for the e-ticket).

Citi Field
Citi Field is a typical “new” ballpark – many amenities and tries to create a local atmosphere. We did not walk around the park as much as I would have liked because my cousin wanted to eat dinner at Shake Shack – a “roadside” burger stand that originated in Madison Square Park. Supposedly people wait in line over an hour and even up to two hours on weekends to have these burgers. We waited in line between 30 and 45 minutes (an eternity at a ballgame) but the burger was well worth it. I thought it was much better than Donovan’s Pub burger, but BOTM rated Shake Shack #29 on their list.

The Game
The Mets defeated the Cardinals 6-4 – not much else to say.

U.S. Open Monday at Bethpage Black

On Thursday afternoon, when play for the U.S. Open was suspended for most of the day, I started to think about attending U.S. Open regulation play on a Monday. However, it was not until Sunday night, when play was scheduled for 9 am ET Monday morning that I decided to put my Monday day trip to New York City into motion.

Travel Plans
I had a free ticket on Southwest Airlines and flights were available to Long Island arriving at 9:05 am and returning Tuesday morning at 7:45 am.

Rather than take the LIRR as I had done in December, I chose to rent a car through Alamo. By renting a car, I would arrive at Bethpage Black much quicker than taking the train and I would have a lot more freedom driving around New York City. My only concern being where would I park the car at the U.S. Open and overnight at my cousin’s apartment where I would be staying.

Obtaining Tickets
My flight landed about 20 minutes early at 8:45 am. I checked craigslist.org as soon as I landed and saw an ad, posted by a broker, for $20 grounds tickets. I figured I would not beat that price once I arrived (also since I would be arriving about an hour after play began I was not sure how many brokers would still be around) so I bought the ticket. I was told the ticket would be at Will Call.

Parking
With my car rented and my ticket purchased, my next concern was where I would park. The “official” U.S. Open parking was at Jones Beach State Park (an approximate 25 minute bus ride to Bethpage Black). Since I was late, I figured I did not have the luxury to take that much time. Thus, I figured there would be some parking around the course at somebody’s house. My assumption was correct and I ended up paying $30 for “easy out” parking.

Obtaining Tickets Part 2
I was not 100% sure if my ticket would be waiting for me at Will Call – and, of course, it was not. Since I did not have my cell phone with me (U.S. Open has metal detectors checking for phones which most tournaments do not have) I could not call the broker to see what happened. Plus, I really did not have time to debate with him. It was 10 am and I needed to get into the course before much more play continued. I ran back to a woman selling a stack of tickets outside the course and paid $15 for my grounds ticket. Luckily she was still around or else I may have been SOL. Even though she was in a much better negotiating position I countered her $25 offer with $10 and we agreed on $15. With my ticket in hand I finally entered Bethpage Black.

Round 4 Continued
I arrived on the course, received a free XM radio head piece to listen to the day’s round and walked most of the course to find Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and the two leaders – Lucas Glover and Rickey Barnes. It was clear it had rained over the weekend – everywhere I tried to walk was muddy as most of the spectators would yield to each other to walk on dry ground.

As usual Woods and Mickelson had huge galleries so I chose to follow Glover and Barnes instead. As I approached the 13th hole I decided to sit in the bleachers – I had been walking around most of the morning in the mud pit also known as Bethpage Black.

In the bleachers I met Patrick Sauer – a freelance writer for the Huffington Post and Inc. Magazine. After chuckling over a man accidentally muddying up the shirt of an elderly man, Patrick offered me his extra Lexus Hospitality Pass. The hospitality pass usually includes all you can eat and drink – definitely not something any fan should turn down when given the opportunity.

We headed to the tent immediately and were convinced there would be a playoff with six golfers all within one stroke and only a few holes to play. However, Glover was able to hold off Mickelson, Barnes and David Duval to win the 109th U.S. Open by two strokes becoming only the 6th qualifier in the last 46 years to win.

Without a playoff to keep us entertained for the next several hours we went back to the hospitality tent before they finally shut it down and we were off to the New York Mets game.

Women’s College Basketball at Madison Square Garden

Not many times would I attend a women’s college basketball doubleheader over a New York Jets game. But this is exactly what happened today. Let me explain.

I was visiting my friend, Mike Nadel, the un-fan, in New York City. He did not want to attend a sporting event Sunday afternoon, especially after attending the Devils game Saturday night. However, he was going to the gym Sunday morning at 10 am and would be in Manhattan between 2 and 3 pm. Since the women’s doubleheader would end around 3:30 pm, I figured I could at least watch the first half of Game 2 between Connecticut and Penn St. before he arrived at MSG. A few other reasons played a factor in my decision:

1) The women’s doubleheader was at Madison Square Garden rather than Giants Stadium aka the Meadowlands. This was a much easier venue to get to. In order to get to the Giants Stadium, you need to take a bus to New Jersey rather than stay in Manhattan.
2) I had not attended a game at Madison Square Garden for eight years. My last game at Giants Stadium was six years ago.
3) I knew ticket prices would be cheaper for the women’s doubleheader than the Jets game.

Those four reasons made my decision, but details aside, when going with a un-fan, you need to make accommodations or you may not be attending a sporting event. This main reason made the women’s college basketball doubleheader the obvious choice.

Obtaining Tickets
I arrived at Madison Square Garden with the plan to spend no more than $5 for a ticket.

Ticket Buying Tip at MSG: I was trying to buy tickets outside of the secured area at MSG. However, you have to pass through security in order to reach the box office. I did not realize that most fans with extra tickets (at least for this low demand event), would pass through security before “giving away” their extra tickets.

I realized this trick since I asked a few Rutgers fans if they had extra tickets – before entering security. They said they did but that the tickets were at Will Call. I followed them through security. From there, they decided that I was not a Rutgers fan (since I was wearing a blue jacket – Connecticut blue in their minds) and gave away their three extra tickets to people wearing Rutgers gear.

However, once at the box office, I noticed that many fans had coupons, which you could exchange for one free ticket to the doubleheader. I asked one man if I could have his extras. My friend had mentioned he would like to see the inside of MSG (a tourist attraction for him; more time at the event for me). The man gave me two extra coupons, which I exchanged at the box office

Maggie Dixon Classic:
The Maggie Dixon Classic began in honor of the former Army Women’s Basketball Coach, Maggie Dixon, who died on April 6, 2006, of arrhythmia, most likely caused by an enlarged heart.

Rutgers defeated Army convincingly in the first game 59-38. Connecticut won the second game against Penn St. 77-63. This was the second time this year I watched Connecticut as the #1 team in the country. The first time was March 1, 2008 when Connecticut played at DePaul.

A portion of the proceeds from the games go to C.A.R.E (Cardiac Arrhythmias Research and Education Foundation). C.A.R.E. provided a free EKG at the event and I am still awaiting the results.

Newark, NJ: Buffalo Sabres at New Jersey Devils

Yesterday I flew from Chicago to New York City (via Long Island Islip Macarthur airport). My plan was to stay in Brooklyn with a friend and attend the New Jersey Devils game at the Prudential Center on Saturday night.

Getting from Islip to New York City was pretty easy. My Southwest Airlines flight was landed 15 minutes early which allowed me to catch the 10:40 am train from the Ronkonkoma train station to Penn Station in Manhattan. The cheapest way to get from the Islip airport to the Ronkonkoma train station is a $5 shuttle that you find directly outside of baggage claim. For me, I left the airport and the shuttle was waiting for passengers. I paid the driver $5 and we were on our way to the train station within 10 minutes. I bought my one way train ticket for $9.75 and boarded the 10:40 am train. I was at New York’s Penn Station at noon.

From New York’s Penn Station you can get yourself anywhere you need to go in the city. I took the MTA to Brooklyn, dropped off my luggage, and went to eat lunch. From there we headed back to Manhattan before taking the PATH Rail System to downtown Newark.

Obtaining Tickets
We arrived at the Prudential Center shortly after 5 pm. Rather than try to scalp tickets outside the arena, I went to the box office to see if they had $10 tickets available. The box office did, so we bought those tickets rather than wait to see if we could get lower level seats for the same price.

The Devils sell their $10 tickets day of game rather than ahead of time. In order to buy the tickets, you can get a wristband before 5 pm, which will guarantee you a $10 ticket. Or you can show up after 5 pm and hope the $10 tickets are still available. Saturday night they were.

Pre Game Dining
After buying tickets, we looked for a place to grab some appetizers before the game (it was $1 hot dog night at the Prudential Center). We noticed there were not many bars or restaurants in the immediate vicinity, so we asked a Newark cop where we should go. He said go to Scully’s Publick House or Arena Bar. He mentioned he liked Scully’s better so we figured that was a good endorsement. Plus it was an Irish Pub – normally, one cannot go wrong with an Irish Pub.

Prudential Center and the Game
Prudential Center was pretty similar to the other new hockey arenas that were built in Phoenix and Minneapolis recently. The Buffalo Sabres defeated the Devils 4-2. The Sabres first goal of the game, scored by Thomas Vanek, was the 10,000th goal scored by the Sabres in franchise history.

After the game, we walked back to the PATH station and took the train back to Manhattan. Unless you are staying in Newark, there is no good reason to stay there after the game.

New York City vs. the Second City

When planning a sports vacation many decisions need to be made. First and most important are the city to travel to and the sporting events taking place in that metropolitan area. This weekend the Ultimate Sports Wife and I had planned to fly to New York City to see Big Brown race for the Triple Crown at the Belmont Stakes, the US Men’s National Team host Argentina at the Meadowlands and watch the Yankees play in their last season at Yankee Stadium. (I must admit these were the sporting events on “my agenda.” Nicole may have had other priorities when visiting New York City.)

Two months ago, I wrote that I decided to book our airline tickets to New York on Southwest Airlines. The number one reason being that you can cancel the flight if you choose not to go. That decision is benefiting us now as we have decided not to travel to NYC for a myriad of reasons.

Of course, I already knew of the competing sporting events in Chicago for the weekend. The NHRA is in Joliet, IL, the Mexican Men’s National Team is playing Peru at Soldier Field on Sunday night and the White Sox are home. I would argue that the events in Chicago are fairly equal to the events in New York City (except for the Belmont Stakes vs. NHRA) for the following reasons:

1) The Belmont Stakes and NHRA only occur once per year in their respective cities. However, the Belmont Stakes should be a higher priority than the NHRA on anyone’s list because the Belmont Stakes occurs only one time per year and nowhere other than New York City. While the NHRA only visits Chicago once per year, they have 23 other events for the season.

2) An international “friendly” soccer game is equal to any other international “friendly” soccer game. One may prefer one team to another but, in the end, the games are the same.

3) Same goes for MLB. Although some regular season games have higher prestige, each game is still one game. One may argue going to a game at Yankee Stadium should have higher precedence than US Cellular Field, but that only applies if you have never been to Yankee Stadium. Otherwise a game is a game.

If you were considering a trip to New York City or Chicago this weekend, I would choose New York City because of my argument for the Belmont Stakes. Although I will not be going this year, I plan to go to the Belmont Stakes in the near future.