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.

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.