Attend at least 6 sporting events in 2007

There aren’t really a whole lot of major sporting events here in southern Oregon. I was planning to go see some of the college games down at Southern Oregon University, but I never wound up going. I did see the one baseball game in April when I was visiting Texas, and then this fall I stopped every Thursday for five weeks and watched the company softball team play. They wound up going undefeated for the season, which is kind of cool. I know, it’s a weak win to the goal, but I’m still going to consider it mission accomplished for this year.

I have now been to 8 sporting events in 07. My goal was to go to six, but people keep offering me NY Giants tickets. Meanwhile, I’m watching the games at the bar every Sunday and Monday when I don’t have tickets. I’m truly becoming a fanatic. I’m even watching games when my team isn’t playing. This coming from a guy who couldn’t tell the difference between a field goal and an extra point just a year ago.

I saw the Yankees play the Blue Jays yesterday. It was a close game and the Yankees won in over time. So it is only September and I have already been to six games. I am sports-ed out.

I have been to as many sporting events since January as I have in the rest of my life combined! In retrospect, it was all a very good time. My tips: Bring people who love the sport. Bring people who love the home team. Do not be stingy with money, overpriced hot dogs and beer is worth it when you want to have fun. Arrive early to any game and stay late if you can. The pre- and post-game experiences often outweigh the the game itself. And lastly, do not try this at home. The athletes are professionals. Clearly, not all of us are athletes.

My sprained knee from last week’s post-Giants/Packers football scrimmage in a parking lot outside of Giants Stadium made it very difficult to make it up the stairs to my seat at the Yankees game. I am exhausted, but I look forward to tackling this goal again next year.

Football season is here! I watched Rutgers CRUSH Norfolk State on Saturday for homecoming. Sunday I watched a disappointing start to the NY Giants season. After the Packers embarrassed the Giants, I embarassed myself while playing tackled football in the parking lot. I can hardly walk thanks to a sprained knee, but I’m as charged for football as ever.

Next week, I’m going to a Yankees game, meaning I could be wrapping up this goal for the year a bit early.

I went to my first A ball game on Sunday. I watched the Newark Bears defeat the Long Island Ducks. My buddy Johnny picked up 40 free tickets because he’s a student at NJIT. It seems they cannot give away enough tickets. The stands did not come close to being full. We grabbed seats right behind home plate. We were close enough to heckle the other team’s pitcher and have him actually hear us. Minor league baseball is a different game entirely. We saw a dozen fly balls, which made the innings very short. We even watched two outfielders run into each other trying to catch one. You can tell they’re great athletes, but not as pro as major league players. One of the Bears even hit a home run. All in all, a great time.

I watched the Yankees defeat the Angels on Friday. What a game! I am falling in love with baseball all over again.

Watched the Yankees STOMP the Mets on Saturday. LET’S GO YANKEES! A-Rod hit a homer, my buddies and I all wore Yankee hats, we cheered and we drank copiously. Going to see another game in a few weeks. Hopefully it will be another victory for the Yankees.

This past April, I went down to Texas on vacation. While I was there, I saw the Mariners play the Rangers at the Ballpark at Arlington. So, now I’ve got half the year left and only five more events to get to…

simply because the hockey game I’m planning on going to on the 12th (Monday night) was going to be #6. But a look through my blog revealed that in fact it’ll be #7. Forgot about the college b-ball double-header a couple weeks ago (my first time ever seeing a basketball game it turns out). Oh well.

Seriously though, I went to my first sporting event ever a little over a year ago when I went and saw our local pro hockey team, and am now a major fan of them and just about addicted to it. Definitely worthwhile: it’s a lot more fun than, say, going to a movie, which is similar in time and money spent. (By way of example I went to exactly 20 sprting events last year, and exactly 0 movies. Just never got around to seeing any movies despite seeing at least a few a year in previous years, although there were a few I sort-of wanted to see.)

...to try these year long goals. I’m not even a big sports guy, but I enjoyed a baseball game and a few football games in 2006.