At Least Three Chances Left to See Packers at Lambeau this Season

One of the most brutally cold sporting events in the United States ranks at #29 on the list of 100 Sporting Events You Must See Live; A late season Green Bay Packers game at Lambeau Field. November, December and January games at Lambeau can yield freezing temperatures, single digit wind chills, and blizzard like conditions. An atmosphere only true football fans sit through. Remember the NFC Championship overtime thriller a few years back when the Packers hosted the eventual Super Bowl Champion Giants in sub-zero temperatures?

Does this picture not say it all? Giants’ head coach Tom Coughlin’s bear skinned face was red from windburn and the bitter cold but was healed when his team won in the frozen tundra. The ice cold water cooler shower he received after the game was probably warming compared to the excruciatingly cold weather that day.

There are three more chances to see the Packers play at Lambeau in the 2009 regular season where you can have a contest to see whether you can get your cheeks redder than Coughlin’s. The Packers host the 49ers November 22, the Ravens December 7, and the Seahawks December 27. If we’re lucky enough, the Packers will get hot as the weather gets cold and get a high enough seeding in the playoffs that they’ll host a playoff game.

Brett Favre may have left Lambeau, but the archaic temperatures haven’t. You won’t find the freezing cold weather in the Metrodome like you would Favre. Lambeau Field is a special place to watch a football game in the latter part of the season when a 4:15 pm game gets dark at halftime.

Guest Post by Rich Santonocito of Empire Sports Now

ACC Basketball Tournament

College basketball is tipping off and it’s not too early to start thinking about March Madness. If you can’t make it to the Final Four (ranked 20th in the 100 Sporting Events You Must See Live) an alternative would be the ACC Championship (ranked 60th). The Georgia Dome will host the “Grandaddy of College Hoops Tourneys” this year starting on March 12th.

Whether you’re a fan of the baby blue, Terrapins, orange and purple, Blue Devils, or just a fan of college and ACC basketball in general, this is the tourney to go see. The ACC proves to be one of the strongest NCAA basketball divisions as they are consistently well represented in the NCAA tournament year after year. You’ll also find a handful of these teams in the top 25 throughout the year. To begin the 2009-2010 season, the ACC has five members in the AP top 25 including #6 North Carolina, #9 Duke, #21 Georgia Tech, #22 Clemson, and #25 Maryland.

No matter who wins the ACC Tournament fans won’t be disappointed. Future NBA players will be on display over the ACC Tournament weekend and if it comes down to the usual suspects of Duke and North Carolina, future NBA All-Stars will be on display. If there’s one NCAA basketball conference tournament to see, it’s the ACC Tourney. That’s why it’s ranked #60 in the 100 Sporting Events You Must See live.

Guest post by Rich Santonocito

Agassi a Complete 180

I was fortunate enough to find two tickets (one for the wife who made me get them) to go hear Andre Agassi speak on Wednesday night at the New York Times Theater. Thank God some guy couldn’t make it and posted his seats on craigslist, or my wife would have chopped my nuts off.

Agassi was being interviewed by New York Times long time writer George Vescey. I can’t tell you how much I despised Agassi when he burst onto the scene back in the early 90’s. Remember the “Image is Everything” campaign for Cannon? I really thought he was a punk. I guess Jimmy Connors did as well. Agassi shared a story about how he was playing Connors during his first  US Open. He grew up watching and idolizing Connors. In awe when he ran into him in the locker room prior to their match. Agassi went over to him, Connors started calling him a punk and then actually started cursing at him. Agassi was shocked and taken for a loop, he said it continued during change overs in their match. It didn’t stop there, Connors just continued to be a dick. Agassi said in his lifetime he has probably spoken to Connors for seven minutes and this incident made up five of them. Well I always knew Connors was a jerk. That one is easy to see but I must admit I was completely wrong about Agassi.

With his new book Open now hitting stores we all know he was putting on a facade in his early days from the hair to the attitude. That was not the real Andre. The real Andre seems like a great guy. He seems really comfortable with himself and completely honest. I can’t imagine how much therapy the guy has had to have coming from the dysfunctional grip  of his over bearing father but it certainly has worked.

I don’t understand how,  with his recent acknowledgment of taking drugs (not performance enhancing drugs) that several players like Martina and Sampras have slammed him. Wouldn’t you think they would understand the pressures and loneliness of the tour? This was a guy who was at the bottom and made a mistake. He only hurt himself. The good news is he dug himself out of it, which gives hope to all who have been at the bottom especially in sports.

Game Day Experience at Penn State

You can watch all of Penn State’s home games on television but until you visit Happy Valley for yourself, you have no idea how special of an event every Penn State home game truly is.

After visiting with clients in Hershey, Pennsylvania on Friday afternoon I decided to stick around town and take in the Hershey High School football season finale with my travel buddy the Sham man. I was starting to get real excited for my trip to the land of Happy and the Friday night lights Hershey game was the warm up.  After  Herhsey High thumped some team we got in the car and traveled to a hotel about 45 minutes away from Penn State’s campus with plans on going to the Penn State-Ohio State showdown at 3:30 on Saturday. Shammy’s mother, a Penn State alumni, started school there the first year Joe Paterno was head coach. She was going to meet us up there at the game with her husband Dave. We left our hotel or should I say motel at 8 am and headed toward campus. The highway drive to the game had cars decorated in Penn State colors with flags streaming and Nittany Lion pride showing. I already knew this was going to be scene like no other.

The town and campus transforms from an academic setting to a football frenzy on football Saturdays. These weren’t students, these were die-hard Penn State football fans. I didn’t see one student with a book bag the entire day. No joke. I assume for at least one day a week, the students put down their books in favor of a white Penn State t-shirt and a passion for Nittany Lion football. Judging by the partying going on these kids might never pick up their books. I sure miss college!

The town was incredible. We bought some white Penn State gear expecting a complete white-out but it turned out it was only a student white-out. John Cappelletti, former Penn State running back and 1973 Heisman Trophy winner,  was sitting inside one of the stores signing autographs. The campus itself was a site to see. We waited on line for over 30 minutes at the creamery in the middle of campus which is known for the best ice cream in PA. It was worth the wait.

The tailgating scene outside of Beaver Stadium was unreal. I’ve never seen tailgating like that at any sporting event I’ve been to. It looked like a modern day Woodstock. Walking toward the stadium and looking down the hill at the parking lots, there were cars and cars for miles. In all directions it was a sea of white and blue with tents and smoke along with the aroma of grilling. People were barbecuing, drinking and having a blast. Each individual tailgate party put their own Nittany Lion  spin on tailgating. It was an unbelievable site. I love this country.

This one day of Penn State football made me once again second guess my choice of school. Boston University didn’t have anything like this. All we had was hockey. If I had visited Penn State on a game day when I was in high school I would be a Penn State alumni today. Well actually I probably wouldnt have got in considering my stellar grades back in high school.

For the game we had great seats on the 10-yard line, 30 rows up. The whited-out student section never sat down. The passion and energy out of the student section is indescribable. I loved it when during a timeout the student section broke out singing “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey. That brought me back to my college days.

Expecting a nightmarish traffic situation after the game with over 100,000 people pouring out of Beaver Stadium, I took off in the second half. Chris stayed until the end and spent two hours in the parking lot. I was able to make it back to New York City in just over three hours.  No traffic at all, not even on the GW.

Penn State was a fascinating experience. The students, tailgating, and overall atmosphere of the University and Happy Valley itself on a fall football Saturday goes unmatched to anything I’ve experienced before. It’s an event I just might have to add to the 100 Sporting Events You Must See Live next year!

Victory Parade Recap

Just got back from the parade – what a madhouse. Poppa Foges’ office is right near the parade route, and he called to tell me that the Broadway was packed hours before the first float even left Battery Park. At this point I was still getting the sleep dust out of my eyes, so I threw on my Yankee fitted and ran out the door. Sure enough, when I got off the R train at Rector street I was greeted by an ocean (not a sea, an ocean) of navy and white.

I battled my way through the crowd, running past a guy in a Phillies jersey (whaaaattttt) getting serenaded with expletive-laced chants. Only a person with some sick tendencies would show up to a championship parade in the losing team’s uniform. Strangely enough, this guy looked confused, as if he expected something else to happen. Definitely not from New York.

Anyway, this was my first championship parade in the canyon of heroes, and the first thing you notice is the noise. As I rounded the corner onto Church street, it felt like there was a war going on. The parade route is called “the canyon of heroes” because Broadway is literally like a canyon, surrounded on both sides by huge buildings. This means that the crowd noise echoes off those buildings, and the effect is almost indescribable. As some of the more popular Yankees went by you could feel the ground shaking. Awesome.

Some things I noticed: The loudest ovation went to Jeter, with honorable mentions for Mariano Rivera and Hideki Matsui. Nick Swisher also got a great reaction, mainly because he was taking pictures on his phone and looked like he was having the time of his life (a great example of why Swisher was so important to the team – his ability to relax and have fun made this the loosest Yanks squad in years).

There were conflicting reports on just how crowded the parade was. Two guys I talked to said there were people on Broadway at 2PM yesterday, but a passing construction worker said that was false. He said there was still free space around 6 this morning, and people really started pouring in around 7AM. Regardless of when people showed up, there was alot of them.

And based on my experience, more people = more characters. The crowd favorite in my section was “Godzilla” aka a drunk guy with a Godzilla stuffed animal on his back. The award for most intricate shaming of an opposing player went to “Who’s Your Daddy” – it was a guy carrying around a Phillies casket, complete with a Pedro baby and the infamous Post cover. I can’t properly describe either one, so you’ll just have to see the photos.

Overall, a great day. If a major sports team ever wins a championship in your city, file it under a sporting event you must see.

For more from Dan Fogarty, visit his blog Get a Job, Dan! Photo of Andy Pettite courtesy of Rodney.

Godzilla Crushes NYC for the Last Time

This is probably the last time we’ll see Hideki Matsui in a Yankee uniform, and although the idea of letting the World Series MVP go through free agency initially sounds absurd, it makes sense when you think about it. Matsui and his surgically-repaired knees can’t hold up in the outfield and the Yanks need the DH spot to give guys days off (Posada, A-Rod, Jeter, to a lesser extent).

This still doesn’t make it hurt any less. Matsui was a great Yankee for a number of reasons. For one, his low-profile endeared him to Yankee fans. Maybe it was easier for him because he had the added buffer of his translator, but his demeanor with the media was a welcome change of pace in Yankeeland (especially during news cycles when A-Rod would decide to date a bear or something).

So if Matsui leaves town, I’d like to wish him well. Unless it’s with the Mets.

For more from Dan Fogarty, visit his blog Get a Job, Dan!

New Yankee Stadium Set For Biggest Stage Yet

*This is a guest blog written by Rich Santonocito of Empire Sports Now

The stadium address has changed but the product on the field remains the same as any year of baseball in the Bronx. It’s only fitting the Yankees are playing in the World Series during their inaugural season at the new Yankee Stadium. It was 86 years ago when the Yankees opened up their original ballpark with a World Series win over the New York Giants. They won that series in six games but the World Series clincher came away, at the Polo Grounds. This season, the Yankees can clinch the World Series at home in front of their Bronx faithful.

Every stadium, ballpark and venue has had its share of big moments. None of them, however, can compare to the original Yankee Stadium. If there is a stadium that has any chance at coming close to the old Yankee Stadium, it has to be the new park located right across the street. In one season, the new stadium has made its case that it has the ability to produce big moments on the big stage, just like the structure it replaced.

The new stadium has had its fair share of big moments already. Derek Jeter broke Lou Gehrig’s record for all-time hits as a Yankee at the new park. There was also a four-game sweep of the Red Sox at the new stadium in early August. There’s only one way to cap it off; To win the World Series in front of the home crowd.

The “Core Four” (Jeter, Rivera, Posada, Pettitte) won four titles together at the old Yankee Stadium. They were there when the door closed on the old park and they can go down in Yankees history as being there to open the new park as champions.

Big Moments You Should’ve Seen Live: The Dunk (1993)

*This is a guest blog written by Dan Fogarty of Get a Job Dan!

Often overlooked in the pantheon of greatest New York sports plays, “The Dunk” was the best thing that happened in 1993. In the playoffs of that year a young and rough Knicks team, led by Black Irishman and slicked-back-hair hall of famer Pat Riley, sought to finally slay The Beast Known As Michael Jordan.

Here’s how the play went: Late in the fourth quarter of Game 2 with the Knicks nursing a three point lead John Starks grabbed a rebound. He brought the ball upcourt, eventually finding himself in the right corner being guarded closely by BJ Armstrong. Patrick Chewing himself comes up to set a screen, no doubt whispering into Armstrong’s ear, “that he better eat his Snickers.” Starks fakes left as if he were going to use the pick and blows by a terrified and bewildered Armstrong. As he drives baseline, and the entire Bulls team comes to help, you get the feeling that something is about to go down.

What went down was a moment you should’ve seen live, but you if you didn’t, the Youtube clip can provide you with 1/1,000th the electricity that was running through the Garden at that point. There are a number of reasons why “The Dunk” is so great. In no particular order:

1. It was late in a big-game situation. Something that would have been impressive enough during the regular season came during crunch time, in the playoffs no less.

2. The reaction from the crowd. When Starks first dunks the ball everybody in the Garden loses their minds. But it’s not your normal reaction to, say, a game-winning three pointer, big foul shot, or huge dunk. Where in those situations the crowd has time to prepare between the shot itself and the making of said shot, this happens way too quickly for any type of normal response. What results is 20,000 New Yorkers collectively going insane over something they had no time to mentally prepare for.

3. The delayed reaction from Marv. Marv Albert, one of the greatest commentators of our generation, tries to keep it cool at first. But notice he goes an octave higher once he has time to digest what just happened because he realizes people will be talking about this play for awhile.

4. Posterizing MJ…and Horace Grant. To be fair, Jordan got over too late to have a serious chance at altering the play. Bespeckaled nerd Horace Grant takes the brunt of the assault. But Jordan is there where it counts: on the poster. After years of dunking on robotic white guys and timid defenders, Jordan finally learned what it feels like to be Chris Dudley.

5. Patrick Chewing and the rest of the Knicks engage Starks in some classic chest bumping. After the play, once the zen master Phil Jackson calls a timeout so his team can sip green tea and meditate on the world class sonning they just recieved, John Starks gets the royal treatment from his teammates. In 2009 everybody does the old “jump up and crash into each other in mid-air” routine popularized by college wide receivers. But in 1993 the chest bump was the way to bro out on the court and on the field. It’s on full display here as Anthony Mason and Charles Oakley congratulate their teammate by nearly knocking him over.

6. He did it with his left hand.

Although the Knicks go on to lose the series and Starks himself laid quite the egg next year in Game 7 of the Finals, we’re gonna go ahead and forget about that (and leave it for a future post called “Worst Moments of My Life: the time John Starks screwed the pooch”). For now, “The Dunk” remains one of the greatest plays in Madison Square Garden history.

The journey to South Bend

In “100 Sporting Events You Must See Live” I wrote extensively about the magic of watching a Notre Dame football game at Notre Dame Stadium, but with a little knowledge and some spare time the trip from Chicago to South Bend, Indiana can be almost as memorable as the game. Having made the trip myself several times I wrote a guest-blog spot for the Trainstar blog.

Here’s an except of my post:

The option to travel from Chicago’s Union Station to South Bend, IN for a Notre Dame Football game is enticing for more than one reason. Union Station’s roaring Twenties-style grandeur has made it a star in countless films & television shows, but its efficiency is to blame for making it a critical contributor to Chicago’s transportation landscape since World War II.

After 10 years and $75 million worth of work, Union Station opened its doors in 1925. The 20,000-foot classic Beaux Arts style Great Hall is considered one of the greatest indoor spaces in the US and features 100-foot walls, a vaulted skylight, and connecting lobbies, staircases & balconies.

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What’s your favorite sports road trip memory? Let me know in the comment section.