Game 11 of 122

Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field (vs Oakland Raiders):

Two Steeler games in the span of 14 days….can’t beat that (Click for details on Monday Night game in Cincinnati).  This was not my first trip to Heinz Field, but the first time I am counting it toward my goal of 122.  However, it has been a long time, in fact the last time I was there was for the 1^st game ever in the new stadium vs the Brownies.

Aaron Depew, me & Matt Boyle

This game was the continuation of a Pittsburgh sports weekend with some of my old college buddies.  As mentioned in the Penguin’s blog, our weekend started with watching the Penguins win in a shootout on Friday night, followed by a Steeler beat-down of the Raiders on Sunday.



The day started early with some tailgating festivities just a few blocks from the stadium. 



Chris Petersen, Doug Houser & Aaron Depew

Once inside, we took a walk through the Great Hall to see the 6 Super Bowl trophies (no team has more) and other historic Steeler items.  You could spend 1/2 a day inside the Great Hall viewing and reading about all the displays.  It is a great little bonus to a fantastic stadium.  The one thing I really like about both outdoor stadiums in Pittsburgh are the fact that they did a great job incorporating the city skyline into the design.

One of 6 Super Bowl trophies.

Our seats were great, right on the goal line on the Pittsburgh side of the field.  Lucky for us, 3 of the 5 Steeler TDs were scored right in front of us, not to mention the fact that the Steeler defense played extremely well and it seemed like most of the Raider offensive plays were run in front of us well as they struggled to move the ball all day long.

View from our seats

The Steelers dominated on offense, defense and special teams to destroy the Raiders 35-3.  The score could (and should) have been a lot worse considering the fact the penalties negated two other TDs for the Steelers – interception return and a punt return (both scored in the end-zone in which we were sitting).

The game might be remembered more of the fights and penalties.  I heard someone say that there were more yellow towels (penalty flags) on the field yesterday than in the stands.  An exaggeration of course, but this game will certainly be remembered for some terrible penalties.  Some of the loudest times during the game came when fans were booing appeared to be some poor officiating; followed by when they posted the final score of the Bengal’s game (a loss of course).  I have never seen angrier Steelers fans after a 32 point win. 

See ya - Rejected for fighting.

A great all-around weekend to the City of Champions.  Maybe some day we will get to see the Pirates back in the playoff hunt occasionally.  Once again, a special thanks to Aaron Depew for obtaining the tickets and allowing me to crash at his house.  Thanks as well to Matt Boyle and Chris Petersen for coordinating the logistics of parking, transportation and tailgating food.

Record:  6-5.  Go Steelers!  I'm 2-0 at Steeler games this year.

Official Box Score of the Game

To learn about my fund-raising efforts, visit:  http://www.firstgiving.com/christopherapel

Game 10 of 122

Pittsburgh Penguins at Consol Energy Arena (vs Carolina Hurricane):

The new home of the Penguins (Consol Energy Arena) is an incredible facility.  The game I attended was only the 11th game ever played there as the arena is brand new. 

This was the kickoff event of a long Pittsburgh sports weekend with some of my fraternity brothers (Aaron Depew, Matt Boyle and Chris Petersen - from right to left in photo below)….Pen’s game on Friday and Steelers’ game on Sunday (link to Steelers' blog).  It was a great time to catch up with some old friends and see two great Pittsburgh wins.

Unfortunate background, but too funny not to post.

A special thanks to Aaron for managing to get us tickets to both events (even better that that Steeler tickets were free).  Thanks as well to Matt and Chris for coordinating all of the logistics for food, transportation and parking. 

The arena itself is state-of-the-art and I can’t imagine what they spent on flat screen TVs alone as they are everywhere.  Walking up to the new arena is a bit odd because there is an old church directly in front of the facility…it just seemed a bit out of place. 

I specially like the fact that you can get into the facility and visit many of the attractions, including the gift shop, without having a ticket.  We of course had tickets, and although they were in the upper deck, the view of the action was perfect.

View of shoot out that Pens won 2-0.

As for the game, the Pens started off slow and the game was close throughout.  With about 1 minute left, it looked as of the Pens had the victory in hand, but the Hurricanes pulled their goalie and scored the tying goal with 0:52 left.  Overtime was uneventful, but the Pens showed them who was boss by outscoring the Hurricane 2-0 in the shootout.  Final score:  5-4 victory for the Pens.

One item that does deserve mentioning; although the facility is beautiful, well designed and a great place to watch a hockey game, the noise is incredible.  It is extremely loud and my ears and head are still ringing the next day…and it is not from the beer.

These games complete the city of Pittsburgh on my quest of 122 games because I saw the Pirates earlier this summer (Link to Pirate Game); however, I’m sure I will be back at some point for some bonus games….they are my favorite teams after all and with the exception of the Pirates are usually great teams in the middle of the playoff hunt year after year.

Record:  5-5.  Great job Pens!

Official Box Score of the Game

To learn about my fund-raising efforts, visit:  http://www.firstgiving.com/christopherapel

Game 9 of 122

Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium (vs Pittsburgh Steelers):

Entering Paul Brown Stadium

This may be the first time I officially count the Cincinnati Bengals toward my goal, but the Bengals / Steelers game in Cincinnati is becoming an annual event.  This is the third straight year that I have attended this game with my neighbors and some other friends.  This year, the game just happened to be on Monday night, which always adds some extra excitement…of course that is directly related to the extra time fans have to tailgate before hand.  Our tailgate experience was a little different then most as we hung out at a hotel (some of our friends were spending the night) and played poker for a few hours.

Pre-game poker

As for the game, the outcome was a lot better than last year as well; although the Steelers sure did make it interesting in the end.  They have a way of never letting you leave early.  After dominating most of the game, the Steelers led 27-7 to start the 4^th quarter, but managed to turn the ball over, commit stupid penalties and give up two TDs late in the game to give the Bengals and their fans a false sense of hope.  In fact, will the less than a minute to go, the Bengals were only 12 yards away from scoring the winning TD.  The good news is that the Steelers defense held on to preserve the win.

Big Ben back to pass.

Bengals driving.

For a minute there, I was having flash backs to last year’s game in which the Steelers held an 11 point lead with 8 minutes to go, but lost on the last play of the game.  Trust me, the Bengals fans sure gave us (those dressed in Steelers attire) a hard time last year while leaving the stadium.  This time the crowd was a lot less hostile after the Bengal’s comeback fell short.

Referee explaing a call, but what he really wanted to say was that the Bengals still stink.

In my three games at Paul Brown Stadium, I have yet to find a bad seat in the house.  This year, we were located in the upper deck, but right at mid-field.  You can really get a sense for how plays develop when sitting this high up, but at times your depth perception is off a bit…or maybe my eyes are just getting old.  Another aspect of the game I felt was tough to measure was field goals.  The only way to know if the kicker missed was to watch the crowd behind the goal posts for their reaction.

View from our seats

Parking for games in Cincinnati has always seemed to be a big problem.  There never seems to be very much parking around the stadium.  In years past, we always found a lot in downtown a few blocks from the stadium to tailgate.  This year, we decided to park on the Kentucky side of the river and taxi over.  Unfortunately making our way back to our car turned out to be a nightmare and added about another 45 minutes to our exit….lesson learned for next year.

Record:  4-5.  Although you can’t hold it against me because I was cheering for the visitors this time.  Go Steelers. 

Official Box Score of the Game

Next stop:  A double-header weekend in Pittsburgh for the Penguins and Steelers.

To learn about my fund-raising efforts, visit:  http://www.firstgiving.com/christopherapel