In honor of my uncle who passed away in November. I am so thankful for the time I got to spend with him over the last few years - beach, Super Bowl, Charlotte Bobcats game, and every Steeler and Boise State game (via text messaging).  I was also there to witness his hole-in-one.

 

Edwin V. “Win” Apel Jr.
September 10, 1949 – November 28, 2011

Win Apel, 62, of Winston-Salem, NC, and formerly of Berkeley Heights, NJ, Boise, ID and Oil City, PA died Monday, November 28, 2011 at Wake Forest University Baptist Health in ...Winston-Salem, NC after a year-long bout with his brain tumor.

Win was born September 10, 1949 in Oil City, PA, the son of Edwin V. Apel, Sr. and Marian L. Myers Apel. On October 27, 1973 in Kane, PA he married Mary Loretta “Lorrie” Marconi.

In 1967, he graduated valedictorian of Cranberry High School. He then graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in Philosophy in 1972. In 1977, he graduated from the University of Idaho School of Law.

He was an attorney in the U.S. Courts in Boise, ID from 1977 to 1978, then for Hawley Troxell Ennis & Hawley law firm from 1978 to 1990. From 1990 to 2008, he was an attorney for Morrison Knudson & Washington Group International in Boise. He was the General Counsel for Weeks Marine in Cranford, NJ from 2008 until 2011.

Win ran marathons in all 50 states, Washington D.C., and on all seven continents. In total, Win ran 76 marathons. He was an extensive world traveler, having visited over 35 foreign countries. He was also an avid amateur photographer and classic car enthusiast.

He is survived by his wife Lorrie Apel, of Winston-Salem, NC and his father, Edwin V. Apel, Sr. of Sligo, PA. Also surviving are his three sons, Dr. Edwin V. “Trey” (Jessica) Apel III of Concord, CA, Dr. Peter J. (Franny) Apel of Winston-Salem, NC and LTJG Brian T. Apel, USN of Bremerton, WA. He is also survived by his brother, Scott (Linda) Apel of Knox, PA, his sister, Dara (Jeff) Sterling of Warren, PA. He has three grandchildren, Sydney, Edwin V. “Jack” Apel, IV and Cole.

He was preceded in death by his mother earlier this year and a brother Mark David Apel in 1956.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Win Apel Brain Tumor Research Fund through Wake Forest Baptist Health. Access can be gained through www.winapel.com or by calling 800-899-7128.

Game 22

Milwaukee Brewers (Miller Park) vs Florida Marlins - September 24, 2011.

Well, it has been a very long time since my last post (back in May), but I spent most of the summer job hunting, plus the fact that summer is very difficult to get many games in because the only thing in season is baseball.  As part of the job hunting process, the entire family made a trip to Milwaukee, WI to pursue a possibility.  We spent a couple of days in town exploring the sites, Lake Michigan and neighborhoods, plus we had an opportunity to go to the Brewers game.

It was a chilly and rainy evening and the roof of this incredible stadium was closed, thus warm and dry inside.  It was the first baseball game I have ever been to that was completely covered.  Just a few stats about the roof - it spans 600 feet, is 200 feet off the field inside, 330 feet at the peak outside, weighs 12,000 tons, and opens or closes in just 10 minutes - an engineering marvel.

The crowd was extremely pumped up for this particular game because the Brewers had clinched the National League Central Division the night before, but this game was no less exciting or important because they were still playing for home-field advantage in the 1st round of the playoffs.

What I think I will remember most about this game (besides the fact that it was probably the 1st of many Brewer games that we will attend) is listening to Bob Uecker announce the games.  For obvious reasons, all I could think of was the movie Major League.


Of course any trip to the ball park with kids requires exploring all of the fun activities and sites.  Here the kids are shown with Mickey (who represented the Brewers at the 2010 all-star game in Anaheim, CA) and the rally towels they got before the game. 

In addition to Mickey, the kids loved watching Bernie (the Brewer mascot) go down the water slide in the outfield - pretty cool.  The highlight of the day was watching the famous sausage race between 5 meat mascots - Italian Sausage, Bratwurst, Kielbasa, Hot Dog and Chorizo (that night's winner). 

No game with the kids is complete without souvenirs, junk food, posing with various statues and getting their picture taken while pretending to bat.  Additional pictures can be seen on my facebook page.



The Brewers won 6-4 in front of 44,520 people, which I find very odd because that is considered 106% of capacity....hmmm, where did they put the extra people.

This game is somewhat of a milestone as I have reached the 100 games to go mark.  My current record of the home teams I have seen play is 13-9.

Official Box Score.

As for the job....my new employer can be seen in this picture supporting the Brewers....The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Year 1 Recap

Apel Sports Tour Year 1 Recap:

First of all, I want to thank everyone for donating as part of my fund-raising efforts and I encourage anyone else reading this to donate as well.  To date, I have raised $2,074.54, of which $883.00 is from me as part of my pledge of $1 per point in the games I attend.

As many of you know, finding a cure for cancer is something that I am very passionate about and this is my small way in which to raise awareness and funds to someday wipe this disease out.  Since starting this tour in May 2010, I have lost my grandfather to the disease, watched as my uncle begins his battle against brain cancer and have seen numerous other friends go through their own experiences with family members.

I thought I would take this time to update everyone on the progress I have made in one year (May 2010 – May 2011).  The goal of course is to raise as much money as possible, while attempting to watch a home game of all 122 professional sports teams (baseball, basketball, football and hockey).  I hope to complete this goal in 15 years, but as you can see below, so far I am well ahead of pace.

1 Year Recap:

·         21 games completed.  To keep pace, I need to complete 8 / year.  At this rate, I will finish in February 2018 (9 years ahead of schedule), but I’m not sure I can keep going this quickly over the long haul.

·         9 Baseball games, 6 hockey games, 3 football games and 3 basketball games.

·         883 points scored in the games I have seen.

·         Total miles traveled:  17,762.

·         Total attendance at the games I have seen:  631,718.

·         Total teams seen (both home and visitors):  35.  I have seen the Orioles, White Sox, Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, Hurricanes, Capitals and Steelers twice (each at home and on the road).

·         In the 21 games, 58 people have attended with me.  Only the Colorado Avalanche did I have to go by myself.  For the Pirate game, 14 family members attend with me.  People that have attended the most games with me – Deb (8); the kids (6); Aaron Depew (4) and Chris Petersen (4).

·         Number of hotels stayed at:  Only 7 for 21 games….not bad.

·         Record of the home teams in the games I have attended:  12-9.

·         Largest crowd:  Baltimore Ravens – 71,432.

·         Smallest crowd:  Phoenix Coyotes – 11,172.  Indiana Pacers were a close second with 11,337.

·         Of the 9 baseball games, 3 went into extra innings.  I have not seen a shutout yet.  The White Sox scored the most runs (10) in a game (at Cubs).

·         Of the 6 hockey games, 3 have gone to over-time; 1 to a shoot-out (win by the Penguins).

·         Indiana Pacers scored the most points in a basketball game:  124 vs. the Nets.

·         The Steelers scored the most points in a football game:  35 vs. the Raiders.

·         5 times I combined 2 games into one trip:  Penguins & Steelers; Ravens & Capitals; Bobcats & Hurricanes; Suns & Coyotes; Rockies & Avalanche.

·         Best seats:  Row 3 behind home plate at Reds game (great time with the Huots); Suite at center ice for Predators (fun weekend with the family); Suite at Ravens (thanks Jeremy and Karen); floor seats at Pacers (kids loved the view).

·         Newest venue:  Consol Energy Center (opened in 2010) – Home of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

·         Oldest venue:  Fenway Park (opened in 1912) – Home of the Boston Red Sox.

·         Ironically the two venues listed above (newest and oldest) are two of my favorite that I have been to so far.

·         Other highlights:

o        Camden Yards (Baltimore Orioles) - love the warehouse in the outfield.

o        Wrigley Field (Chicago Cubs) is a classic, much like Fenway.

o        Busch Stadium (St. Louis Cardinals) – many great views of the Arch.

o        Florida Marlins – glad they are getting a new stadium….I will leave it at that.  A great opportunity to get together with a long lost friend (Anthony Jardina).  Thanks for the tickets Heidi.

o        PNC Park (Pittsburgh Pirates) – great views of downtown, rivers and bridges.

o        M&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore Ravens) – too much purple, but thanks to Jeremy Kahn for the opportunity to hang out in the suite.

o        Heinz Field (Pittsburgh Steelers) – great museum under the stadium.  Fun weekend with fraternity brothers, Aaron Depew, Matt Boyle and Chris Petersen.

o        Conseco Fieldhouse (Indiana Pacers) – the quietest crowd ever.

o        Coors Field (Colorado Rockies) – love the water fountain in the outfield and the “mile-high” row of seats.  Thanks for the hospitality Raleigh and Laura.

o        US Cellular Field (Chicago White Sox) – great monument park in the outfield.

o        Phoenix – great trip with the guys – Chris Petersen and Aaron Depew.

o        Multiple trips with the family – St. Louis, Chicago, Baltimore, Nashville, Boston, Pittsburgh and North Carolina.             

To donate, please visit:  http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/christopher-apel/christopherapel

To read my blog, please visit:  http://apeltour.blogspot.com/

Game 21

This post is two weeks late, but Derby activities seemed to get in the way and I am just now getting around to writing about a recent trip, nonetheless, here it is.  The weekend of April 30th, Deb went to Virginia for her grandmother's 98th birthday party.  Sure I could have hung out at the house all weekend with the kids, but I decided to brave a road trip with them to Chicago for some "kid-friendly activities" and a White Sox game.

Out of bed early on Saturday morning, we drove the 4 1/2 hours and arrived at the Chicago Children's Museum for the afternoon.  I highly recommend the museum if you get the chance as there were tons of fun activities for them to participate in.  After the museum, we went to our hotel - a little hidden gem I found online - called the The Hotel at the Buckingham Athletic Club.  The entire hotel has only 22 rooms located on the 40th floor of an office building a few blocks from the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower).  An hour or so of swimming at the hotel pool and then it was time to get ready for the baseball game.



View from our seats.


We took the subway to US Cellular field to watch the White Sox take on the Baltimore Orioles.  Despite lower level seats and feeding the kids hot dogs and cotton candy, they were still a bit restless.  We took a great deal of time to explore the entire ballpark. 

In the outfield, there is a monument park of many former White Sox greats.  The kids loved posing for pictures with each and every statue.  There is also a very nice standing-room only area in the outfield in which to watch the game.  More pictures are available on Facebook.  We also spent some time visiting all of the team stores for the perfect gift for Uncle Jeremy. 

I've now been to both the Cubs and White Sox games and when comparing the two, it felt as if the Cubs fans were a bit more passionate about their team.  Of course a lot of that could be the fact that we went to a Friday afternoon game at Wrigley and perhaps the fans were just so excited that they were drinking beer and watching a game as opposed to being in the office.

Unfortunately the Whitesox lost to the Orioles 6-2, but it was a great night at the ballpark. 

Official Boxscore.

My current record of the home teams I have seen play is 12-9.  Nothing scheduled for the near future.  I may be taking the summer off because I am significantly ahead of schedule for baseball games (9 completed so far in less than a year).  I'm working on some plans for the fall to catch a football game and double-up with another game (NBA, MLB or NHL) on the same trip.  I am always open to suggestions.

Our trip to Chicago was not yet complete.  We woke up early on Sunday morning to get breakfast and walk over to the Willis Tower.  The weather was perfect and the views from the top of the city and lake were incredible.  The kids even braved the little glass box that hangs over the edge at 103 floors above the street.  Once again, more photos of this are available on Facebook.












After the Willis Tower we went over to Navy Pier to visit the Shedd Aquarium.  We briefly stopped in the Field Museum as well, but did not have enough time to complete both.  The kids chose the aquarium and we had a great time there.  I will be back in the area at some point because Soldier Field (home of the Chicago Bears) is located near Navy Pier as well.

A great trip...sorry Deb missed out on all the fun, but when your grandmother turns 98, you've got to be there to celebrate.

Please visit my fundraising page.  http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/christopher-apel/christopherapel

Games 19 & 20 - Denver

It was Spring Break in Louisville and Deb decided to take the kids to Rochester, NY for the week to visit her parents.  I know - Rochester, NY and Spring Break - I did just use those two phrases in the same sentence.  Nonetheless, I figured that since I was already driving them to the airport and would be alone for the weekend, I should find somewhere to go for a few games.  After carefully studying the schedules, I decided on Denver, CO.  A college buddy of mine (Raleigh Peters) lived in Denver so I sent him a note saying that I would be in town, but had yet to book a hotel or get tickets for any games.  As it turns out, he was kind enough to allow me to stay at his house and he already had tickets to a Rockies game on Saturday night.  Perfect!

 After watching Deb and the kids board their plane, I headed off to Denver a few minutes later.  I was shocked at the weather in Colorado - 84 degrees and sunny.  Coors Field (yes, we did have some Coors Light beer - I figured it was a must) is a very nice venue and if you sit on the 1st base side, you can actually see the real Rockies.  If you are wondering why I am wearing a Kentucky shirt in this picture, they were playing in the Final Four that night, but lost to UConn by 1....long story, but I blamed Raleigh.

Mile-high seats (purple row)

Obviously in the mile high thin air, the ball travels further; therefore, the dimensions of the ball park are very large.  There is a row of purple seats in the upper deck that mark exactly 5,280 (one mile) above sea level.  It truly is a beautiful ball park.  One of the unique features is a water fountain in the outfield.  Unfortunately I did not get any pictures of it because they turn it off for the games....I imagine it is a rather significant distraction to the batter.

The weather was perfect and we attended the game in short-sleeve shirts, not bad for a early April game in Colorado.  Raleigh provided the seats....12th row down the 3rd base line.  One thing I don't understand is why a ballpark designed for baseball only still does not angle the seats to face home plate.  Don't get me wrong, the seats were great, but you had to turn your head to the right to watch each pitch.  As Raleigh noted, it is kind of like stepping up to a tee-box that aligns you out of bounds.  Of course it is the beginning of the season so fans are extremely excited about a new season and a lot of experts predict the Rockies could win the division.  There was one incredible diving catch just in front of us that did make ESPN Top 10 plays of the day.  The Rockies beat the Diamondbacks 3-1.

Official box score of the game.

What a dramatic change in weather Sunday turned out to be.  From 80s and sunny to 30s and snowy....it was a good thing that we went to the baseball game on Saturday night because the Sunday game was actually snowed out.  Sunday afternoon we traveled just outside Denver to Red Rocks Amphitheatre, which I highly recommend seeing in person.  My pictures do not do it justice.  What an incredible setting for a concert. 


Sunday night, Raleigh was kind enough to lend me his car so that I could attend the Colorado Avalanche game.  This was the first game I have attended by myself, but with 122 games on the schedule, it was sure to happen at some point.  Personally, I'm shocked I made it through 19 games without going by myself.  I still had a great time at the Pepsi Center (home of both the Avalanche and Nuggets, who I will have to see at a later date).  I was impressed with the facility, especially the large concourses in the lower level so that there is a lot of room to move around without feeling crowded.  The technology, especially for the overhead and side scoreboards does seem a bit outdated, but other than that, a great venue for a hockey game.

I spent a good portion of my time in the 2nd period checking out the views from other seats.  Although the Avalanche are well out of the playoff hunt, the turnout for the game was very good, but I did manage to find an empty seat in the upper deck just to see what it was like.  I also had a little fun getting my picture taken (as you can see above).  It was a very intense game with a lot of action, but little scoring.  The Calgary Flames ended up winning 2-1, but not without some drama as the Avalanche scored with 5 minutes to go, but couldn't tie it up late in the game with an empty net.

Official box score of the game.

Record of home games of the teams I have seen play:  12-8.  As of now, I do not have anything on the schedule.  If anyone is interested in a game, please let me know.  I am particularly looking for NBA games because although I am ahead of my 15 year schedule, I could use a few more basketball games.

 

Thanks Raleigh (and Laura).

http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/christopher-apel/christopherapel

Games 17 & 18

It seems like forever since I last went to a game and updated my blog, but nonetheless, here is the latest entry detailing a great trip to Phoenix, AZ with 3 college friends.  A great way to spend my furlough from work, or as we like to call it my furcation.

Aaron, Chris, Dave and I flew to Phoenix late last week to catch a few games, escape the cold weather and enjoy a few other activities in the Southwest.

Thursday, March 24th:

Afternoon:  Our flights landed in Phoenix mid-morning and Petersen, who flew in the night before, picked us up at the airport.  We quickly checked into the hotel, grabbed lunch and headed to Camelback Mountain for some hiking.  You couldn't ask for better weather, sunny and in the mid-70's.  The climb of 1.2 miles to the top (1,300 feet in elevation change) took about 1 hour to complete.  The trip down was a little faster, but no less dangerous.....gravity is a scary thing.  The climb was not without incident for one family in particular, when a 63 year-old man went into cardiac arrest and died near the top while we were there.  It was very sad and I especially feel bad for his wife who was with him, it was such a helpless feeling.

Click to learn more about Camelback Mountain.

Me, Chris and Dave about to enter the Coyotes game.

Evening:  It was then off to Glendale to the Jobing.com Arena for the Phoenix Coyotes game vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets.  Free parking for the game was a shock to us all.  The area outside the arena, Westgate, was very cool and a great place to hang out for dinner or drinks, although we had little time before the start of the game.  We had very good seats near center ice in the lower level.

It was a decent game in which the Coyotes won 3-0, but as you can see from the photo, there was hardly anyone there.  It could have a lot to do with the fact that Arizona was playing (and beat I might add) Duke in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament at the same time (sorry Aaron - it was a good idea to keep that Duke shirt covered up).  It was a very nice arena - the coldest I have ever been to, but rather quiet due to the small number of fans.  The thought of hockey in the desert seems strange to begin with. 

Official Boxscore of the game.

Friday, March 25:

Dave and Aaron about to tee off.

Morning:  Since we were all still on Eastern time, it was an early morning round of golf at the ASU Karsten course.  A beautiful golf course near the Arizona State University campus.  The photo shows ASU stadium in the background built right into the mountains.

Afternoon:  Now I haven't been on a bike in probably 15 years, but regardless, we rented mountain bikes for the afternoon and took in many of the local sites - including some of the trails you see in the photo to the left, a ride over and along the river and around campus to the stadium, where we stopped to visit the ASU sports musuem.  The good news is that I survived without incident (thanks to the hotel hot tub, advil and a few beers), although I am still a bit sore three days later.  Dave, Aaron and Chris (in photo) have much better skills than I do, but it was still a lot of fun (the saying is true - "just like riding a bike" - you never forget how).  Once gain, perfect weather. 

Evening:  Game 2 of our mini-vacation.  Phoenix Suns vs. New Orleans Hornets.  What a great arena, just a few miles from the hotel.  This would have been a great game to take the kids as they have an incredible kids zone; although once inside, I'm not sure I would ever be able to get them to leave.  The game was very competitive and featured two great point guards - Steve Nash and Chris Paul - they are even more impressive in person.  One of the funniest things I have ever seen in basketball took place then Robin Lopez of the Suns picked up 4 fouls in the first 3 1/2 minutes of the game.

The Suns seemed to have the game in hand the entire time, but just could not seem to close the door on the Hornets.  As a result they let them hang around long enough and were outscored by 11 in the 4th quarter to lose the game 106-100. 

Official Boxscore of the game.  Another great result ($206) for the Jimmy V Foundation and cancer research.

My record for the home games of the teams I have seen play:  11-7.

Saturday, March 26:

I left the sunny high-70s in Phoenix to find my car covered in snow in Louisville.

Back in December as we where putting this trip together, it started simply as a way to visit a warm city for a few days and check off a couple of games.  We obviosly managed to fit in a ton of activities in a small period of time.  It should be mentioned, that I flew home on Saturday night, but the rest of the guys drove to Tucson to run either a 10k or half marathon on Sunday morning.  We just might have to make this an annual event.  We are open to suggestions for next year.  The only requirements are that it must be warm and we need to fit in at least one professional sports event.

Thanks Aaron, Chris and Dave for a great time (oh yeah, thanks to each of our wives as well).

http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/christopher-apel/christopherapel

Game 16 of 122

Carolina (Raleigh, NC) Hurricanes vs Atlanta Thrashers

As mentioned in yesterday's blog, this weekend is filled with sports....Charlotte Bobcat's basketball on Friday night, Carolina Hurricanes hockey on Saturday night and the Super Bowl on Sunday (watching on TV, not attending, unfortunately).  My cousin Peter and I drove to Raleigh to see the Carolina Hurricanes take on the Atlanta Thrashers.

There are a couple of interesting pieces of information about this arena that make this game special in my efforts to raise money for the Jimmy V Foundation.

1.  The North Carolina State Wolfpack also play their basketball games in this arena.  North Carolina State is of course the team Jim Valvano coached to the 1983 National Championship (unfortunately, my view of the championship banner for that year was obstructed - it is just to the right of the 1974 banner).

2.  My grandfather's cousin played basketball for North Carolina State.  He has his number hanging from the rafters (Burleson, #24).  He was 7'2" tall and did play in the NBA at one point.

The first thing Peter and I noticed about this arena....the food.  They do it right here.  With some incredible options, including prime rib sandwiches, bar-b-q whatever and micro-brews.  Either way, the place smells unbelievable.  We settled on bar-b-q pork on top of nachos and cheese.....don't knock it until you try it.

We had pretty good seats in the lower level and saw plenty of action right in front of us.  We were surrounded by die-hard Hurricane fans who were extremely knowledgeable about the sport and the individual Hurricane players.  When these fans got upset with how the team was playing, they screamed at the players by first name, as if they were friends.  There was also a very good showing of Atlanta fans in the crowd as well, which made for a very exciting game, especially since both teams are currently fighting for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

The game itself started out rather slow and was tied 1-1 after 2 periods.  However, in the 3rd period both teams scored twice, including the game-tying goal by the Thrashers with less than 2 minutes to play and an empty net.  I was kind of hoping to see a shoot-out, but the Hurricanes won it in OT.

My record for the home games of the teams I have seen play:  10-6.

http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/christopher-apel/christopherapel

Official game box score.

Game 15 of 122

Charlotte Bobcats vs. Miami Heat (2/4/2011)

This trip was really about getting the chance to visit my uncle in North Carolina who, as I have mentioned before in another blog, is battling brain cancer.  This situation obviously puts additional meaning to attending this game as part of my efforts to raise money for cancer research (via the Jimmy V Foundation).  We have been looking at the schedule recently to see when we might be available to attend a game together on my list and this weekend seemed to work out perfectly. 



This game was the beginning of a sports weekend, which included the Bobcats game on Friday night, Carolina Hurricane game on Saturday night and watching the Super Bowl together on Sunday.

It was a very rainy and cold night, but we made the trip from Winston-Salem to Charlotte in enough time to grab a quick bite to eat at a local restaurant before the game (since we were too early to even get into the arena).  Once inside, we still had plenty of time to walk around the arena and take in all the attractions, which doesn't take long.....5 minutes to complete one lap, but my uncle needed to get in his daily exercise so it worked out really well to walk the arena, check out all the sites and catch up.

Our seats were not bad for the upper deck - 1st row.  The previous night, LaBron James for the Heat scored 51 points, but the Bobcats held him in check most of the night and he only finished with 19 points.  However, as everyone knows, the Heat have 3 big weapons and it was Dwayne Wade did the damage tonight....a triple double with 22 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.






The Bobcats are not a great team, although owned by the greatest NBA player of all time - Michael Jordan, but they kept it very close until late, but they only hit 7 shots in the 4th quarter and Eddie House for Miami hit 3 straight 3-pointers to put the game out of reach.

This crowd here was much more passionate about their team than the Indiana Pacers, which I mentioned in last week's blog.  They were certainly fired up to beat the Heat, but it just wasn't meant to be tonight.  There was also a significant amount of Miami Heat fans in attendance as well.

It was another high-scoring game, much like last week's Pacers game, which results in another $206 for the Jimmy V Foundation.

My current record for the home teams in the games I have attended:  9-6
Box score of the game.

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

Game 14 of 122

Indiana Pacers vs. New Jersey Nets at Conseco Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, IN)

The title of this blog should be Team Spirit; or more appropriately, lack there of.  I've never experienced anything like this in my life.  I have been to a lot of sporting events and this was by far the quietest crowd ever.

As you can see from my pictures, with about 30 minutes from tip off, there was hardly anyone there.  It seems like a crowd you would get in the middle of a snow storm or perhaps a crowd in which the schedule conflicted with an Indianapolis Colts playoff game - neither of which was true tonight.  It was a typical Friday night and I guess very few wanted to see the Pacers play - did we miss something more exciting going on in town that we didn't know about?

The official attendance was just over 11,000 people, which is about 60% of capacity.  The other obvious thing about this crowd was the lack of team colors.  I would estimate that of all the other games I have been to, 80% of the people are wearing some form of team colors - this crowd was closer to 20%.

Maybe this guy stole everyone's team colors.

Despite the small and quiet crowd, my family and I had a great time.  We had excellent seats (5th row near the baseline) which allowed us to get really close to the action.  The kids enjoyed it not only for the great seats, but because they got a bobble-head doll, were close to Boomer the mascot, got cotton-candy and were permitted on the court after the game.  Taylor is starting to take more interest in the games.  She studied her program for about an hour, learning about the team, individual players and other information.

Conseco Fieldhouse is one of the smallest arenas in the NBA, but it is very unique place to watch a game, including the tunnel-like feel as we walked down to our seat.  My knowledge of Indiana basketball is limited to the movie Hoosiers, Bobby Knight at Indiana University and Reggie Miller as a great NBA player that couldn't quite win the big one. 

The game itself was rather exciting and the Pacers won in a blowout.  This was the first NBA game on my checklist and with my commitment of donating $1 / point in each of the games to the Jimmy V Foundation for cancer research, basketball games certainly add to the total quickly (216 total points scored in this game).

Record:  9-5.  I have now seen 5 wins in a row by the home team.

Trend:  The target is to be completed with all 122 games by December 2024.  I'm on pace to complete by May 2019.  But Deb may not want me to keep up quite this quick a pace :)

Official Box Score of the Game

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

Goodbye Grandpa

This weekend cancer claimed the life of my grandfather.  I've seen many friends and family members battle this terrible disease, and up until now they have beaten it, but it simply became too much for my grandfather to overcome.  We all recognize he is in a better place now and the suffering is over, but he will be missed by family and friends, most importantly his wife (who would have celebrated 65 years of marraige today) and his daughters (one of them my mother). 

I've mentioned many times that my goal, although without a doubt something fun to do, has one main purpose, which is to raise money for cancer research.  The money raised will not help my grandfather or many others, but it one day will help save the life of someone.

So far, I have raised $1,300, which in the grand sceme of things doesn't seem like a lot, but mutliple that with the number of people across the world making their small contributions and it starts to really add up.

If you would like to read more about my efforts to raise money and / or donate, please visit my website.  Any small amount would be greatly appreciated.  http://www.firstgiving.com/christopherapel

Thanks,
Chris