Game 37 - Green Bay Packers

Green Bay Packers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers @ Lambeau Field (12/22/2013)

Well, if you are going to do Lambeau Field, you should do it right.  It all sounded like a great idea back in early fall when plans were made.  Waking up on game-day to a blizzard, 6-9 inches of snow expected, 30 mph winds and low 20 degrees made me think I was crazy.  However, I  learned that 20 articles of clothing is enough to keep me warm throughout most of the game.  The only thing that really got cold were my toes.  We got lucky because the wind was blowing in the other direction and was not really a factor.  The snow however never really stopped.  When you are there, it did not seem as bad as it appeared on TV, but gradually the field went from brown to white by the end of the game.  Because the field it heated, you can no longer call it the frozen tundra, but field was kind of a nasty looking brown. 

The one thing I will recommend is that if you go to a game at Lambeau in this kind of weather, a seat cushion is a must.  The aluminum benches are extremely cold and suck the heat right out of you....just ask the guys attending with me.  My Steeler seat came in handy.  Attending the game with me was my cousin Brian Apel, his college roommate and his brother.  All of us are Steeler fans, and like most games, Steeler fans travel well and there were plenty of terrible towels waiving.  Packer fans are some of the nicest fans I have encountered; as well as the most football-intelligent.  They treated us with mutual respect and were never really mean-spirited toward us at all.

Our seats were in the lower half of the upper deck, in the end-zone facing the scoreboard.  The view was very good, particularly since a good portion of the scoring happened right in front of us all day long.

This was a very important game for both teams who are fighting for their playoff lives.  In all honesty, I figured the Steelers would be eliminated by kickoff, but each of the teams they needed to lose in the early games did; thus keeping them in the hunt for a little longer.

The Packers were hit pretty hard by injuries in this game.  Not only was Rogers still out from his shoulder injury (a whole separate story / controversy in and of itself), but they lost RB Lacy and LB Matthews durng the game.  At half-time the Packers led 14-10, but the Steelers surged to a 10 point lead by the end of 3rd quarter thanks to 3 TDs, including an interception return.


The Steelers had a chance to break it wide-open in the 3rd quarter when they blocked a FG, but in the scramble, they were penalized for batting it out of bounds.  I still think the refs got this call wrong and they took forever to figure it out.

In the 4th quarter, the Packers roared back to tie the game at 31-31.  The crowd was alive with excitement and Steeler fans were nervous as a loss would ensure them a losing season.  With 3 minutes to go, the Packers started at their own 8-yard line with a chance to make a game-winning drive; however, Troy Polamalu forced a fumble deep in Packers' territory to give the Steelers a chance to seal the win.  On 4th down, the Steelers were about to kick the go-ahead FG, but a penalty on the Packers gave them an automatic 1st down.  A few plays later the Steelers scored a TD, but it left the Packers a lot of time. 

I disagreed with Tomlin's philosophy in this case and thought he should have knelt on the ball, run the clock down to a few seconds and kicked a game winning FG.  After a huge 66-yard kick off return, the Packers had plenty of time to mount a game-tying TD, but a costly penalty and poor clock management allowed the Steelers to sneak out a 38-31 win.  The Steelers are still alive for the playoffs...so are the Packers.

As for the venue itself, it is Lambeau Field....a must for any real football fan.  It's history allows you to overlook things like overly crowded concourses, extremely long restroom lines and a very small scoreboard.  I tend to like more modern venues, but recent improvements and pure nostalgia allow me to rank it near the top of my favorites.....it is the Fenway park of football.

This concludes the 4th year of my quest to hit all 122 professional team venues.  37 completed and nearly $4,000 raised for cancer research.  Please visit my fundraising page. I encourage you to donate. http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/christopher-apel/christopherapel

Games 34, 35 & 36

What do you get when you take a bunch of old college buddies, 4 rather bad football teams, 3 venues , 2 airports, 1 hockey game, 1 3-legged dog and 1 one-eyed dog?.....A great weekend!  How can you complain when most of us flew out of cold, ice and snow to palm trees and 80 degrees?

Game 34 - Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Houston Texans (12/5/2013) - EverBank Field, Jacksonville, FL

Attending the game:  Aaron Depew, Matt Boyle and me.  This was a rather exciting game given the fact these two teams had a combined record of 5-19.  Rumor was you could get tickets right before gametime for less than $10.  Oh well, we purchased our tickets months ago, the price was reasonable for lower level near the goal line. 

The "helmet catch"

Jaguars' fans were excited for a Thursday Night game.  A win over the Texans would mean their first home win in more than a year.  Jax jumped out to an early lead, scoring on some good passing (including a great catch down the middle that made ESPN Top 10) and a WR pass for a TD.  The Texan's brought in former starting QB, Matt Schaub, to help lead a comeback.  You could sense some nervousness in the crowd as the Texans closed to within 7 points, but a costly interception sealed the win for Jacksonville (27-20).  The Texans walked away with their 11th straight loss and are now in the lead for the #1 pick (so they've got that going for them).

A few interesting observations from the game itself:
1.  The Texans played a very sloppy game - committing 14 penalties for 177 yards (a franchise record). 
2.  Andre Johnson from the Texans catches everything.  He finished with 13 catches for 154 yards.
3.  Jacksonville Linebacker Paul Posluszny is a tackling machine.  It seemed like he was in on every play.  13 tackles and a forced fumble.
4.  The Texans fired their coach, Gary Kubiak, the next day.

People-watching at these games is great, particularly for us northerners who enjoyed the 60 degree Florida night in shorts and tee-shirts while the locals wore jeans and jackets.  EverBank Field is a pretty good venue.  Nothing particularly special about it, but you've got to love the warm weather venues with their large open air concourse areas that make them feel much bigger.  One small oddity to note was the "airport-like" concession stands where you walk by a bunch of coolers and pick out your food and drink.  I did enjoy the entrance of Jaxson, the mascot, as he slid on a wire from one side of the stadium to the other, then lowered himself down to the field (photo on left).  I like the new Jacksonville helmets as well - the two-toned looks gives a bit of an arena football feel, but they look pretty cool.

After spending the night in Jacksonville, we headed to Orlando to pick up our friend, Chris Petersen.  While on the way, we decided to stop into St. Augustine (founded in 1565) to tour this old small town and fort.  On Saturday morning, Chris Petersen and Aaron Depew ran a 1/2 marathon though Orlando before we headed to Tampa for more games.


Game 35 - Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Winnipeg Jets (12/7/2013) - Tampa Bay Times Forum, Tampa, FL

We picked up a few other buddies before attending the Lightning game on Saturday night.  Joining

the group were Joe Mertz and Scott Rowles.

The first observation about this game....the crowd was dead.  No matter how hard they tried to get them pumped up, they just didn't seem to care.  Once again we had good seats in the lower level behind the goalie.  It is a pretty good venue with plenty of room to move around on the lower deck; however, when I went to the upper deck, it is a bit crowded. 


The two best features of this facility are over the ice.  As seen on the left, they actually produce lightning.  There are two of these large "lightning rods" hanging from the roof in the facility that go off at the beginning of each period.  The other great feature is the scoreboard itself.  Incredible video screens on all four sides - one of the best I have seen yet.

One thing that was a little strange was when I walked into a men's restroom with no urinals.....before you even ask....yes, I was in the men's room.  This was a first.

As for the game itself, there was not much scoring, but there was a good deal of fighting.   I also saw a referee take a puck off the leg....I'm guessing that hurts.  The Jets ended up winning the game 2-1 in overtime.  In the games I have attended, this was the first loss by the home team in 9 games.



Game 35 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Buffalo Bills (12/8/2013) - Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL


Bye the way, nice shirt Joe!

Attending the game:  Matt Boyle, Aaron Depew, Joe Mertz, Chris Petersen and me.  This is a great venue.  Seriously, how can you go wrong with a stadium that has palm trees, pirate-dressed gate attendants and a pirate ship too.  In all the games I have been to, the pirate ship is the single best "extra" feature at a venue I have seen.  It is a cool addition to an already great place to watch football; however, if you sit close to it, a word of warning....it is loud!  They also offer free refills on soda and popcorn, which is a first for me at any venue.

The stadium is very easy to get to as it is kind of out in the way; therefore, very little congestion.  We took a 5-minute cab ride from our hotel.  The only downside that I discovered was trying to walk around the pirate ship.  It is a pinch point for the crowd and is extremely congested - taking way too long to walk from one side to the other before the game, at half-time or after the game - someone should look into solving that problem.  Again we had good seats in the lower level near the goal line.  The weather was in the mid-80s and I will not complain about the slight sunburn considering the next day it was 8 degrees when I landed in Milwaukee.

Like the Jacksonville / Texans game on Thursday, these two teams are near the bottom of the league with a combined record of 7-17.  However, by watching the Buccaneers on this particular day, you wouldn't know it.  They scored on the 2nd play of the game with an 80-yard TD run and never looked back.  This was the fastest scoring play in Tampa Bay history to start a game (just 18 seconds into the game).  Tampa Bay's defense dominated by forcing 5 turnovers and sacking the QB 7 times.  The Bills didn't help matters by committing 11 penalties.  Very sloppy.

The Buccaneers ended up winning 27-6 and may have just saved coach Schiano's job.....for now.

36 games now completed out of 122.   My record for the home teams is 24-12.  My next scheduled game is the Green Bay Packers vs. Pittsburgh Steeler (12/22/2013) in Green Bay - I'm guessing this game is not going to be in the mid-80s.

I want to send a special thank you to all the guys that attended the games with me:  Matt Boyle (thanks for setting up the hotels); Aaron Depew; Joe Mertz (thanks for the ride to Tampa); Chris Petersen; and Scott Rowles (thanks for a place to stay and the entertainment from a 3-legged dog and 1-eyed dog).

83 points scored in these game and another $83 for the Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research.  Please visit my fundraising page. I encourage you to donate. http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/christopher-apel/christopherapel

 

Game 33

Washington National vs. New York Mets (7/27/2013) - Nationals Ballpark, Washington DC.

At least once a year we like to make a trip to the Washington DC / Maryland area to visit Deb's sisters' family.  Deb and the kids were lucky enough to be able to stay the entire week and spend a few days at Ocean City.  For me it was just a quick weekend trip and a Nationals' game.

Attending the game were me, Taylor, Ryan, my three nieces, brother-in-law and my niece's friend.  My nieces are huge Nationals' fans....complete with multiple options for game-day clothing.  My kids and I picked up some hats and shirts before the game as well so that we fit it.  Don't hold it against me, I'm still a Pittsburgh fan.

We arrived early, hoping to see batting practice; unfortunately it was cancelled.  Nonetheless, we enjoyed exploring the stadium, which is fairly new....opened in 2008.  Unfortunately for the Nationals, their season is not going as well as last year when they made the playoffs, but the crowd was still excited, especially since they were coming off a walk-off win the night before.  They are not out of the pennant race yet, but they have their work cut out for them down the stretch. 

The park itself reminds me a lot of Target Field in Minneapolis from the layout to the outfield plaza, combined with the parking structures and surrounding buildings.  Both stadiums even have blue seats (which I thought was very odd in Washington since their team colors are primarily red and white). 

Our seats were located on the club level, which allowed us to go inside to cool down on a very hot day.

I did enjoy the racing Presidents race, which is much like the sausage races in Milwaukee, except that instead of a hot dog, bratwurst, chorizo, Polish sausage and Italian sausage, you get to watch George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and William Taft.  Pretty funny stuff.  See the video (link below) of the game we attended in which Abe jumped from the stands to tackle Teddy. 
See President's Race = 7-27-2013

The game itself was pretty exciting with the Nationals taking a 2 run lead in the 2nd inning on back-to-back home runs.  Nationals' pitcher Dan Harden pitched a great game....much to the surprise of everyone, considering he had not won since early May.  He even hit a double in the 3rd inning that was subsequently followed up by a home run by superstar Bryce Harper.

After that, the pace of the game moved quickly and the Mets managed to score just 1 run.  In the 8th inning, the clouds rolled in and the rain came.  We just in time to sprint to the car to avoid the worst of it.  The rain delay lasted long enough for us to get home and watch the top of the 9th inning on the couch.

Final score - Nationals win 4-1.  Great game; great time with family and more money raised for cancer research.  33 games now completed out of 122.   My record for the home teams is now 22-11 - including 7 in a row. 

Please visit my fundraising page. I encourage you to donate. http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/christopher-apel/christopherapel

 

Game 32

Chicago Bulls vs. Brooklyn Nets (4/27/2013) - Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Playoffs - United Center

Best game yet....by far!  More about the game in a second.

Deb was in Connecticut this weekend for her grandmother's memorial.  She passed away last month; this weekend would have been her 100th birthday.

As a single father for the weekend, I decided to take the kids to Chicago for a Bulls game.  You've got to love StubHub.  I was able to get 3 tickets and a parking pass next to the arena for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference playoffs against the Nets for a reasonable price.  It was a simple 2-hour trip door to door and the early afternoon start was perfect for taking the kids. 

This was the first playoff game I've attended on my tour and only the third (I think) playoff game of any kind (1998 Steelers 7-6 victory vs Patriots & 2000 Redskins win over the Lions).  As you can imagine, the crowd was very excited; hoping their Bulls could take a 3-1 lead in the series (even without Derrick Rose). 

I warned the kids that it was going to be extremely loud, but they quickly adapted and joined in the excitement (see my Facebook pages for a lot more pictures).  We spent a good portion of the second quarter walking around the arena checking out all the sites and areas for the kids to compare their hand-size, shoe-size, wingspan and height to professional players.  They thought that was awesome.  I've heard a lot of great things about this arena and it sure lived up to the hype.  I now rank it as my #1 basketball venue - beating out Dallas.  It is very state of the art with plenty of large flat screens to watch the game from the concourse; concession stands positioned to reduce crowding; cool bars, plenty of things for the kids and a great overall design.  Although it is down-town, entrance and exit was extremely easy.

Everyone was supposed to wear red to support the Bulls.....the only read in our wardrobe consists of Louisville gear only, but it worked just fine.

Now back to the game, because as I said, it was the best I've witnessed in person yet.

The first half of the game was rather uneventful; although it was fast paced and high-scoring with the Bulls holding a 58-55 lead at half-time.

Brooklyn outscored the Bulls by 11 in the 3rd quarter and continued to hold a sizable lead well into the 4th quarter.  Down 14 with about 3 minutes to go, the Bulls went on an incredible run.  It was funny to see people come back to their seats who had given up on the Bulls just a few minutes earlier.

The comeback was led by the smallest man on the floor - Nate Robinson at only 5'9".  ESPN is calling it one of the top 10 individual playoff performances ever.  He scored a career and game high 34 points - 29 of them coming in the 4th quarter and overtime.  He was absolutely unstoppable and amazing to watch has he just took over the game.  The crowd was going crazy.  It looked like he had won the game in the 1st overtime when he hit a shot with 2 seconds left to take a 2 point lead.  However, the Nets hit a shot at the buzzer to tie it again (photo at the right is a bit blurry, but it shows Joe Johnson driving for the tying shot). 

 

The Bulls had a chance to win it at the end of the second overtime, but came up just short.  By this time Ryan was getting a little upset that for an hour I kept telling him the game would be over in 2 minutes.  We started our exit during the 3rd overtime when the Bulls started to put the game out of reach.  3 Overtimes; multiple time-outs and a few video reviews caused the game to last just shy of 4 hours.  When it was all said and done, the Bulls won 142-134 to take a 3-1 lead in the series.  There were 5 players that recorded double-doubles:

• Joakim Noah - 15 points; 13 rebounds
• Kirk Hinrich - 18 points; 14 assists
• Deron Willimas - 32 points; 10 assists
• Brook Lopez - 26 points; 11 rebounds
• Reggie Evans - 15 points; 13 rebounds

Great game; great time with the kids and $276 raised for cancer research.  32 games now completed out of 122.   My record for the home teams is now 21-11 - including 6 in a row. 

Please visit my fundraising page. I encourage you to donate. http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/christopher-apel/christopherapel

Game 31

Minnesota Timberwolves (4/13/2013) vs Phoenix Suns - at Target Center

In an effort to get one final NBA game in before the regular season ended, I made a last-minute trip (decided less than 24 hours before the game) to Minneapolis to see the Timberwolves play at Target Center.  A quick search for tickets on StubHub showed that there were plenty available.  I bought a ticket in the lower level; however, there were 2nd level tickets available for less than $1.  Deb thought it would be pretty cool and make for a unique part of my story to buy one of these cheap tickets.  So, 5 minutes before I left, I picked up a ticket for $0.60.  Yes that is correct - 60 cents!

It is no surprise the tickets were so cheap given the fact it was the next to the last home game for the Timberwolves and both teams are terrible....each of them finishing the season with 50+ losses. 

The photo on the left is the view of the opening tip from my lower level seat.  The view was great when the action was at this end, but a bit obstructed by the back-board when trying to see the other end.

Although the place was pretty full for a meaningless game, the atmosphere was strange.  I looked around while watching the game and it was like a dinner party.....lots of small conversations going on everywhere and there just happened to be a game playing in the background. 

There was a nice tribute to Timberwolves' coach Rick Adelman prior to the game for winning his 1,000 game a few nights before.

I spent the first half of the game in the lower level, but wanted to go check out my $0.60 seat (see view to the right - not bad).

It was an entertaining game considering both teams are pretty bad and well out of playoff contention.  Ricky Rubio had a career and game high 24 points.  He added 10 assists as well.  The game was a bit sloppy with the teams combining for 45 total turnovers.

Phoenix started off with a big lead, but the Wolves were able to close the game to just 3 at halftime.  In the end, it was the Wolves coming from behind to win 105-93.

I did not really like the arena.  For starters, it is located right down-town next to Target Field.  Traffic and parking was a bit of a challenge.  I ended up parking in a garage, which means that getting out takes forever.  The concourse areas are way too narrow with people stacked on top of each other.  When I went to the upper deck level, it was like a ghost town with virtually nothing there....very strange.

31 games now completed out of 122.   My record for the home teams is now 20-11 - including 5 in a row.  More importantly, another $198 raised for cancer research. 

Please visit my fundraising page. I encourage you to donate. http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/christopher-apel/christopherapel

Games 29 & 30

Dallas Mavericks (3/22/2013) vs Boston Celtics & Dallas Stars (3/23/2013) vs. Colorado Avalanche - both at American Airlines Center

For Taylor's 10th birthday, the boys were kindly asked to stay away.  The last thing Taylor wanted for her birthday sleep-over with 9 other friends was her little brother hanging around.  I think Deb was also happy to have us out of town so she could focus on the party.....who were we to argue?

So with the green light to make it a guys weekend, Ryan and I headed off to Dallas for a few games and a trip to the Dallas World Aquarium.

Our first stop after flying to Dallas Friday morning was to get lunch at a restaurant to watch some 1st round games of the NCAA tournament.  Then it was off to American Airlines Center (which was within walking distance of the hotel) to watch the Mavericks take on the Boston Celtics.

The Mavericks are having an average season, by their standards (currently battling for the last playoff spot), but the crowd was extremely excited and pumped up.  There were quite a few fans wearing green, as well and the Celtics sure got their fair share of cheers.  It was my first time watching Dirk Nowitzki in person.  He is pretty amazing.  I swear that every shot he takes, he is falling over backward, but at 7-feet tall, nobody is going to block his shot.  He finished with 22 points.  Ryan called him the werewolf because of his long beard (in photo to the left).  By the way....Shawn Marion has the ugliest shot in the NBA....I just thought I should mention that.

It was also the return of Jason Terry to Dallas after playing the last 8 seasons there.  The crowd gave him a standing ovation when he entered the game.  The half-time show was a bit unique....a woman on a unicycle who put up to 5 bowls on her foot, flipped them in the air and caught them on her head....you don't see that everyday. 

In the end, the Mavericks were too much for the Celtics and they pulled out the 104-94 win.  I was a bit disappointed that our seats were too far away to see Mavericks' owner, Mark Cuban.  He is always entertaining and usually gets quite a bit of attention....I don't believe they even showed him on the big screen.

Saturday morning / early afternoon was spent at the Dallas World Aquarium (also within walking distance of hotel).  They have a lot more animals than just your typical aquarium - jaguars, birds, monkeys, to name a few.  Somehow we managed to time it perfectly because when we left, the line to get in was two blocks long.  If you are ever in town, check it out at:  http://www.dwazoo.com/

The rest of the afternoon was spent back at the hotel watching more NCAA basketball.

Saturday night it was back to the American Airlines Center to watch the Dallas Stars take on the Colorado Avalanche.  One thing to note - during the National Anthem, the entire crowd screams "Star" everytime the word star is mentioned; much like in Baltimore when they scream "O" (for the Orioles).  If you are not prepared, it can really catch you off guard. 

Our seats were pretty good; near the corner; 8 rows off the ice.  The Stars scored early (first goal within 34 seconds) and often.  Former Penguin, Jaromir Jagr had a pretty good game with 1 goal and 1 assist (man does he look old).  At one point it was 4-0 Stars and they cruised to a 5-2 win. 

It was a very exciting game, but by the end of the night Ryan was feeling the effects of a very long weekend.

American Airlines Center is a great venue.  I really like the "spiral staircase like" feel in the concourse area and all the arched entryways.  During the basketball game our seats were in the upper deck, but the view was still very good.  When you attend games with a 6-year-old, you spend a lot of time "touring" the facility to kill time.  Great shops, good food and lots of entertainment.  Outside before games there is plenty of music and entertainment; not exactly appropriate for the little guy, but it would be cool for others.

Currently I would rank this as the best basketball arena I have visited.  Although they also play hockey there, I don't rank it as the best hockey arena....if that makes sense to anyone.  I still like Consol Energy Center - Home of the Penguins - as the best hockey arean.  To read about Consol Energy Center, click here.


 Thirty games now completed out of 122.  My record for the home teams is now 19-11; more importantly, another $205 raised for cancer research.  It was a successful weekend all around and I had one tired little guy on the plane ride home.

Please visit my fundraising page. I encourage you to donate. http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/christopher-apel/christopherapel