Diboll_Lumberjackk
10-21-2004, 08:31 AM
I have a story that I feel compelled to tell…
I was fortunate enough to attend the Astros series this weekend against the Cardinals. Great times, awesome environment. In my experience, Texas sports fans are pretty serious (see also Texas/A&M game). They love their teams and they love competition (see also Friday Night Lights, Varsity Blues). Being an LSU fan and attending games with 92,500 drunk fans, I can appreciate a competitive environment. Which is one of the many reasons that I love Houston and Texas. It’s similar in many ways. Having said that, Houston sports fans are serious, but never obnoxious…well, let me explain. Visiting team's fans usually catch a "ribbing", but its always in good fun. Most comments come with a smile and a slap on the back. I've been guilty of administering a good "Braves Suck!" or "Cowboys Suck!" or similar. But never to the point that I would threaten another fan regardless of the amount of alcohol involved.
Now that I've told that story….
I was fortunate enough to score tickets to the Yankees/Red Sox ALCS Game 6 last night in New York City. At least I thought that I was fortunate! Caught a series of 6 trains en route to Yankee Stadium/The Bronx. Trains full of drunken, obnoxious idiots pushing each other and talking trash like no other (Yankees and Sox fans). The smell of rotten subway mixed with cheap scotch and unbathed overweight men packed in a rolling sardine can was almost as much as I could stand. I overcame. Finally arriving at the stadium was a great relief. Still excited at the thought of attending my first game at Yankee Stadium, we fought our way past the 6000 ticket scalpers and fist fights (Yankees vs. Sox, Yankees vs. Yankees, Yankees vs. Anyone). On the way to our seats, we passed lots of "ribbing". It all seemed friendly (with a few unneeded expletives about each other's mothers). Before we reached our seats, I caught a few myself (I'm wearing an Astros cap). Stuff like "hey, here comes Backe!" or "Beltran's going to look good in pinstripes!" or "Astros?!?". My response "I'll see you on Saturday!". We get to our seats, its cold, its raining, but its Yankee Stadium, "the house that Ruth built" and the Yanks are playing the Sox in Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS. Every sports fan wants to be here. Right!?!
2 hours into this thing…I'm thinking "I like the Yankees much better on TV". You would not believe the crap that I saw at this game. I like to think that I seen a lot of stuff in my day, but this took the cake. It was like Civil War in that stadium. You were either for the Yankees or you should die…you and your mutha! These fans were the worst on the face of the earth. They hate everyone including their own….Real dialogue:
Fan (2nd Inning): "Come on, Johnny Lieba! Strike this bum out!" - in reference to David Ortiz who, btw, owns the Yankees, in case you didn't know.
The Pitch…called ball outside.
Fan: "Lieba, you suck! Pull'em Torre!"
Nice, huh? This is the tip of the iceberg!
Before the game even gets started. Yankees fans are spitting on Red Sox fans, pouring beer on them, taking their hats, beating them up in the bathrooms, screaming the most vulgar profanities that your ears have ever heard. Men and women alike. In my section, there were two female Red Sox fans…a male Yankees fan approaches them, takes one of their hats off of their head and throws into the lower deck. Then he takes her sign, "Do It Again, Big Papi" in reference to Ortiz (see above) and tears it into pieces. Awesome, huh? Can you see this happening at Minute Maid Park? There would be a cowboy arse-whoop going down, wouldn't there be?
As the game goes on…Yankees are losing and with this comes a whirlwind of spit and beer and fighting. Then they break out the weed. Fans (in my row) are smoking reefer like its nothing. They aren't hiding, not even trying. Beautiful! Does anyone say anything? Yeah…"Give me a hit!" Even better. I thought attending baseball games was something that you did with your kids! Wanna take your kids to this game?
I got harassed so much about my Astros hat that I started taking it off to go to the bathroom, as I was in fear of my life. These guys truly hate Clemens and Pettitte like its their jobs. These games are clearly a sport for them. Therapy, a way to release all of that pinned-up frustration of leaving the stinkiest, rat-infested cesspool in the world. I'm sure I could become one of these fans too if I had to live in the crap.
This e-mail doesn't put into words what I experienced/saw. This was the worst sporting experience of my life. Raining, weed-smoking, fighting, world class s&*t-talking, abuse of females and cops watching the whole thing. If you were watching the game, you would have seen the stupidity of the fans in the 8th inning when the umpires reversed overturned a call to send Jeter back to 1st and call A-Rod out for slapping the ball out of the pitchers hand. Cups, bottles, anything that could be thrown onto the field was….ridiculous. Did anyone get arrested??? Not that I could see.
I write all of this for a few reasons.
1. I can appreciate Schilling's comments ("There's nothing I would like more than to "shut up" 50,000 Yankees fans." - me, too!)
2. If we have to play the Yankees in the WS (please God, No!), don't visit Yankee Stadium! Its not worth it.
3. Help everyone appreciate what we have in Texas!
Proud to Live and Enjoy Sports in Texas!! Go Astros!
I was fortunate enough to attend the Astros series this weekend against the Cardinals. Great times, awesome environment. In my experience, Texas sports fans are pretty serious (see also Texas/A&M game). They love their teams and they love competition (see also Friday Night Lights, Varsity Blues). Being an LSU fan and attending games with 92,500 drunk fans, I can appreciate a competitive environment. Which is one of the many reasons that I love Houston and Texas. It’s similar in many ways. Having said that, Houston sports fans are serious, but never obnoxious…well, let me explain. Visiting team's fans usually catch a "ribbing", but its always in good fun. Most comments come with a smile and a slap on the back. I've been guilty of administering a good "Braves Suck!" or "Cowboys Suck!" or similar. But never to the point that I would threaten another fan regardless of the amount of alcohol involved.
Now that I've told that story….
I was fortunate enough to score tickets to the Yankees/Red Sox ALCS Game 6 last night in New York City. At least I thought that I was fortunate! Caught a series of 6 trains en route to Yankee Stadium/The Bronx. Trains full of drunken, obnoxious idiots pushing each other and talking trash like no other (Yankees and Sox fans). The smell of rotten subway mixed with cheap scotch and unbathed overweight men packed in a rolling sardine can was almost as much as I could stand. I overcame. Finally arriving at the stadium was a great relief. Still excited at the thought of attending my first game at Yankee Stadium, we fought our way past the 6000 ticket scalpers and fist fights (Yankees vs. Sox, Yankees vs. Yankees, Yankees vs. Anyone). On the way to our seats, we passed lots of "ribbing". It all seemed friendly (with a few unneeded expletives about each other's mothers). Before we reached our seats, I caught a few myself (I'm wearing an Astros cap). Stuff like "hey, here comes Backe!" or "Beltran's going to look good in pinstripes!" or "Astros?!?". My response "I'll see you on Saturday!". We get to our seats, its cold, its raining, but its Yankee Stadium, "the house that Ruth built" and the Yanks are playing the Sox in Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS. Every sports fan wants to be here. Right!?!
2 hours into this thing…I'm thinking "I like the Yankees much better on TV". You would not believe the crap that I saw at this game. I like to think that I seen a lot of stuff in my day, but this took the cake. It was like Civil War in that stadium. You were either for the Yankees or you should die…you and your mutha! These fans were the worst on the face of the earth. They hate everyone including their own….Real dialogue:
Fan (2nd Inning): "Come on, Johnny Lieba! Strike this bum out!" - in reference to David Ortiz who, btw, owns the Yankees, in case you didn't know.
The Pitch…called ball outside.
Fan: "Lieba, you suck! Pull'em Torre!"
Nice, huh? This is the tip of the iceberg!
Before the game even gets started. Yankees fans are spitting on Red Sox fans, pouring beer on them, taking their hats, beating them up in the bathrooms, screaming the most vulgar profanities that your ears have ever heard. Men and women alike. In my section, there were two female Red Sox fans…a male Yankees fan approaches them, takes one of their hats off of their head and throws into the lower deck. Then he takes her sign, "Do It Again, Big Papi" in reference to Ortiz (see above) and tears it into pieces. Awesome, huh? Can you see this happening at Minute Maid Park? There would be a cowboy arse-whoop going down, wouldn't there be?
As the game goes on…Yankees are losing and with this comes a whirlwind of spit and beer and fighting. Then they break out the weed. Fans (in my row) are smoking reefer like its nothing. They aren't hiding, not even trying. Beautiful! Does anyone say anything? Yeah…"Give me a hit!" Even better. I thought attending baseball games was something that you did with your kids! Wanna take your kids to this game?
I got harassed so much about my Astros hat that I started taking it off to go to the bathroom, as I was in fear of my life. These guys truly hate Clemens and Pettitte like its their jobs. These games are clearly a sport for them. Therapy, a way to release all of that pinned-up frustration of leaving the stinkiest, rat-infested cesspool in the world. I'm sure I could become one of these fans too if I had to live in the crap.
This e-mail doesn't put into words what I experienced/saw. This was the worst sporting experience of my life. Raining, weed-smoking, fighting, world class s&*t-talking, abuse of females and cops watching the whole thing. If you were watching the game, you would have seen the stupidity of the fans in the 8th inning when the umpires reversed overturned a call to send Jeter back to 1st and call A-Rod out for slapping the ball out of the pitchers hand. Cups, bottles, anything that could be thrown onto the field was….ridiculous. Did anyone get arrested??? Not that I could see.
I write all of this for a few reasons.
1. I can appreciate Schilling's comments ("There's nothing I would like more than to "shut up" 50,000 Yankees fans." - me, too!)
2. If we have to play the Yankees in the WS (please God, No!), don't visit Yankee Stadium! Its not worth it.
3. Help everyone appreciate what we have in Texas!
Proud to Live and Enjoy Sports in Texas!! Go Astros!