Even on the other side of the country, I’m managing to get my Seattle sports fix. Last week I went to MSG to watch the Storm take on the Liberty, and last night I made the voyage to Yankee Stadium to see the M’s destroy the men in stripes.
As much as I tried not to, I kept doing Seattle vs NY comparisons. I really did try not to feel superior, though. Sometimes it worked, most of the time it didn’t.
The Storm game was great! We lost 64-70 but I was a close game that was, for the most part, well played. But the Liberty fans? Hmm. They seemed somewhat asleep during the first half of the game – a game that was within four points the majority of the time. During the second half they came alive with a vengeance; apparently they save their voices until they are really needed. It worked, pulling back from a 7-point deficit (the largest for either team during the game) to win by six.
If you have ever been to a Storm game, you’ll have seen the adorable and talented kids dance group. Well, the Liberty have a dance group as well – they are just a tad bit older. And they were awesome! They were obviously have a great time out there and did a variety of dances to song bites from the 50’s to today. The crowd was treated to everything from swing dancing to poppin’ and lockin’. Quite a treat.
In the end – despite the fact that we lost – I got to see some great bball in MSG, so it was a fabulous night!
The Mariners game was rescheduled from the rain out in April (the wettest day here in 10 years or something crazy like that). Instead of cold and rainy we had 80 degree weather with a slight breeze = perfect. My friend Tim (who got official “Trooper” status for coming straight from the airport to the game after a week in the Dominican Republic) met me at the stadium, and as a smack-talkin’ die-hard Yankees fan, if was a bit more than slightly satisfying to sit next to him as the M’s took the game 10-2. I figured it was fair enough though – he’ll have many opportunities this year to see his team win, I only had one.
And I got to see Ichiro!
And here’s where my comparison became somewhat judgmental. And the superiority complex kicked in. Safeco Field kicks arse. We have amazing food vendors, the Hit it Here Café, the open picnic area on the upper deck, the play area for the kids and the up-close-and-personal access to the relief pitching warm-up area. Yankee Stadium? Nada. They didn’t even have a non-beer option for people who had a long day at work and wanted an adult beverage!
It was funny to see that the racing game (the one where we have the hydros) has a local spin by using instead the three subway lines that run by the stadium.
All said, it was a perfect baseball night and I had a true baseball fan with whom to enjoy the experience. Life is good!
Fox on the Run 