Patriots-Giants and history

Tonight, I went to the Giants-Patriots game to root against history. History took place (The Patriots won the game to become the first team since the 1972 Dolphins to go undefeated during the regular season), but it was a fun game. I started a "15 and 1" chant, which is the first time ever I've started a chant that an entire section participated in, and pretty much everyone around me was drunk by the 2nd quarter. And there were a ton of asshole Patriots fans around me, but things were surprisingly civil. After the Pats scored their final touchdown to seal the game, I congratulated the drunk Pats fan next to me and he shook my hand. It may have been the first time I've ever been gracious at a sporting event with a guy from New England. That may be more historic than the undefeated season.

All in all, it was a great game and I left pretty pumped up and ready for more. It's one of the best sporting events I've been to.

Here's a top 10 list of the best sporting events I've ever been to. But really, it's a Top 9 list, for reasons I'll explain in the next paragraph. I've been to hundreds of sporting events (probably around a hundred wrestling events alone), but these ones stand out.

10. The One I Didn't Go To - Yankees vs. Expos (Yogi Berra Day) at Yankee Stadium - 1999

I remember I was supposed to go to this game, but for whatever reason, I didn't go. And it turned out that David Cone pitched a perfect game. This one kills me to this very day.

9. Miguel Cotto vs. Zab Judah at MSG- 2007

I've been to a handful of boxing matches, but this one was the best fight and the most rabid crowd. It was on the weekend of the Puerto Rican Day Parade, and Adan said it best that night, and also when we went to the Cotto-Mosley fight five months later. Going to large sporting events, or large events in general with Puerto Ricans is like going to a gigantic party. There were boxing matches going on, but there were also music playing in between rounds and everyone was getting drunk and dancing and making up silly chants in Spanish.

And Cotto knocked Zab the fuck out. That was fun too.

8. Wizards vs. Knicks at the MCI Center in Washington DC (Michael Jordan's final home game) - 2003

Just because Brett and I decided to go to this the night before the game. We literally went online, bought game tickets, bought AmTrak tickets, and then six hours later went to Penn Station to get on a train to Washington DC. The game itself wasn't that great, but I like the story behind it a lot. Plus, we not only saw MJ's final home game, we also went to the zoo and saw prairie dogs. That day may have been the greatest day of my life.

7. Wrestlemania 20 at MSG - 2004

Any time the WWE comes to the Garden, it's a big deal. This one was actually a lot more fun than the WM18 show because the card was a lot better, even though no match stood out like Rock-Hogan. But what made this one memorable for me was seeing Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, and his family celebrate in the ring at the end of the night when the two of them both won their championship matches. And it's weird and morbid to think about, but everyone who was in the ring at the end of the night is now dead.

6. ECW One Night Stand at the Hammerstein Ballroom - 2006

The crowd was rabid all night, because ECW crowds are rabid and wild and borderline insane. Two things stand out for me, the "If Cena Wins We Riot" sign hanging from the balcony, which actually wasn't a clever sign, but an actual threat. And when John Cena came out and threw his T-Shirt into the crowd like he always does, only no one in the crowd wanted it, so they kept throwing it back into the ring.

Here's the video, the fun starts at about 6:00.



5. Patriots vs. Giants at Giants Stadium - 2007

There were a TON of Patriots fans who came down from different parts of New England to watch their team make history by going 16-0, and in the end, they got to gloat on Giant territory. But there was a point in the game when the Giants were up 28-16, and the entire Meadowlands was rocking, and I looked around and saw groups of Patriots fans who were speechless at how energetic and inspired the crowd was. The Giants lost, but that half-hour or so when they were ahead was awesome.

On the bright side, the Giants covered! And they looked like a Super Bowl-ready team until the Patriots took over in the 4th quarter. We'll see how the playoffs go, but I feel good about my team heading into it.

4. SJU vs. Georgetown at MSG - NIT Finals - 2003

Everyone in the Student section was determined to rush the court if St. John's won the tournament, and MSG security was determined not to let any of us get on the court. Of course, at the end, the handful of security couldn't stop 1,000 college kids from running onto the court if they wanted.

3. Wrestlemania X8 at the Skydome in Toronto - 2002

Pat, Brett, and I flew over to hang out at his neighborhood in Rochester, then drove up to Toronto to watch Wrestlemania. The big match was Hulk Hogan vs. The Rock, and we were determined to cheer Hogan and boo the hell out of The Rock, even though Rocky was the biggest star and fan favorite in the company at the time. And it turned out, EVERYONE in the audience had the same plans. I don't remember anything else about the event, but for Hogan-Rock, this was the loudest crowd I've ever been a part of.

And my favorite part is that people LEFT immediately after Rock-Hogan, even though it took place in the middle of the show.

2. 76ers vs. Wizards at the FleetCenter in Philadelphia (Michael Jordan's last game) - 2003

Philly fans are notoriously meanspirited and cruel towards opposing players, but for Michael Jordan, they gave their love. The best part was when the Sixers were running away with the game and it looked like Jordan was going to spend the entire fourth quarter on the bench, so the crowd started chanting "We Want Mike!" until he came back into the game, and then gave him a 2-3 minute standing ovation when he left the court.

I'm a Knicks fan, but Jordan was my favorite player growing up. What kid of the 90s didn't grow up as a Michael Jordan fan? Kids who grew up to have no souls, that's who. He was way past his prime at this point, but I can always say I went to Michael Jordan's last game.

Unless he unretires again, which is never completely out of the question. He's going to be 50 in a few years, but after his second comeback I'll always sort of believe that there's a chance he'll come back. And I think he'd still be good for 20 points, even at 50.

1. Yankees vs. Mariners, ALCS Game 5 at Yankee Stadium (Yankees clinch pennant)- 2001

The craziest baseball crowd I've ever been a part of. I went with my roommate Carl and we got seats in Section 37 because we wanted to be a part of the Bleacher Creatures when the Yankees clinched, but really, we could've been anywhere in the Stadium and they would've been as rowdy as the Creatures were. The game itself was a complete blowout, but that just made the entire Stadium even more rabid.

The most memorable part of that night was the entire crowd doing the "Hip Hip Jorge!" chant, and Jorge Posada wasn't even at bat. He wasn't even in the on-deck circle. That, and the crowd completely shitting on Ichiro and Jay Buhner every chance they got, and by that I mean the entire night.

The Yankees didn't win the World Series this year, but this was my favorite Yankee team ever, and this is the best game I've ever been to.