My sports odyssey is ongoing: here's a journal of the last two weeks at live events.
November 16, Staples Center--Los Angeles, CAI have an undeniably terrible lifetime record when watching the Knicks in person. On the flipside, my friend has never seen a Laker loss at their arena of the last several years out of a dozen or so opportunities. Something had to give, and unfortunately for me it wasn't my history of futility.
We arrived early enough to grab some dinner at 7th and Figueroa, where I opted for the gyro plate at George's Greek. While I waited for my meal, I noticed on my phone that the heretofore winless Raptors had forced overtime, only to disappoint their fans once again in the extra five minutes. Cheer up, I told myself: your team may be 2-5, but it could be worse.
Making our way to the arena was not all that difficult, and upon reaching the seats it became obvious that something was awry. Laker games are usually well attended, but tonight it seemed as if three-quarters of the lower bowl was empty. Even the true fans up in our 300 level area had filled it only about halfway. Then it dawned on us: instead of the usual 7:30 game time, an ESPN national telecast moved the start to 7 PM. The place would eventually fill up, but it felt eerie for another fifteen minutes or so.
Looking back, it's hard to believe that the Spurs kept Kobe Bryant in relative check last night, because he torched New York for 42 points in a 97-92 win here. Suffice it to say, I got used to his basket-made theme music after four quarters of play. Lamar Odom chipped in with a quiet-but-important 13 points, 9 boards, and 6 assists showcasing his all-around game. In the stadium's postgame interview, Odom said he didn't mind deferring to Bryant if it spelled a victory, sounding slightly self-deprecating about his own game. I wasn't surprised to see Odom have stronger stats in the past week. Andrew Bynum, drafted out of high school on June 28, got a nice hand from the crowd when he entered for the beleaguered Kwame Brown, but played just six minutes. Chris Mihm, a bubble fantasy player for me at the time, hustled his way to 6-of-11 shooting, and Smush Parker was unspectacular but played 35 minutes at point guard.
I definitely witnessed flashes of brilliance from the Knicks rookie big man Channing Frye. I'm no stranger to Arizona product Frye (or to fellow Pacific 10 alums Nate Robinson, Trevor Ariza, and Matt Barnes) from the hoops I watched at Cal, but he looked downright dominant in the second quarter. Interestingly, the guy sitting in front of me asked me if I thought Frye was a bust in the first period, and I replied that he began putting up respectable numbers in a game against Sacramento. Still, it was hard to say 'I told you so' when he scored nine points in a four minute span and finished with 21. Frye didn't actually rebound much in this contest, but perhaps he used it as a springboard to his first career double-double on Saturday's overtime win against the 76ers. Florida first-year man David Lee also put in an appearance for the blue and orange, finishing with 10 and grabbing 11 boards. The story here, though, may have been Stephon Marbury's difficulties, who converted just 2 of 9 from the field despite amassing 10 assists.
November 19, Arrowhead Pond--Anaheim, CAUnlike most of my trips to the north Orange County home of the Mighty Ducks, this one involved heavy traffic. It didn't help that it was a Friday rather than the customary middle of the week, but I was very frustrated with the Anaheim traffic procedures. Whether the 5 freeway was backed up, lanes were narrowing, entrances were closed, or long detours were required, I unquestionably was involved in a comedy of difficulties arriving at the stadium. It's bad enough when I'm listening to the opening action via radio on a solo trip, but I felt even worse about the situation since I wasn't going alone.
I tried to mitigate my sins by buying dinner before we reached our seats, and the last two periods between Anaheim and Colorado were easily compelling enough to justify our appearance. In the first, Alex Tanguay fed Milan Hejduk for a chip-in goal, but Jonathan Hedstrom closed out the period by taking the puck from Jean-Michael Liles and skating in for an uncontested score. Five minutes in, a fight erupted even though they have become relatively rare in today's NHL: this bout featured the Avs' Brad May and the Ducks' Todd Fedoruk.
The coach of the Avalanche this season is Joel Quenneville, but I remember him as the bench boss for the St. Louis Blues when I lived in the Midwest. As it turned out, he and the Ducks' Randy Carlyle saw the game come down to the final minutes of regulation. 24 total shots in the second period resulted in no goals, although Colorado's Brett Clark was awarded a penalty shot midway through, shooting the puck too high to test goalie Ilya Bryzgalov. The Ducks also had a scoring opportunity denied when Anaheim appeared to put the puck in the net but the referees whistled Scott Niedermayer for goaltender interference. However, Colorado LW Steve Konowalchuk (who is now out for the season) struck early in the third on the power play on a play in which Anaheim defenseman Ruslan Salei lost his stick. Konowalchuk took a feed from Tanguay and scored on a shot with his
back to the goal while falling to the ice. Just over two minutes later, a rejuvenated Teemu Selanne had an easy look at the goal to tie the game after Rob Niedermayer's pass hit off of goalie Peter Budaj. Incidentally, this was a matchup that featured the backup netminder for both clubs, although Bryzgalov has played for several weeks as the starter as J.S. Giguere battles injury.
On this night, I ended up dropping to 1-1 on the season when watching the Ducks in person, but did witness an interesting spectacle en route to the 3-2 defeat. Five minutes into the last period, Jonathan Hedstrom delivered such a violent hit that the glass on the left side boards became dislodged. I smiled when reading that the NHL play-by-play notes a "rink repair" that became necessary after the check; the above photo captures some of this work. Not long after I explained the new shootout rules to anyone within earshot, the Avalanche dashed all hopes of any extra action. Pierre Turgeon, a terrific passer and one-time Blue fed hot rookie Marek Svatos for the game winner at 14:02. Tanguay was also credited with an assist on the play, giving him three on the night and making me wish I had drafted the left-winger in my Yahoo league. The Ducks would have chances the rest of the way, but their mad scramble in front of Budaj as time expired came a little too late to tie the game, as a puck found the net several seconds after the horn. I may have had to drive home and pack for the next morning's trip to the East Coast, but I was buoyed by the music of David Benoit and the after-effects of another fun night out.
November 23, MCI Center--Washington, DC
My vacation last week in the nation's capital proved even more enjoyable than I had anticipated, and getting the chance to see an NHL game at the home of the Washington Capitals was icing on the cake. While the MCI Center website boasts 20,000 seats, my brother noticed that a sign in the box office indicated that capacity is actually over 23,000. Upon entering the building, it was obvious that the middle general seating area (which the Pond calls the terrace) was much larger than one would anticipate. Both attendance figures and anecdotal evidence from my uncle pointed to the fact that many fans had been boycotting the team in the first year back from lockout, and tonight's figure of 12,038 surpassed the Capitals' average in part due to Thanksgiving week spectators. While the upper and lower bowls were reasonably attended on this night, the second level was nearly empty, likely plagued by overly expensive prices considering their value. On the other hand, my two siblings and a cousin sat with me in the top of the upper deck (known as the "Eagle's Nest") for a mere $5 per person. I got to watch both teams warm up, speculating internally about which goalies would start the contest. I owned both Washington's number one goalie Olaf Kolzig and Tampa Bay's John Grahame, but only had space to play Kolzig. To my relief, Olie the goalie did get the nod despite taking about as many repetitions in the abbreviated practice session as his backup Brent Johnson.
Since all of us arrived early on the metro after watching the newest installment of Harry Potter at the Uptown Theater, we had plenty of time to spend more money on food than we did on admission. After I watched the ceremony commemorating the Caps' center Andrew Cassels' 1000th game played, my brother handed me a hot dog and water seconds prior to the opening faceoff while the younger members of our group munched on personal pizzas.
Fittingly, it was Cassels who got on the board first in this contest when he picked up a close rebound off a first period shot by rookie sensation Alexander Ovechkin and slotted it home. Less than thirty seconds into the second, I got to watch a penalty shot play out for the second time in a week, and this time the shooter met with different results. Matt Pettinger fired a quick wrist shot past Grahame, and the home team took a 2-0 lead. Grahame could not have been to blame for that goal, but the next was unquestionably his fault. As the netminder played a puck behind his net, he lost control, allowing Matt Bradley's shot to rebound in the direction of Brian Sutherby, who found the twine for the Capitals' second goal in just thirteen seconds.
At this point, I felt justified in congratulating myself for having the foresight to play only Kolzig, who at this point stood to get both a win and a potential shutout. Washington gives up so many shots on average that the latter possibility is always remote, but why couldn't I dream? The home team had struggled most of the season, and the fans showed their support of the effort so far by chanting, "Let's Go Caps!" I have to admit, though, that my brother's "Caps Caps Caps" rallying cry was both entertaining and true to the message continually flashing on the scoreboard. As it turns out, the new NHL often shatters the best-laid plans of hockey clubs, and the Lightning's surge would begin innocently enough. Three minutes after Sutherby appeared to deal Tampa Bay a big blow, Fredrik Modin found Dan Boyle on the right side, who lifted a shot past Kolzig from close range. Even from our seats in the stratosphere, the results of the quick shot were unmistakable.
Even as I write this, the controversy that ensued is still fresh in my memory. The Lightning brought the game within one in unusual fashion. Kolzig appeared to have covered the puck, but it was actually behind him, prompting Nolan Pratt to eventually take a swing which allowed Rob DiMaio to knock it in. What seemed notable at the time was the fact that the referee never blew the whistle; although this was probably the correct decision, an official did prematurely call a play dead late in the third period that resulted in a disallowed goal for Washington. Of course, none of this would have mattered were it not for Boyle's second successful shot of the game at 5:45 of the third period. From our perch high above the opposite end of the rink, it was difficult to tell that the goal had been recorded. However, seeing the puck fly back out of the net confirmed my suspicion that Boyle's snap shot had found its target, giving Dave Andreychuk his second assist in as many periods.
If I were more superstitious, I would be forced to comment that Washington may have invited the tying goal with a bold montage of clips involving hockey scenes from the Simpsons. Transposing the Capitals logo onto several scenes from the popular animated sitcom, the arena staff used the score near the end of the second period (3-2) in the footage shown, which closed with Homer yelling "We won, Flanders! We won!" For a team with as many defensive difficulties as the Capitals, I would certainly wait for a six goal lead before showing that particular sequence to spectators. Incidentally, I have since read that the MCI Center has the largest Jumbotron of any indoor arena--the end result being that Homer Simpson appeared even fatter than usual.
I would never consider our inexpensive admissions a waste of money, but when the Caps killed a couple of late penalties to send the contest into overtime there could be no doubt of this. Aside from Washington successfully staving off a two-man advantage for the visitors, the five minutes proved mostly uneventful. My dreams of seeing a live shootout in Anaheim had gone unfulfilled, but I got my chance tonight. The first shooter was former number one pick Vincent Lecavalier, who was greeted with boos as he was introduced. Lecavalier's wrister was stopped, but Ovechkin made his count in the early going to give the fans an early 1-0 lead. However, Tampa's deficit was short-lived: Brad Richards converted his opportunity, and a promising effort by Pettinger nailed the post. Nothing more was decided until the second stage of the sudden death phase which follows the three initial rounds. Tampa Bay had never led in this game, but Vaclav Prospal gave his team the last laugh on a 26-footer; Thomas Fleischmann followed, but was unable to put his shot on goal, sending many fans home slightly stunned at the 4-3 final.
Making our way to the exits, I spotted more than a couple of Jaromir Jagr jerseys from the superstar's tenure in DC. He may be the highest-paid player in the NHL and a detriment to a franchise's salary cap room, but anyone in the building wouldn't have minded having the Czech back now. My focus quickly shifted when we opened the doors to street level: it was snowing. Our quick walk to the subway station was accompanied by the white flakes I had seen so often when living in Connecticut. Unlike in Anaheim, leaving the rink here isn't a sure-fire way to warm yourself up.
November 29, Bren Center--Irvine, CA
The last time I had spoken with my friend who attends UC Irvine, he mentioned that I should join him for a home basketball game one night. I had done this some time ago when the Anteaters lost to Stanford, although on the night I chose to come along this time Irvine was playing a less-heralded opponent. Interestingly, UCI had already managed to beat highly-regarded Stanford on the road this season, but only sported a 3-2 record. With just a quick glance at Irvine's key players and the knowledge that their jerseys do not include names, this was a night that I wouldn't be able to overanalyze matchups. Still, I offered some commentary on the band, such as my disdain for the fact that they played 'All Right Now,' which happens to be Stanford's theme.
I was less familiar with the clubs than I would have been in my days with the Cal band, but I still got to relive those days a little at this game, wearing a yellow shirt while standing in the student section. I also noticed several legacies of the parent school on its Irvine branch, namely the fight song (which is virtually identical for every UC) and lyrics (altered to reflect the name and colors of UCI's rival Long Beach State) posted in a corner of 'The Bren.' Cal State Stanislaus, their opponent from Division II, is not affiliated with any particular conference, and my area teased them in the second half with chants of 'UC rejects!' This ended up being an offensive game through and through. Notable performances for the home squad included Ross Schrader, who hit 5 out of 8 from distance, and the scrappy play of Mark Kelley. Savvy post presence Darren Fells scored easily from inside on his way to a double-double. For the visiting Warriors, Joel Stallworth had a solid 21 points to go with 11 boards and 5 dishes for a coach who at times substituted four at once.
By the end of the game, Irvine had roped me into an enthralling finish by whittling an 11-point halftime deficit to nothing and even taking a small lead on a three-pointer by Schrader with under two minutes to go. This was answered immediately by Stanislaus (in the person of Kyle Mesa), who shot and made treys seemingly all night. As it turned out, the pivotal play took place with five ticks to go when Fells appeared to take a charge for Irvine, but the referees awarded two free throws to Calvert Wright in calling a blocking foul. This was not the first time the people surrounding me were upset with the striped shirts; among the frustrating moments for them were a Stanislaus player passing to himself and an uncalled backcourt violation after a player slapped the ball to his own man behind half court. Calvert hit the first from the charity stripe and missed the second, but UCI's attempts to foul after the rebound went unnoticed, ending the game at 91-90. Stanislaus proceeded to celebrate the first Division II team to beat UCI since 1979. I always like to pull for someone when I show up to an event, so even your faithful reporter headed to the car a little annoyed after that turn of events.
sports
I now believe I will never see another live Knick win in my lifetime. Most people in this situation would at least be half-joking.
