AFC Championship: Jets at Colts

It turns out the Indianapolis Colts were staying in our hotel on Saturday night – so much for the poor reviews on tripadvisor.com. Since the AFC Championship Game did not start until 3 pm we had plenty of time to sleep in and then go to brunch. I had picked out Patachou on the Park for brunch. My first pick, City Café, is closed for some reason on Sundays – even this Sunday with a major football game taking place.

Obtaining Tickets
On Saturday morning, I emailed a guy on craigslist.org about his ticket in the upper deck he was offering for $145. I asked for face value and he responded stating that if I did not want to pay $145, the lowest he would accept was $125. I was willing to pay his price but he never emailed me back. Thus, he set my “high price” to pay for the event.

Nicole and I took the hotel shuttle to downtown and it dropped us off within a couple of blocks of Lucas Oil Stadium’s ticket office. Since tickets were available at the box office for the last two Colts game I attended this season (the Patriots at Colts and last Saturday night), I wanted to check the box office to see if tickets were available. I walked to the box office as Nicole walked to the restaurant.

As I waited in line, I noticed a large group (about 10 people) collect their tickets. There were no tickets available when I asked if any singles were available. I immediately asked the group if they had an extra and they acted as though they had one. After about one minute (which feels much longer), they said they did. My first thought was that they were affiliated with the team and would give me a ticket for free. No luck on that. But they were affiliated with the team but had not received a free ticket. Instead, I paid face value ($125) for a ticket on the lower level. Not bad considering this was the AFC Championship game and it would take some work to find a ticket for face value anywhere else.


Pre Game Dining and Shopping
After buying my ticket I could now relax and enjoy a nice brunch with Nicole. Patachou on the Park was a great brunch place. Not only did it serve good food, but it was only a few blocks from Lucas Oil Stadium and the shopping areas in downtown.

After brunch, Nicole and I went sopping at Nordstrom. Since Lucas Oil Stadium is located right downtown you can spend as much time as necessary shopping to make the trip “equal” if necessary.

Tickets Part 2
After spending an hour at Nordstrom I walked to the stadium for the game. As I approached the main scalping corner on W. McCarty St. and S. Capitol Ave. there were quite a few people selling tickets and even more asking for tickets – meaning tickets would probably stay higher than face value. One fan sold his pair ($90 face value per ticket) to a scalper for $150 each. Another guy was asking for $200 for his $110 (face value) ticket. Other scalpers were also asking for much more than face.

The Game
This was the second time I have attend an NFL Championship Game. The first time was three years ago when the Chicago Bears hosted the New Orleans Saints.

The game started out poorly for the Jets as referee Tony Corrente called the Jets the Giants during the coin toss.

However, this did not effect the Jets as they started the game with a bang taking a 17-6 lead with only 2:11 left in the second quarter. At first I thought Rex Ryan may be correct in his prediction that the Jets would win the Super Bowl, but then Peyton Manning took over. After the Jets took their 11-point lead, Manning took less than one minute to score a touchdown at 1:13 left in the first half. This was just the beginning as he also drove for two touchdowns in the second half to score 24 unanswered points and lead the Colts to a 30-17 victory. Peyton Manning broke the NFL postseason record by passing for 300 yards in his seventh postseason game – he was tied with Joe Montana and Kurt Warner.


After the two minute warning in the second half, the ushers finally started checking tickets to enter the section I was sitting in – they did not want fans to attempt to get close to the field during the celebration.

Post Game Dining
After the game, I walked back to the hotel in pouring rain to meet Nicole. The one cab I found would not drive me to such a close destination and the hotel shuttle was not at its stop when I walked by.

After resting for a couple of hours, we took the hotel shuttle back downtown and ate at Harry & Izzy’s which is right next door to St. Elmo Steak House (Peyton Manning is a part owner of the partner restaurants).

Free Ticket to Philadelphia 76ers at Indiana Pacers

Nicole and I left Chicago at noon and arrived at our hotel by 4:30 pm (with some stops along the way). The hotel (which I was concerned about based on reviews online) was great! It was a 4-star hotel – the lobby and rooms were luxurious, but not “that” luxurious. With Nicole happy with the hotel, I was relieved and ready to attend the Indiana Pacers game for the third time this season. Since Nicole wanted to rest when she got to the hotel the Pacers game worked into our schedule. I left the hotel after 6 pm for the 7 pm tip off and Nicole planned to meet me after the game ended around 9:15 pm.

Obtaining Tickets
I walked towards the box office as usual. However, last week I realized most of the possible free tickets are within the main entrance of Conseco Fieldhouse (on Pennsylvania St.) – before you reach the box office but after you enter the doors to the arena. This time I asked a couple of groups if they had an extra ticket – they did not. Then I asked a few high school kids if they did. They guy with the tickets hesitated but his buddy said “who cares” and they handed me one ticket. It was only a $10 ticket but, remember, at most games you can sit wherever you want in the arena. I later learned it was Haiti night and the Pacers would donate a portion of each $10 ticket purchased – Oops!

The Game
The 76ers defeated the Pacers convincingly 107-97. Allen Iverson scored 17 points and had 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Towards the end of the third quarter I realized the game lasted longer than last week’s game and was thankful last week’s game was quicker. Last week I left the Pacers game with 2:24 remaining in order to make the Colts Divisional Playoff game on time. Here is how the timing worked to make tonight different:

8:55 pm: 4th quarter started.
9:00 pm: 8:42 left in the 4th quarter.
9:05 pm: 6:39 left in the 4th quarter.
9:10 pm: 4:37 left in the 4th quarter. Last week I would have left at this time. Elton Brand was shooting free throws with the 76ers up 100-85 and I would only have five minutes to make it to Lucas Oil Stadium – the same time I left last week.
9:15 pm: 2:45 left in the 4th quarter.
9:20 pm: 1:41 left in the 4th quarter.
9:23 pm: Game Over.

Post Game Dining
For whatever reason, Nicole was late. So even though I was waiting for her by 9:30 pm, she was still at the hotel. I walked to the place I was supposed to meet her and realized that Ambrossia Centro (an Italian restaurant) was near out meeting spot. I checked out a couple of restaurants but the Ambrossia was perfect for us for a couple of reasons: 1) It was near where we were meeting, 2) It was Italian, and 3) they would seat us after 10 pm which was the time it appeared Nicole would arrive.

Before Nicole arrived, I went to the Wild Beaver Saloon – across the street from Ambrossia Centro. Wild Beaver Saloon had a good atmosphere and good drink specials for a Saturday night.

When Nicole showed up I crossed the street. Ambrossia Centro was a great place for dinner. First, the food was great. Second, it was a rare restaurant in downtown Indianapolis that was not a national chain. We were pleased with our choice for dinner.

Weekend Trip to Indianapolis

Last week (before the Colts playoff game versus the Ravens) the Ultimate Sports Wife mentioned she did not have to teach ice skating for a full day the following Saturday morning (tomorrow) and asked if we should go anywhere for the weekend. I was already planning to drive to Indianapolis for the AFC Championship Game if the Colts defeated the Baltimore so I mentioned to Nicole we should go to Indianapolis if the Colts won their game (and somewhere else if they did not).

Booking the Hotel
When I got back from Indianapolis last Saturday night, the Colts had won and Nicole thought a weekend in Indianapolis would be fun, so we booked a hotel that night – the night before their opponent was known as the Jets defeated the Chargers on Sunday.

For the first time, I used Hotwire.com since my usual hotel sites (Marriott.com and Hilton.com) were more expensive than I liked. Hotwire offered a 4-star “Downtown Indianapolis Hotel” for $79 per night – much less than the $220 for the Marriott Downtown and $130 for the Courtyard at the Capitol. Hotwire wrote that their 4-star hotels included the “InterContinental, Hyatt, Omni, and other prestigious hotel brands.” Those brand names made Nicole comfortable so I booked the hotel on Hotwire. However, the University Place Hotel & Conference Center Indianapolis was the hotel that we actually booked.

My thought – What hotel is that? Unbelievable. Let me go check tripadvisor.com now. TripAdvisor had mixed reviews – some people thought the hotel was great, others wrote that it was a priceline.com trap since the hotel was over a mile from downtown on the campus of IUPUI. I was not sure what to think – but with no refunds I did not have many other options at that point.

AFC Divisional Playoffs: Ravens at Colts

After sprinting to Lucas Oil Stadium, my ticket was scanned and I entered the stadium. I heard over the speakers there was 12:39 left in the first quarter. I left the Pacers game with 2:24 left and I was in Lucas Oil Stadium after 2:21 – pretty much as even as I could have hoped. 30 seconds later I was looking at the scoreboard as I stood in the concourse overlooking the end zone where Matt Stover kicked his first field goal with 10:44 left in the first quarter.

Secondary Ticket Market
I may have made a mistake in buying my ticket before the Pacers game. There were plenty of extra tickets available from scalpers as I ran from Conseco Fieldhouse to Lucas Oil Stadium. Even though it would have taken a minute or two more, I probably could have beaten the $50 I paid for a limited view seat. If nothing else, I would have bought a real seat for the same price.

Limited View and SRO at Lucas Oil Stadium
I realized my seat was obstructed view and I could see my possible seat – behind a pole (here is a picture of my actual seat I took towards the end of the game).

Thus, I headed towards section 632 – where a friend of mine was sitting. On route I tried stopping in a couple standing room only areas. The first was where I watched Stover’s first field goal on the lower level. However, this area was viable as fans sitting in front of the standing room only section would stand up during exciting plays and block my view. The same thing happened in the upper deck standing room only area, so I moved along toward section 632.


Just below section 632 there was an empty area where nobody was standing except for a few fans. This was a great spot for me as I realized most of the other fans seated in my same section (420) also left to find another place to either sit or stand. Under normal circumstances I would have found a place to sit in the upper deck but this was a pretty good spot to watch the game so I stuck around (plus I could chat with my friend at halftime and sit near him when there was a seat available next to him).


The Game
The Colts buried their bye-week demons and defeated the Ravens 20-3 to advance to the AFC Championship Game. The deciding drive occurred when Peyton Manning hit Reggie Wayne for a three yard touchdown pass with three seconds left in the first half. Wayne stretched for the end zone to give the Colts a 17-3 lead heading into halftime.

The play of the game occurred after Ed Reed intercepted Manning in the third quarter. Pierre Garcon stripped Reed of the ball after the 38 yard return and the Colts’ Dallas Clark recovered. In the end, the Colts technically lost 17 yards on the play as the ball was now on the 28 yard line instead of the 45 – but it was still first down.

Reed lost a second interception five plays later as Corey Ivy was called for a pass interference penalty.

NBA: New Orleans Hornets at Indiana Pacers

After buying my ticket for the Colts playoff game, buying my ticket for the Pacers game was easy. On my walk looking for Colts tickets, I had already checked in with the Conseco Fieldhouse box office – cheapest ticket was $10. I was planning to buy a $10 ticket from the box office when I walked by a few scalpers. I offered them $5 for a ticket and the guy asked for $10. I looked at the ticket and the face value was $125. I paid the $10 immediately.

I realized that everyone downtown was planning to attend the Colts game only and that nobody could sell a Pacers ticket. It was the perfect day to attend a Pacers game if wanted cheap seats.

Pre Game
After buying my ticket, I walked over to the first bar I saw near the stadium – The Pub Indianapolis. The place was packed with Colts and Ravens fans as was the rest of downtown Indianapolis – the main reason I had a $125 ticket for $10.

The Game
The seat I bought was 19 rows up from center court. One of the best seats I have sat in (legally) for an NBA game. When I attended the Pacers home opener, I noticed a fan who sits directly next to the basket. Tonight that same fan was there wearing a Colts jersey with name “Pacer Guy” on his back. He held up a sign that read “Tailgating at the Pacers Game” which was in fact what I was doing. I am not sure if this guy is paid by the Pacers or not, but his signs are very professional looking.


Half of the fans at the game were wearing Colts jerseys and the Conseco Fieldhouse was at least half empty. My main concern was that the game could maintain a swift pace and end with enough time to run to Lucas Oil Stadium for the Colts game.


The game was surprisingly good as the Hornets defeated the Pacers 101-96. However, I had to check the final score on my phone as I left the game after New Orleans called a timeout with 2:24 remaining in the fourth quarter. I estimated that was the best time to leave so I would miss a minimum amount of time from both games.

Triple-Doubles
Chris Paul nearly had a triple-double (22 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists). This was the closest I have been to seeing a triple-double for awhile. I have seen four triple-doubles in the past:

1) Chris Mullin – Golden State Warriors vs. Seattle SuperSonics on January 14, 1994.
2) Tim Duncan – San Antonio Spurs vs. Cleveland Cavaliers on March 25, 2000.
3) Jason Kidd – New Jersey Nets vs. Toronto Raptors on February 2, 2002.
4) Lamar Odom – Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets on April 3, 2007.

Game Time Change Leads to DH Day in Indianapolis

All week I planned to attend the Indianapolis Colts AFC Divisional Playoff game versus the Baltimore Ravens. Since that game did not start until 8:15 ET I wondered if there was another game I could attend earlier in the day. There was. The Pacers game had been rescheduled to 6 pm because of the playoff game at Lucas Oil Stadium. However, I knew that NBA games normally last between 2 hours and 15 minutes and 2 hours and 30 minutes. Thus, I did not think I could attend because I do not like to leave one game early in order to attend another game.

But then I read the statement on the Conseco Fieldhouse website which stated – “In order to accommodate fans wishing to attend both events, the Pacers have moved the start time for their Jan. 16 game against the New Orleans Hornets to 6 p.m. in Conseco Fieldhouse to avoid a scheduling conflict with the Colts' AFC playoff game that night at 8:15 p.m. in Lucas Oil Stadium. The Pacers-Hornets game was originally scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m.”

If the Pacers truly wanted fans to attend both games they would have moved the start time to 5:30 pm and guarantee that fans could watch the entire Pacers game before leaving for the Colts game. However, they did not and I was still not convinced I could make both games until I arrived in Indianapolis and realized the drive between the Conseco Fieldhouse and Lucas Oil Stadium is only 2 minutes. The walk is between 7 and 8 minutes. With that knowledge, I planned to attend the New Orleans Hornets at Indiana Pacers game.

Parking for Two Games
Downtown Indianapolis is full of independent parking garages. However, on a day like this parking does not normally come cheap. I remembered driving by a parking lot when I attended the Pacers home opener that was only charging $3 for the game. Today that same lot (located on E. Washington St. east of N. Pennsylvania Ave.) was charging $3 and I did not have to leave until 2 am. This was a no-brainer as other lots in the area were charging a minimum of $10 and others were charging $20.

Obtaining Tickets for the Colts
Now I had one last major decision – should I buy my Colts playoff ticket before the Pacers game or in between the Pacers and Colts game? I would have no more than 10 minutes to sprint from Conseco Fieldhouse to Lucas Oil Stadium AND buy my ticket if I decided to wait. Based on my experience from two months ago when I attended the Colts game versus the New England Patriots I thought it was possible. However, I decided I would still look for a ticket.

I first walked to the Lucas Oil box office to see if tickets were still available. I was aiming for $100 since that is how much the cheapest tickets on StubHub were earlier in the week. The box office had singles available for $110 each. Instead of buying the easy single, I held out and walked around downtown Indianapolis for an hour.

No scalper would accept my offer of $60 for a ticket. One scalper offered $80 for his $100 face value ticket (note I never saw that ticket), but I thought I could do better. However, it took awhile until I found a scalper with a limited view seat – face value $60. He wanted $80, but I offered $40. We agreed on $50 and I had my ticket at 5:15 pm – 45 minutes before the Pacers game was scheduled to start.

My Greatest NFL Regular Season Game: Patriots at Colts

After watching Iowa and Ohio St. go to overtime Saturday afternoon, it was hard to believe that the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts could play a more dramatic game, but Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Bill Belichick pulled it off.

Pre Game Dining
We arrived in Indianapolis around 2:00 pm and parked in a downtown parking lot for $20. We wandered around downtown for a bit before settling down at the Ugly Monkey located at 373 S. Illinois St. Surprisingly, the Ugly Monkey was a fun bar between the free shots and waitresses whipping (more like beating) every Patriots fan who walked through the door. I would definitely recommend it before a Colts game.

After the Ugly Monkey, I walked into the Slippery Noodle Inn which is another great bar. It has good music and seems to be built in an old house and trying to pass people in the hallways is not that easy.

Obtaining Tickets
When we first arrived in Indianapolis I went to the Lucas Oil Stadium box office to see if any tickets were available. There were, but the tickets cost $277 in the club level at the 50 yard line. That was too much for me.

About two hours before the game (6:20 pm), I started walking around Lucas Oil Stadium looking for a ticket. However, ticket prices were hovering around $150 to $200 each for upper deck seats. After a couple of loops around the stadium I decided to check with the box office again. I went to one ticket window and the cheapest seat they had available was $236. Since that ticket was cheaper than the ones they had earlier in the afternoon I decided to ask the next ticket window if there were any tickets available. Somehow she pulled up an upper deck seat for $74. I bought it immediately as I figured somebody must have returned a ticket and it would not last long. As it turned out Chris Baker, second string tight end for the Patriots, returned the ticket as I was sitting next to his cousin, aunt and uncle.

My Greatest NFL Regular Season Game
Last night’s game may have been the best regular season NFL game I have ever attended. First, it was between the Patriots (6-2) and the Colts (8-0). Below is a list of other games I have seen where both teams had at least twice as many wins as they had losses at the time they played. Only the Jets at Patriots game had a higher combined winning percentage:

October 24, 2004: Jets (5-0) at Patriots (5-0)
October 14, 1996: 49ers (4-1) at Packers (5-1)
November 15, 1992: Saints (7-2) at 49ers (7-2)
November 20, 2005: Panthers (7-2) at Bears (6-3)
November 27, 2005: Bears (7-2) at Buccaneers (6-3)
November 25, 2002: Eagles (7-3) at 49ers (7-3)

Second, the Colts won they game with 13 seconds left in the 4th quarter in dramatic fashion. The 49ers scored with 46 seconds left to win 21-20 on November 15, 1992 and the 49ers and Packers went to overtime on October 14, 1996.

Note: The worst NFL game I have ever seen was back on November 28, 2004 when the 49ers (1-9) hosted the Dolphins (1-9). While I have seen a lot of Bears games when they were bad, I do not think any of those games could beat that barnburner.

The Game
The Patriots and Colts more or less traded touchdowns during the game except for the second quarter then when the Patriots scored two consecutive touchdowns and a field goal to take a 24-7 lead halfway through the quarter.

All this helped setup the most controversial call of the season. The Colts drove 79 yards on 6 plays in 1:49 to score a touchdown and cut New England’s lead to 34-28 with 2:23 remaining in the 4th quarter. The Patriots had the ball with 2:23 left in the game and could just run out the clock with a decent drive. However, the Patriots drive stalled as they faced a 4th and 2 at their own 28 yard line. This is when Bill Belichick decided to take a chance and go for it.

Brady’s pass came up short to Keith Faulk and the Colts took over on downs. Manning now had a 29 yard field to work with to win the game for the Colts and he took advantage – scoring the final touchdown with 13 seconds left in the game to win 35-34.