With Gainesville, FL under a 90 minute drive from my in-law’s home, I drove up to watch Florida host Kentucky this afternoon. The game started at 12:30 pm which was the perfect time based on our “family plans” for the day. I arrived at the University of Florida a few minutes after noon. As with most college campuses there is no official parking lot. Thus, I found a house to park at for $10 and walked to the stadium.
Obtaining TicketsAs I walked to the stadium, I noticed that many fans …

Ideally I would be attending World Series games at Wrigley Field this weekend. However, when the Tampa Bay Rays made the World Series after beating the Boston Red Sox, the Ultimate Sports Wife and I decided to visit her family in Florida. Her family lives in Central Florida – less than a two hour drive from many major Florida cities – Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, Gainesville and Daytona Beach. So with the World Series coming to St. Petersburg, FL, we flew down to Florida for Game 2.
Obtaining TicketsI did not wait …

Last night the Ultimate Sports Wife and I attended the Chicago Blackhawks game. They hosted the Edmonton Oilers. One of our friends mentioned we should stop by his place before heading to a game at the United Center since he lives only a few blocks away – along the 2200 block of Warren Blvd. We parked in front of his house and stopped in. With no parking restrictions on his block and only a three block walk we chose to take advantage of the free parking and walk to …

Rather than tailgating to start out a Bears game day I met some friends at Wabash Tap. Wabash Tap is conveniently located just off the Roosevelt Red Line stop on the corner of Roosevelt Rd. and Wabash Ave.
The GameThe Bears beat the Vikings 48-41. The 89 total points was the highest scoring NFL game I have ever attended. The second highest total points I witnessed was 73 when the 49ers defeated the Falcons almost 16 years to the day on October 18, 1992.
In addition to the total points record (not …

Yesterday was Northwestern’s homecoming and my 10 year reunion. As usual, I started my Northwestern game day at the tailgates in the west parking lot. And, as usual, one of my friends had an extra ticket they were not planning to use.
The GameNorthwestern score the most points I have ever witnessed in the 55 games I have attended in Evanston, IL. They beat Purdue 48-26.

For the first time since 1989, the Chicago Bulls played a pre-season game at Assembly Hall in Champaign, IL. Since I had not attended a game at Assembly Hall, I decided to drive to last night’s Bulls game rather than attend a University of Illinois basketball game. Last year, I had planned to drive to Champaign when the Fighting Illini hosted Northwestern on Sunday, January 27. Instead I went to the Chicago Bulls game that day.
The drive to Champaign from Chicago is about 2.5 hours. I have made the drive …

In my first NHL game of the 2008-09 season, the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Phoenix Coyotes 4-1. New at the United Center this season is a Jagermeister concession stand. Fans can buy straight shots of Jager or a Jagerbomb (the drink is pre-mixed).
Obtaining TicketsBefore the game, I checked craigslist.org and noticed fans were asking for $5 per ticket. Thus, I had planned to buy a $5 ticket outside the United Center. I held back and did not even ask how much tickets were from the scalpers …

In my second sporting event of the day, I attended the Chicago Fire match at Toyota Park yesterday. It was also the second MLS match I have attended this season.
Obtaining TicketsFrom the parking lot, I walked to the main box office at Toyota Park. I noticed a man leaving Will Call with more tickets in his hand than people around him. So I asked him if he had extra tickets. He said he did and wanted $10 per ticket. I offered him $20 for 3 …

This morning we headed over to watch the Chicago Marathon. Once the Elite runners started the race at 7:55 am we left the house and walked over to the Northwest corner of the course at Addison St. and Broadway St. Since our corner is between mile marker 7 and 8 we figured it would take “the elites” about 30 minutes to reach us. Thus, we stopped off at Starbuck’s for some coffee since we had time. Around 36 minutes after the race started the elite men ran by us. At …

For the first time since 2005, Northwestern played a football game in which they were ranked in either the Coaches Poll or AP Poll. Northwestern went into Saturday’s game ranked #22 in the Coaches Poll. However, Northwestern failed to confirm that ranking as they went down early to Michigan St. 17-0 and traded scores with the Spartans in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarter. Michigan St. won the game 37-20.
The parking lots were packed before the game with tailgates. The first conference game in Evanston, a Northwestern 5-0 record and …