We Survived Mariano Rivera Bobblehead Night: A True Story

My mother is a huge Yankee fan (for example, she claims she is partially responsible for getting Andy Pettitte to come out of retirement... but that is another story), so last night my parents went to Yankee Stadium to get Mariano Rivera bobbleheads.

The following is a real-life account of what happened:

We are going to get t-shirts that say "We survived Mariano Rivera Bobblehead Night"

G__ and I each invested 4 hours of our lives in acquiring our Mariano Rivera Bobbleheads. It was nearly life-threatening at times. :) G__ got there early, and though he was on a civilized line, there was a crush to the gates when they were opened 45 MINUTES LATE, because the Yankees were trying to figure out how to break it to the crowd that the BOBBLEHEADS HAD NOT ARRIVED! I staked that out early and sat on a bench away from the fray. I was resigned not to get a bobblehead (or should I say a voucher, at that point. The truck that was bringing the bobble heads to the Stadium broke down in New Jersey). While I sat and talked to a lady who came from MINNESOTA and had rented a week in a house in the BRONX IN WALKING DISTANCE TO THE STADIUM, in order to get a bobble head, I realized that there was a "will call" line and right next to it a line to get right into the stadium, without the crush, so I ambled in there and got my voucher.

Later, during the game (which was horrible in many ways), the bobbleheads arrived and they announced that they could be picked up in ONE SPOT in the stadium, until one half hour after the game. Everyone went some time between the 4th and 6th innings and it resulted in a line that snaked thru the bowels of the stadium, through the basement, up the ramps to the top deck, back down and out the Gate 2 where the vouchers could be redeemed. People were selling their places on line, their vouchers and likewise, offering to buy vouchers. I wanted the crowd to start chanting "Mariano" from the depths of the stadium, so it would reverberate out on the field, but I could not get the crowd to go along with me. They were so defeated. People are such lambs. There were Yankee intern-type people in suits assigned to patrol the line, but they were powerless to help. It was obvious to anyone on line, that they should have had several different locations to pick up the bobbleheads and maybe one of them should have been outside...maybe the merchandise was too precious to allow out on the Bronx streets.

And finally, despite the fact that the head DOES NOT BOBBLE, someone has already posted it on ebay for $250.

And now, the moment we've all been waiting for...

September 24, 2013 Mariano Rivera bobblehead

The Spurs Lost, so let's turn to the commentary of Game 7...

"Bosh is not able to get off of Duncan's body to be able to help on the penetration."

Wins

WNBA Finals game 2, from the cheap seats.

The Seattle Storm win the WNBA championship, and I win because now I get to go on a cruise.

Vancouver 2010 in photos

We got to meet two of the super-cute mascots of the 2010 games.

 

Zipline over a central square in downtown Vancouver

The Olympic Torch, aka cauldron.

We saw the US women obtain one of their two victories; Here, the super-adorable China team beats the German team.

Vancouver department stores show glittery curling fever.

Photos courtesy of Betsy. I forgot my camera battery.

More cowbell

Olympic women's curling: pretty durn awesome. The spectators have no clue what a curling game is supposed to be like (aka silent, pretty boring), so they scream/have fun, and make curlers cry because they can't hear their skip yelling "HURRY HARD" like none other.

Three best loud-ass moments of the 2pm February 20th draw:

1. Thousands of spectators simultaneously yell "HARD," when US skip Debbie McCormick needs some help for an end's final shot.
2. All 6,000 spectators stomp and do the wave, much to the dismay of the curling teams.
3. Pretty much everyone in Vancouver Olympic Centre buys a cowbell. And rings it the whole time.

 The US beat GBR 6-5, although they got pwned this morning versus Canada. A bunch of other teams played, too. The Chinese team made some hella impressive shots...

Photo courtesy of Megan. More photos to come, hopefully.

Curling.

I'm gonna post about curling, mostly to have awkward photos of myself up on the internet, but also because I am excited that I am going to watch Olympic women's curling in Vancouver. I'll be sure to update you on the games, once I see them... I'll be going to one of next weekend's Saturday draws, featuring the US vs Great Britain.

A rundown on the team. This year it's Team McCormick for the US women. They've won the US nationals titles for the past four years. They should fare better than the US team from the 2006 Olympics (who came in 8th out of the 10 qualifying teams), but they will be significantly less hot... mostly because they are older.  Not that they are not hot, I'm just sayin' they're like mad older than me... I believe one of the ladies on team McCormick may be the oldest female Olympian this year.

A rundown on the game. There is strategy. There are stones that are 'thrown' down the ice: 

Then, there is sweeping. That's for helping the stone go farther and straighter (cuz it curls)! See?

Mostly, though, curling is for drinking....










 and making an ass of yourself:

I'm ready for the 2010 Olympics. BRING IT.

Isaiah Thomas.

Tonight I went to my first ever UW men's basketball game. They played Portland University. UW crushed them 89-54.

The best part of the game is that they have Isaiah Thomas. No, not this guy:



The one who lost last week to Georgetown:

<a href="http://msn.foxsports.com/video?vid=765139c0-4098-454a-9846-dc7f979d8162&amp;from=IV2_en-us_foxsports_videocentral" target="_new" title="Highlights: (15) G&#39;town - (17) UW">Video: Highlights: (15) G&#39;town - (17) UW</a>

And if you were wondering, his player bio says, he was "named after the former Indiana and NBA all-star guard Isiah Thomas when his father, James, lost a friendly wager on a Lakers vs. Pistons playoff game in 1989 ... the name was approved by his mother since she desired a biblical name."

Seattle Storm in playoffs, that is so gay.

Sunday at 2pm, they take on a gimp and a preggers in the deciding game of the western conference semifinals. Big whoop.

Gay, gay, gay.

Football is stupid

Today in UW crime:

On September 5, 2009, at 7:30 p.m., a female UW student was on her way to the UW vs. LSU football game walking alone in parking area E-9 on the north side of Husky Stadium. She was pushed to the ground by two unknown males in their 20's, who then took the victim's football ticket from her rear pocket. Both suspects fled toward the North Plaza entrance to Husky Stadium and entered the facility. Responding Officers were unable to locate the suspects among the crowd. Fortunately, the victim did not sustain serious injury.

They won zero games last season. Why the hell would you want a ticket so bad? Are you fucking kidding me.