Traveling in Style

Is there anything better than stumbling out of a party bus upon arriving to your sports destination?  Well, I can think of a few things, but that for sure ranks up there.  After enjoying everything about my most recent MLS trip except for the travel and the crazy wait time after the game to get back on the train, this time we decided to explore other options.  And what we found ended up working better than we even imagined.

For $20, we got picked up at the Legends Sports Bar in Midtown, where of course the Red Bulls fans had congregated early for a pregame.  Then, we scrambled onto a bus that was right on time and that had a huge trash bag full of beers that you could partake of as much as you desired.  Sure, it was Bud Light and some Korean beer called Cass, but I feel drinking shitty beer and sporting events just go together.  Then, after a fairly rowdy ride, you get dropped off right by the stadium.  Five minutes later, you are in the game cheering on the Red Bulls.  Honestly, the trip couldn't have been handled better.  Will I ever again be taking the train?  Um, no. 

Then we discovered that the Red Bulls have a sweet VIP section!  If you have this little wrist band thing, they let you into this nice room that's in the first level located in the middle of the field.  And what is in this magical room? All you can eat and drink!  Okay, well not alcoholic all you can drink.  But all the water/soft drinks you can manage.  And there is a really nice bar where you can get any type of mixed drink you can think of, as well as a decent selection of beers on top.  The thing we weren't expecting was for the food to be as good as it was.  When we heard about it, we figured some chips, maybe pretzels if we were lucky (cough, cough, Mets...yep that's the famous Mets 'VIP' section), but that wasn't the case at all.  There were meatball subs, Italian Sausages, Salad Bar, Ice Cream Sundae Bar, Salmon...yep basically a crazy amount of good food.  My favorite?  The cheese/prosciutto/cracker station, as well as the homemade chips with a really good ranch-style dip.  Seconds?  Please...thirds at least!

Oh yeah...the game itself was much more exciting than my last as well (yes, sometimes I even forget that the whole point of the trek out to Jersey was for a sporting event).  Red Bulls: 2, Philadelphia: 1.  So tons of scoring and the game winner by Thierry Henry?  Yeah basically he brought a bit of the premier league to the US with that one.  A perfect tough with his thigh, followed by a volley into the upper corner of the goal.  You can't do it any better of that.

I don't know...I just might end up getting into this whole MLS thing.  

Bracket Dreams Crushed...

Lot of Red in this Bracket

Well the annual tradition continues...the first weekend concludes, and suddenly my bracket has way more red than green lines running through it.  Rank 158 out of 175 submissions?  Yep, sounds very familiar to me.  But you know what?  I don't care. 

I think brackets are only really necessary for the first weekend.  I mean, without a stake in every game, you wouldn't really find yourself watching 64 games in 96 hours.  But after you've the first two rounds are over (and yes, the first two rounds...the four play in games aren't the first round, just a money grab and therefore I refuse to acknowledge them), you don't really need your brackets to care anymore.  The big-guns have survived upset threats, and the Cinderellas have fully captured your heart.  You know who you are going to root for in the second weekend and often, it has nothing to do with those teams inscribed in your brackets.

I mean, after watching Florida Gulf Coast and Wichita St play with unbridled joy, who won't be rooting for them to continue their magical runs into the elite 8?  My new favorite mascot has to be the Wheat Shocker at Wichita St...I mean, come who had ever heard of a wheat shocker?  And then there are those Clippers...o wait, not the clippers, that was Florida Gulf Coast throwing down those dunks.  Lob city has invaded the college game and as a fan, you have to love it.
  
Just like every year, there is a good mixture of Blue Bloods and Nobody's.  Duke vs Michigan St...yeah, we've seen that a few times.  But who wouldn't want to it see it one more time?  If you're a true basketball fan, then answer is no.  And don't forget about Michigan vs Kansas...but then again, with how rabid those two fan bases, I'm sure you won't be able to.   

So yes, my brackets are busted.  But if you think that means I won't be watching the rest of the tourney....well, that's just MADNESS!

Reviling in the Madness

Team Harvard...living up to its theme song

I am bleary-eyed, mascara-smeared, slightly-nauseous, definitely hungover....and I couldn't be happier!
Why you might ask?  And it is a fair question, but the answer is simple.  Harvard won last night.  My alma matter took it to a 3 seed and won its first ever postseason basketball game.  And I watched and loved every single minute of it.  

People were for sure confused to see a rowdy Varsity Letter Sweater decked group cheering their lungs out for Harvard...but we showed them that Ivy Leaguers enjoy March Madness as well.  I love the fact that I got to experience my school succeeding in the national spotlight in athletics.  People are completely jaded by the NCAA, and trust me I understand.  Things like the fact Texas A&M can make millions of dollars off of the Johnny Football brand, while the kid who is actually doing the work to create the legend gets nothing, and the fact that teams are constantly money-grabbing by jumping conferences but then telling us they truly care about the student part of student athletes...well it's hard to take the NCAA seriously.  But nights like last night are what college sports are all about.

Harvard got to wear Cinderella's slipper for a night (yes, even though Harvard is pretentious and elitist, it still gets to play the underdog...at least when it comes to sports), but they weren't the only one who gave their fans something to root for.  Davidson was 1 second away from an upset, while Southern almost became the first 16 seed in history to defeat a one seed.  And you could tell how much these games meant to these players.  They aren't going to be going pro, at least most of them aren't.  They are playing because they love to play and because they want to put on a show in front of a larger crowd then they've ever experienced.  And that is what makes March Madness the single greatest event in sports.  Out-of-nowhere's become heroes, sure things lose in the first round and small schools knock off their neighboring school bullies.

Last night was the first time that I got to cheer on an upset that involved a school I had a personal connection to.  And it was one of my favorite sports nights.  Sitting in a bar from 8pm to ensure I secured a table for the 10pm game...having a group of friends get together to cheer on their team no one picked to win the game...then not moving from my seat till 2:30am, as we just didn't want the night or the celebration to end...what more can you ask for? 

Well...I know what I'm asking for.  For Harvard to stay Cinderella for one more game...for Arizona not to strike midnight on this magical season...basically, I'm asking for a little more Madness.  That's all.

Photo for posterity to prove Harvard was ahead at one point...who knew they were actually going to end up ahead at end of game as well!

When I'm President...

Boss Button In Action

When I'm president, I will declare the first two days of March Madness to be national holidays.  Because I mean, let's be honest, who does work on those days anyways?  Until that time though, I am going to fully use the "Boss Button" that CBS has now put in.

Whoever thought about this is a genius.  All you have to do is press "Boss Button" and instead of the march madness game, suddenly your screen is full of fake emails.  I've used this multiple times today. 

Though one time, I wasn't quite fast enough with pushing the button.  Luckily enough, the partner wasn't that upset at me...in fact, he wanted to know the score of the game.  I tell you...everyone wants to watch basketball today. 

Megan Kerr, 2016...Making March Madness Holiday Dreams Come True!

Trash Talk Time

My winning bracket...this time I'm sure of it!

It's that time of year again.  When you enter your office, school, friends, random people you barely know, local bar and any other group bracket that you can.  Then, after spending hours Sunday night agonizing over your picks (till around 2 am and if you are like me, not really changing anything except for one 8-9 "upset" after your first seat-of-your-pants picks but feeling like you still need to do research to justify your gut) the trash talk begins. 

The trash talk has to start early.  Hence the 3am Monday morning email to my close friends saying that this year was the year I was going to pick every game correctly.  I was going to ride my Harvard sweet 16 pick to the promise land of finally winning a bracket.  Why does the trash talk have to start early?  Because by Thursday at 6pm, after the first few games, my bracket is already busted.   And my annual cellar dweller position is cemented.  And I become that annoying person who votes for every upset so that your bracket will start to look like my bracket...namely a bunch of lines through all the later round games as well...all your final four teams have already died.

There is something uniting about the fact that everyone and their mom is creating a bracket.  Office conversation is finally interesting!  The printer is broken, my boss is annoying, another all-nighter...for once those aren't water cooler conversations.  Nope.  Butler, VCU and other bracket busters are on the conversation agenda for once.  And the trash talk from the one person who somehow managed to pick the 12 seed making a serious run is loud and long. 

I love every minute of the tourney.  From the opening Thursday madness (where I'll have the games on in the background of my excel sheet while I "work"), to the One Shining Moment montage once the final champions have been crowned.  It's the best event in all of sports and I can't wait for this one to begin.

And this year?  I'm going to win my bracket.  I just know it!

Soccer in America...Who Knew?

Red Bulls fans seek revenge from loss in playoffs last year

I am a huge soccer fan.  Most weekends, you'll find me at a soccer bar watching premier league games with a bunch of Europeans.  So as a huge soccer fan, I feel bad that I haven't been to a MLS game since the first year that it began.  And let me tell you, American Soccer has changed.  And it has changed for the better.

Making the trek out to Jersey from the City is a huge deal.  I mean, you can't get me to Brooklyn, let alone Jersey.  And not going to lie, the public transportation was a bit of a disaster.  There is a huge bottleneck problem as there is like 5 turnstiles to accommodate the huge crowd.  Which was not fun after the game, as you stood in a line for about 40 minutes before getting on the train to go home.  But other than that, I really had a great time at the game.

MLS has gotten so much better.  The players are more skilled and the speed of the game has improved.  Don't get me wrong, it's still not as fast paced as a Euro game, but its more competitive than it used to be.  But the best part?  The supporters!  Fans are very much like the soccer hooligans you always here about.  We sat next to the DC United section and a whole group of people traveled from DC to NYC for the game.   And they were amazing!  Jumping, chanting and beating their drums the whole game...yep that's what I expect from soccer fans.  They got me on my feet and really added to the whole atmosphere. Watching Red Bulls vs United fans try to out-chant each other was almost as fun as watching the actual game.

Another thing that has changed is that stadiums were actually built with soccer in mind.  You no longer are at stadiums built for football, but then used for soccer.  Instead, you get an intimate experience and an arena that has been designed to add to the whole soccer atmosphere.  But, and this is key, DON'T GET THE LARGE BEERS!  Get the small for 9, not the large for 12.  Trust me. We did an experiment where we bought a large beer and a small beer.  We then poured the small beer in to the large beer cup...and lo and behold it basically filled the large cup up to the brim.  So for 3 more dollars you are getting maybe one more sip. 

If you want an event to take your family to, go to a MLS game.  Its really fun and its a great family atmosphere. I know I'll be going back!

Ski Bunnies

Beers on top of the Mountain

Every year my roommates from college and I meet up during Presidents Day weekend for a reunion.  It's always at a different location and its always an amazing time.  This year though, might be my favorite one yet.  That's because for the first time ever not only did we have the girls-gabbing, drinking fest that we usually have.  No, this time we also incorporated an active element: Skiing!

There's something about doing something productive during the day that makes the end-of-the-day beer taste that much better and quench your thirst just a little bit more.  So Tahoe gave us the opportunity to really work for our beers at night.  And it was great to have a day time activity as well.  We've always found great things to do at night during all of our trips, but sometimes it just feels like we are killing time during the day till the real fun begins at night.  Tahoe though gave us something really fun to do during the day.  And skiing with a group is super cool!  Usually you whip down the mountain way to fast and then have done all the runs after a few hours.   With a larger group though, you tend to take a little logner getting down the mountain so that it basically takes the whole day to finish the mountain off.  This stops the tedium of doing the same runs over and over again.  Plus, lunch hour tends to be much longer and booze-filled.  That first run after your boozy lunch?  Interesting, definitely interesting.  It inspired two of our, um happier, members to a skiing backwards contest.  As you can imagine, that didn't go to well.

The whole group up on top of mountain for hour long booze session

The key to a fun winter weekend? The outfits.  I think a sweet beanie is absolutely needed!  Hence my Redskins beanie with a super long tail that could be seen streaming behind me as I speed deamoned it down the mountain!  And the mountain isn't the only cool place to show off your unique winter style.  Onesies make any night fun!  My choice?  A sweet Hulk style one.  Best drinking outfit ever.

So next time you are planning a trip with a group of friends, don't always flee to the warmer clients.  Sometimes a cabin in the woods is just what the doctor ordered!

Beers and wings.  Is there any other way to end weekend?