I'm going to the Meadowlands for a big Jets game against a division rival...and it is shaping up to be a great game. I should be really excited.
But I'm kind of dreading it.
Even growing up in Queens the trip out to Rutherford, New Jersey was such a pain. Actually, the trip there wasn't so bad - we could finagle it so that we could beat most traffic. Coming home was the disaster.
Now, trying to go to a Jets game from Framingham, Massachusetts is nothing short of a mistake. I'm going to try out the new train transportation to get there, but again, I'm worried about how long it will take to get out of Jersey...and then what time I will end up back in Massachusetts that night (a school night, no less).
It was a huge tease when it became clear that the Jets were going to be involved in building a new stadium, and the west side of Manhattan was thrown out there (not to mention the faint possibility of them moving back to Queens). It would have been too easy. So what happened? They built right next door...still in Jersey.
It's too hard to make a trip that way too often ends in disappointment. Not too mention that we're not treated well. My dad has had Jets season tickets since the mid-1960's...and when the time came to get tickets to the new stadium, the Jets didn't acknowledge anyone pre-late 1970's. The result - a minor seat change, closer to midfield, still in the upper bowl. Not that we would have paid for any seat licenses and gotten much closer to the field. (How exactly can you own a seat in a stadium that is shared by two teams and two sets of season ticket holders?)
I'm in too deep to return my fan card over all this - but I certainly won't be showing up at the stadium too often anymore. It's looking like, barring a playoff appearance, my first visit to see the Jets in 2009 will be my last visit to Giants Stadium (and a lot less sentimental than my last visits to Shea Stadium). And I might just do the trip one more time - when the Jets open up their new stadium...then my dad is thinking of giving up the tickets, and I won't stop him.
So I am excited to see the Jets hopefully beat the Patriots. I am excited to see the home debut of Mark Sanchez. I am excited to hang out with a couple of great friends, which is the real reason I'm making this trip to begin with. But I'm not excited about watching the game surrounded by the mostly idiotic football fans in Section 336. And I'm not excited about the inconvenience of getting to the game.
*Seems like the Jets did way too much talking this week. Part of me thinks it's a good sign, the sign of a confident team. A bigger part of me feels like it's just rattling the Patriots' cage in a bad way.
*Can't get a clear Red Sox radio signal 10 minutes away from my house in Framingham, but driving down Saturday night I picked up the Reds radio broadcast in the middle of Connecticut clear as a bell.
*High on my list of concerns with traveling to the Jets game today: When I arrive back in Framingham, it will be well after night falls. Sunday nights are garbage nights. I'm putting it at better than 60% that I will see a raccoon on my street. That will set me back about a week's worth of sleep.
*LI Ducks update: Looks like Hall of Famer Gary Carter has the Long Island Ducks right where he wants them - in the post-season. They will be facing Southern Maryland in the first round, starting later this week. This is where it gets exciting - and this is where a Gary Carter-led team does its damage - in the post-season. We'll certainly keep you posted.
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