I saw my first live basketball game last night, and it was so much fun! Are you a basketball fan? What was the best live sports event that you have ever seen?

-- Kymm Zuckert (hedgehog@hedgehog.net), November 29, 2000

Answers

Actually, I don't like basketball, but I'm sure I'd have a great time if I saw a live game (a real game, that is, not High School, which I saw for four years because I was in band). I dislike baseball, but had the opportunity to see the SF Giants play a few years ago, when I was dating a Sports Guy. It was great; I hadn’t had that much fun in a long time! I didn’t really watch much of the game; it was mostly standing in line for beer and garlic fries and hot dogs (which, incidently lead me to missing the singing of the National Anthem, which is something I was really looking forward to seeing live), talking to Sports Guy and the other people around us, and occasionally catching the action on the small, portable TV Sports Guy had brought. But it was fun, and I learned a lot. For example, I had no idea the “Seventh Inning Stretch” was where everyone actually stands up and stretches their bodies, and sings “Take me out to the Ball Game”! Serious, they sing that!! Later that year I got to see the Niners play, which was great because I’m a fan! I don’t really remember much about any of the games I saw - couldn’t tell you who won or lost - but they were great fun!

-- hez (lmjaliashez42@hotmail.com), November 29, 2000.

my 10-year-old daughter plays basketball. those games can get pretty exciting, you know! well... if your a parent....

-- nicole (nicolemrw@go.com), November 29, 2000.

Well, as a denizen of Utah (in fact I live about 1 1/2 miles from the Delta Center -- Home of the Utah Jazz!) I am not a basketball fan. Oh no, I am a Jazz Fan!

The best sporting event I ever attended was one of the '98 playoff games against the Bulls. You couldn't get a ticket unless you personally knew Larry Miller (owner of the Jazz and lives just north of my neighborhood, but alas, that wasn't close enough of an association to garner tickets, but I digress!), so I attended the Jazz playoff party at the Triad Center -- across the street from the Delta Center -- where a local TV station set up very large screen TVs and thousands of fans (who don't personally know Larry Miller, either) bring lawn chairs and blankets and buy pizza from vending carts, and make a lot of noise while trying to watch the game!

My sister and her husband drove up from Las Vegas to attend this game/party, and my B-in-law called in sick to do it. So when a local TV newswoman stopped to interview me about why we would go there to watch the game instead of staying home where we'd have better seats, I pointed out that we came for the atmosphere. But I didn't give away my b-in-law's secret. Which was too bad, because later, we realized that it was only a local station and his boss had no chance of seeing the interview. Imagine the look on the newswoman's face to hear that they had driven over 400 miles to attend an outdoor party with very poor visibility of the game because they couldn't get tickets. She would have loved that!

Anyway, the poor Jazz lost that game...but it was a heck of a time anyway!

Carol

PS Kymm, are you coming out here for Sundance?

-- Carol Paton (cpaton@networld.com), November 29, 2000.

I will find out the days after tomorrow whether I'm going or not, and then on the 8th, I think, for Slamdance. I doubt strongly that I will have the problem of being accepted both places. Why, can I stay at your house?

heeheehee

-- Kymm Zuckert (kymm.zuckert@impath.com), November 29, 2000.

I saw the Packers twice at Lambeau Field. Once when it was 95 degrees outside and the second time it was 180 below zero. OK not 180 below zero, maybe like 20 degrees but below 30 it's all the same. It was fun tailgating and all I guess. That was the year they kicked ass though, not like this year where their sucky little whiny babies but I will always love them. Mmmmmmm...Brett Favre.

-- Amy T. (als918@aol.com), November 29, 2000.

Sure, you can stay at my house! Well, I mean my little one bedroom apartment! But, hey, I'm right downtown, you'll be close to everything, and a big city girl like you will be okay if I have to work and leave you alone lots, won't you?

Seriously, if you get into Sundance and need a place to stay, let me know. If you don't mind cramming into a small place for a few days with an eccentric writer type...we'll be fine! :)

Carol

-- Carol Paton (cpaton@networld.com), November 30, 2000.

Even when I played basketball, I wasn't much of a fan. Meaning that I liked playing it, but if I wasn't playing, I didn't much care for watching it. And near the end, I pretty much hated the sport, due to the fact that I'm not all that competitive, and that's sort of the point.

-- Katie (ktrame@digink.net), December 01, 2000.

The best live sports event I've ever seen was actually a Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Quebec hockey game that was a total blowout. The Pens scored four times in as many minutes in the middle of the first period, and then three times in about eight minutes in the second period. After that, the game got really rather boring for a while, because Quebec just couldn't score, but suddenly their defense got in the game. So, bored to tears, a bunch of guys starting fighting in the highest tier of the arena, and were so boisterous, the players stopped on the ice to watch the fan fracas. Finally, toward the end of the third period, people started the chant of "Chili Goal." I didn't know at the time, but if the Pens scored 8 goals in a single home game, anyone who presented a ticket stub could get a free bowl of chili at Wendy's. With two seconds left on the clock, Jaromir Jagr scored the chili goal and completed a hat trick and everyone screamed and yelled and threw hats at him, and they played music and everyone cheered and danced for about five minutes after the game ended instead of just running for the exits. Fun, fun, fun, the way it should be.

-- Dreama (dreama@duran-duran.net), December 01, 2000.