NFL, Oakland style

Jealous?

And there it is, folks.  My view of Sunday's Jets v. Raiders game in Oakland.

I knew Oakland was going to be a scary place for a Jets fan to be, so I opted for a gray Jets t-shirt with a black Under Armour zip-up to blend in with the Raider Nation.  Even on the BART to the game, I cautiously kept my UA zipped, only revealing the gray of the shirt underneath.  I would shed the outer layer once I was safely in my seat.

Due to leaving SF late and BART schedules, we missed kick off and the first touchdowns of each team.  I was bummed.  It took forever just to get into the stadium and find our seats once we did finally arrive.  The people around us were very nice.  They heckled me a bit for being a Jets fan, but it was mostly friendly.  My favorite was the drunk guy with half his face painted black and silver that kept putting his hand in my face and saying, "Psssssssshh!" like a 14 year old girl every time I cheered.

Perhaps it's the negativity of the stadium, but it felt like the Jets were having the worst game of their careers.  It seemed the defense couldn't stop the run game and Mark Sanchez couldn't complete passes.  Then there was the Cromartie fumble on the return kick and I wanted to cry.  It was horrible to watch.

Such a pretty man

The upside was that the visitor's bench was directly in front of me, as was the exercise bike, so Sanche was maybe 10 yards away from me the entire game.  I even saw the trainers fixing his nose, though I had no idea it had been broken in the first place.

Burnell is standing up; Sanche is behind the second helmet

I wish I had more to say about the game, but I left feeling very unsatisfied.  Not just because of the loss, but because I wasn't able to let loose and enjoy the game.  I was so worried about getting the crap beat out of me by Raider fans, that I didn't cheer much and I didn't even like being there.  As evidenced by the video below, I'm really glad I kept to myself.

I kinda wish I had just stayed home.

xoxo,

Blanche Sanche

The greatest E-Bay experience ever!

Gather 'round, friends, and let me tell you a tale of how I scored the most amazing seats for the upcoming Jets/Raiders game.  First, let me preface this story with the fact that I know going to a Raiders game is going to be terrifying and, quite possibly, fatal.  However, I can't allow the Jets to be this close to me and not risk my life to be there.  I'm a real fan.

Anyway, after spending weeks checking StubHub for good, but inexpensive tickets, I was having no luck.  There were good-ish tickets, but they were at least $200 a piece (with shipping and processing fees).  I was beginning to think that I wasn't meant to go to this game.  Yesterday, I decided to check E-Bay because I'd purchased Titans/49ers tickets for really cheap a few seasons ago.

I was hitting the same wall on E-Bay, cheap and crappy seats or amazing but way overpriced.  I mean, it's Oakland, not MetLife Stadium!  Then, I found them.  Through the scalpers and all, there they were: tickets 6 rows up behind the visitor's sideline.  My heart began to race as I hastily placed my bid before realizing that there were almost 5 days left in the auction.  I knew someone else was going to get them or I was going to have to pay an arm and a leg for them, so I decided to be bold and email the seller to see if she could end the auction and give them to me.  It couldn't hurt, right?

The seller immediately wrote me back and said she would sell the tickets to me for $275 for the pair without handling or processing fees!  It turns out, she's a lady from Reno who lives very close to my office.  What luck!  She told me she would meet me somewhere to give me the tickets so I wouldn't have to mess around with the electronic tickets and so that "Mark could write his number on them" for me.

This morning, she emails me to ask where I should meet her and includes a picture of herself from Burning Man so that I know who to look for (which didn't help because no one in real life looks like they do at Burning Man).  Then she sent me a picture of Sanche, just for fun.  I swear, I've made a new BFF.

I get to the deli where we've agreed to meet, because I was having lunch with Blanche Collie Matthews there, and there she is.  A slightly older lady with blonde hair and rhinestones on her oversized sunglasses.  She gives me a hug before we exchange money and tickets and gushes about how much she loves her seats.  Then, even as we protest, she proceeds to buy me and Blanche lunch... with the money I've just given her!  Essentially that means I paid even less for the tickets.  Amazeballs!

As we wait, she asks where I work.  I tell her my boss' name and, it turns out, she used to be a client of his.  Reno is just too damn small!  We sit and chat about Burning Man and football until her to-go food arrives and she bids us farewell with another round of hugs.

I couldn't have been more lucky in this situation.  Everything worked out flawlessly and I finally get to be up close and personal with my Jets.  Now, I just have to worry about my wardrobe.

In case you are curious, here is a diagram of where my seats are.  The MS stands for Mark Sanchez, as that's where I estimate he will be when he's off field.  I get it, it's not to scale, but whatevs, I'm not an artist.

Jealous much?

xoxo,

Blanche Sanche

Next season

The opponents were announced right after the last game of the regular season, but it's just now that I'm getting around to figuring out which games I'll be going to next season.

It's been my dream for years to watch a Titans game at LP Field and, thanks to a free Southwest flight and a new friend who is a Titans fan, I think my dream will come true this year.  But which team do I want to see my Titans play?  A team they will beat, obviously.  I'd really like to see them play the Buccaneers because of my newfound respect for Josh Freeman, but a Colts game would also be epic.  I guess it will all boil down to when each game is played.  I can't use too many vacation days on this trip because there are so many more games I'd like to see.

Unfortunately, a home game is all I'm going to get out of the Titans this year because they are staying far away from the west coast next season.  However, I'm getting extraordinarily spoiled by the Jets, as there are 2 games for me to attend that are close to me.

They are playing in Denver again, which is awesome because my best friend lives just outside of Denver and I can kill two birds with one stone that way.  See my bestie, my niece and my boys all in one trip?  Perfection!

The Jets are also playing in Oakland and, though I have often said I will not go to a Raiders game because their fans terrify me, I'm going to bite the bullet and go.  My friend is a Raiders fan, so if I show up with her and keep my Jets attire concealed until I'm in my seat, maybe I can escape unscathed.  Or maybe I can persuade Nick to give me family section tickets so I don't have to fear for my life.

The greatest news of next season is that I have a friend who just moved to NYC to get his Masters degree at NYU and he wants me to come visit so we can go to a game.  A home game for the Titans and the Jets?!?!  It would be the best year of my life!  Too bad I only have 2 weeks of vacation to spread throughout the year, otherwise I doubt I would work at all in the fall.

I doubt anyone really cares about my football plans, but I thought I'd lay them out there in case anyone wants to join me on my cross country adventures!

xoxo
Blanche Sanche