Even The Losers…

Some people are surprised to know that I like football. I wouldn’t say that I’m a fan to the point that I obsessively watch games, pour over stats, and engage in sports/geek-speak with fellow sports travelers. Nope, I’m a casual fan who mostly likes going to games. Well, let me amend that to say that I like going to see the Oakland Raiders because 1.) I usually get free tickets because of my buddy Matt. And 2.) It’s a fun to get together with him to do something that’s so full of unintentional comedy that it keeps us laughing while we’re watching our team lose.

Case in point: One of the first games I went to had not one, but three fights break out the section next to ours. The first two happened while the cops were patrolling our section and they kind of swarmed in and broke up whatever was causing the booze-fueled rift in the general prison population we sit with.

It was the third fight that had us tied up in knots. I’m not sure if words can convey the high comedy of what transpired, but let’s just say that as the cops were escorting a rather overweight/shirtless guy from the venue, they allowed him to keep the two beers he bought (they are, after all $8 for 16oz in a plastic cup). So try and picture in your mind’s eye the sight of this guy with a hairy, rather large belly, bouncing up and down while coming down the stairs (because honestly, his belly was all I could really focus on). You got it? Okay, now that you have that image in your mind, let me add this: as our shirtless/overweight fighting fan of the Raider Nation is jiggling down the stairs, he’s muttering things like “Hey! Hey! Hey! Slow down…these beers cost 8 bucks each…I didn’t start it…I’m gonna miss the game now…C’mon! Hey!” All the while, the beer is sloshing over the sides of the cups, and with each splash to the ground, he’s punctuating the loss of beer with a “Hey!”

Good Great times!

Yesterday’s game was, to be honest, very tough to watch. Matt and I stayed for the first half (when it was Houston 14 and Oakland 0), but by then we couldn’t take it anymore, so we left early. And as luck would have it, the Raiders gained some ground and started playing some football. But they didn’t have enough juice in the end and lost to Houston 24-17. If you want to see some game highlight (sadly, no bouncing bellies here), you can can check it out on the NFL site HERE.

On our way out to the car, we passed by the remains of the tailgate parties, and, let’s be frank, it was a dump!

But wait! There’s more:

And then I had to jump in the picture and flash a faux “gang sign” with prison pose:

Matt wondering why the Raiders suck:

We decided to head back to Walnut Creek and grab a drink at C Blue Wet Bar & Bistro right near my house. While there, we watched the last 10 minutes of the Colts vs Patriots game. When the game turned around and the Patriots were suddenly winning, Matt turned to me and said “Why the hell can’t we get at least one win today?”

Well, it was a sucky day for football. But the “win,” of course, was being able to hang with a friend and have quite a few laughs. 🙂

Download “Hells Bells” by AC/DC Here.