Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Freddy Coupon's Untitled Meadowlands Review





When first documented, the sea of gray seats was received with disdain, but when you're going halfsies between a team with a red and blue color scheme and a team with a green and white one, this is one of the few options you have.


Um, where's #12? Maybe Vinny hasn't put in his retirement papers in yet because he's at home waiting for a call at the Jets' greatest hour of need. On another note, it appears as if the Jets' Ring of Honor has to be replaced every game by the Giants' equivalent: couldn't they put them on pivoting signs like the teams split the merchandise at the team store with swivel racks?

The Sanchize was gonna draw the most cheers anyway, but maybe he insisted on being the flag bearer for the post-veterans' day festivities. Not pictured: Shaun Ellis running out with a cloak before the Halloween game.

Have to give Fireman Ed credit for working the PR machine to become the Jets' de facto mascot. He may not have invented the signature chant, but he certainly staked ownership to it.

My thoughts on the stadium:
-On our way up the escalator for the Halloween game, my buddy Mike asked me if the louvers lining the building were operable and I had to break the unfortunate news to him.
-The biggest complaint about the building's facilities heard on air are about the lines for the bathrooms, and my wait lasted all of halftime, but that's probably the norm the in the upper decks of any other venue.
-I can't speak for the most common grievance, the stadium's liberal definition of satellite parking. I took the train both times, and they certainly pack them in. You get a pretty good sampling of the range of the fanbase, from the scarred old-timers to the sloshed, young ne'er-do-wells that have come to symbolize the archetypal 'Gate D' fan.
-The concourses are wider, but it's not as if the predecessor was so cramped that a change had to be made. The egg sandwich stands are a nice touch, because they do add a bit of local flavor with the use of Taylor ham (pork roll for those of us east of the Hudson), a Jersey breakfast staple.
-The four massive videoboards at each sponsor's corner aren't too intrusive or distracting. On that note, the Allianz backlash before the 2008 economic collapse is comical now, because if someone offered Mara/Tisch/Johnson $25 million a year to call the venue Hitler Field they wouldn't sign fast enough. Never, ever look a gift horse in a mouth, especially one with eight figures.
-The crowds were gamely, though as seen in every new sporting venue in the country a constant stream of traffic up and down aisles was always present. I can't hold it against the fans for sitting on their hands during the Green Bay debacle, because there wasn't a single positive play to rally behind. However, the half empty stadium during the frantic Houston comeback was inexcusable, even for SOJ veterans, because being down four points even without timeouts isn't exactly a death knell.

I'm probably done going to games for the season, though I could be swayed to going to the Buffalo season finale if the team needs it (hopefully for seeding only) or a home playoff game (extreme rarity for this franchise).




Happy Thanksgiving New York Sports Fans! (Who aren't fans of the Yankees)

Gobble-Gobble, Knick, Ranger, Met and Islander fans. No hope, no future.