FanHouse FanHouse In The Stands

With some three minutes left in a crucial match between Newcastle United and Fulham, the skies – sunny all afternoon, but suddenly and ominously dark now – opened up and literally began to rain on our American parade.

Hull City was drawing with Bolton Wanderers and the Magpies (aka Newcastle United) were down a goal and a Bassong (Sebastien after an all too harsh red card) to Fulham with the clock creeping toward 90 minutes (aka full time).

We were getting drenched and the realization was settling in: once again, Newcastle was staring at a spot in the relegation zone, teetering over the abyss of Championship football.

This season, FanHouse writers take their cameras to NFL stadiums to document what happens when you stop being polite and start getting real. Or something. We've cleverly titled it "FanHouse in the Stands."

My wife and I attended the Redskins-Bengals game at Cincinnati's Paul Brown Stadium. I, of course, am a Redskins fan, and got to see them lose to the lowly Bengals, 20-13.

There is nothing like watching your team's season go down the tubes and then hearing chants of "Who Dey" as you are filing out of the building. But it's all worth it when your wife starts talking smack back and reminding everyone that it was just Cincy's second win of the season.

I will say that there were a ton of Redskins fans at the game. I sat two rows up from the goal line and was surrounded by other Skins fans. The usher who showed us to our seats welcomed us "to Redskins Stadium." He also told me to come get him if anyone bothered me, but felt that I wouldn't have to worry about that.

We all went to the Garden tonight to see Stephen Curry put on a show. Sure, there were some West Virginia fans, but I bet even they were kind of hoping to see Curry go off while they still pulled out a win. The Villanova and Texas fans were certainly pulling for Davidson. There was a large contingent of Curry jerseys and bright red "Witness" hats and t-shirts in the crowd. It was one of the biggest crowds in the history of the Jimmie V Classic, largely just to see Curry. Everyone was excited - the spectacular scorer was coming to the big city to dazzle us.

For the first 35 minutes of the game, as Curry deferred to his teammates and struggled to hit shots against the suffocating Mountaineer defense, it appeared we were going to be let down. I wasn't the only one starting to think that Curry was simply not capable of living up to the venue and the attention, that maybe being an unknown in the NCAA Tournament had been one thing, but being a star in the most famous arena in the world was just too much for him. As 3 after 3 clanked off the rim you could feel the frustration in the crowd - this wasn't the script for the evening. The Garden is where big time players put on shows for the fans, not where they go 1-13 from 3. Maybe New Yorkers are spoiled, but that's the expectation.

And then he delivered for us. When he hit a 3 pointer with just under 5 minutes to go, the cheers started. When he drilled an impossibly difficult shot from the left elbow beyond the NBA line, the Garden exploded. This is what we wanted to see, and the fact that he was carrying his team from behind just made it more impressive. And then Curry hit the final 3 of the night to give Davidson a lead they wouldn't relinquish, a shot a mere mortal wouldn't have even gotten off, let alone buried without touching iron. Curry was more than redeemed.

Some players just have a flair for the dramatic, and an ability to deliver on the big stage. Curry has that in spades. New Yorkers love players that live up to expectations, and the expectations are very high. I'm sure this won't be his last game in the Garden, and he'll have some that are better and some that are worse, but he won't have another chance to make a first impression - and nobody is going to remember the first 1-13 from 3, all we could talk about was the final 3-3. Curry earned his New York chops tonight.

Believe it or not, FanHouse writers are fans first. This year, we're bringing our cameras with us into the games and chronicling the exciting minutiae of attending sporting events. And we're calling it "FanHouse in the Stands."

When UNC's football team choked away a second half lead at Maryland on Saturday for a 17-15 loss that all but eliminated them from contention for an ACC championship and BCS Bowl this year, I immediately got a phone call from a friend, taunting me with, "What? Basketball season starts and the football team just packs it in? Is that how it works down there?"

That's not really fair to a football team that's made big strides under Butch Davis this year, but in the minds of most people in Chapel Hill it's probably true. The day that the online lottery for student tickets opens up, conversation on campus immediately turns to basketball. Yesterday, I ventured out of the cave that they keep us grad students in and on to the main undergrad campus for lunch. Even in the cold weather, the campus was buzzing for the Kentucky game. Luckily for me, I managed to score some tickets for last night's game in the student lottery. Luckily for you, I brought my camera.

I had the displeasure of attending last night's game between the Cubs and Dodgers. I'd like to thank everyone who played for the Cubs last night other than Mark DeRosa -- and this girl with the awesome shirt -- for not showing up. I've heard from several people today that Dick Stockton -- Fornelli's favorite announcer -- kept proclaiming that the crowd was dead. We stood and cheered at several big moments, only to see a walk or inning-ending double play (thank you 6-4-3 Lee). When the pitcher can't throw a freaking strike, it's sorta difficult to stay loud the entire time. Fans are funny like that.

Anyway, I'm bound to my fandom, and that is why I'm still on board with my Cubs in four games prediction. Carlos Zambrano is going to pitch like an ace tonight, and the offense will show up. Consider Game 1 a wake-up call in which the team played with significant rust.

The one thing I will not tolerate is more piling on the fans. It's pathetic and lazy. Fans had nothing to do with that team not showing up last night, and every person in my section was paying attention to the game. People on talk radio today spewing crap about how Cubs fans don't care need to get a life. It's a farce, and on behalf of my entire extended family, I'm offended. We care. Quit overgeneralizing and come up with an original thought for once.

I've included more pictures from the atmosphere after the jump.

This season, FanHouse writers take their cameras to NFL stadiums to document what happens when you stop being polite and start getting real. Or something. We've cleverly titled it "FanHouse in the Stands."

Sunday night in Indianapolis, the colossal Lucas Oil Stadium was officially unveiled to the sporting world via Sunday Night Football on NBC, as the hometown Colts took on the Chicago Bears. I had already seen the stadium and field up close two days earlier -- having the pleasure of refereeing a high school game there Friday night -- but it's still so monstrous that you can't help but be impressed every time you step through those doors.

The concourses are so big that there is never any sort of real congestion. Sure, it's crowded right before the game, but you are always moving and never feel suffocated. For example, in the picture to the right ... this was taken about fifteen minutes before game time when the majority of the people were on the way to their seats.

The Funny Car Cafe, pictured here, illustrates the wide-variety of food and drink around the concourse.

During the game, it couldn't have been more comfortable for me. The seats are as spacious as they need to be, while it was a beautiful night. I do think with the roof and side window open the air flow is much more pleasant than the old RCA Dome, but they also killed the sound. It wasn't near as loud in this game as it has been in Indy in the past.

This season, FanHouse writers take their cameras to NFL stadiums to document what happens when you stop being polite and start getting real. Or something. We've cleverly titled it "FanHouse in the Stands."

When I tell people that I had third row tickets to the Eagles home opener on Sunday at the Linc, they first question is always "how the [heck] did you score those?" Well, initially when the few tickets that don't belong to season ticket holders went on sale over the summer via Ticketmaster, I was actually lucky enough to secure two. Those weren't great seats and would have put me about four rows from the top of the stadium.

Despite not being in a prime location, I was still pumped to get a chance to see the Birds ring in a new season in South Philly. I then asked my dad if he wanted to go with me and he of course said he'd love to. But when I informed him of the seating location, he said, "Why don't you give me those tickets and let me see what I can do."
It's never a bad thing when Enrico Sr. says, "let me see what I can do."

Photos of some lovely Eagles Cheerleaders, fun fans, and a few of the action on the field after the jump.