Basketball

Memphis Grizzlies v San Antonio Spurs

April 24, 2016 Andrew

National Basketball Association

Western Conference

Play Offs, First Round

Sunday 24th April 2016

Tip off 12.00

Memphis Grizzlies 95 San Antonio Spurs 116, attendance 18,119

Grizzlies Starters ;

Matt Barnes, 15 pts, 8 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk

Jordan Farmar, 6 pts, 1 reb, 5 ast

Vince Carter, 14 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast

Zach Randolph, 15 pts, 7 reb

Tony Allen, 6 pts, 1 reb, 2 stl

Playing Reserves ;

Lance Stephenson, Chris Anderson, JaMychal Green, Xavier Munford

Spurs Starters ;

Kawhi Leonard, 21 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl, 2 blk

LaMarcus Aldridge, 15 pts, 10 reb, 1 stl

Tony Parker, 16 pts, 2 ast

Tim Duncan, 7 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast, 3 blk

Danny Green, 2 pts, 2 reb, 1 stl

Playing Reserves ;

Boris Diaw, Kyle Anderson, David West, Patrick Mills, Jonathon Simmons, Manu Ginobili, Andre Miller, Boban Marjanovic

@ FedExForum

191,Beale Street

Memphis TN, 38103

$40 admission, plus $17.57 fees (resale ticket) print at home.

Programme free, 28 pages.

I couldn’t believe my luck when this was scheduled for a noon start. Tickets were plentiful, although pricey, on the resale websites, probably due to the second seed Spurs being 3-0 up in the series and no surprise that this gave them a 4-0 whitewash over the number 7 seed. Glad I got to see Tim Duncan play for Spurs as it can’t be too much longer before he calls time on a very successful career. There was a bit of a scare midway through the second quarter when a power surge in Downtown Memphis caused all the lights to go off in the arena. Thankfully we were sorted and underway again 20 minutes later. Phew !

FedExForum is located right in downtown Memphis and as well as the Grizzlies, it is also home to University Memphis Tigers in N.C.A.A. Division I. It opened in September 2004, at a cost of $250 million and capacity is 18,119. Despite this also being the official attendance, it was far from full, perhaps as many as 2,000 empty seats dotted around.

Parking was plentiful, although again not free. The local clientele certainly give the area a very poor first impression and I was certainly thankful this game would be finished in daylight !

Baseball

Memphis Redbirds v Round Rock Express

April 23, 2016 Andrew

Minor League Baseball

Triple-A Class

Pacific Coast League

Saturday 23rd April 2016

First pitch 18.35

Memphis Redbirds 0 RoundRock Express 3, attendance 10,171

@ AutoZone Park

200, Union Avenue

Memphis, TN 38103

$23 admission

Programme free, 68 pages, plus free 5 page game information sheet.

I had called in here on my way through this morning and managed to purchase one of the last few $23 dollar tickets. Good jod I did, as only $48 dollar tickets were on sale when I arrived back about 20 minutes before the start, having got a decent parking space for $10 just down the road on a small industrial site. With the stadium being right in the city centre it means there is no way to park within sensible distance without paying, or indeed still having your car there when you return, and this was as cheap as I was going to get.

The Redbirds are an affiliate of MLB team St. Louis Cardinals. Round Rock are teamed up with another MLB team, the Texas Rangers. The game was of a really good standard and perhaps helped by having a decent seat not too far from the action.

AutoZone Park was opened in April 2000. The largest crowd here was 31st August 2008, when 18,620 witnessed the visit of Oklahoma Red Hawks. Nowadays it seats 10,000 and has grassed areas in use as well.

After the game it was a few miles south for a bite to eat and on to the hotel.

Baseball

University Mississippi Ole Miss Rebels v Auburn University Tigers

April 23, 2016 Andrew

National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I

Southeastern Conference

Saturday 23rd April 2016

First pitch 14.00

University Mississippi Ole Miss Rebels 7 Auburn University Tigers 4, attendance 10,102

@ Oxford-University Stadium at Swayze Field

University Place

Oxford, MS 38655

$15 admission

No programme.

Before leaving home on Friday I noticed the size of the crowds Ole Miss were getting, so thought I had better play safe and book a ticket. I phoned their office and was offered an excellent seat right behind home plate. It is so much easier when you are only trying to buy a single ticket for the game as there always seems to be odd seats available, even in the best areas. I was actually doing a game in Memphis tonight, so drove the 137 miles from Little Rock to Memphis, buying a ticket for the evening game, before heading 85 miles south to Oxford, MS.

The team were originally called the Mississippi Flood, but were renamed the rebels in 1936 and have played in the College World Series five times, most recently in 2014. The stadium has a record attendance of11,729, set in 2013, seating 8,500 with further capacity in the way of grass banking.

Football

Little Rock Rangers S.C. V Memphis City F.C.

April 22, 2016 Andrew

I-40 Cup 1st Leg

Friday 22nd April 2016

Kick off 19.00 Actual 19.07

Little Rock Rangers S.C. 2 Memphis City F.C. 1, attendance 3,700

12′ 1-0

62′ 1-1

85′ 2-1 (pen)

@ War Memorial Stadium

1, Stadium Drive

Little Rock, AR 72205

$10 admission

Programme free, 4 pages, plus free team sheet.

This is a new competition to be played annually between these two clubs, with the cities of Little Rock and Memphis separated by the I-40, hence the name of the cup. It was the first game played by the newly formed hosts who will compete in the National Premier Soccer League, which is level 4 in U.S.A., whilst the visitors were formed in 2015 and also play in the N.P.S.L., albeit in a different region.

The official attendance was 3,000 more than my estimate, but even the more realistic crowd of 700 was pretty good for this level, although somewhat lost in a ground that holds 53,727. Although multi purpose, it is mainly used for American Football, being home to the Arkansas Baptist Buffaloes, Catholic High School Rockets and an occasional University Arkansas Razorbacks game. The stadium was built in 1948, but has undergone numerous renovations and nowadays has a synthetic pitch. Marked out primarily for American Football, it makes the ‘soccer’ lines difficult to see, despite them being in yellow and makes watching the game awkward at times. I prefer these old bowl type stadiums as they have a bit of character to them. Don’t know what to make of the lone flag draped at one end of the stadium. Very odd thing to see in U.S.A., let alone Arkansas.

This was the first game of a small road trip, starting off with a 320 mile drive via the I-30 E, staying overnight in Little Rock, AR.

Baseball

University Texas Arlington Mavericks v Georgia Southern University Eagles

April 16, 2016 Andrew

National Collegiate Athletic Association Division 1

Sun Belt Conference

Saturday 16th April 2016

First pitch 14.00

University Texas Arlington Mavericks 0 Georgia Southern University Eagles 6, attendance 277

@ Clay Gould Ballpark

1400, Allan Saxe Parkway

Arlington, TX 76013

$5 admission

Programme free, 4 pages.

The ballpark was opened in 1974, formerly known as Allan Saxe Ballpark and Arlington Athletic Center. Capacity these days is 1,600.

Football

New York City F.C. V Chicago Fire

April 10, 2016 Andrew

Major League Soccer

Sunday 10th April 2016

Kick off 19.00 Actual 19.28

New York City F.C. 0 Chicago Fire 0, attendance 22,930

@ Yankee Stadium

1, East 161st Street

The Bronx, NY 10451

Admission $30 plus $9.10 fees, print at home ticket *

No programme.

As stated earlier, there is a direct subway line, travelling north from Manhattan on Line 4 to 161st Street Station, where the Yankee Stadium is right in front of you as you exit the station. When my match ticket was booked, it was a print at home option, but this was then changed by Ticketmaster to an e-ticket accessible through your phone only. I am not too keen on this method as if you lose your phone, or something prevents you getting a signal etc,etc, then you have no chance of getting into the match. Thankfully, after a phone call, I was able to change my ticket to ‘will call’, which was not an option for online bookings, and the ticket office is on the same side of the stadium as the subway station exit, so it took less than 5 minutes to collect. Very efficient in the end. Apparently the tickets are sent via phone to try and make it harder for touts to ply their trade.

The Yankee Stadium opened in April 2009 and is built one block north of the original home to MLB team the New York Yankees, who New York City share the stadium with, whilst waiting for their own stadium to be built, although whether they actually ever build a stadium of their own remains to be seen. Capacity here is 49,638 when used in MLS, although NYC are unlikely to ever see crowds of that number and today’s turnout looked much less than the figure given.

If NYC play this poorly every week then it is little wonder the crowds are staying away. They may scrape into the end of season play offs, but any half decent side will surely have no problem beating them as they were absolutely dreadful. The visitors were simply dire, which sadly seems to be pretty much what the standard of the league is these days.

Today was also the first time I have seen hooliganism here in the States. A group of around 20 home ‘fans’ attacked two Chicago supporters in the toilets, but swift action by stewards and police soon had it sorted and at least a dozen were led away.

Baseball

New York Mets v Philadelphia Phillies

April 10, 2016 Andrew

Major League Baseball

Sunday 10th April 2016

First pitch 13.10

New York Mets 2 Philadelphia Phillies 5, attendance 37,233

@ Citi Field

123-01 Roosevelt Avenue

Queens, NY 11368

Admission $29

Programme ? Didn’t look for one.

When I booked my flight from Montreal down to New York I hadn’t even considered doing anything other than my evening game at 19.00. I only noticed the fixture on Saturday night and when I checked where it was I was surprised to see it was by both the airport and my hotel. However, my Air Canada flight wasn’t due in to La Guardia until 12.20, which would mean my chances of making it for a 13.10 start were pretty slim. As it turned out, I was off the plane for 12.18 and checked into the hotel by 12.50. I was advised the next hotel shuttle to the subway drop off, Mets-Willets Point Station, was at 13.00. The station just happened to be right next to Citi Field. Despite the shuttle leaving a couple of minutes late, it was still going past the stadium before the game was due to start. The driver asked if any of us were doing the game and, even better, he stopped right outside the ticket office as it was en route to the station drop off. What service! Having just bought the cheapest available ticket, on the top tier, it was into the first lift and into my seat as Mets were about to bat their first innings.

Citi Field opened on 29th March 2009, with a college baseball game. The Mets played their first game there on 3rd April 2009 versus Boston Red Sox, in an exhibition, before playing their first regular season game 10 days later against San Diego Padres. The capacity is 41,922, with the record attendance of 45,186 set for the 2013 All-Star Game.

After the game it was a couple of hundred yards walk to Mets-Willets Point Station and then taking subway Line 7 into Manhattan and then heading north for my next game. It was an hours journey, with just one change, and for a very reasonable $3.

Football

Montreal Impact v Columbus Crew

April 9, 2016 Andrew

Major League Soccer

Saturday 9th April 2016

Kick off 16.00 Actual 16.18

Montreal Impact 2 Columbus Crew 0, attendance 22,053

48′ 1-0 H. Camara

86′ 2-0 K. Bekker

@ Stade Olympique de Montreal

4545, Avenue Pierre-De-Coubertin

Montreal, QC H1V 3N7

Admission $29 + $8 fees, print at home ticket.

No programme.

Quebec weather is too severe for early season home games in MLS, so Montreal Impact move their first couple of matches from their Saputo Stadium, just a few hundred yards away, to the much bigger Stade Olympique, which has one distinct advantage, it has a roof. This guarantees the game will go ahead, but as the pitch here is synthetic, it also means that star striker Didier Drogba will not be playing as his knees cannot take the pounding on these pitches compared to the much more forgiving natural grass. When I exited the airport on Friday evening to catch my hotel shuttle bus, it was snowing very lightly and was already down to minus 4 degrees, and it was only 8pm !

The Stade Olympique was opened in 1976, and as the name suggests, hosted the Summer Olympics of that year. It has a capacity of 66,308, some three times that of Saputo Stadium. Access to the stadium is easy if arriving on the subway as you enter directly from the station without going outside, which helps when the temperature was minus 9 degrees later that evening.

The first difference I notice here, is unlike in U.S.A., the fans actually watch the match, rather than go to eat and drink for the whole ninety minutes. So much better and means you can actually enjoy the match without constant interruptions of people filing in and out of their seats. Surely a visit to their local restaurant would be a better way of spending their time if the actual sport is of no interest to them ?

Great atmosphere, despite only being a third full, and pleasantly warm as well. Impact were always in control, but never totally comfortable until the second goal killed it off.

The match ticket also included admission for the F.C. Montreal match in the USL, but I didn’t fancy hanging around until 7.30pm for that one to start. I also had an option of ice hockey at Montreal Canadiens in the NHL, but despite being doable by subway, the starting price of $166 for tickets, even on the resale websites, put me off.

Baseball

Texas Rangers v Seattle Mariners

April 5, 2016 Andrew

Major League Baseball

Tuesday 5th April 2016

First pitch 19.05

Texas Rangers 2 Seattle Mariners 10, attendance 28,386

@ Globe Life Park

1000, Ballpark Way

Arlington, TX 76011

$10 admission

Programme available, didn’t bother.

Globe Life Park was opened in 1994 and has a capacity of 48,114. The record attendance is 52,419. Despite being relatively new and a superb venue, the Rangers are looking to build a new stadium, just to the south of the current one, and be playing there by 2020.

When enquiring about tickets we were quoted $37, but that as a promotion by Dr Pepper, it was possible to get them for $27 if you show up at the ticket office with one of their products. No problem then, but when we arrived at the ticket office we were told it’s ‘$10 Tuesday’ so a real bargain. Why do these clubs have promotions running against each other ? Pretty bad business I’d have thought ? Not wanting to walk too far meant $20 to park, but also nowhere to eat anywhere near the stadium, so food would be eaten inside. Not bad as it goes, although prices as you would expect, not cheap.

As for the game, Rangers were always in with a chance as they were only 2-4 down going into the eighth innings, but that was to change dramatically !

Football

Santos F.C. V Leon F.C.

April 3, 2016 Andrew

North Texas Premier Soccer Association

Division 1A (Spring Season)

Sunday 3rd April 2016

Kick off 17.00 Actual 17.22

Santos F.C. 1 Leon F.C. 3, attendance 26

23′ 0-1

24′ 1-1

39′ 1-2

83′ 1-3

@ Samuell Garland Park, Pitch 7

11500, McCree Road

Dallas, TX 75218

No admission or programme.

Since opening, the entrance has moved to a different road, if the address on the sign outside is believed. There are a mixture of pitches here, six of them being full size. This pitch is floodlit and has a small section of metal bleachers.