CharitableFans.com
January 1, 2018
Rose Bowl – Pasadena, California
Rose Bowl Solo (I really wish everyone was there with me, what a game)
Pregame Thoughts
Prediction: Oklahoma wins by 3
Results
Final Score: Georgia 54, Oklahoma 48
I could care less that I didn’t predict this right, this was by far the best game I saw all year for any sport! Amazing, much more below!
The Game
Review to come! Sorry, this guy has been busy!
The Stadium
Overall Rating:
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Fan Tips
December 16, 2017
Target Center – Minneapolis, Minnesota
My Friend Mike (yes we forgot to take a picture at the game, so this was the pregame)
Pregame Thoughts
Prediction: Timberwolves win by 11
Results
Final Score: Suns 108, Timberwolves 106
My first bad prediction for a non-NFL game. The Timberwolves really blew this one (more on that below).
The Game
Review to come! Sorry, this guy has been busy!
The Stadium
Overall Rating:
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Fan Tips
December 16, 2017
Xcel Energy Center – St. Paul, Minnesota
My Friend Mike
Pregame Thoughts
Prediction: Oilers win by 1
Results
Final Score: Oilers 3, Wild 2
I nailed the prediction, even though it wasn’t really a “pregame thought” since we got there late (my fault, wrong time zone). Anyway, it was 0-0 when I made the prediction, so all in all, I will take the win!
The Game
Review to come! Sorry, this guy has been busy!
The Stadium
Overall Rating:
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Fan Tips
December 9, 2017
Quicken Loans Arena – Cleveland, Ohio
My Friends Kate and Jesse
Pregame Thoughts
Prediction: Cavaliers win by 10+
Results
Final Score: Cavaliers 105, 76ers 98
Pretty good prediction, sorry you couldn’t hear the sound. I don’t remember exactly what I said, but I know I had a big game by Lebron (accurate and not a hard prediction) and the Cavaliers winning. Go me, yay!
The Game
Review to come! Sorry, this guy has been busy!
The Stadium
Overall Rating:
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Fan Tips
December 2, 2017
BMO Harris Bradley Center – Milwaukee, Wisconsin
My Friend Luke
Pregame Thoughts
Prediction: Bucks win by 15
Results
Final Score: Bucks 109, Kings 104
The prediction would have been a lot better if the Bucks knew how to play with a lead, they were up by 10+ most of the game! Still got the win.
The Game
Review to come! Sorry, this guy has been busy!
The Stadium
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Fan Tips
November 30, 2017
United Center – Chicago, Illinois
Even though this wasn’t an NBA game, this was 100% necessary!
My Friends Jeahnna and Trevor
Pregame Thoughts
Prediction: Blackhawks win by 1
Results
Final Score: Stars 4, Blackhawks 3 (OT)
A loss but a great game. NHL games are much faster and always close compared to the NFL games. Two hockey games, both went into OT, none so far through 22 football games
The Game
Review to come! Sorry, this guy has been busy!
The Stadium
Overall Rating:
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Fan Tips
November 27, 2017
PPG Paints Arena – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
My Friend Duncan
Penguins
Prediction: Penguins win by 2
Results
Final Score: Penguins 5, Flyers 4 (OT)
Great hockey game to watch, got the prediction right thanks to some late goals by the Penguins.
The Game
Review to come! Sorry, this guy has been busy!
The Stadium
Overall Rating:
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Fan Tips
November 13, 2017
Oracle Arena – Oakland, California
My Friends Gemma and Chris
Pregame Thoughts
Prediction: Warriors win by 17
Results
Final Score: Warriors 110, Magic 100
My prediction wasn’t too far off. If it wasn’t for some late baskets by the Magic, the score would have been spot on. Also, I made the prediction without knowing Steph Curry would not be playing. That is a lesson to everyone before you make picks!
The Game
Good game overall. There were a few exciting dunks, not as many three pointers, more turnovers than expected and a quiet but productive game by Kevin Durant.
With Steph Curry out, you knew Durant would be the go to. He didn’t go off and it was actually team play that won the game. Durant finished with 20 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds. It was a team win though: Draymond Green had 21 points on 8 out of 11 shooting, Shaun Livingston had 16 points and Klay Thompson had 15 points.
Aaron Gordon had a rough shooting night finishing only with 10 points on 4 of 13 shooting. Nikola Vucevic led the Magic with 20 points.
The Stadium
Overall Rating: C-
The stadium is in the middle of nowhere and is really old and crammed in. No wonder why they are building a new one in downtown San Francisco. You shouldn’t be looking forward to how much tickets will be though, demand will be more than it is now!
It was much easier to get to on the BART (public transit here if you aren’t familiar) than it is for Raiders games, but still not the most fun commute.
Concessions were really good (they even had Korean BBQ), especially that they have all the toppings you could want for your hot dogs. Most stadiums don’t have that. I mean jalapenos, onions, lots of condiments, it was great. The NFL should take note.
Love, Hate, Shout Out
Love: Elfrid Payton’s hair. Get him a hair deal, NOW! You are probably saying, who is that? Yeah, I had to look it up to in order to make sure I was right. Part of the reason you might not know him is because he has been on the Orlando Magic for three seasons. Drafted by the 76ers in 2014 from University of Louisiana Lafayette and traded to the Magic on draft night. Anyway, not only is he an up and coming point guard, but the dude has sick hair game. See for yourself: Image Search
Hate: However Steph Curry got hurt last Saturday. I really wanted to see him play, but that’s the breaks. Maybe get a new shoe deal Steph?
Shout Out: Orlando Magic. Well, they are actually above .500 (I know its early but we all know their history). Also, they did a good job staying in this game (it was tied at halftime). I think they actually might be relevant in the East.
Fan Tips
Enjoy the old stadium these last few seasons, because once it moves to San Francisco, the prices are going to double.
October 11, 2017
Wrigley Field – Chicago, Illinois
My Friend Trevor (photos are from opening day)
Results
Final Score: Nationals 5, Cubs 0
Tough game in the rain. I thought the Cubs would close this game out and move on to the next round. I was wrong.
The Game
This photo was actually from the right game! It shows how the entire game was, very rainy. The MLB did a poor job with this one. They could have played the game the day before in the afternoon but did not move the game time. “Rumor” has it that TBS didn’t want to change the TV schedule, they denied it. The reason that is hard to believe is because they said “moving the game to the afternoon never came up.” How could it not come up? It was obvious to my new born niece that can’t even speak. I am calling them “Liars” and determining it was because of ratings.
The game itself was a pitching duel until Michael Taylor hit a grand slam in the 8th inning off of Wade Davis. The ball landed into the net just in front of the stands in right field. If that ball was hit 10 minutes earlier it would have been caught. The timing couldn’t have been worse for the Cubs as it was just when the rain and wind slowed down enough for the ball to get out.
Jake Arrieta didn’t pitch too bad but did take the loss. He only went 4 innings and the only run he gave up was on a two out error by Addison Russell. Jon Lester dominated in 3.2 innings, he even picked a guy off (more on that below). I question the decision to go to the bullpen with one out in the 8th. Carl Edwards Jr. came in and walked two guys and then Wade Davis gave up the grand slam. Hindsight is 20-20 but both my friend Trevor and I said why are you taking Lester out when it happened.
As for the Nationals, Stephen Strasburg dominated the Cubs, He went 7 innings, struck out 12 and only allowed 5 total base runners (3 hits and 2 walks). The only reason he started was the debacle with the schedule, which made this a higher rated game and has now caused a game 5 to be played (let me point you above where I mentioned ratings). The only real offense was the grand slam by Michael Taylor in the 8th inning.
The Stadium
Overall Rating: A
The remodeling Wrigley field certainly has a lot more amenities and seating, but they kept the old feeling. The bad part about that are longer restroom lines and longer concession lines. Also, there are still many seats with obstructed views.
However, it is Wrigley and a great ballpark to watch the game in a great area in Chicago, so it gets an A!
Love, Hate, Shout Out
Love: Playoff baseball. Nothing like a playoff game in October that ends up being back and forth pitching duel.
Hate: Decisions made by money by people that are already rich. Listen, I said my peace about the game not being changed and then rescheduled, but my biggest issue is the people making the decisions here. Why did we leave it up to TBS anyway? (allegedly they didn’t) If they did, the MLB should have had the power to say, we are doing it anyway. The money doesn’t matter any more, these people are greedy.
Shout Out: Jon Lester’s pick off. Wow! He did it! Yes, that’s right Jon Lester picked a guy off. It was a snap throw too and Anthony Rizzo applied the tag beautifully. I have to imagine they practiced this and just held off until the right time. Rizzo went over to Lester before and had a brief conversation, I bet he said something along the lines of, “You know what we practiced, just throw it as hard as you can, I’ll stop it if its off.” And to Ryan Zimmerman, where are you going dude? Jokes on you. Great job Lester!
Fan Tips
If you ever have the chance do to Wrigley. Summers are really nice in Chicago.
October 7, 2017
Michigan Stadium – Ann Arbor, Michigan
My Friend Duncan
Results
Final Score: Michigan State 14, Michigan 10
I certainly didn’t have Michigan State winning this game, I don’t think many people did. The only thing I will give myself credit for is after Iowa State upset Oklahoma all the Michigan fans were saying “we’re going to move up in the rankings” and I said “you have to win your game first”. I think the Michigan players made the same mistake and were too busy thinking about the other scores.
The Game
What a crappy game. Both weather wise and play wise, there wasn’t much good happening on this day (I guess unless you are a Michigan State fan).
This was a crazy, shocking upset. Let’s start with the obvious for Michigan, turnovers and dropped passes. There were so many dropped passes I thought maybe I was watching a pee-wee game. Yes, it did rain really hard, but you can’t blame the drops on that. The rain (see video below) was basically for just the third quarter, and that’s not where most of the drops occurred. The most critical one came with 20 seconds left. It would have put Michigan on the 20 yard line and a chance to win the game, which, to be honest, I can’t believe they were still in it.
Outside of the mistakes, the Michigan State defense really showed up. They forced 5 turnovers and held Michigan to just 5-17 on 3rd down (and three of those came on the last drive). Not much offense to speak of for MSU, their only good drive came in the second quarter, 9 plays for 83 yards for the touchdown.
The Stadium
Overall Rating: A+
Every time you hear about the Big House it is always positive and everyone always says you have to see a game there. This was my first time there and I totally agree. Even with all the rain, it is a historical memorable stadium.
The inside of the stadium is great as far as concessions, room to walk around and view from your seat. But the outside tailgating before the game is where its at, so awesome.
The one and only negative in the stadium is that all the seats are really crammed in, like worse than the worst airplane you’ve ever been on. But hey, its an experience and it is college.
Love, Hate, Shout Out
Love: My first game at the Big House. I am hoping its not my last and I would love to get up there for a hockey game (I imagine the atmosphere is even more crazy).
Hate: Teams looking ahead. I am not saying this definitely happened but it sure looked like it. Fans. Players. Coaches. Announcers. No one really gave Michigan State a chance in this one. Then once Iowa State upset Oklahoma the talk was where Michigan moves up in the rankings. Not so fast. Don’t watch the scoreboard, don’t look ahead, win the game in front of you and that’s all.
Shout Out: My friend Pat. It was his 30th birthday weekend and a great time was had by all. Dinner and drinks Friday night, the tailgating and game on Saturday and hanging out on Sunday (I had to run to the Lions game, but still got to hang out a bit).
Fan Tips
Go to a game at the Big House (if you didn’t see this one coming, then you didn’t read anything on this page). It could be a college football game, hockey game, soccer match, heck just go watch two guys mow the field (well maybe not that extreme, but just get there).
When you do go, tailgate! I was fortunate enough to go for an evening game. The weather was amazing and the are around the stadium is amazing.
September 19, 2017
Yankee Stadium – Bronx, NY
My Friends Ryan (left), John (middle left) and John (right)
Results
Final Score: Yankees 5, Twins 2
Again, just like last post, I don’t have a pre-game video, but I can tell you I would have predicted the Yankees to win.
The Game
The score actually doesn’t show how easily the Yankees won this game. It felt like a blowout. After about an hour rain delay the Yankees played a really solid game. They really worked the count and created their opportunities to win the game (even without any home runs).
The offense was solid with Brett Gardner and Starlin Castro each having 3 hits and Aaron Judge adding two hits. The team had 6 walks as well.
CC Sabathia pitched a solid 6 innings, striking out 5 while only allowing two hits and two walks. Then the bullpen did their thing. Chad Green scoreless 7th inning. David Robertson a perfect 8th inning (3 Ks on 12 pitches). Aroldis Chapman a scoreless 9th inning on 12 pitches. Pitching will be key entering the playoffs!
The Stadium
Overall Rating: A- (this may be a little bias being a Yanks fan and living in NYC for 7+ years)
My only knock on this stadium is that it is way too corporate. The old Yankee Stadium was awesome, it definitely needed replacing, but not in this exact way. The corporate seats (most expensive ones) have a lot of room and everything is catered to them. I realize it should be this way, but not this much. To the point that the staff is checking your tickets to make sure you are in the right upper deck section in the 8th inning isn’t really helpful. Let the kids sneak up behind the dugout in blow out games at least, come on!
The location is great and it is easy to get there from Manhattan via the subway. There are bars to drink at before and after games. They let you in monument park early and tour the Yankees museum (which is like its own hall of fame).
Love, Hate, Shout Out
Love: Yankee Stadium. When I was living in NYC I went to at least 15 games per year. This past season traveling around the world was awesome and I wouldn’t trade it for anything, but sports (especially Yankee games) are something I definitely missed.
Hate: Rain Delays. I know it isn’t anyone’s fault, but it just sucks especially during the week. If you live close enough to the stadium or have a bar to wait at, its not that bad, but still the unknown is killer.
Shout Out: CC Sabathia. All season he has done his thing. Not blowing away teams but getting through 5-6 innings and keeping the game close. He has really learned how to work on his off speed pitches.
Fan Tips
Make sure your Metro Card has enough money on it to take the subway home after the game. You do not want to be stuck in line for one.
Check out the bars before or after the game. Especially on weekends they have a good vibe.
September 9, 2017
Globe Life Park – Arlington, Texas
I went to this game alone. I decided to start my NFL trip with a baseball game. Since the NFL season starts tomorrow and it was a really nice Saturday, no one really wanted to go. The half empty stadium proved it.
Results
Final Score: Yankees 3, Rangers 1
Although I don’t have a live video to prove it, my prediction was that the Yankees would win behind strong pitching from Luis Severino. My integrity of a sports fan would not lie to you and if you read my other posts you will realize I always bet on my favorites.
The Game
Luis Severino pitched a gem, going 7 innings while only allowing one hit and one run. He struck out 10 and looked really dominant! David Robertson and Aroldis Chapman both pitched an inning each not allowing a base runner. This was Chapman’s first save since being yelled at on the mound up in Fenway by Girardi a few weeks ago. These are all good things heading into the last month of the season and hopefully the playoffs!
There was not much offense to speak of as Andrew Cashner also pitched well for the Rangers. He went 7+ innings only allowing four hits and one run. It was that “+” that got him. Not sure why the manager allowed him to start the 7th inning with almost 100 pitches, but he immediately hit a batter and gave up a single.
The game winning hit and RBI went to Tyler Austin. He came into the game at first base in the bottom of the 8th inning after Matt Holiday had pinched hit for Greg Bird. It was a solid line drive by Austin in the top of the 9th, which was good to see from the young rising star. Yanks tacked on an insurance run with a bases loaded walk.
The Stadium
Overall Rating: B+
The stadium was nice but it is way out in Arlington. Not much to do before or after the game out there. Concession lines were good and there really isn’t a bad seat in the stadium (try to stay out of the sun though).
Love, Hate, Shout Out
Love: First Time Seeing Aaron Judge. I was really hoping I would get to see him this season. I have been traveling the world since his MLB debut in August of 2016. Although he didn’t have a hit he did have a walk, score a run and worked the count full three separate at bats.
Hate: Going to games alone (kind of). I don’t mid it, but I don’t let it happen too often. I like to be able to talk sports with someone and experience the stadium/game. It happens once in a while and if it is a game I really want to see, I will do it. You won’t see this happen too often this year, trust me.
Shout Out: Yankees Pitching. The Yanks only gave up one hit all game to a Rangers team that has a good offense and has been scoring a lot of runs as of late.
Fan Tips
Wear sunscreen, it is Texas and it is sunny. This seems like a no brainer but guess who forgot? I thought it was September and cooler! Nope.
Park at Six Flags in the very back of the lot. It is only a 5 minute walk over to the stadium and there is plenty of room to tailgate.