I finally decided.... 2003 Quakes era jersey with a red sweatshirt underneath and a cozy red sleeveless fleece (just in case). Wearing my Quakes visor as well. Pretty sure my son's wearing the red Quakes throwback jersey. WOO freakin HOO!!! Our train departs Mtn View in 1 hour 45 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!
That it does. Very Quakes blue. It's a headguard. Some soccer dad created it to help prevent concussions when coming in contact with other players, hitting the ground hard, hitting goal posts, getting kicked, etc. Concussions are one of the more common soccer injuries you know.
I ended up on an earlier train. So I musta missed you. I don't think we've ever even met. So I'm sorry I missed you.... Speaking of the train.... Have I got a story for you guys.... I boarded the train at Diridon. At the Mountain View station, a Brazilian woman (full of attitude) got on the train and sat behind me. Then a Japanese man (very nice, moved to the US a month ago for work) sat next to her. She proceeds to say, in an obviously too loud voice, "I think Japan has a better chance of winning." Now of course, she's supporting Japan because of their coach. So I just kinda smiled to myself and let that go. She was obviously trying to get to me. But to each their own. I have my team, millions of others have theirs.... So no worries there.... But THEN.... A few sentences later she said (in the same rude, too loud, in your face way as before), "Soccer is not an American game. That's why they'll never be good at it." She had been watching me in the window (you know how you reflect in the window). So I quickly turned my head towards the inside of the train as my mouth dropped open. "Oh, it's on lady! You're so gonna eat those words tonight! And just WAIT until the World Cup! It is on!" I thought to myself (no need to play into her game). And I'm so glad I was right last night! And I'd like to thank her for getting my passion up. It was a long day at work. So I was a bit tired. But after that, it was on!
Quakes fans were there, but really scattered in the stands from what I could tell. We had quite a few in 139, including Colin McCarthy, but the cheers when the US scored were minimal...whereas when Japan scored, our section went nuts. Lots of dissing tubster Kevin, but I didn't hear any anti-Landon chants. Really made me miss Spartan and our team. The atmosphere was not the same, a lot of the fans were unpleasant, and getting into that stadium was scary--tried not to think of all the soccer stampede stories I'd read. Also, we had to stand the whole time. Maybe for you Casbah vets that's not a bad thing, but I hurt my back (not a good idea to try to carry 70+ pound lab) and even when I was standing I couldn't see much. I'm glad I went, but it was not a game that created happy memories. P.S. My daughter used the wifi at the Borders across the street from the park to take her online test. Thanks to those of you who offered advice.
Well? Did we have fun last night? Yes! We did! (except for the God-awful long train ride home with a bunch of loud obnoxious smelly drunks) It was good to see so many of the same Quakes fans who I would see regularly at Spartan over the last 10 years. To be honest, I just wanted to walk around and find everyone! But that stadium was HELLA difficult to navigate efficiently! It was complete chaos at halftime. I'm equally sad that I didn't run into a couple of my buddies! I don't know if I was just hyper-aware of it but it seemed like there were SO MANY with Quakes gear on in some way or another and every single one of them that I encountered were so friendly. Kudos and love to the Bay Area (and Japan) for really showing up for our (their) Nats. But I'm wondering....could SF possibly be THE most "Euro-snobbish" area in the nation? I LOVE the city and I hate to use the "term," but yep, I'm saying it and I'm feeling it. I know a nats game is different than an MLS game but sheesh! There were pockets of people that I felt I could cut the pretentiousness with a freakin knife. I dunno, just not cool. And I dunno, am I unknowingly projecting some deeply embedded feelings of disappointment in these folks for not showing up to Clash/Quakes games over the years? Do I need therapy? Overall, an exciting and expensive night of awesome soccer. I'd do it again in a heartbeat! We REALLY need our Quakes back in the South Bay.
Gotta agree with you on the game. I missed pretty much all of it. I'm glad I taped it. I couldn't see a thing standing in Sam's Army. And I couldn't hear a thing. I had no idea Ching played. None whatsoever. And when I found out he did, I was pretty pissed I missed it. But I guess the tape will have to the best I get of that game. But at the same time. It was good to be at a game. It was good to see some of the peeps! And that just made it all the more worse, actually. The last Quakes game I left, I still had faith I'd be buying season ticket soon, talking about the draft, watching a few preseason training sessions, and finally going to the games. This time, there was nothing to say but goodbye...until who knows when, if ever. Very, very sad.
If you do, then so do I. Cuz I kept thinking, where were these people the last ten-eleven years? Why couldn't the team attrack these fans? What went wrong?! What is wrong with these people?! *sigh*
Sorry we missed you too. We just made the 5:58 train by the skin of our teeth- couldn't find parking!!!!! f-r-u-s-t-r-a-t-i-o-n set in as I pulled a couple of illegal U-turns in downtown Mtn View! But we made it and we saw tons of people who my son and his friend knew. It was cool. I have a train story as well. On the way up a couple of middle-aged women sat across the aisle from us. Of course I was decked out in my Quakes gear and she said something like, it's so sad about the Quakes. And I perked right up and said yea, but they'll be back. Then she proceeded to say "yea, but it was really their own fault." I said, "No, it wasn't their own fault." Then I went on to give a synposis of what we've been talking about here for years. I couldn't believe how well I did spontaneously and on the spur of the moment. Shut her right up. My son, who was sitting directly in front of me (we were in the forward seats that face each other), tapped me on the ankle with his foot and gave me a wink and a nod. That was the best part!
Good for you, Becky! The train ride up was worse than the ride back in terms of fellow passengers. We had a lot of guys who'd already been drinking (and were continuing to do so) and who got into some tussles. There was a lot of screaming too, which didn't particularly bother me, but some of the regular commuters were not too happy. We were on the train that pulled in around 6:30. Going back was much quieter, but SRO. So I stood until San Carlos, the first stop, wondering if I could fall asleep standing up on Caltrain. (I didn't.)
The other thing that was a pain in the ass.... The food situation! Let this be a lesson for our future. By the time I got there EVERY place to get food was packed. So no food before the game, and I hadn't eaten since 11.30. Then Beerking stood in line at the game for, what, 40 minutes to get food, and didn't get any. Didn't even get close to getting any food. Then afterward, I just wanted out of there. The crowds were insane! Thank goodness for leftover locker room sandwiches. Cuz I was not in a good mood...freezing and hungry until 11-11.30 at night!
For me, walking to the stadium from the train was fun. We got caught up in a group of Japanese fans who were really friendly and my son and his friend were pretty animated. The Japan fans looked and acted the part of fervent fans very well and it reminded me a bit of crossing El Camino from the Town and Country shopping center with gobs of fans during the WC in 94. Maybe I was just having a flashback.
11-11:30? OMG, we didn't get home until almost 1:30 and we caught the second train out. We stopped at every-single-stop. It took about an hour and a half to get from the city to Mtn View.
I think it was closer to 11.30. I had to wait in the parking lot in my boyfriend's car (sleeping) until he was done packing up the locker room so the guys could catch a flight. He (and few other field crew peeps) came out with sandwiches and I squealed. I think they gave me one so they wouldn't have to hear me do that all the way home. And I do have to say, I'm darned lucky to have had a ride. I took Caltrain to the Dave Matthews concert there years ago.... It took me nearly two hours to get home. I would NOT have taken Caltrain if I didn't have a ride home.
God, hearing all the CalTrain stories, good and bad, really depresses me. Me and my friend had many an adventure riding the train from the City to Quakes games, but alas I won't be making any this year...It was amazing to see the turnout, but Pac-Bell, SBC, AT&T or whatever Park really wasn't designed for massive crowds like that. That fact alone made me miss the comfortable confines of Spartan. Anyhow, it was a pleasure to see al the Quake shirts, even if it was at the last live footy-fix I'll get for a while.
I had a bittersweet time the whole night. I was in a group of about 8, half of them coworkers. We all work in the Financial District so we hoofed it down 2nd Street, looking for a place to eat. I swear, Mary and Joseph had an easier time finding lodging than we did victuals last night!. Finally we found a taqueria, Victor's on Townsend/Third I think. There was two poor women completely overwhelmed and a line out the door! We ate in a surreal darkness thanks to the patio lights being out. On top of it, the place next door had plenty of light and a good party going on! There was a good amount of folk with Quake's gear on. Trying to catch the eye of each one, half or so gave an appreciative nod or smile. Our seats were OK, being right behind the southeastern corner flag. There was a pocket of about 6 kids behind us making all sorts of stupid remarks about every player's name or yelling stupid things at the opposing players. Then, about 20 minutes in, the French Foreign Legion comes in. About 4-6 adults and 2-3 kids. While my French is rusty, I caught their constant contempt for both teams and how "Donovan n'est-ce pas Zizzou." Amazing were the Japanese. Even when they were down 3-0, they kept with the cheering. I laughed when the French people behind me got up in unison to say "Ehe! Trois a zero! TROIS A ZERO!" On the way out, I saw "PaulChild". Not the old player but a cool cat here on the BS boards. Anyhow, I was not very comfortable all night thanks to the craziness about me. I love it when the crowd is active at a match but last night there was this strange vibe to everthing. I can't quite describe it but the atmosphere was definitely different and not in a good way. I was a bit sad to realize that last night was as good as it will get for a while in the Bay Area.
TyffaneeSue, We were on that train too, and the car we were in was pretty quiet. You should have come sit with us. - Holly Ward
I was front row of sam's army (wearing red while my buddy and his son had their US flag t-shirts on) waving or hanging my Quakes t-shirt on the rail in front of me. about halfway thru the first quarter, one of the stadium employees (w/ a headset) came and ripped down a banner in front of me i didnt even know was there. it was Quakes related i could see that much but dont know what it said?!?!? who hung it and what did it say?
If so, then there are more that need it than just you. I felt the same way: "Man, where do all of you hide out?" On the way back on BART, I was talking to one guy from Berkeley who expressed his sympthies for the loss of the Quakes, and mentioned that all of the people he was with were soccer players and they had an informal team. I told him that I wished he could have brought them down to San Jose.
On the way up, we took the baby bullet train from Mountain View that arrived in SF at 6:25pm. In Mountain View we arrived about 10 minutes before the train got there, and found a decent parking spot with not much difficulty. The platform was very full of soccer fans, which surprised me, but once we got on the train, it was not very full (plenty of open seats) which also surprised me. When we got to SF we stopped at the Safeway across from the train station to get dinner from the deli. We bought sandwiches and oranges. No line at the deli counter, and not much of a line at checkout. We met up with the guy who was going to use our 3rd ticket, and found our way to the seats by 7. It was crowded but not too bad in the stadium. After finding our seats I went back to the concessions to get some Nats gear. I bought a scarf and a hoodie sweatshirt. We ate our sandwiches while watching the players warm up and watching commercials on the Jumbotron. After the game we pushed and shoved and struggled through the crowd to get out of the stadium. I was shocked how poor the exit routes from the stadium were. Then we ran down the street to get to the station in time for the 10:15 train (the express to San Carlos). The train was SRO by the time we got on, but we managed to find a seat for Holly while I stood in the aisle. The doors between cars were locked in the open position and I noticed a familiar face struggling in vain to close them - Johnny Moore! I went over and talked with him and his wife nearly all the way home. All in all, it was a great evening. No complaints.
Hey, we were on the same trains both ways! We got out of the stadium pronto and ran to the station, ran down the length of the train, and still couldn't find a seat. I don't know how the post-game trains filled up so quickly (and wonder how come Caltrain didn't know that there would be so many riders.) Has anyone been to a baseball game at PacBell/SBC-soon-to-be-AT&T park? I'm just wondering if it's always that awful to get into the stadium (we missed the first few minutes). Or did management assume that most of us wouldn't use our tickets?
I have season tickets to the Giants. Last night was far worse than usual. I'd say the biggest problems were: 1) Whoever was in charge didn't expect such a big crowd. I don't know why this would be true, since it was in the news, but from the number of food sites that were closed, I'm guessing this was the case. 2) The crowd included far more people than usual who didn't normally attend events at the park, so they, too, were unprepared. There are several ways to enter the park, but the vast majority of people last night used the main entrance, which was, as we know, very crowded. I don't think the huge will-call helped, either, since it likely made for more grumpy fans ... and part of the problem from my perspective was that the fans were more irate than usual. I'm not trying to blame fans, I'm just trying to figure out what the difference was. Even the simple stuff like getting out of the way once you got to the top of the escalator ... people didn't know where their seats were, so it seemed they just stopped as soon as they got off the escalator and started looking at their ticket stubs, which made for more crowding and more aggravation. FWIW, there also seemed to be more drunks last night than is usual for a Giants game.