Tickets to Playoff Game in LA I would like to get tickets to the playoff game in LA. Is another group purchase going to happen?
First Playoff Game at Home Depot Anyone planning to fly down for first game of playoffs at Home Depot?? I can't do a bus trip but I might be able to swing an overnighter or even coming back on a late flight if someone knows if it is possible.
I took these posts out of the 10/18 roadtrip thread and created this new one for the 11/1 roadtrip. I am planning on flying down (the bus trip was fun, but it's too late to organize it at this point). I don't think it is possible to fly back after the game, unless someone has a flight at midnight or so -- the low-cost flights on JetBlue and Southwest do not run that late. I'll see if anyone at Club Quake is organizing a group ticket purchase, if not, I'll see what we can do to make sure we get tickets in the same section. I did a brief airfare search -- Jet Blue has flights from Oakland to Long Beach for $54 on Saturday, but the return is more expensive, $74 for a morning flight or $114 or something for an afternoon flight on Sunday. Southwest has flights from San Jose to LAX for $75 each way.
Official LA Playoff Game 11/1 Roadtrip Thread I'd love to go there. If not flying, maybe we can arrange some carpools?
No word on tickets yet. If someone else wants to volunteer and call up the Galaxy office and get started, go for it, I may not get to it this week (don't worry, the game won't "sell out" like last weekend's).
Don't mind us. BTW the players didn't seem to acknowledge us at all after the debacle. I'm not used to that. We did our part. Don't mind us, we just drove six hours and/or burned a bunch of money to watch you suck again.
Maybe it's like the John-John duo said, they just wanted to get on those buses and get the hell out of there.
Official LA Playoff Game 11/1 Roadtrip Thread That was the feeling I got too. It wasn't like us supporters were giving them the stink eye. A few players I met were kind of standoff-ish. Frank and Johnny were actually really cool when I rapped with them at the Pitchers bar.
Must have been the LA smog causing emotional contortions of the lower liver. I've talked to those guys many times and they have always been receptive, personable and very appreciative of our support. "We need more fans like that." I think you had best just chalk it up to a bad day all around.
Official LA Playoff Game 11/1 Roadtrip Thread For the hardcore traveller: 11/01 One way from Oakland to Long Beach $ 70.00 includes tax. Departing anytime. One way from LAX to Oakland departing 10:20 ( I know it's cutting it close ) $ 130.00 includes tax. If you get two or three people to travel together the taxi will be cheap.
Official LA Playoff Game 11/1 Roadtrip Thread I forgot to mention that it's Jetblue from Oakland and US Airways back from LAX, flight # 8146.
Re: Don't mind us. Actually, I'm not going to the Playoffs because the players didn't appreciate having us there. If they want road support they need to act like they appreciate road support. It's just a gesture...trivial effort required... but absolutely necessary to come over after the game and acknowledge the road support. It takes 1 minute to come clap for the fans. I don't care if they were embarassed. I don't care if they were furious with the ref. These are professionals and they need to act like it and buck up and treat their own fans appropriately. And the avoiding of fans in the hotel afterward was damn childish too. It doesn't make me as angry as them not acknowledging the fans at the game, but it comes close. No one should go to this playoff game. With the exception of a minor acknowlegement from Agoos at the beginning and Donovan and at the end, we pretty much got told to a man that we weren't appreciated (at the game) and were a huge negative to be avoided (at the hotel). Someone from the Club needs to tell them they need to grow up and wise up or they won't have road support for long. I think there were a lot of first timers who travelled and if I were a newbie I'd never go again. I've seen them behave better in the past so I might give them a second chance. But the club did a great job of getting new people there and the players sabbotaged all the efforts with their behavior. -KMJvet
I'm not complaining. Cuz I really don't care. I appreciate the access we do have as fans. Any other sport and it wouldn't be the way it is. When this league really takes off (in many, many, many years) it won't be like this. So enjoy it while you can. Anyway, I got my hug from Cowboy the next day, so I can't really complain. But I do have to point out that it is sad that Diego Serna acknowledged the Quake fans more than the Quake players did.
In My Opinion (keep this in mind when reading the rest of the post!) The players don't owe us anything. They had a crappy day and they wanted to get the hell out of there. Just like bsman said -- so did I, I didn't even stay for the fireworks. Our seats were on the opposite end of the stadium from the exit. I do not blame them at all for heading directly to the exit and bypassing the wave that you feel like they owe you. At the hotel, I always feel like creepy stalker guy when I'm getting on the hotel elevator with my 2001 Quakes jersey on, and a player is already on in his civilian clothes. It's his uniform and some fan is wearing it. He doesn't know if I'm going to bug the crap out of him or what. I don't blame them at all for avoiding us. There was one guy on the bus coming back from the game (whom I had never seen before) who asked me if I had ever met Donovan's sister. That, to me, is crossing the line. How would you feel if some fan, a complete stranger who is wearing the shirt that you wear professionally, who may be a creepy stalker person, was asking about your family? Finally, compare to any other professional sport anywhere. The access we have to the players is incredible and unprecedented. The end-of-year club thing with the players is an amazing perk. And you want more access? I'm going to this game, to support my team, and I'm not going to withhold my support because of some perceived slight. The rest of you can do what you want.
Official LA Playoff Game 11/1 Roadtrip Thread I agree with just about everything you say, except for the, not going to the playoff game. Two wrongs, don't make a right.
I disagree with your expectations for these guys and your opinions of how much access is "a lot." Professional sports is an entertainment business. You can look at it like theater really. When the show is done, the actors come out and give a bow and make eye contact with the audience and say in words or actions "thanks for coming." They get the message across that they wouldn't be there getting to do what they do if not for an audience. You feel appreciated, even if all you did was choose not to watch TV, buy a ticket and come have a good time. The Quakes are no different. I think attendence could go up if the Quakes were better at recognizing this generally. People like to be appreciated, even if they're just "regular" fans, let alone traveling support. Joe Cannon understood this...I don't think anyone in the current player group does nearly as well. In terms of access, these guys don't have to do post-game press conferences, they don't have throngs of fans wanting autographs, particularly on the road---they just don't have the press or the fans making significant demands on their time. It just isn't hard to trot to the end of the field and clap your hands for a moment and make some eye contact. Back at the hotel, it's just not hard to spend 5-10 minutes walking through a bar, shaking hands, touching people on the shoulder and saying "thanks for coming down to support us." Quakes fans are just not stalker, weird, groupie types for the most part. They've seen us before. Schmoozing a little to show some appreciation may not come as naturally to them as it does to actors, but it's still part of job. They need to toughen up and be professional for 10 minutes and then it's fine to go off and sulk and be a bad mood or whatever else. If you truly do appreciate your fans, this isn't hard. If you don't, then you won't make the effort; and it's as simple as that. -KMJvet
Re: Official LA Playoff Game 11/1 Roadtrip Thread You have a reasonable point... I'm still going to skip it and save the $ for the mls cup if they're in it. -KMJvet
I really find all this quite hard to believe. I've been out talking to the players and coaches many times in Auto Alley, in the post-season get-togethers, in the pre-season chalk talks and they've never behaved like that. I don't know what the problem was, and I've never seen or heard of anything like this happening before with Quakes players. I think all of you ought to take it just like that, because it is definitely the exception not the rule. If I ever see that this is the general case with SJ Earthquakes players, I will not come back again. Just as Bill has said, we are very lucky for the kind of character these guys have. Go to an MLB or NFL game and see if you get the good treatment that you get here.
You're all correct. Despite how down-to-earth most MLS players are, it's absolutely bullshirt that the blues didn't come over and acknowledge fans who somehow travelled 350 miles to see them. The distance of Dublin to Paris, not worth a clap. Absolute bullshirt and worth a letter to the Quakes. But I'm not skipping the game, because that's the part I like and care about the most.
Personally I don't care how the players act in Auto Alley. Yeah, we are lucky to have such access to the players and that's great, but really I would much rather have thier recognition as a traveling supporter, then their autograph. I know that the color of the money in the pockets of the casual fans is the same as the dedicated traveling fan, but fans who go the extra mile(s) deserve the recognition, even on days when things don't go so well.
So I made my flight arrangements: Southwest 1593 from San Jose to LAX at 10:15 AM Saturday, and Southwest 1634 from LAX to San Jose at 12:45 PM on Sunday. Total cost $170. Carlos, good luck making that flight after the game on Saturday. It is possible, the stadium is not too far from LAX, but you will have to haul ass once the game ends to get yourself out of the parking lot before traffic gets tied up.