Hey PSUFAN

[TheJON]

I'm going to the Iowa-Pitt game in September and had a few questions....

1.We have tickets in section 102. Looks to be in the corner of the end zone. Not too happy about that, but that's where they snagged the tickets. Good or bad seats at Heinz Field?

2.Where to stay? Going with a couple of cheap SOB's, so anything too fancy is out of the question. Not looking for a Motel 6 or anything that shitty, but maybe something in the Holiday Inn range. Probably nothing better than that.

3.What's the atmosphere like outside the stadium? Plenty of tailgating space near by? Perhaps a couple of bars I would assume since it's downtown?

4.What are my odds of scoring near-free tickets to the Pirates game the night before? Hawkeyereport.com is having a gathering at the game, but I'm thinking I'd rather just buy some shit tickets and go sit where I want like I do at Royals games. Are the PNC Park ushers similar to the ones at Kauffman Stadium in that they don't really check your tickets (I buy cheap seats at The K and then sit behind home plate in the lower level pretty much every game)?

[Left Seater]

I'm going to the Iowa-Pitt game in September and had a few questions....

Going with a couple of cheap SOB's, so anything too fancy is out of the question.

What are my odds of scoring near-free tickets to the Pirates game the night before?

I'd rather just buy some shit tickets and go sit where I want like I do at Royals games.

(I buy cheap seats at The K and then sit behind home plate in the lower level pretty much every game)?

Is this like one of those stories you told your parents when you were young but said it was a friend of yours to gage their reaction? Sure seems like you are the cheap SOB.

[TheJON]

I'm not cheap, but what is the point of spending $30 for a ticket when I can pay $9 and sit in the same seat? That's called being financially responsible.

[Left Seater]

FYI the Hyatt has rooms at $169 that weekend.

And paying $9 and then upgrading is a good way to stay single. The ladies love that when you take them somewhere and then you spend two hours moving between seats until you finally end up in your cheap seats way at the back. They really love it when you do that with their shoes and bags.

:D

[PSUFAN]

JON, do I look like BargainHunter.com?

Seriously, I don't think any of those things are going to prove to be overwhelmingly expensive. Most seat offer good views at Heinz Field...except the club level, where folks just watch the game on boob tubes anyway.

I'll chime in with some restaurant recommendations and the like closer to the game.

[TheJON]

And paying $9 and then upgrading is a good way to stay single. The ladies love that when you take them somewhere and then you spend two hours moving between seats until you finally end up in your cheap seats way at the back. They really love it when you do that with their shoes and bags.

See, you've clearly never been to a Royals game. I never have to worry about that. I just go sit where I want and chances are it's not taken. Usually get to the stadium 10-15 minutes before first pitch and look for a group of seats that are empty and then go sit there. That's what happens when you've got a 40,000 seat stadium and only average 18,000. Once out of 10 games or so I'll have someone come up and say "you're in my seat". Then, I'll get up and move to the row behind it. No big deal. Hey, if you think you're more of a man than me because you're willing to spend $30 for the same seat I'm paying $9, than so be it. But, we plan on having kids soon and so I'd rather take that 21 bucks and put it into my kids college fund.

You'll call me cheap for this too, but I like to park across the street from The K at the Holiday Inn for free (not when the wife is there, she'll bitch at me for it) to save $9 on parking. It's good excersize and I save 9 bucks. They have a sign that says they'll tow your car but that's a lie. I've been doing it for 10 years and never been towed!

So when I go to a Royals game, I'll pay approximately $30 less than you would. And if you think that means I'm cheap, that's okay with me. Like I said, I'd rather have $30 extra in my pocket than not be considered cheap!

[MgoBlue-LightSpecial]

The ladies love that when you take them somewhere and then you spend two hours moving between seats until you finally end up in your cheap seats way at the back.

My (now ex)girlfriend tried to encourage me to buy standing room only tickets at (sold out) Tiger games, and move into some empties. I declined and bought from scalpers. Somehow, I bet it's significantly easier to pull this off at Royals games.

[TheJON]

You can get tickets for basically free outside the stadium if you wait until first pitch. I don't do that, but I know people who do. I'm too impatient to sit and wait and I hate missing first pitch, so I'll just pay the $9 for the Hy-Vee View Level seats.

Opening Day tickets are tough to come by. Sometimes Cardinals and Yankee series are as well. Other than that, it's never a problem (although the Giants series was ridiculously packed this year because Missourians love their fucking free shit and fireworks and there was plenty of that for that weekend!).

[Adelpiero]

What are my odds of scoring near-free tickets to the Pirates game the night before? Hawkeyereport.com is having a gathering at the game, but I'm thinking I'd rather just buy some shit tickets and go sit where I want like I do at Royals games. Are the PNC Park ushers similar to the ones at Kauffman Stadium in that they don't really check your tickets (I buy cheap seats at The K and then sit behind home plate in the lower level pretty much every game)?

c'mon, just like in KCtardville, you can get tickets to PNC at anytime, any level. Quit being a jerkoff, and spring for good seats from scalpers outside, you'll pay 70% of ticket cost, and sit in box seats.

you are a cheap muther fucker, so telling you where to stay and places to eat are pointless, when on a trip or vacation, i like to splurge, enjoy myself. Your looking to find a 2 for 1, or possibly trying to weasel your way into a senior citizen discount

but there is an old firehouse, they turned into a micro brewery, that has good eats. Pops ate there while catching a few cards-pirates games in pittsburgh.

[TheJON]

Not even close to being correct, Adelpiero. I eat at nice places and stay in nice hotels when I go on vacation too. I like to take in some good local restaurants in any town I visit and stay in nice hotels but not ridiculously expensive ones. Marriott, Holiday Inn, that type. I don't like to spend too much on hotel because when I go on vacation the last place I plan on hanging out at is the hotel. But I want a nice, comfy sleep for a reasonable price.

[War Wagon]

when on a trip or vacation, i like to splurge, enjoy myself.

adel, world traveller, lifestyles of the rich and famous... for about 5 minutes after he's hit the trifecta, then it's back to business as usual, throwing his worthless tickets down on the floor, wishing he'd gone to the casino instead. "splurging" is when he cashes in comps for a free buffet on all you can eat crab leg thursday, and then shits his pants before reaching the lavoratory, without stopping for a toothpick, before rushing past the appalled greeter.

this story brought to you by the comma' and caps key police.

[Left Seater]

I don't consider myself any better than you Jon, but I do enjoy pointing out to the usher encroachers like yourself. When we kick you out of our seats I always make sure to mention how you (encroachers) are using foul language on my next beer run. Then they come down and ask to see your ticket and next thing I know is you are gone when I get back.

As for parking at stadiums, I tend to take a cab. They drop you off at the gate and you can always find one after the game or call the guy that brought you. Can never be too careful when drinking, hell just ask Mo or Skull. I gave a cabbie in OKC half of an hundred and told him I would give him the other half if he came back and picked me up from O'Connells at 1:30. Not only did he come back he came and found me in the bar. Rack him BTW.

Isn't the Holliday Inn kinda like camping?

[King Crimson]

I gave a cabbie in OKC half of an hundred and told him I would give him the other half if he came back and picked me up from O'Connells at 1:30. Not only did he come back he came and found me in the bar. Rack him BTW.

that's beautiful. "half a hundred"** is a magic number in Norman.

**actually pronounced "haffa hunnerd"...with the prefix "let's hang" and "on'em" just after.

[TheJON]

Isn't the Holliday Inn kinda like camping?

It sure beats the piss outta the Days Inn, which was my motel of choice during my college days.

I don't consider myself any better than you Jon, but I do enjoy pointing out to the usher encroachers like yourself. When we kick you out of our seats I always make sure to mention how you (encroachers) are using foul language on my next beer run. Then they come down and ask to see your ticket and next thing I know is you are gone when I get back.

Trust me, at The K, it wouldn't matter. You'd yell "hey, this guy is cussing up a storm" and the ushers would probably look at you momentarily and then go back to picking their butt. See, I only do this at places where you can get away with it and Kauffman Stadium is that place! No one ever seems to care. In the unlikely event our organization decides it wants to quit being fucking douchebags and actually get serious about winning, I'll quit doing that because more people will show up. But the way I see it is there's no point in paying $30 for a $9 ticket and there's no point sitting in my $9 seats when I don't have to. Besides, I feel dirty giving that piece of shit David Glass my money and so I figure if I'm going to give him any money it better not be a lot!

[M Club]

i can't believe some of you are giving jon shit about paying less for the same seats you're willing to pay more for just so you can tell your internet friends you're a big spender, or that you're differentiating between sanitized hotel rooms that all smell the same. days inn, holiday inn, the marriot: there's a difference? they all have jizz in the blankets, so scoreboard the guy who pays $39 for a room rather than the one who drops $150 and uses the "fitness room" instead of exploring a new city.

[peter dragon]

i can't believe some of you are giving jon shit about paying less for the same seats you're willing to pay more for just so you can tell your internet friends you're a big spender, or that you're differentiating between sanitized hotel rooms that all smell the same. days inn, holiday inn, the marriot: there's a difference? they all have jizz in the blankets, so scoreboard the guy who pays $39 for a room rather than the one who drops $150 and uses the "fitness room" instead of exploring a new city.

rack!

and that quote just skeived me out... so do bedbugs but thats just me.. stay away from youtube and bedbugs..

[Left Seater]

I see you working M, but there are some things all of us will spend more money on. Hotels are one of those things for me. When you spend as many nights a year in hotels as I do, I want something better than a $39 room. Further, you don't have to spend a lot of money for nicer hotels. The deals are always out there. If you just stop at the internet search then shame on you, but there are plenty of deals to be had.

[SunCoastSooner]

I see you working M, but there are some things all of us will spend more money on. Hotels are one of those things for me. When you spend as many nights a year in hotels as I do, I want something better than a $39 room. Further, you don't have to spend a lot of money for nicer hotels. The deals are always out there. If you just stop at the internet search then shame on you, but there are plenty of deals to be had.

Rack lefty... cheap bastages.

I do agree with not giving Mr. Glass(dick) any more money than he deserves for ruining a successful franchise...

[MgoBlue-LightSpecial]

they all have jizz in the blankets

Maybe he's banking on the Marriot having STD-free jizz, as opposed to the Super 8.

[TheJON]

I see you working M, but there are some things all of us will spend more money on. Hotels are one of those things for me. When you spend as many nights a year in hotels as I do, I want something better than a $39 room. Further, you don't have to spend a lot of money for nicer hotels. The deals are always out there. If you just stop at the internet search then shame on you, but there are plenty of deals to be had.

Rack lefty... cheap bastages.

I do agree with not giving Mr. Glass(dick) any more money than he deserves for ruining a successful franchise...

Eh, the franchise was already in ruins when Glass took over. He just continued running it into the ground and torturing us loyal fans by refusing to actually care! I hope he dies of a massive heart attack. He's a money grubbing scumsucker and he can kiss my white ass!

[SunCoastSooner]

I see you working M, but there are some things all of us will spend more money on. Hotels are one of those things for me. When you spend as many nights a year in hotels as I do, I want something better than a $39 room. Further, you don't have to spend a lot of money for nicer hotels. The deals are always out there. If you just stop at the internet search then shame on you, but there are plenty of deals to be had.

Rack lefty... cheap bastages.

I do agree with not giving Mr. Glass(dick) any more money than he deserves for ruining a successful franchise...

Eh, the franchise was already in ruins when Glass took over. He just continued running it into the ground and torturing us loyal fans by refusing to actually care! I hope he dies of a massive heart attack. He's a money grubbing scumsucker and he can kiss my white ass!

We weren't totally the suck until he took over. At least the team came out and there was hope before Glassdick came along.

[M Club]

I see you working M, but there are some things all of us will spend more money on. Hotels are one of those things for me. When you spend as many nights a year in hotels as I do, I want something better than a $39 room. Further, you don't have to spend a lot of money for nicer hotels. The deals are always out there. If you just stop at the internet search then shame on you, but there are plenty of deals to be had.

ja, well, i'm a cheap bastard. i grew up on welfare [i.e. my mum spent the welfare check on her boyfriend's tequila and her franzia] and then put myself through college with scholarships and 30-40 hours/week of work [but no loans...until grad school. ouch]. i read an interview with bill gates once where he said people generally have their idea of money by their early 20s, which probably explains why i'd just presume pull over on an on-ramp to sleep while driving cross-country even though i have the money to pay for the hotel i just passed on the off-ramp.

aside from that, i know there are deals. i check my travelocity and the whatnot when i'm going to be stuck in a city i don't know anyone well enough to use their guest bedroom. i only responded b/c y'all are like, hey jon, pay full price for the seats no one's going to use otherwise. think of all the embarrassment afterward when you show off your ticket stub and they laugh at you for paying $9. hahahahaha, loser. i paid $75 for mine and told the usher to kick out the kid who moved down from the upper deck. baseball is a country club, yo.

[Left Seater]

i paid $75 for mine and told the usher to kick out the kid who moved down from the upper deck. baseball is a country club, yo.

That's where you are wrong my friend. People don't pay for those tickets, companies do.

[War Wagon]

I do agree with not giving Mr. Glass(dick) any more money than he deserves for ruining a successful franchise...

Eh, the franchise was already in ruins when Glass took over. He just continued running it into the ground and torturing us loyal fans by refusing to actually care! I hope he dies of a massive heart attack. He's a money grubbing scumsucker and he can kiss my white ass!

We weren't totally the suck until he took over. At least the team came out and there was hope before Glassdick came along.

Some people obviously don't understand the economics of baseball. Until MLB adopts the same business model as the NFL, which means complete revenue sharing, the playing field will always remain uneven.

That said, the Royals aren't all that bad, and there is hope for the future. They've got a decent young team that's fun to watch (when I'm not pulling my hair out over some bone head play) and are developing many primo prospects in their minor league system

Say what you will about Glass, but at least KC still has a team, when there for awhile they were talking about "contraction". And this town still supports this franchise, despite having sucked for the last generation. If they ever do contend for a pennant again, they'll be hanging from the rafters.

Btw, the most expensive ticket at The K is like $45 on game day, and that's for the "all the junk food you can eat" seats in the Club Level. A Royals game is a bargain, compared to most of the league.

[TheJON]

War Wagon,

I don't like the financial excuse being used for this organization. Obviously, with the money the organization has at their disposal they can't win consistently. I'm fine with that. But for a franchise to be this pathetic it's inexcuseable. Money has nothing to do with being THIS bad. A lot of teams with smaller payrolls have done better over the last 10 years than the Royals. Young players never get better, prospects never pan out, high draft picks are busts. And on top of that, even with Dayton Moore, we rush our young hot-shot prospects to the bigs only to let deserving players such as Mike Aviles sit in AAA because Baseball America doesn't consider them a top prospect. Top prospects and high draft picks are overrated anyways. Maybe 1 out of 4 of the top prospects and draft picks each year actually pan out. An organization like KC has to find the hidden gems (like Aviles) and the only way they'll even consider that is if they're forced it like they were this year because TPJ was hitting .150. Alex Gordon was not ready for the bigs, we rushed him. Hochevar was not ready, we rushed him. And now look at those guys. They're basically busts. I know they're still young but neither have shown the ability to make it in this league.

This is my point exactly. It's not the money that's the problem in KC it's the people running the organization. Allard Baird was a tard. David Glass doesn't care. The scouts are horrible. The minor league coaches are horrible. And quite frankly, though he's improved some things, Dayton's proven to be rather inept as well thus far. Sure, he found Soria, but he also traded JP Howell for Joey Gathwrong. He gave Gil Meche $55 million. Paid cancer Guillen $36 million. Rushed Hochevar to the bigs. REFUSED to give Aviles a look until he had no other options. Etc...

I understand the economics of baseball perfectly. And the economics of baseball say the ONLY way to suck this bad for this long is because you done fucked up! Not because you ain't got the cash!

[SunCoastSooner]

War Wagon,

I don't like the financial excuse being used for this organization. Obviously, with the money the organization has at their disposal they can't win consistently. I'm fine with that. But for a franchise to be this pathetic it's inexcuseable. Money has nothing to do with being THIS bad. A lot of teams with smaller payrolls have done better over the last 10 years than the Royals. Young players never get better, prospects never pan out, high draft picks are busts. And on top of that, even with Dayton Moore, we rush our young hot-shot prospects to the bigs only to let deserving players such as Mike Aviles sit in AAA because Baseball America doesn't consider them a top prospect. Top prospects and high draft picks are overrated anyways. Maybe 1 out of 4 of the top prospects and draft picks each year actually pan out. An organization like KC has to find the hidden gems (like Aviles) and the only way they'll even consider that is if they're forced it like they were this year because TPJ was hitting .150. Alex Gordon was not ready for the bigs, we rushed him. Hochevar was not ready, we rushed him. And now look at those guys. They're basically busts. I know they're still young but neither have shown the ability to make it in this league.

This is my point exactly. It's not the money that's the problem in KC it's the people running the organization. Allard Baird was a tard. David Glass doesn't care. The scouts are horrible. The minor league coaches are horrible. And quite frankly, though he's improved some things, Dayton's proven to be rather inept as well thus far. Sure, he found Soria, but he also traded JP Howell for Joey Gathwrong. He gave Gil Meche $55 million. Paid cancer Guillen $36 million. Rushed Hochevar to the bigs. REFUSED to give Aviles a look until he had no other options. Etc...

I understand the economics of baseball perfectly. And the economics of baseball say the ONLY way to suck this bad for this long is because you done fucked up! Not because you ain't got the cash!

I disagree with some of that. The Royals have a very strong minor league system though I do agree that we rush players to the show. During this fifteen year swoon KC has produced 3 rookies of the year and 3 runner ups. We ditch a lot of talent both young and still developing to line Mr. Glassdicks pockets. The Royals may have only generated around 60 million in actual revenue the last few years but that isn't taking into account all the prospects we have traded away with cash involved. A couple of years the number was absolutely absurd at 20 million+. The Royals have had plenty of talent come through the minor leagues and developed. They sell, trade, or refuse to pay a comparable salary and lose them all.

[M Club]

i paid $75 for mine and told the usher to kick out the kid who moved down from the upper deck. baseball is a country club, yo.

That's where you are wrong my friend. People don't pay for those tickets, companies do.

i've benefited from that a time or two. my dad oversaw wireless installations for ford and was responsible for quite a bit of purchasing, so a few seats in the various luxury boxes trickled down to me. once i had pretty tight seats for a pistons game and took some hottie along. we were also allowed to eat in their rich guy club and so spent the whole first half eating away and drinking booze. we were finally about to get up and find our seats at halftime, but then they brought out the desert tray and more wine. we finally sat in our seats during the 4th quarter, which is fine b/c the pistons were up by 30 and darko played the entire time we actually watched.

[PSUFAN]

JON, I'll probably go to this game as well.

[TheJON]

You got tickets or you just gonna buy on gameday? I'm in section 102 and if I recall they're about midway up. Hopefully it is in a section where at least some Iowa fans will be. Everyone else I've talked to that's going to the game and is an Iowa fan seems to be mixed all around the stadium so it's kinda hard to tell where the "Iowa" sections will be. If I'm in a Pitt section I hope they aren't d-bag fans.

[indyfrisco]

You can get tickets for basically free outside the stadium if you wait until first pitch. I don't do that, but I know people who do. I'm too impatient to sit and wait and I hate missing first pitch, so I'll just pay the $9 for the Hy-Vee View Level seats.

Just think...that's $9/game that's not going in your kid's college fund.

Personally, I am cheap at times, but it all depends on the situation. For example, we went to Hawaii recently. Our flight was at 6:00 AM out of Indianapolis which is 2.5 hours from home. So we got a hotel. As we were going to be getting there at 10:00 PM, I refused to pay more than $70 for a hotel. The wife is pissed, but shit, we're only going to be there like 6 hours max. Of course, in Hawaii, we were dropping $350/night at one hotel and stayed a couple nights at another for $500/night.

Pick your places to be cheap and pick your places to splurge. Dropping $170 for a 6 hour stay at a hotel in Indy is not a (good) memory you will have for years to come. Staying at sweet 5 stars in one of the most beautiful places on Earth you will never forget. I'll be checking into the Atlantis tomorrow (eat your heart out Adel.)

All that being said, as I don't get to but maybe one or two A&M games per year now, I'd do it up right.

[TheJON]

All that being said, as I don't get to but maybe one or two A&M games per year now, I'd do it up right.

I would do that as well if I only got to 1 or 2 Royals games, but that's not the case. I'm usually at 15-20 games a year so the $20 or so I save on buying the cheap tickets adds up to quite a bit of money.

[indyfrisco]

I was referring more to the Pitt-Iowa game. There are so few CFB games as it is.

[PSUFAN]

JON, I'll probably get some tickets closer to the game. I have a friend who was given a bunch of season tickets by Stevie P., I'm not sure where they are, but I'm sure there will be plenty of space to roam around.

I would discount the aggressive Pitt Fan thing immediately. Pitt fans spent their last emotional effort on PSU's 2000 visit to 3 Rivers. They've been a quiet lot since. I've gone to a couple of games at Heinz, each time wearing a PSU cap - nary a second glance.

Plus - Iowa's colors and unis are so similar to the Steelers, you all will blend in perfectly. Pitt fans will probably all be wearing steeler duds anyway...actually, this game could get interesting from that perspective.

[TheJON]

No kidding. The Pirates game the night before will be entertaining as well......at least from an outfit standpoint.

Hopefully I won't have anyone heckling me about my "Steelers" jersey like I did at the Phillies game a couple of years ago!