Dear god, this has been an absolutely atrocious couple weeks of Buffalo sport, and needless to say it has made it very difficult to sit down and try to care about any of the day-to-day goings on of any of our teams (except Liverpool; those guys are alright). Even my Saturday morning stab at Sabres content fell flat, I think, as I simply couldn't manage to get myself excited about a team at the top of its division.
We'll get out of this funk soon. I promise.
Either way, given the holding pattern of opinion here at the Deeg (I mean, did you listen to our CrapTastiCast #18? Jeebus. This is almost worse than our struggles through the content-scarce offseason), there is something I can get legitimately excited about. And no, I don't mean the new Muppets movie.
I have a dream, folks. And it's to #OcuppyNassau.
This idea sprung forth from a simple observation about ice hockey games out on Strong Island: IT IS A GIGANTIC HASSLE TO GET OUT TO NASSAU COLISEUM WITHOUT A CAR SINCE ROBERT MOSES ALL BUT GUARANTEED THAT LONG ISLAND WOULD BE LARGELY INACCESSIBLE BY PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.
Don't get the reference? Read a book.
The redheaded stepchild of TriState professional hockey, the Islanders play in the remote netherlands of the New York City universe and it makes getting to games a real fucking headache. While the Prudential Center and MSG are each well-connected to the vast transit network of NYC, allowing for easy access for even the drunkest of revelers, Nassau Coliseum is merely "close" to a Long Island Railroad station... that is, if you're cool with $15 cab fare and/or hassles and/or hating yourself for poor decision making.
So, with this observation, combined with the eternal truth that if you're going to support an away team in a foreign city, it is a LOT more fun to roll deep with others from the 'lo, I am hatching a plan to organize group ticket purchases for the February 4th game and, more importantly, group transportation.
As for actual details, as opposed to self-important ramblings about why this might just be the best idea ever, I have scoped out tickets and Party Bus Rental prices, and - based on some early estimates at numbers - I am hoping to arrange for a group of about 30-35, which would put the overall price at about $75/person for ticket + bus cost + an estimate on tip (this overall number could change if our group numbers end up lower or higher). And, since I know you're wondering, I believe that the bus will have a stocked bar, though I will also try to negotiate a BYOB policy that might cut down on cost a little bit.
Other highlights of the trip, for those in the area or those wondering about journeying to NYC for the shenanigans, will include early morning pre-pre-pre-gaming for EPL action of Liverpool vs. Tottenham (game is at 9am on Feb. 4th... yikes!), midday touch football in Central Park (hoping for snow....) and pre-Party Bus gathering in Queens for some great food and drink at one of the local Irish pubs near my home. The tentative plan is for a 5/5:30 pickup in Queens (because it's easier than Manhattan traffic-wise and because its more convenient for me and because I'm the BOSS), followed by some obnoxious tailgating at the arena.
WHAT I NEED FROM YOU IF YOU WANT IN ON THIS: leave a comment expressing your interest below, and make sure to include your e-mail address in the required field. While not public, the e-mail address will be visible to the Deeg and will allow us to compile a master email list for further communications about payment, etc. (And, as an aside, I'll be pooling monies through PayPal payments, so if you do want in on this, make sure you have a working account linked to your bank so that this can all happen easily). Please do this even if you have previously let me or Phil know that you want in. I want to open this up to as many people as possible, so SPREAD THE WORD. Even if we can't accommodate everyone for the transportation out to the Island (or even if you want no part of this drunken mess of a bus trip and just want to meet us there), I would like to try to help coordinate ticket purchases so that we can have as big and as consolidated a group as possible.
I want to move quickly on this, so please let me know ASAP.
Any questions? Toss them in the comments below and I'll make sure to get back to you with an answer.