Being a sports spectator in Atlantic City

As previously stated, I was never a big sports fan. Growing up, my trophy shelf had more esoteric awards. Instead of golden baseball players on pedestals I had fishing and pinewood derby trophies. One thing I did enjoy was going to sporting events and spectating. What kid could resist going to a baseball game with their dad? Here's the thing though. My family never went to the major league games. No, instead we contented ourselves with minor league baseball and hockey in Atlantic City.

2001 - 2005

Growing up, Atlantic City always seemed special to me. As a kid, I saw running errands with my dad in Atlantic City as a treat. Driving around it and hearing stories of my dad growing up in the Ducktown neighborhood added a mystique to the city that few got. Plus, we only lived ten minutes away so it was no large feat to stop by. Being the casino town it is however, there was never really anything for families or kids to do. Now, I don't want to get into the politics of AC or the casinos, I just want to talk about how much fun it was when the Surf came to Sandcastle Stadium in 1998.

1998 - 2008

I never went to Phillies game growing up. I didn't come from a Phillies family, so we had no real desire to drive all the way to Philadelphia to watch them lose. Having a minor league team in AC allowed me and my family to enjoy baseball, or at least the baseball atmosphere, without dealing with Philly fans. I myself blame a stroller-stealing incident at my local mall involving an over-enthusiastic Phillie Phanatic in the squelching of my fandom. I won't lie though, before the Surf I was jealous of Philly fans. I saw them as spoiled kids with red jerseys. Now I see them as annoying drunk girls who are more concerned with playing beer pong in the parking lot than cheering on the home team. Either way, I was content with watching the Surf play.

What are you?!

I enjoyed the breeze the bay gave off when you sat in the stands. I liked the allure of peanut shells crunching under your feet as you yelled at people to run faster or throw better. Between innings I would explore the stadium, which always ended with me going to the arcade. I admit, as a non-sports fan I spent a little too much time in the arcade with the other nerds. But it's hard to fight the allure of a pinball machine. Ever since I was a young boy, I played the silver ball and begged my parents for quarters. But, pinball distractions aside, I stayed in my seat and watched the game. Mostly, it was because of my grandfather and uncle. It was like watching the game with the two old Muppet men. Hearing them heckle the game was almost better than watching the game.

Pictured: My uncle and poppy.

The Bullies were even better. My brother always considered himself hockey's unsung hero, so when we first heard about them coming to Boardwalk Hall we were excited. I still have my ticket stub for the first Bullies game. We were there for the first game, for every home game during the second season playoffs (including their Kelly Cup win) and for the last game. Every part of going to the hockey game was part of a tradition. Even being jerks on the elevator was part of the fun that going to a Bullies game encompassed. Atlantic City couldn't keep them though, and both sports eventually left the casino town.

I mention all of this because I just got back from an ECAC Hockey game at Boardwalk Hall. Watching hockey again brought back memories. While buying my first beer at a sporting event was a surreal event, I now know why people sneak them in their jackets. The overpriced food and conversations found in the bathroom about refs haven't changed though. I still miss the mascot Bully though. That and the Bullies booster club calling themselves the Dog Pound. I miss you Bully, where ever you are.

He roams the land like a lost mascot samurai.

Boardwalk Hall having hockey back is only a fluke though. And until recently, Sandcastle Stadium has been in disrepair. Left to the whim on nature and homeless people, the city didn't take any steps to make it nice until Dave Matthews decided to hold a concert there. It shouldn't take a concert to make the stadium relevant again, AC should of had plans for the area before that. Instead they just let it be a memorial to a baseball franchise that the city gave up on long before they stopped playing. Besides, Dave Matthews Band sucks anyway.

That's right I said it. I hate you Dave Matthews Band.

Boardwalk Empire adds class to the NJ craze

New Jersey, the armpit of America. I say that of course, with as much pride as I can. When you grow up New Jersey you have to have pride in it. New Jersey is the kind of place that has everything. Each town you stumble upon has its own characters and story. You can just travel on through it or stop and enjoy its splendors. I love New Jersey. It is my home and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. With that being said, New Jersey hasn't been getting the respect it deserves.

New Jersey has always been a favorite subject of hack comedians. The kind from New York who bumper their Jersey jokes with ones about airlines and their mother-in-laws. Now New Jersey has its own genre of reality shows. For those into fashion there is Jersey Couture and Jerseylicious (which takes the prize of the show with the most god-awful name). For anyone interested in seeing housewives with borderline personality disorders there is no better place to go than The Real Housewives of New Jersey. And finally, the worst offender, Jersey Shore. Enough has been written about the shallowness and sheer stupidity of Jersey Shore and I don't want to add anymore attention to the attention-seekers on MTV (yet I still know all their names).

Finally, something comes around and validates this new attention set on my beloved state. On Sept. 19 the series Boardwalk Empire is set to premiere. Set in the early days of Atlantic City, Boardwalk Empire is about the city and how it dealt with prohibition. Thanks to prohibition a market was created for illegal alcohol, and many of those prohibition players dealt with Atlantic City. This was Atlantic City before she sold her soul to casinos. The place was one big attraction, built in order to bring anyone they can to it's luxurious beaches.

The series is based off Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times and Corruption of Atlantic City by Nelson Johnson. When the book first came out I remember seeing people around me reading it. Being from the Atlantic City area, it was only natural that we would all be interested in our local history being in print. The modest book must of caught the eye of some important people. Martin Scorsese himself is involved with the series and even directed the first episode in the series. While I doubt he is deeply involved in the series, the fact that he is involved at is a good sign for the series. Although HBO's last effort, The Pacific, left me underwhelmed; it is my hope that the channel redeems itself with what could be a solid series.

Boardwalk Empire centers around the character of Nucky Thompson, played by Steve Buscemi. I've always liked Buscemi. As a character actor, nobody has the range that Buscemi has. While he may not be as famous as he should be, I'd like to think that people can't help but smile every time he is on screen. He always makes the most out of any role he is in and with the weight of a whole series on a veteran supporting actor, I can't wait to see Buscemi shine. Also starring is Michael Pitt, who I've never really been a fan of. I doubt his involvement will ruin the experience for me but I've never really enjoyed anything he's been in. Also involved is Michael K. Williams who also played breakout character Omar Little on the critically acclaimed series The Wire.

I will milk a Wire reference any chance I can.

Atlantic City will always be important to me. It was the place that my parents grew up. As I grew I would hear the stories of how the neighborhoods use to be. I hope that what should be a well-made series will reclaim Atlantic City's pride and maybe even New Jersey's. Hopefully Boardwalk Empire will be enough to re-legitimatize New Jersey. Either way it should prove to be good television from people that know what they are doing. To reiterate, the show premieres on Sunday, Sept. 19.

Atlantic City: Not America's Favorite Playground

Atlantic City has always been the bastard child of America. It’s not even a real metropolitan center. Sidewalks and tall buildings do not make a city, it takes more than that. AC has all of the problems of a city and none of the advantages. The people running this city are not so blind that they cannot see that, or at least I would hope so. That is until I read an article in the Atlantic City Press about raids on the boardwalk.

During the July 4^th holiday weekend Moisse Delgado, a councilman at-large, was in a shop on the boardwalk with his son and was disgusted with what he found there. The wide selection of samurai swords and water pipes that are for “tobacco use only” disgusted the poor man. This led to a city-wide crackdown on shops selling contraband on the boards ranging from bb guns to brass knuckles. Shops were closed and owners were arrested. There is one big flaw with this whole plan. How does a councilman from Atlantic City not know about these shops?

Everybody knows that they can find questionable products on the boardwalk; it has been that way since man laid pieces of wood next to bodies of water. Boardwalks are like Chinatown, you can find anything you want if you know where to look and the right questions to ask. Hell if you were so inclined, I bet you could find your very own Mogwai if you look right.

Aren't they adorable?

The people running AC want to improve its image, this is admirable. Setting up photo ops of inspectors holding up prop swords does not make the city any better though. These shops are in the shadow of casinos, epicenters of greed and corruption. The politicians want to make it seem like they are trying to make the city safer by getting rid of these establishments but it’s all a sham. And shop owners are now paying the price for this photo op.

This is what Atlantic City is really like, not quite as adorable.

Atlantic City’s slogan was once “America’s Favorite Playground.” Now with a slogan as gaudy and corny as “Always Turned On” the city worries about its image. It’s all a show and I’m not buying the ticket.