Jonola14

LOCATION: New York City (New York).
DATE: 26/08/01.

TIME: 14.30

We leave the hostel and head through Central Park into Downtown Manhattan for some food and a trip to the Virgin Megastore. We are amazed when what we thought was a one-floor store turns out to have three floors and more music-related merchandise than we ever imagined. Quiff, Gaz and Ellis sit in the Virgin Megastore coffee shop and amuse themselves by the thought of Payno and Fuller chasing round neighbouring stores in search for a much-needed restroom as the Virgin ones are closed. We also go to see John Lennon's Memorial and the place where he was shot.

TIME: 19.00

We take the Metro to Shea Stadium where we credit card tickets to see the New York Mets play the San Francisco Giants in a major league baseball game. Quiff confuses himself with terminology from all other American sports, using terms such as 3rd down and face-off when asking about the rules.

TIME: 20.10

The match started five minutes ago and we've already missed the first home run of the game, scored by the Giants, but we settle in our Upper Tier seats and work out the rules between us. Initially it appears difficult to grasp the concept of the game, but we content ourselves by copying the actions of the man a few rows in front of us who is very animated.

There is a home run hit by Alfonso of the Mets and everybody goes wild, so we join in and enact the American Pie style slap of the arse routine to mock the opposition. However, nobody seems to be joining in our raucous football chants, adapted to suit the teams we are watching, such as "you come down to New York town, get really plastered, go back home, beat your wife, dirty west coast bastards!" and "Giants fans are homosexual", so we just join in their tame "Let's go Mets" chant and the booing of the Giants' Billy Bonds, but we have no idea why he is disliked so much. We continue to shout "you rule man" and "that kicks ass dude" whenever something interesting happens, combined with the silly jigging and waving of arms in all sorts of motions.

A very strange and unusual event happens after the 4th innings, called t-shirt launch, which involves the propulsion of wrapped-up Mets t-shirts through the use of mortar-style weapons into the crowd and a mad frenzy to catch them. We are not in luck, but we did get the chance to yell a load of abuse at the shooter for firing one out of the stadium.

TIME: 23.30

After a dramatic finish involving a last minute fightback from the Giants, a load of booing and shouting "Bonds you suck" for no apparent reason, and a great deal of ridiculous celebratory dancing, we leave the stadium, delighted at our team's 6-5 win, and keen on supporting the Mets for the rest of our lives. We head home and grab some tuck from the shop next door to the hostel after witnessing an argument, that nobody could validate, on the subway between fans.