Where's Waldo Wanders the NBA & NHL

Well, the NFL regular season has passed many of us by as we are now well into the NFL playoffs. For me and my Buffalo Bills, our attention turns to next year and the promise of an infusion of new blood to help resuscitate the franchise. It just feels like we’ve all been through this before. Another NFL offseason, ripe with possibility ... another step closer to rebuilding this talent-starved franchise. So when do we actually stop re-building and just start building? When do the pieces finally fall into some semblance of a finished product that starts to win games? The last time the Bills were in the playoffs was the Music City Miracle against the Titans in 1998 … here’s hoping that the front office finally gets something right …. but I digress.

Along with the completion of another NFL regular season comes the promise of a renewed focus on the NBA and NHL. Springboarding from my success as an NFL stadium traveler, I am continuing my professional sports journey around the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League. I even came up with some spiffy names to describe these new quests, the “Roundball RoadTrip” and the “Frozen Pond Pilgrimage”. Throughout my NFL travels I recorded my experiences in the form of a written review. Over the years, my website has evolved into more of an NFL City Travel Guide. It’s like the Frommer’s of NFL stadium travelers. My hope is to bring this same mentality to my NBA and NHL journey’s. For each city I travel to, I’ll write about what there is to see and do in each sports-crazed city and make recommendations as to how to experience each as a true local fan. I’d also like to open up content generation for my network of websites to other guest correspondents. Those of you that are experts in your particular area or those of you who have also traveled to different sports cities, send me something on your experiences. I’m really interested in getting your thoughts on what there is to see and do across the NFL, NBA , and NHL. So if you’re out there and you’re interested, send me a photo and four of five sentences on your experiences across North America. Until then … be sure to look for me wandering around your city.

Don't Be Scammed on Craigslist buying NFL Tickets

I recently heard about the Pats fans that got scammed buying tickets for an NFL game on Craigslist. I feel for those folks, I really do, but you have to realize that in this day and age with the state that our economy is in, there are a lot of unscrupulous people out there that are looking for any angle to exploit in order to make a quick buck. There’s no real way to police this type of thing, and it’s really easy to produce fake gameday tickets of high quality. All it takes is a decent scanner and a copy of Adobe PhotoShop and anybody can recreate a realistic looking, gameday ticket.

One of my business ventures is actually creating football themed (or any sport for that matter) wedding invitations that look like gameday tickets. We take a photo of the happy couple and custom design a wedding invitation that looks and feels exactly like a full color NFL, NBA, NHL, or MLB ticket. It’s printed on the same card stock and we even put in the perforation … believe me it’s not rocket science.

So when you try to save a buck by jumping on Craigslist or on E-bay and you get turned away at the door with counterfeit tickets, believe me I feel for you, but unfortunately that is exactly the type of risk you take when you go that route for cheap tickets. In the last four years, I’ve been to over sixty NFL games and I’m beginning to make my way through the NBA and the NHL. So I’ve purchased a lot of game tickets over the years, and I bought them in every way possible, through Ebay and Criagslist, through online ticket brokers and even from scalpers. I’ve seen and done it all, I guess you could say that I’m as close to a professional fan as you can get.

Anyway, over those four years I’ve developed a strong working relationship with several reputable online brokers. They're all well aware of who I am and what I’ve accomplished in working my way across the three major professional sports leagues and they’ve been very supportive of my Quest for 31, my Roundball Roadtrip, and my Frozen Pond Pilgrimage. So, if you’re looking to purchase tickets from reputable online brokers who stand behind their product, flip through my websites and go to the area where I’ve listed these brokers allowing you to compare their ticket prices. With just a few clicks you can look through several sources and compare ticket prices to make an informed decision.

Furthermore, if you ever have an issue with any tickets purchased from the brokers listed on my websites, contact me immediately and I can help. I’m in contact with these folks throughout the year and I’d be happy to go to bat for you if a problem arises. So if you’re in search of tickets for the NFL, NBA, and NHL, and you’re looking for a solid reputable source, I’ve already done all of the legwork. The process is fairly automated, just start by clicking through the links below. Good luck sports fans, I’m only and e-mail away (infoATnflfootballstadiumsDOTcom).

Cheap NFL Tickets from Questfor31.com
Cheap NBA Tickets from RoundballRoadTrip.com
Cheap NHL Tickets from FrozenPondPilgrimage.com

My Journey Continues

It’s interesting … when I started this Quest, I did it because I was curious about the home team NFL experience in every city in the country. I wanted to wear a head of cheese, or spike arm guards. I wanted to spell out the word “Jets” and bark like a dog in the Dawg Pound. I wanted to Tomahawk Chop Chant, swirl a yellow towel overhead, sing “Hail to the Redskins”. I wanted to do all of these things, just to truly understand, if only for a day, what it would be like to be a fan of every pro football franchise in the nation. Now that I’ve completed my mission, visited every stadium in the country, tailgated with some of the NFL’s finest … I just can’t seem to give it up. I’ve met so many fantastic people in cities across the nation, traveling to over 60 games in the last four years, that I constantly have folks asking me when I’m planning on making a return appearance.

Seeing as how I feel compelled not to let anyone down, I guess we’ll just keep this train moving along. Well, we’re approaching Week Seven in the NFL and I’ve already been to five NFL games this season. I assembled the Ultimate Minnesota Vikings Fan Experience in Minneapolis, which included a stay in a Viking-themed bed and breakfast, sung the Chicago Bears Fight song with random fans outside Soldier Field, partied in the RV lot at Ralph Wilson Stadium beginning on Saturday morning in Buffalo, ate steamed crab and fresh Maryland crab cakes in Baltimore, and visited the New Meadowlands Stadium in New York … well New Jersey, so I'm up to date in seeing a game in every active NFL home stadium in the league. It’s been an incredible year and there’s more to come. Apart from my continuing journey on the Quest for 31, like LeBron, I’ve decided to take my talents to the NBA. I will be doing a 30 city, arena tour that will take me on a journey to see a game in every NBA Arena. I call it the RoundBall RoadTrip. Stay Tuned …

Planning a Sports Themed Wedding

A sports themed wedding is absolutely the way to go as you look to plan your pending nuptuals. Whether your favorite sport is professional baseball, basketball, hockey or football, incorporating a sports theme into your special day is actually something that can be done rather elegantly. It will also be an affair that your guests will never forget. Now I'm not saying there's anything wrong with the traditional wedding, but by incorpating some elements of your favorite sport, it will help to loosen up your guests and make the night one they will never forget.

Crystal and I got married last July. We had a sports themed wedding and people still talk about it, whenever we visit. We designed wedding invitations that looked like a sporting event tickets and wedding programs that resembled a gameday program. In the last eight months, we've expanded these ideas into a thriving online business, providing custom designed sports themed wedding invitations, wedding programs and save the dates. We can also provide customized sporting equipment like foam balls, hocket pucks, and felt pennants. I believe in these economic times that an extravagant wedding is not necessarily where people want to sink their money. Guest lists are shrinking and instead of impressing guests, couples and their guests want to be part of something unique. That's exactly what a sports themed wedding can be. it can have all of the elegance of your traditional affair with the familiar influence of a favorite sport as a tribute to the bride and groom.

We can help you to accessorize your themed wedding. We have a talented array of graphics folks that assemble a series of proofs for you to choose from. Check out www.sportsthemedweddings.com for more details.

Taking an NFL Stadium Tour

One of my lesser known hobbies that I take on over the course of the NFL offseason is taking NFL stadium tours. Few people realize it, but most NFL stadiums offer a guided stadium tour that is usually priced fairly reasonably ($5-$11 per person). I found out about the stadium tour before the 2007 NFL season on a trip to Minneapolis, Minnesota and I was hooked. Stadium tours generally cover the suite and luxury box levels, visting team locker room, the press box, and the field. In some cases stadium tour participants are allowed down on the field to see what things look like from the player perspective and in rare occasions into the home team's locker room (that's always very cool). If you're an ardent NFL fan, taking a stadium tour of your favorite team stadium should be high on your list of priorities. To date, I've been on 14 NFL stadium tours and 3 NBA arena tours. I expect that that puts me in a fairly select group of individuals. Last year, I even consulted on a couple of tours based on what I had already seen in other NFL cities. that was kinda cool.

Anyway, during a recent trip down south, I decided to set up a couple of tours. Driving down Interstate 75, I stopped in at Lucas Oil Stadium, the state of the art home of the Indianapolis Colts. I'm pleased to report that Lucas Oil Stadium has a very impressive stadium tour. The facility itself is immaculate. A red brick exterior with retractable roof and some great site lines allow the home of the Colts to effectively compliment some of the great tailgating that goes on outside the stadium. I did get a change to run the field at Lucas Oil Stadium and found my way into the Indianapolis Colts Locker room as well . For a full report, you can check out my Stadium Tour review.

While in Charlotte, North Carolina I setup an inpromptu tour of Bank of America Stadium, home to the Carolina Panthers. Stopping by on a Monday morning, some fine folks from the ticket office staff agreed to show me around the stadium. The tour began with a look at the field level, then into the Club 87 Suite and through the visitor team locker room. It's a solid tour.

Later that day I took a tour of Time Warner Cable Arena, home to the Michael Jordan-led Charlotte Bobcats. Time Warner Cable Arena was an equally impressive sports venue with an amazing array of suite level box seats and the first indoor tailgating area in the NBA. The Rock the Rooftop tailgating area comes complete with live band entertainment and tabletop seating areas for the adults, while kids will find xBox gaming stations and a practice court for shooting hoops.

I rounded out my southern roadtrip with another trip to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. I simply can't get enough of the Hall of Fame. I find myself visiting it at least once a year.

The NFL Offseason ... Ripe with Activity

Wow, what a year. Last year I completed my Quest for 31 with a trip down to New Orleans and the Louisiana Superdome for my regular season finale on Bourbon Street. It was supposed to be my last game of the year, but as the Super Bowl drew near, I received an offer I couldn't refuse. The fine folks at TicketCity.com offered me a ticket to the greatest sporting event in the world ... Super Bowl XLIV. I accepted immediately. Being at the Super Bowl was an amazingly surreal experience. I remember sitting there watching the game in amazement as I knew I was one of the chosen few on hand to witness the crowning of a World Champion in the greatest sport on earth in person. It doesn't get much better than that.

Fast-forwarding a few months, my offseason has been an extrmemly busy one, ripe with lots of new opportunities. Apart from trying to put some additional time into NFLFootballStadiums.com, my attention has been divided amoung several other website ventures. Upon completion of the Quest, everyone's first question always seems to be, "What will my next challenge be?". Well, I love the game of football and I thoroughly enjoy being a part of the tailgating culture that has evolved in each of these disparate cities across the nation. I just can't give that up (besides the Quest Machine is just getting broken in - I put 37,000 miles on it last year), so going forward I'm still planning on attending some NFL games, just not 17. For an encore on my travel exploits, I'd like to begin working my way through the NBA and the NHL. Back in May I started NBABasketballArenas.com to chronicle the exploits of my "RoundBall RoadTrip". So look for me in your NBA arena.

Fantasy Football season is once again upon us, so I've turned to my annual pursuit of steering perfect strangers toward their first fantasy football championships. Working with Jermain Baker, another astute mind and multi-year veteran of fantasy sports, we are taking our talents (thank you, LeBron) to FantasyFootballManifesto.com. There you'll find a series of articles outlining proven strategies for fantasy success, but the heart of what we're offering is a cheat sheet subscription. The cheat sheet on FantasyFootballManifesto is regularly updated and sent directly to your inbox each time there is player movement, injuries, or standout performances that affect player rankings. Think about it, would you rather use a fantasy football magazine that was printed back in June or would you rather have a dynamically updated cheat sheet based on recent developments in the NFL.

We can be your war room staff.

Super Bowl Pregame Planning for Miami

Super Bowl XLIV in Miami is rapidly approaching, and I'm doing my best to stay on top of all the developments in South Florida relating to the gameday weekend activities. I've secured my Super Bowl Ticket through TicketCity.com, reserved a room overlooking Miami Beach, got the flights and rental car taken care of, I even bought the Official Super Bowl XLIV jersey (ridiculous, I know). This is the biggest weekend of the NFL Calendar year and I want to make sure I am a part all peripheral party destinations, within reason. So the NFL Experience has been canceled, the Playboy Party has been canceled, Super Gate III with Jay the Tailgate Guy has been canceled ... all of which make for a nebulous mass of misinformation as to what to do down there. To top it all off, NFL regulations strictly prohibit any gameday tailgating on the grounds and surrounding area at Sun Life Stadium. They even have an ordinance against loitering in the parking lot in gameday. So how does one sift through the vast amounts of web data touting the best of the best pregame celebratory bashes? Well, I've decided to post a page on my website describing the who, what, and where of pregame celebrations.

Each year the Super Bowl site is mobbed by fans of the Super Bowl participants, or in this case New Orleans Saints fans and Indianapolis Colts fans. So where are they all planning to gather? Who's coordinating Colts or Saints pregame tailgating? Well, that's what I aim to figure out. I've been in contact with fan tailgating organizations in Indy and NOLA and restaurants and bars down in Miami to figure out where the best Super Bowl Parties are at. If you're interested in figuring out what to do down in Miami over Super Bowl Weekend, check out my Guide to Miami Super Bowl Tailgating on Questfor31.com.

If you have information for me to post on my site either fill in the Comment Frm at the bottom of the page, or send me an e-mail. I'll post addresses, directions, cover charges. Everything you need to know about the Super Bowl XLIV pregame festivities down in Miami. You might also check out the Super Bowl XLIV Visitor's Guide, that I've also posted on the site. It a great source for league sponsored activities.