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| Prince at M & T Bank Stadium - Home of Baltimore Ravens |
This time they opened the window around 7PM and they sold some tickets at different price points. I was around the tenth person on line. When I finally got to the window, they said they were all sold out. The guy in front of me got the last ticket they sold on the lower level for $115. I didn't give up. Instead I walked away and I went near the gate that was up the block and I asked over and over if anybody had an extra ticket. After trying for 20 minutes or so, I lucked out as a lady told me she had an extra ticket. She said it was a $55 ticket and she wanted $55 for it. I instantly told her, you got it. I couldn't thank her enough as I proceeded to go in at 7:45PM which gave me plenty of time to get ready for the opening kickoff. I was jumping for joy when I was inside. The seat was located in section 507 which was near the end zone. I told the lady I may not sit there because I know somebody who sits in section 500 in the last row at mid field. I gathered myself and I headed up to the top to see my pal Nib who I met at the Raven game against the Arizona Cardinals last October 30th. Nib has been at every Raven game since they moved to Baltimore back in 1996. He was joined by his daughter Shannon as well as friends of his who have seats next to his. It was great to see him again. Once the seats filled in around him, I said goodbye. I wound up playing musical chairs as I made my way down. After moving a few times, I lucked out into a few seats in row 11 in section 500. What a view I had. A royal upgrade indeed. Those seats in that section regardless of the row cost $90. I did amazing well outside and inside.
As for the game I saw, the Patriots raced out to an early 13-0 lead after the first quarter. The Ravens like the Redskins earlier in the day came back. They wound up taking a 14-13 lead late in the second quarter as Ravens' quarterback Joe Flacco found wide receiever Torrey Smith who played college ball at the University of Maryland for a 25 yard touchdown pass with 9:45 left in the second quarter. It should be noted he was playing with a very heavy heart because his brother got killed Saturday night. Flacco hit Dennis Pitt for the go ahead score with 1:47 left in the half on a 20 yard touchdown pass. The Ravens left too much time on the clock for Tom Brady and the Patriots. As a result, the Patriots regained the lead with just two seconds left in the half as Tom Brady connected with Julian Edelman on a seven yard touchdown pass to give the Patriots a 20-14 lead at the intermission.
On the first drive of the second half, the Ravens got the ball and they scored to take the lead again, 21-20 as Ray Rice formerly of Rutgers scored a touchdown from seven yards out. With 6:48 left in the third quarter, the Patriots responded with another touchdown as former Jet Danny Woodhead ran in from three yards out to make it 27-21. With 14:10 left in the fourth quarter, the Patriots extended their lead to nine at 30-21 with a field goal. The Ravens continued to fight back as Torrey Smith, heavy heart and all, caught another touchdown pass this time from five yards out with 4:01 left to get the Ravens within two at 30-28. Unlike the game in January, when the Ravens missed a field goal that would have tied the game, this time rookie kicker Justin Tucker took advantage of his chance to be the hero as he kicked a 27 yard field goal to win the game for the Ravens, 31-30 as time ran out. What a day of football action I saw.
Both games I saw on this day were eerily similar. They were competitive and they were full of action from start to finish. I was thrilled as a football fan to be at both of them.
After the game, I drove home and went to work without getting any sleep.
Stay tuned for further details as well as my w/o 9/24 in review. Please bear with me as I continue to play catch up.
Thank you for reading and following along.
Yours truly,
Gary Herman
