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8th of June, 1999. Go Spurs Go! On to the Finals! Congratulations to the Spurs, and to all of the fans who have stressed so many times before, this one is shared with everybody. I must begin a journey to acquire the hottest tickets in town. Finals tickets, games 1 or 2. This is a recap of a devoted fan's quest for the piece of paper which seperates the mice from the men. The people that brave the humid, sticky night to sleep outside the Alamodome so they can have a shot at tickets. Now I must say that I was never truly prepared for what the night would bring me, and proper planning is recommended before attempting this scheme. You have to take some food (because true entreprenuers will jack up the prices on you), drinks (because you'll eat the wrong thing, and you'll get VERY thirsty; see reason for food, again, high prices), and some entertainment...cards, dice, books, pen and paper (for website column writing), or something (because you WILL get bored out of your mind). That passed, my night was fun, and I'd do it again in a second, now if I actually got tickets will be mentioned later. I arrive at the Dome at about 9:40pm thinking I would have a great spot in the lines already forming. Right...and wrong. At the time, I thought I had some of the worst seating, nearly halfway around the Dome, 500-600 people back. By the next morning, people were trying to buy my space in line. I sat with a diverse bunch of fans; some guys younger than me (a year or 2), a young woman, and some middle-aged men. They were all great once we had a common reason to start talking. I'm not sure if it was the Spurs, or the ants biting our asses. I wasn't the most preapred person in the world, mind you. Luckily, I was able to talk my best friend to come with me, even if he couldn't stay, he surprised me with a folding chair, so Will...THANK YOU! Some of the people in line were fully stocked with sandwiches, candy, chips, and sodas. Me, a jug of water, and some candy in my bag. It wasn't pretty. The most annoying thing about the night was the people who circled the Dome honking their horns. One guy was videotaping the rides around the Dome, I swear, he passed by me about 20 times. Well, one of those times, myself, along with a couple of the guys next to me in line, assisted in mooning the amatuer cameraman as he passed. But that didn't stop him. AHHHHHH! After a couple of the guys were sent to get us tacos, about 30 tacos between 6 guys, we just sat back and talked about anything that came to mind, no doubt waking our neighbors. But who cares! Fast forward to about 5 in the morning, not too tired, still laughing. We walk to the front of the Dome to try and get ourselves on the morning newscast (something else everyone who stands in line MUST do, or it doesn't count). It works, but only after we drowned out the first live shot with too much noise, and then having my back used as a catapult for some over-anxious people with no lives (you know if that were true I wouldn't have been trying to get on TV, so shut up Joe). 5:45am- OK, now I'm feeling woozy, and it was still dark...nighty-night for Joe. ZZZZZZZZZ 6:10am- After a full night's sleep (yeah, right), I wake up to my hip buzzing. "Who the hell is this paging me at 6 in the morning?" "Oh, hi, mom!" After that, the line stared moving, even though it was still about an hour and a half before the ticket windows opened up. We begin to make the move like cattle...hot, sticky, cattle. Hell if it didn't smell that way, either. This was one of the times I had to start laughing, but when you think about it, who has the last laugh. There were some people who started arriving thinking they were going to be first in line for tickets. "Ha!" Anyways, there are still somethings you REALLY don't want to do to an angry mob standing in a line...and that's cutting! We caught a few people trying to do it, but with the top-notch security at the Dome, nothing happened, but I still got to the ticket window before they did. When people meet me for the first time, I tell them the one thing I hate the most is stupid people. How are you going to get to the window, and not know what you want? All we could do in the group I was in was to make the crowd laugh to keep everyone calm. Cries of, "Is this the ticket line for N'Sync," and "Kill the scalper," were the most popular ones. As much as we tried to laugh, if someone took over 3-4 minutes to get their tickets, we booed, made death threats, and basically bad-mouthed their whole existence...at least until they moved. I know what you're thinking...well, it kept us calm...for a little bit. 13 hours after I arrived at the Dome, I stood in front of ticket window number 4 with my destiny in my hands...it was meant for me to see the Spurs win the championship, you know. At this time, I didn't care what I got...as long as I could get into the Dome to see the Finals. I wasn't at all picky...I just wanted something I could afford (which turned out to be only one section), 5 of them (3 for my family, and 2 for a friend), and I didn't have a game preference. "Well Sir, let me see what I can get you." I hated hearing that. It seemed like the calm before the storm, the calm before my wrath of sweaty, angry, complete being erupted into a state of riot and disarray. Believe me, I prayed, and hoped, and asked the other around me to wish me well. Some did, while others told me to hurry the hell up. I yelled at some people, so I guess turnabout is fair play. "OK Sir, I have 5 tickets to Game 1, Section 309, Seats 7-11...that'll be $79.50." "Yes!" I would have kissed people, I was so happy, I WOULD HAVE, being the main words. Success is sweet. I was very surprised in myself that as I left the ticket line, I didn't gloat to people behind me, I'm still wondering why I didn't. Maybe it was my joy, maybe I've learned to calm myself, maybe, just maybe I was becoming a better person...nah, I doubt it! I'm a fan, and I always will be, and your success over others who would have killed for your "luck" is the ultimate reason to gloat. Don't worry, I'll work on it, that won't happen again. Tickets sold out in 8 hours...70,000 tickets sold for the first NBA Finals this city has seen without clicking a remote. And I was a part of it, I was one of the first, it's till something I'll remember, and do again if I have to, no doubt! Again, everyone should do this for something at least once, trust me, you'll love it, unless you get screwed by the ticket comapnies (see Buffalo Sabres Stanley Cup ticket sales). Tired, battered, hungry, thirsty, and barely able to drive home, I kept looking at those 5 tickets. Now this wasn't some kind of religous experience with the tickets (You are my master, tickets, COMMAND ME!), but I could look at them and say to myself it was all worth it. All that for 5 pieces of paper to be ripped apart in about a week, yeah...all of it for the experience. But, seriously though, isn't it all just a basketball game...
Joe Ruiz worked as a sports intern/associate producer for KENS-TV Sports in San Antonio and also worked for KENS-AM Radio. He now majors in broadcast journalism at SAC.
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