Madison Square Garden

fletcher21 · Post by **fletcher21** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 4:52 pm

Is MSG worth the ticket price to see a Rangers game there? I don't have "a team" but the one I like the best is the Rangers. I will be visiting friends in NYC area coming up and would like to see a game there. Something about the Garden has me intrigued. All the big games played there, the classic boxing fights and all the concerts. Seeing games on tv the place looks a lot darker than most modern Nhl arenas. What's it like to take in an Nhl game there? Are tickets hard to obtain? My friends I am visiting don't follow hockey and had no answers for me.

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 5:13 pm

If you're in NYC and love sports you can't beat watching the Yankees, Mets or Rangers play. I haven't been to the new Yankees Stadium but I would go in a heartbeat if I were visiting the area and the team was playing at home. The bottom line is that MSG has lots of history just like the old Yankees Stadium.

greggsand · Post by **greggsand** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 6:25 pm

Rodster wrote:If you're in NYC and love sports you can't beat watching the Yankees, Mets or Rangers play. I haven't been to the new Yankees Stadium but I would go in a heartbeat if I were visiting the area and the team was playing at home. The bottom line is that MSG has lots of history just like the old Yankees Stadium.

New Yankee was really impressive. If you wanted to go to MSG, I'd go for a knicks game. Yeah, the knicks suck, but MSG is legendary basketball venue and the future of Lebron

LAking · Post by **LAking** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 6:37 pm

Rodster wrote:If you're in NYC and love sports you can't beat watching the Yankees, Mets or Rangers play. I haven't been to the new Yankees Stadium but I would go in a heartbeat if I were visiting the area and the team was playing at home. The bottom line is that MSG has lots of history just like the old Yankees Stadium.

Not to say that MSG isn't worth visiting, but i would argue that the NAME has a lot of history, not the building itself. The current building isn't even in the same location as the original. If i'm not mistaken it's been rebuilt 4 times, the latest in 67 or so. It's not even an attractive building. There are so many beautiful building in NYC but MSG isn't one of them. To make matters worse they tore down the amazing ground level of Penn station to build it, something many people felt was a huge mistake and eventually led to greater efforts to preserve more historic buildings in the city.

They tore down this:

To build this:

That, IMO, is a travesty.

You could even say the "old" Yankee stadium is the same. They tore almost the whole thing down back in 72 and rebuilt it. It lost a lot of its charm but at least it was on the same location as the original, unlike MSG.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 7:23 pm

After going into huge arenas like Staples...I was less than impressed with MSG when I went there a couple years back. It probably doesn't help that I'm not a fan of anything New York related.

F308GTB · Post by **F308GTB** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 8:49 pm

Haven't been, but I can imagine there are only a handful or sports venues worth going to - Fenway, Soldier Field, Wrigley, Churchill Downs, Michigan Stadium, Rose Bowl Stadium, Wembley, Monaco, Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I can't think of one indoor stadium I'd want to visit. Now if the original Boston Garden were still around...

For me it's about the history, and just about every indoor stadium is too new to have that rich history.

fletcher21 · Post by **fletcher21** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 8:57 pm

I hear ya F308. It seems like all the classics are gone. Chicago Stadium, Tiger Stadium, Boston Garden, Montreal Forum. Mlb has the most history with it's stadiums in my opinion. I've been to Wrigley but still want to see Fenway. I'd also like to see a Dodgers game in LA. Other than that, I am pretty much set.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 11:17 pm

fletcher21 wrote:I hear ya F308. It seems like all the classics are gone. Chicago Stadium, Tiger Stadium, Boston Garden, Montreal Forum. Mlb has the most history with it's stadiums in my opinion. I've been to Wrigley but still want to see Fenway. I'd also like to see a Dodgers game in LA. Other than that, I am pretty much set.

On that list. Chicago Stadium I went to many times.... I wanted to but never managed a trip to the Forum in Montreal.

Of the ones still living...Stand in piss while enjoying the stench of the urine field(wrigley) and Dodger stadium I have been to.

The three Id like to go to are Michigan Stadium, Rose Bowl and Wembley.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Sat Mar 20, 2010 1:31 am

Dodger Stadium is okay if you can get over the horrendous parking situation and the Rose Bowl is kinda boring. It's in a cool part of Pasadena and you get to park on a golf course. Those are the positives. LOL. History I guess...plus I've only been there like two dozen times, so it's boring to me now. Dodger stadium is a cool place...but I've only been there like 50 times.

I wish I still lived in the city...it was much better when I had the 15 min. commute as opposed to the hour/hour and a half from where I'm at now. I pretty much only go down there for the Braves series now.

vinny-b · Post by **vinny-b** » Sat Mar 20, 2010 6:58 am

interesting post.

the above rendition/rebuild of Madison Square Garden, reminds me of what Chicago did with Soldier Field

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sat Mar 20, 2010 9:18 am

MSG is worth the trip for the atmosphere, not the building. New York fans are different than anywhere else. Their passion, their volume, their level of obnoxiousness, especially in the Blue seats during a Rangers' game.

You can't beat it. You can have Staples and all of the new arenas and their condo suites, pumped-in rock music and "beautiful people" who arrive late and leave early.

MSG oozes with character. Often crass character, but character nonetheless.

My favorite MSG story: I attended a Rangers'-Islanders' game during college -- probably around 1985 -- when Denis Potvin was still playing for the Isles. Was sitting up in the Blue seats with some buddies when we noticed this incredibly cute redhead sitting two rows below us, one aisle over, wearing a Rangers' jersey, while everyone stood for the national anthem. As soon as the applause for the anthem quieted, this sweet, angelic, beautiful creature screamed at the top of her alveoli, "POTVIN, YOU SUCK COCK!"

F308GTB · Post by **F308GTB** » Sat Mar 20, 2010 9:22 am

fletcher21 wrote:I hear ya F308. It seems like all the classics are gone. Chicago Stadium, Tiger Stadium, Boston Garden, Montreal Forum. Mlb has the most history with it's stadiums in my opinion. I've been to Wrigley but still want to see Fenway. I'd also like to see a Dodgers game in LA. Other than that, I am pretty much set.

When I was a youngster growing up in Ann Arbor in the mid 70s I went to a Tiger game or two. It's a shame I can't remember the stadium fully. Of course, having grown up a fair amount in Ann Arbor and back for school, I went to my share of games in Michigan Stadium. I want to go to Wrigley, and I've been to Fenway a couple of times. Crappy in terms of today's standards but just an awesome feel.

Dodger Stadium just doesn't hold appeal for me - too new.

Of course, I still need to make a trip to see the most amazing stadium - Rome Colosseum.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sat Mar 20, 2010 9:27 am

F308GTB wrote:For me it's about the history, and just about every indoor stadium is too new to have that rich history.

You'd be blown away by Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, the home court of Butler and also where the state finals were filmed in "Hoosiers." Arguably the coolest basketball stadium in America -- just oozes hoops.

Even though I despise Duke, I would imagine Cameron has the same mojo as Hinkle, with even more winning tradition.

Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, home of the Pacers, also is a fantastic facility. Has the "feel" of an old fieldhouse like Hinkle with plenty of brick, tall windows allowing natural light, odd but still good sightlines, with all the amenities of a state-of-the-art arena. Great place to see a game, even something as unpalatable as the NBA.

Zeppo · Post by **Zeppo** » Sat Mar 20, 2010 9:29 am

I'm a New Yorker through and through, even though my sports loyalties are with the town where I grew up, DC. I love NYC, love so many things about it, and appreciate the history hrere that can be found in the most unlikely of places. And let me say:

MSG is a dump.

It's old, a bit decrepit, a classic 60s POS. The lighting in the arena stinks, the concourses are way too small, the seating is less than ideal for any event there because it tries to work for so manh different kinds of events.

And you simply must go there and see a Rangers game.

No excuses. I have no love for the Rangers, let me tell you, and couldn't care less about the Knicks, especially since Patrick Ewing retired. But being at an event at the Garden isn't about the building nearly as much as it is about the crowd, especially for a Knicks or Rangers game.

You simply must go see the Rangers. There are cheap seats ($20? $30?) way up in the rafters, and it's totally worth it even if you shell out more for a better seat. Don't expect the facility itself to 'wow' you, but be ready to enjoy that unique buzz that comes from a great urban arena, especially one where the fan body has so much history with one of the original 6.

I can't count the number of things I've seen at the Garden, including concerts and sporting events, and there are so many great traditions that I've never experienced, such as the Westminster dog show or the famous indoor track meet ir the Big East hoops tourney.

It's worth it; don't think about it, just go. Go to see the Rangers and don expect the facility itself to be amazing but do soak up the vibes as best you can.

And yes, it has been moved at least 4 times, and it was originally at Madison Square at 23rd and 5th where Broadway crosses 5th. Now it's closer to Herald Square which is at 34th and 6th, and they did destroy one of the great buildings ever erected in NYC, the original Penn Station. The destruction of that station led Jackie Kenedy Onassis to spearhead the ultimately successful efforts to save Grand Central Terminal from a similar fate, and we all, even those who only pass through a few times a year, are thankful for that.

But the Garden is much more about the history of the venue in all its incarnations and the crowd that populates it for whatever event than it is about the physical place itself being amazing.

Let's see, the last event I saw at the Garden was Neil Young and it kicked all manner of ass. What a great show that was! Right there in the City.

fletcher21 · Post by **fletcher21** » Sat Mar 20, 2010 12:45 pm

I plan to head out there for a Red Sox series next year. I am looking forward to seeing a Rangers game or 2 coming up soon. Is the arena pretty dark inside? When watching a Wild game compared to a Rangers game it almost looks like the crowd @ MSG is sitting in a half lit arena. It really spotlights the action out on the ice. I am just wondering when Fenway will be torn down. They could easily fill 10-15k more seats that they don't have now at Fenway. I love old and historic arenas.

I really don't like baseketball at all, but I think Minnesota has one of the top 10 gyms in the country in Williams Arena aka "the barn". Opened in 1928, it's one of the few raised floor gyms around anywhere. Ooozes atmosphere!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Williams_arena_ct.JPG

In my opinion the old stadiums and arenas need to be saved. My friend in CT is a massive Bruins fan. He said that the old Garden compared to the new one is night and day, and that the old one was a landmark and should never have been destroyed. I've heard the same about Chicago Stadium and the Montreal Forum. Owners want more seats, newer amenities and more luxury boxes, but these new multi-million dollar venues lose all the charm and history from the old buildings they replaced.

Zeppo · Post by **Zeppo** » Sat Mar 20, 2010 2:13 pm

Owners want more seats, newer amenities and more luxury boxes, but these new multi-million dollar venues lose all the charm and history from the old buildings they replaced.

Owners also want to avoid crumbling foundations, intractable mold infestations, corroded plumbing, inadequate waste systems, inadequate electrical service, corroded wiring, having to retrofit communications networks including internet, and too few bathrooms. So do fans.

Sometimes it's a little more complicated than just 'old buildings are cool.' Old Yankee Stadium had a huge section of cement under the upper deck fall onto the lower deck a few years ago. Had there been a game that day, instead of the Yankees being on the road, a number of people would have been killed. They fixed it, but there was always that sense that it could have happened again at any time. Now, that worry is gone with the rest of that old stadium.

I'm not saying I don't appreciate the old stadiums, nor that I could have let myself miss the chance to see ball games in Wrigley and Fenway, nor that I'm not sad that I never got to see Ebbets Field. There is a ton that I miss about RFK for Redskins games, and FedEx just isn't the same in any way. While I miss the good things, like the better atmosphere and the more convenient location, I certainly don't miss the horrendous smells, the disgusting bathrooms, the unsanitary food preparation facilities, the mold, the grime, the slime, the leaks when it rained, or any of that.

fsquid · Post by **fsquid** » Sun Mar 21, 2010 9:53 am

Hinkle Fieldhouse is on my bucket list.

seanmac31 · Post by **seanmac31** » Sun Mar 21, 2010 5:47 pm

F308GTB wrote:
fletcher21 wrote:I hear ya F308. It seems like all the classics are gone. Chicago Stadium, Tiger Stadium, Boston Garden, Montreal Forum. Mlb has the most history with it's stadiums in my opinion. I've been to Wrigley but still want to see Fenway. I'd also like to see a Dodgers game in LA. Other than that, I am pretty much set.
When I was a youngster growing up in Ann Arbor in the mid 70s I went to a Tiger game or two. It's a shame I can't remember the stadium fully. Of course, having grown up a fair amount in Ann Arbor and back for school, I went to my share of games in Michigan Stadium. I want to go to Wrigley, and I've been to Fenway a couple of times. Crappy in terms of today's standards but just an awesome feel.

Dodger Stadium just doesn't hold appeal for me - too new.

Of course, I still need to make a trip to see the most amazing stadium - Rome Colosseum.

No doubt the most amazing stadium of all. Of course, it doesn't have a floor anymore, but that just lets you see all the things that were built underneath it. Standing in the Colosseum was one of the most awe inspiring things I've ever experienced.

Zlax45 · Post by **Zlax45** » Mon Mar 22, 2010 11:59 am

I worked this past weekend at Harvard Stadium covering a Brown-Harvard lacrosse game for Inside Lacrosse. I had to walk up to the press box and nearly had a heart attack! I wonder how many old sports writers have had to walk up those stairs.

If your in New England like some of you, you can't beat a fall afternoon at the Stadium which looks very similar to the Original Coliseum.

snate · Post by **snate** » Mon Mar 22, 2010 3:51 pm

As a former NYer, living in Dallas, I can attest to the different intensity of NY sporting events. There is something missing every time I attend a Rangers, Mavs, Stars, or even Cowboys game for that matter. There is an electricity in NY sporting events that doesn't exist in many other places.

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Mon Mar 22, 2010 4:06 pm

Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, KS (yes...still depressed they're out of the tournmanent), but I've never in all my life experienced an energy and enthusiasm like I did every time I attended a game there my freshman year. And I compare that to Blues, Cardinals, and Rams playoff games. Loudest indoor stadium I've ever attended as well.

fsquid · Post by **fsquid** » Mon Mar 22, 2010 4:31 pm

MSG is the mecaa of basketball.

Gurantsu · Post by **Gurantsu** » Mon Mar 22, 2010 4:47 pm

Thinking of great stadiums 2 come immediately to mind.

PK will appreciate the first, as it is none other than the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The first time I ever walked up to that place, knowing its history and having watched and listened to (before they showed it live on TV!) the famous races, and hearing the sound of a screaming race engine blast by and fade into the distance, was simply awe inspiring. There are certainly other TRACKS I like better (I love Watkins Glen), but as a venue Indy is hard to beat in the racing world.

The second one is Oriole Park at Camden Yards. It seems to be the only one of the new "old" stadiums that is designed the way it is out of necessity. The shape of the outfield is because of space, not because they decided to make it asymmetrical to make it "feel" like an old ballpark (I like the Phillies new park, but come on, they could have shaped it any way they wanted to). It's placement in the city and they way they used the available space was just well done all around, and has really helped a bunch for that area of Baltimore. We even had season tickets there for 5 years or so back in the 90's. And the Orioles fans are a good bunch. They just need a winning team...