#Rivalry150- From My Perspective

I'm 31 and I've lived in Easton most of my life, but yesterday was my first Lafayette-Lehigh game. It was, not coincidentally, the 150th game in the series between the two schools, and it was in New York City at Yankees Stadium. Now being that I went to neither school, I almost treated the rivalry game as something I was visiting. It's their rivalry, i'm just a happy guest getting to see it. It was a great time, and the day was well worth it.

Part 1- the travel

Now everyone knows how much I love New York City and traveling there. I'm pretty used to the mass-transit. We started the trip with a car-full, and went to Newport Mall in Jersey City, where we parked. My total parking fee for the day? $10. Yes, it pays to stay on the west side of the Hudson with a car. We then bought a $10 Metro card for the day, got on the PATH train, and took it to 34th street. It was a seamless trip in. Then we hopped on the B and D line towards Norwood/205th St. It was here where we hit our first snag of the day, as they converted that line to an express line to Tremont Avenue while we were on it. We had to get off at Tremont and get on a train back to 161st Street/Yankee Stadium. We did, along with hundreds of others, and got to the stadium. However, the trip took longer than expected, and it was 1:45 pm already. So much for an early day into the city to tailgate.

Part 2- pre-game

So once we arrived, my cousins and friends went off, and the remaining 21 year olds went to Billy's Sports Bar and Restaurant on River Avenue. Now I've been to Billy's before, and had a good time. On this day, it was one big party. It was packed with pre-gaming fans. The DJ was good, the selection of drinks was good, everything was basically good. Other than paying New York prices for a beer, but well, that's life. I'd still go there any time, it was great.

Part 3- the venue

Yankee Stadium is Yankee Stadium. It's a really nice park, it's not "historic" now as a new stadium, but it's a great park, for baseball. For football, it depends on where you sit, and what kind of day you get. The Stadium was the perfect size for this game, as any bigger would have made it look like they didn't sell many tickets, and any smaller would have been too small. Using the bleacher sections as the student sections was smart (they're kind of removed from everyone else). It also is a kind of perfect neutral site. New York and Philadelphia are the only good sites to move the game too. All in all, great choice.

Part 4- the seats.

So last year I went to the Pinstripe Bowl and sat downstairs. The seats are easier to sit on for hours and all, but they're not high enough. So when my cousin (who was interning for Lafayette this Fall) asked me if I wanted seats, and I said yes, and he then asked me if I wanted them upstair, or down for $20 more, the choice was easy. I took the cheaper, better seats upstairs in 408. Not only could we see the whole field perfectly, we also had a killer view of the Bronx from up there. Definitely the right call.

Part 5- the game.

So they played a football game in all of this, and Lafayette won 27-7. The game was kind of the exact blend of competitive, but not close. Ross Scheuerman, the game's MVP, basically dominated this contest. He had 304 yards on the day. Lehigh never had an answer on either line, and Lafayette lead pretty much from the start. This didn't lead to a lot of drama, though when the game was 21-7 and Lehigh was at the 22 yard line in the 4th quarter, it was competitive, momentarily. I stress momentarily. Lehigh was never really in it.

Part 6- Leaving the Bronx, game aftermath.

So while my cousin was working the press conference, my other cousin and I were chilling out in the McDonald's on River Avenue. The place made a killing. Some of the others were back at Billy's, and having a good time there. It was also packed. We took our good time, and didn't leave the Bronx until about 8:30, when the crowd on River Avenue had changed over from alums of the two schools, to locals. The Bronx is a really neat place. You forget that it's a neighborhood for residents when it's not game day. I enjoyed this part of the day a lot.

Part 7- The Empire State Building and Going Home

So we took the Subway to 34th and then went looking for a Starbucks. We found one- it closed at 9 pm. I mean, really, it's New York City and you close a Starbucks at 9 pm. We found a Dunkin Donuts, and of course the Empire State Building- lit up in Lafayette colors for the win. We caught the PATH back out, got on the road, and never even hit traffic. It was pretty wild how easy it was. Things went about perfect getting out.

So, I will say this- Lafayette and Lehigh put on quite a show. This was an event worthy of a 150th game. In an era where college football rivalries get dropped over the all-mighty dollar, that did not happen to this rivalry. Instead they've been smart enough to keep it going, and they put on a first-class event to commemorate it. Great job by the schools, and good luck in taking this to game 200.