Beer count: Stuck on 12

Well, it's been a week since I was at the world's most overrated arena for Mark Messier night, and I have to say I'm still pumped up over it. It got me thinking about where it ranks among other sporting events I have attended. So, for my first list of 2006, here are my top 10 sporting events.

1. January 30, 2000 - Super Bowl XXIV Rams 23, Titans 16: What a thrill to see the Rams, the team that has killed me my entire life win the Super Bowl in person. Of course, they couldn't make it easy on me, killing me until the very last second, but it was well worth it. I do have to say, the city of Atlanta is a joke. How they ever got the Olympics there is beyond me, but it's a day I'll never forget.

2. April 2, 1985 - Mets opening day. Ah, the 80's, when public drunkeness at baseball games not only wasn't frowned upon, it was encouraged. A chilly day at Shea in which Harry M. Stevens made about $80 in beer money off me ends with Gary Carter, in his Met debut, homering in the bottom of the ninth to beat Neal Allen and the Cards. It was the first real sign a championship at Shea wasn't too far away. Another day I'll never forget.

3. April, 1997 - The last ever Hartford Whaler game. As a big supporter of the Whale, this was quite a sad day. However, I will always remember it since my wife and I won the "Whaler ticket upgrade" contest. It's pretty much where some schill for the team picks out two people in the nosebleeds and gives them two great seats. Well, I won it that day, and we even got on the video screen walking from the upper level to the lower lever. So, remember, if you ever get on Jeopardy or Who Wants to be a Millionaire, and the question is "Who was the last person ever to win a ticket upgrade at a Hartford Whalers game?" you will now know the answer.

4. Dec. 6, 1988 - It's rare that an NFL regular season game would make it this high, but this game is historic on several fronts. First, it was my initial Jet tilt with the Professor and Pops. Two, it was the game that set the stage for instant replay in the NFL. In case you have forgotten, it was the Jets-Seahawks tilt in which Vinny Testaverde, on a fourth and goal with teh game on the line, tried a QB sneak, but came up about 4 yards short. The refs, however, after discussing it for a few minutes, gave him a touchdown, helping the Jets to a division title and Dennis Erickson to the unemployment line. What's sad is, after having about 20 beers and sittting 3 rows from the top of Giants Stadium, I could see Testaverde didn't score. Anyway, the day ended with me - now 5 hours after the game - not being able to drive home and my wife coming to pick me up at a Dunkin Donuts in Old Bridge. In that Dunkin Donuts parking lot she told me she was preggers with our first kid. What a day.

5. Sept. 1995 - Cal Ripken ties Lou Gehrig's record. OK, I couldn't get tickets for the record breaker, but this was good enough. Me and my friend Steve got out picture taken with Johnny Unitas, and I got to see Joan Jett walk on the field after the game. It was a pretty hard core night.

6. August 11, 2005 - Round 1 of the PGA Championship at Baltusrol. It was hot, real hot. Not a great day to be drinking. But hey, who cares. Anyway, on the second tee, me and Steve were about 2 feet from Tiger Woods when he teed off. I never heard a ball make a sound like that. The highlight, however, came after he teed off on the third hole and we got to see Eldrick go into a port-o-john.

7. Nov. 2, 1997 - I think the year is right. Anyway, me, steve and two others attended the Chicago Bulls home opener. Ok, you say, no big deal. However, we had seats on the floor right behind one basket. At halftime, I talked movies with the late, great Gene Siskel. DUring the game we got Dennis ROdman to wave at us and we also got to see Jordan up close in his home field. Even better, we had been the Penn State at Northwestern that day, and had Redskins-Bears and Penguins-Blackhawks on tap for the next day. My only regret is I didn't get to call Ahmad Rashad Bobby Moore to his face.

8. March, 2004 - Ok. State vs. St. Joe's regional final at Meadowlands. Let me say this right off the bat, the Meadowlands Arena is an awful place as far as atmosphere is concerned. Sure, every seat is a good one, but the place is dead most of the time. Not this day. A great game from start to finish, ending with Jameer Nelson's 3 falling just short. Probably the best hoop game I've ever seen.

9. Sept 14, 2002 - Nebraska at Penn State football. A night game in Happy Valley is hard to beat, especially when you play golf at 9 a.m., get hit on by some chick working at the snack bar at the golf course, start drinking at noon, and then trip the light fantastic after the titl. Game was great, too. I've gone on record as saying that it's the loudest I've ever heard any stadium when PSU scored a defensive TD in the second half. Of course, I was 3 sheets to the wind by then, so maybe I was just hearing things. As it turned out, Nebraska was lousy that year and a win over them wasn't really a big deal, but for one night, it was a great game.

10. Aug. 20, 1993 - Mets at Phillies. You won't see this one on ESPN classic, but I remember it because it was the night of my bachelor party. Basically, 30-plus cats loaded into a bus filled with beer and cheese sandwiches in Woodbridge, NJ and headed to the Vet. Needless to say, mayhem ensued. All I remember about the game is it was Bobby Jones' big league debut and Tim Bogar hit an inside the park HR for the Metsies. Plus, one dude in our party got lost and after waiting in the Vet parking lot for him for about 3 hours, we left without him. Anyway, it was great time. Probably deserves to be higher than 10, but that's it.

Coming next week. The bottom 10. Stay tuned.