Well, I've been traveling and not just for work. I've been traveling for sports. Why, you may ask? Well, sports is my life. It's like a religion for me. It's a chance to escape the real world and those who oppress you. Well, watching it anyway. Maybe playing it could be a different issue, but either way, sports is something I enjoy. So I decided to do something I have never done for: Take Amtrak.
That's right. I took the Amtrak's San Joaquin line from the Richmond station in Oakland down towards Bakersfield to pay a visit to the Bakersfield Condors and watch them play the San Diego Gulls on a Tuesday night. The train ride wasn't bad. I managed to keep myself busy by listening to some ESPN podcasts, like PTI and Around the Horn, and checking on the day's news and opinions from around the league, from Peyton Manning retiring to how the Warriors are still rolling. But in about 5 hours or so, I managed to get to Bakersfield, no problem.
I checked into my hotel at the Best Western Plus just across from the Amtrak station. Nice place. It was good enough for what I paid and relaxed for a bit before I had to head over.
Since the Marriott was close by, I decided to get something to eat. Granted, that night they were giving out $1.50 hot dogs but I was already hungry and couldn't wait around any longer. So I had fish and chips, as well as a Stella, at the Marriott. I was there for about half an hour, chatted with a group of people (some of whom were going to a meeting that was being held there), and then afterwards headed next door to Rabobank Arena.
Surprisingly, these Condors fans come out in full-fledge to watch their Condors play, even though they only play in the AHL and frankly they are not paid attention to much by the rest of the world. Either way, they came out and they were screaming their hearts out to get the Condors a win.
I don't watch as a fan, I watch as someone interested in the AHL and how teams play there. The Condors have interested me for some time because at times, they play like geniuses and at other times, they don't do anything. I saw them play Sunday in San Jose against the Barracuda and it feels like they just came out with nothing. Now it could be that some of their players were called up by the Oilers. But these group of people, I saw on Sunday in San Jose, so there definitely was something there. Well, for the first part of this game, they did come out strong with a goal to start the game, before the San Diego Gulls got 3 goals. The Condors didn't give up, though, managing to tie up the game and send it to overtime. Unfortunately, for the Condors, they left a Gulls player wide open and he scored to give the Gulls a 4-3 overtime win over the Condors. And that still leaves the Condors three teams to last in that Pacific Division of the AHL. Only Stockton and San Antonio are worse right now.
But you know something. This was the most entertaining and energizing game I've seen in the AHL so far. Condors fans know how to come to the game, something I wish other AHL cities and teams, especially out here, would do. I understand that the AHL is part of a developmental league for the NHL, but they are also playing in a season too. They are playing to try to win the Calder Cup and to be competitive in a league that no one else seems to pay attention to. Well, either way, no one will probably give the Condors a chance, not unless they do something drastic, like win the rest of their games, but it's hard to see that happening.
Anyhow, after the game, I spent the night in Bakersfield, drinking water and watching the news. I went to sleep soon afterwards and woke up around 8 the next morning, had a little bit of a morning workout where I ran around 1.25 miles before my legs couldn't take it anymore, and packed up my car and headed back to my 10:05 train back up to Northern California.
Overall, a good experience and being a fan and a spectator of hockey, it was definitely fun to see the Bakersfield Condors. I don't know if I'll do it again, since I blew a little bit of money trying to get down here and my hotel room and such, but I'll say this about the Condors: They know how to make things sound like they play in the NHL. See you next time, Condors. And keep an eye out for new posts coming soon, puck heads!
Posted above is a picture of Rabobank Arena after the San Diego Gulls won 4-3 in overtime against the Bakersfield Condors.
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