National Celtics Day

Did you know that Monday is Celtics Day? According to the well informed Balcony Princess, Celtics Day will be celebrated by all (I shall not dispel this myth. I'll let her believe it until someone else wrecks the dream). There will be green clothing and shamrock headbands to wear. There will be green Celtics bread to consume (rye, from the bakery. Um, eww). And there should be a Celtics movie. Yes, she is calling for a Celtics movie. Just last week when the shamrocks started to decorate every inch of our local grocery store she threw her arms out and twirled around while declaring, "It is so great to LOVE THE CELTICS." Have truer words ever been spoken by a three year old?

If only she hadn't realized that today is Friday.

Balcony Princess: Balcony Mama, may I stay up late tonight?
Me: No.
Balcony Princess: Just a little late?
Balcony Baby: Me too!
Me: No. Bed at seven.
BP: But, Balcony Mama, I miss Balcony Papa and would really like to see him.
Me: I know, Balcony Princess, but he's going to be home for two whole days.
BP: Oh. So today is Friday?
Me: Yes.
BP with heavy sarcasm and that I've-got-you-now look in her eyes: There's ALWAYS a Celtics game on Friday. I'll have to stay up a little late for that because there isn't a Celtics movie to watch on Celtics Day.

Damn, she got me.

Floor Gal and The Man

Floor Gal here reporting from the floor of the Boston Garden. I'm filling in for Balcony Gal for a page while she recovers from shock associated with email interactions with The Man and his family members. TMRPD and her sister, The Man's Tennis Enabled Daughter, hereby referred to as TMTED, - she should put that on a license plate, maybe her very own Celtics license plate. Of course it would have to be a fake plate since the real ones haven't been issued yet (SO NOT BITTER) and it could stand for 'tempted to get a Celtics license plate' - well these gals emailed Balcony Gal to let her know that their Dad was one great guy. That and TMTED spent the first 18 years of her life going to as many Cs games as possible (SO NOT JEALOUS). As I've learned from being down here on the sidelines, most people feel the same way - The Man, he is great.

I've now met The Man and it's true, he's a great guy. He had a hug for me right away. He offered me Twizzlers, red, in case you care. I said no thank you. He offered me water. I took it cause that stuff is pricey in the Garden. He offered me beer but I refused because the last thing I needed was to get any more 'ahhduuhhh' in his presence and with my luck I would have spilled it on the court and caused KG or Rondo to wipe out.

He also offered me...


wait for it...


wait for it...


wait for it...


the chance to SIT IN HIS SEAT. Oh yes, you read that right. And what did I do? I turned him down. Well, I said no, let's wait till there's a break in play and then I'll sit, but he put on his 'The Man Voice' and before I knew it I was sitting in his seat. Oh and it's sure a comfy seat.

I sat amongst his friends. This is where I tell you they were handsome and witty and perfect company but I don't want you to get the wrong idea. I didn't even notice because I was watching the game. Plus Balcony Guy was WAY UP HERE watching everything so I didn't smile, didn't engage in conversation, didn't really enjoy myself at all. I felt so horrible about his being WAY UP HERE and my being WAY DOWN HERE that I couldn't settle in. I know those men are now thinking, "Why the hell did The Man waste our time and space with this woman?"

Oh, who am I kidding? FLIPPING FANTASTIC. To sit this close to the boys in green was amazing. To make eye contact with Big Baby (oh yeah, I saw you looking and I was looking right back) was thrilling. To be WAY DOWN HERE when they introduced Sam Cassell to the crowd and feel the energy at this lower altitude is beyond words. But I can find some words, I'm sure.

I jumped up and down beside The Man at the fully coherent introduction of Cassell. If only Blhhh Blhhh Bldrahhhnnn could have had that kind of introduction. You know, the kind where you actually hear the guys name? **this brings up a whole other issue with us Balcony Folks...is the sound better WAY DOWN THERE? Did you understand the introduction of Blhhh Blhhh Bldrahhhnnn? Are the rest of us missing out? **

It was a truly wonderful experience. The people I met were very kind and didn't judge me for being a balcony person. It was pointed out to me that the one period I sat in that seat cost more than my balcony seat. I had to point out that, at that price, the cost of those tickets for ONE GAME cost more than the price of my two seats for the WHOLE SEASON. *shivers*


The following is my list of questions that I would like to ask The Man. I didn't ask these questions because I met him just as game was getting into play again and, as much as I like observing what goes on around me, I'm really there to watch the game.

Questions I would like to ask The Man:

1. How long have you had your tickets?
2. Why did you have them during some crap years?
3. How did your wife feel about you holding onto said tickets during said crap years?
4. Do you wake up and realize you are one of the luckiest men alive? Does that make you smile?
   
5. Do you make your employees call you The Man?
6. During a game, who gives the best high fives?
7. During a game, who gives the best hugs?
8. When your 4 packets of shiny, beautiful tickets arrived did you jump up and down and dance around and perhaps cry a little and maybe get a little snotty and realize it's not cold season so there aren't enough tissues around but you have a dark shirt on so you can just use that to wipe your nose?
   
9. Did you then maybe take pictures of the packets?
   
10. Are your tickets hand delivered by Lucky instead of through some mail delivery system? If yes, does he flip around on the doorstep when you answer the door?
    
11. Are you aware the Celtics Dancers have belly buttons?
    
12. When watching an away game at home do you jump up and down?
    

What would you ask The Man?

I did find out why he's always wearing dark clothing. He told me this tale: Once upon a time he went out to dinner before a game with another man who has seats next to him. They had a wonderful time until The Man got sauce on his white shirt. It having been warm weather, The Man had no jacket and he spent the remainder of the evening in his courtside seat being a bit embarrassed about the stain on his shirt. Since then he has always worn dark clothing.

I invited him up to the Balcony where everyone has stains on their clothing.

Here is what my ticket looks like. Note the seating and the price:

Here is The Man's ticket. Note the seating and the price:

You'd think at that price he'd have a Fairy Godmother (they do so exist because Balcony Princess has one or two) swoop in and fix his shirt. I shall carry Fairy Dust with me to every game from now on and sprinkle it upon The Man if ever he gets another stain.

I love you shiny KG.

Balcony Gal and The Man

Yesterday, in a bizarre twist of fate my readers reader had company in the world that is Balcony Gal. I was sitting here, looking at the lone stat for my blog (thanks for reading it Balcony Guy!! I love you. *sigh*) when an email came in from The Man's Really Pretty Daughter (from here on out known as TMRPD). She and The Man read the blog post and they loved it. They got more people to read the post and before I knew it, people were flocking to View From the Celtics Balcony in droves, searching for the paypal button that allows them to donate to defray the cost of Balcony Gal's playoff tickets. The end.

Oh, I know, I jest. Bet you didn't expect that from me, huh? I can have a sense of humor at times; it's not all serious around the Balcony.

Anyway, back on topic. I'm sitting here and my google account lights up saying I have a message. Oh, this wasn't just any message. It was the kindest, sweetest, most thoughtful message I've ever received in my whole storied 3 month career as a blogger. And I'm not just saying that to kiss TMRPD's ass and get out of the world of a woman that look like Scot Pollard and into the world of the pretty girls. Serious. She said she loved it. She said The Man loved it. They laughed. They passed it on to friends and family. Wow. The Man liked it. He really liked it. SHE SAID HE WANTS TO MEET ME.

dream sequence * The soundtrack to Balcony Gal's life quietly begins to play in the background. The heavens open up and a collective AAHHHHHH can be heard throughout the land. Balcony Gal runs through a meadow of tall grasses and beautiful wild flowers, spinning in circles, arms in the air, flowing skirts - why have just one? - floatinging poetically around her legs. She is thrilled that The Man read her post. She is thrilled that anyone read her post. Then, just as she prepares to leap a tiny burbling brook, she stumbles over the rock that is reality and everything stops. * end dream sequence

I can't meet The Man. He's larger than life. He's The Man. Everyone knows him. Everyone hugs him. Players high five him. The Boston Globe wrote an article on him, talking about how he's a fixture on the court. He's rarely missed a game since 1981. He's a true fan, something that was lacking in the lean years of the Cs franchise. There are other true fans, people who've seen almost every game, who've tried to cheer through tears of frustration, who sent their 40 dollar check to the RMV 3 years ago to get their Celtics license plate that has yet to arrive (Dear RMV, will you ever issue the plate? What's the ETA? If you're not going to send them out this season I could really use that $40 to pay for playoff tickets. Do you know how hard it is to keep that $40 in the account? There have been times when I've had to buy diapers and tequila and didn't want to dip into the $40. Let's just say it's gotten messy. Sincerely, Balcony Gal) but The Man has payed a premium for premium seats and been there the whole time. I can't meet The Man.

I'm nervous. Perhaps if I hide.

Perhaps I just need a drink.

Perhaps the drink is some of that stuff from Alice in Wonderland and I will grow very tall so I can then face The Man.


announcer: Due to all of this drinking, Balcony Gal has to run off to the head. Join us next time as Balcony Gal tranforms into Floor Gal and tells you about things that happened on the court like

• when KG stepped on Joakim "My Hair Belongs In the WNBA " Noah's foot during a jump ball
• when it was confirmed that the Celtics Dancers do, indeed, have belly buttons
• when Gooden was ejected in the second quarter for his second technical foul and he threw his jock strap arm warmer at Floor Girl **this event may have been altered to protect the innocent and make her him look cooler**
• when very important people shook Floor Girl's hand and didn't laugh at her for standing next to them
• when Floor Girl got a hug and a kiss from The Man and discovered all of his friends call him The Man too. This may or may not be because he makes them since he is the divine owner of the few seats they were warming.
• Scal up close with his head shaved is, in a word, scary. But the crowd was behind him like never before and when he pulled down that 3 there was nothing but cheer.
  

Fast and Faster

Last night's win against the Pistons sure had the adrenaline pumping. Perk had a glorious double double, Rondo had some fantastic drives to the hole and KG just was, all while scoring his season high. This morning's Globe had this great quote about KG from coach Doc Rivers:

"He is back to normal and his conditioning is back, his timing is back," Rivers said. "The way we can tell usually is his jump shot, not his post game. When he's making little elbow jump shots, that means he has good rhythm. When he's not, that usually means he's going too fast. He doesn't have but one gear, and it's fast and faster. He was good."

Fast and faster. Sure beats my gears: extra slow and stop.

Another Attempt at Raising Money for My Celtics Playoff Tickets

Oh, have I been an industrious little Balcony Gal. I've been racking my brain for weeks now to come up with the best plan to raise money for my Balcony Seats during the Playoffs. I've gotten emails in regards to things I should try but most of them aren't appropriate to post here *blushes*.

Balcony Guy and I thought long and hard and came to the realization that we should sell a few of our regular season tickets. Oh, before you think we're doing something underhanded, take a deep breath. We sell them to friends at face value. You want a chance to get a pair of these babies? Then you've got to prove your friendship and have a love for the boys in Green. You don't have to send me bottles of my favorite tequila (Milagro Anejo). You don't have to purchase a weekend getaway for me at Kripalu. You don't have to send the Balcony Girls gifts. You don't even have to beg me to put a paypal button here so you can donate $2.75 toward the cause. I can't be bought that easily. I gave up being easy years ago. (what, did she just say that?)

So in a move to beat all moves, we sold tickets to the Wednesday night game against the Pistons. Well, we didn't exactly sell them. I traded them. I set out to sell them but some guy from a well known Celtics blog site convinced me that I should trade them for some magic seeds. I brought them home and Balcony Guy was a bit upset, to say the least, but once I let him rub my feet he turned around and agreed this could be a good thing.

I got to work planting the seeds last night.



It was a lot of work so I did take a break at one point. Notice how I'm still happy and gesticulating in the only way I know how.



And then I went to bed and awoke to one of the most beautiful sites in the world. No, it wasn't a money tree. It was a TICKET TREE! OHhhhh. MYyyyy. GAwwddddd. Celtics tickets. And they were EVERYWHERE on this tree.

I had no idea it was really possible. Celtics Tickets on a tree. Right there in my bedroom. And not only does the tree grow tickets, it also grows clothes pins. How friggin' handy is THAT?


OH this is just too damn exciting. I can sell all of these tickets and that would help defray all costs of attending the Celtics Playoffs. Wooo hooooo. Could there be anything better right now? Oh yes, there can. There's another tree. That poor sucker from the well known Celtics blog gave me seeds for another tree. It has balls. It sprouts balls. It grows balls. A damn ballsy tree.



But I must stop here and leave the Ball Tree for another post. I'm just too tired from harvesting the fruits from the Celtics Ticket Tree. It's not easy raising money.

Welcome to Sam

Many of us saw and heard the reaction Blhhh Blhhh Bldrahhhnnn received his first night in the Garden. Not only did most people not understand who it was but they just couldn't be bothered to acknowledge the acquisition. They were all too busy turning around and asking, "What?" I sure hope it's different for Sam Cassell.

If Sam is sitting on the bench tomorrow night in the Garden I hope his name is enunciated and the crowd gives him a warm and pleasant greeting. I hope there are people who feel a true pride in having him on our side (and not knocking Rondo around). And I hope that those of you who are going to be there (because I'm not...having traded my tickets for some magic seeds...more on those later) will report back on the crowd's acknowledgment. I especially want to know the reaction from the balcony. Namely the kid-who-sits-behind-me-and-has-nothing-nice-to-say.

Welcome to the fold, Cassell. Now make us proud.

Neil Diamond on the Sidelines

Disclaimer: Balcony Gal can not be held responsible for any songs that stick in your head after the reading of this post.

No, no, turns out it's not really Neil Diamond. For a long time I thought it was. I remember last year, when my balcony seat was even higher up than it is now, I could look down and see this man who I just knew was Neil Diamond. I figured because the Cs weren't getting a lot of press no one talked about his presence. And last year I didn't bring my camera to zoom in on him at games so I was able to perpetuate my own fantasy that not only was he AT! EVERY! GAME! but he'd be Forever In Blue (black) Jeans. Certainly I could continue to imagine that, while I was in the stands above him, pregnant and ready to burst, he'd turn around and belt out Girl You'll be a Woman Soon. What can I say? I'm a Believer. That and I never saw him turn around.

Clearly, he's a believer too because, as I've since discovered, he really is AT! EVERY! GAME! I don't think, even in the darkest of Celtics times, he ever felt Love On the Rocks.

I also discovered, as I was purposely photographing him for this post, that he's not Neil Diamond. What? Was that a sad sigh I heard? A gasp of surprise? A chuckle from the men in the back who knew better all this time? Are some of you pointing and laughing at me? Just for that I'm going to say Song Sung Blue. There, get THAT out of your head.

I must say that he sure has my admiration. Not because he can afford to sit on the court but because he has chosen to sit there through thick and thin. I've come to call him The Man.

Other things I've noticed about The Man:
- The Man always wears black
- everyone hugs The Man
- you can see The Man's smile from the balcony
- The Man jumps up and down and claps and cheers and I'm sure he yells but I can't hear him

So to The Man, who we all know now is not Neil Diamond, I hope you are having the time of your life. I know I am and I'm WAY UP HERE.

On a semi-related note: last year there were a lot of children who got to sit in those seats down on the court. At the beginning of this season there were children who got to sit in those seats down on the court. Now it seems no one who sits in those seats on the court brings their children.

Just another observation from the Balcony.