The dangers of being loud | It's 888 Miles to Chicago...

Every fan has had a moment where they're cheering their team, and they cross the line of good taste and decency. And every fan has also had a moment where they own a player, or at least the other fans got a kick out of the taunting. For some reason, I was sitting here, remembering back over some of my "finer" moments in fandom...

1994, I was in college in Milwaukee. UWM (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) had its home opener basketball game against some juco. The game is in the old MECCA arena, only seats about 11,000, and about 600 faithful fans have made it out to the game. Let's just say the setting was intimate. So the ref blows this call, just murders it...not even close...at least sitting about 4 rows up from the court it's obvious. The 600 people erupt, like only 600 people can...and I'm pissed, I feel that this ref needs a good talking too, he's got something coming, who does he think he is...so I stand up....

The whole crowd goes silent, waiting for me to speak...

I gather all my breath...

Everyone wants to hear what I have to say...

"(Mother of all swear words) you Ref!!!"

And then I realize, the whole arena is silent. The moment had passed. I had just screamed into a silent arena...and to my surprise, the ref clearly heard me, and is looking right at me.

Too bad it's impossible to hide in an empty arena.

1995, still in college, and going to Milwaukee Bucks games, cause hey, there isn't anything else to do in Milwaukee in the winter. I'm sitting in the upper deck, with my buddies, waiting for the game to start. They announce that some choir is going to sing the national anthem. They start singing...and oh my god they are awful...I mean poke your eardrums out bad. So never one to be quiet...

"Jesus, these guys suck. A dead cat could sing better."

Just then they flash a pic of the choir on the jumbotron...and it's a group of "mentally challenged" people.

But wait its worse....

Wait for it...

They're families are sitting 2 rows in front of me. Yes, that was a fun game...not painful at all.

Fast forward a bit...

2001 - I'm in Seattle now...attending an Angels-Mariners game at Safeco. Darin Erstad is playing center for the Angels. I'm out in the centerfield beer garden area. With a couple buddies...beer is involved...

Erstad makes a horrendous play on 2 straight balls. Just terrible. I could have walked out there and caught the damn thing. The thing is, he just won the gold glove the year before.

So I start laying into the guy, screaming things like...

"Gold Glove Erstad!"

"Did the crabs from the hooker last night distract you?"

"Erstad, it's the white thing, looks like an 8-ball of coke"

Granted, I'm not making the most sense, I'm just screaming crap, and most of it is just inside jokes that we're coming up with that have nothing to do with real life. Well, after 2 innings of this...

Erstad turns towards us....and gives us the finger. I cheered like I had just hit a HR. Round of high 5s across the board. Just brilliant.

And those are the lowest lows, and highest high of my cheering days...nothing too fancy, but I just thought I'd share, cause I still get a kick out of them...so what's your worse or best moment as a fan?