Last night was the last game of the season for the AIFA Baltimore Mariners. I decided to check the game out, so I called the team for tickets last week. The guy there told me to just walk-up and buy them on game day to save on fees. Der. Why didn’t I think of that?

When I got there I saw there were way more people there for this game than the previous two games I went to. Each of those games might have had 1,000 or so people in the stands for an arena that seats around 10,000. I was actually a little worried that I wouldn’t get decent seats. That fear was dashed when I asked the lady at the ticket booth if there was anything available in one of the two sections I wanted to sit in and she asked if I wanted tickets in row A, B or C. Heh. To make matters better, I got one ticket free for buying one. For $25 I got two seats at mid-field three rows off the field (two rows in front of us were the high dollar $40 seats). Eat that, Ravens.

As for the game, it was actually really good. The Mariners were playing the Reading (PA) Express, who had a couple hundred fans in the stands. That made me wonder how horrible Reading, PA must be that people will travel an hour and a half or so on a Monday night to support a semi-pro indoor football team. It made for a lively crowd and a good football atmosphere though, and the Mariners, who suck, were really taking it to the Express, who are good, for 3 1/2 quarters. A couple late-game turnovers doomed the Mariners to a 47-38 loss, but it was fun and I might actually consider buying season tickets next year. Mostly because for about half the price of one nose bleed end zone seat to see the Ravens I can get two seats a couple rows off mid-field to see the Mariners. That warms my cheap jew heart.

Here is a camera phone pic of the Mariners in their offensive formation:

Down, set…

And of the halftime entertainment:

Not exactly Baltimore’s Marching Ravens.

See you in 2009, Mariners! (If you’re still a team then.)