Met my cousin Sean, a Milwaukee native & Bucks fan, and his buddies at Billy Goat to pregame for the Bulls/Bucks matchup at United Center Monday night.  Knocked back some double cheeseburgers and a couple beers before we walked over to UC.

Odd thing happened as we awaited entrance.  It was snow/raining and as the line moved we naturally inched closer to the entrance doors, seeking shelter.  The young woman in front of us turned to Sean and his pal & requested they stand behind her, not on her side.  They were somewhat on either side of her, but definitely behind.  Not invading her personal space really at all and it was a pretty natural line flow.  I don’t know if she thought we were cutting in line or just didn’t like being crowded.  The fellas certainly didn’t mean any disrespect, they’re truly nice dudes.  And they were never within 5 feet of her.  But sporting event lines do tend to have a pushing towards the front, cattle mentality.  I’d never really considered it until she mentioned her discomfort.  Perhaps the woman was right in that sports fans should be more single-file in general.

Anyhow, it was a competitive game.  That’s all I wanted as a Bulls fan.  They hung in there against the best team (record-wise) in the NBA and Lauri Markkanen went toe-to-toe with Giannis for much of the game.  The Finnisher never caught fire, but continued to rack up rebounds, 17 to be exact.  LaVine and Porter continued to be part of the solution and the Bucks weren’t able to pull away until the final 2 minutes of the 4th.

Great game to attend, even if it was with 3 Bucks fans.  They were cool about it, as Wisconsin folks tend to be.  The only throw down came vs. another Milwaukee fan who was seated next to us, beyond an unoccupied seat.  During the 4th quarter T-shirt drop, when rolled up shirts are parachuted down from the rafters, an arm wrestling match ensued over one of the souvenirs.  Dude already had one, but wrenched away another T-shirt from Sean’s friend as he reached out to grab it.  A minor argument ensued, with both finally agreeing they should give the Bulls shirt to a Chicago fan.  I stood up in my D Rose jersey and claimed the prize.  Worked out for me.  Not a bad shirt.  I’ll get some wear out of it once I iron out the wrinkles.

Bonus: I drive a Kia.  A white Kia, too.  I’ll feel like Jimmie Johnson when I’m wearing this in the car.  Sponsored and matching.