I'm writing this column from Colton, Calif., which is outside of San Bernadino. My friend and I are here to see Rage Against the Machine play the Coachella festival on Sunday, but we've spent two days hanging out with my cousin and her fianc?© in Colton.
But that's all background info. Let's get to the sports.
Unfortunately, the Sox played the Yankees this weekend, and apparently ESPN doesn't think Dice-K's Yankee Stadium debut (and his first time facing Hideki Matsui) is worth coverage. We did manage to see the hometown team lose Saturday afternoon to the Yanks, but that's never fun.
The NFL Draft didn't provide much relief, as Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn fell to the 22nd pick. I suppose for some people that provided some interesting drama; for Irish fans like me, it was a slap in the face.
The NBA playoffs probably came the closest to getting me my sports fix. I'm excited by the Golden State Warriors, but to be honest, I care way more about the NBA Draft than I do about the playoffs.
So what was it that finally satisfied me? Surprisingly enough, it was the one sport I know less about than hockey: soccer - specifically, the "Super-Clasico" rivalry game between the Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA, the two L.A.-based teams in MLS.
My cousin Abby and her fianc?© Dan are Galaxy season ticket holders. While Dan was at the game, Abby, Dan's mom and his two sisters, and my friend Gabe all barbecued and watched it on TV.
Dan's sister Regina has a crush on Landon Donovan that would rival any Boston woman's crush on Johnny Damon (though I hope he doesn't break her heart by going to Chivas), so when he scored a goal in the eighth minute, she started crowing about "what a horse" her boy is. Maybe more of a pony (he's only 5'6" or so), but she's got a point: the guy's good.
Cobi Jones, who's retiring after this season, scored in the 78th minute on a feed from Donovan, and everybody went nuts.
And that's when I realized: regardless of what sport it is, rivalries are awesome.
The Galaxy-Chivas rivalry might be as good as it gets in American soccer. The Galaxy have long been one of MLS's marquee franchises, while Chivas is an expansion team in its third season in the league. The Galaxy have dominated the Super-Clasico so far, but don't tell that to Chivas fans, because they were out in force at the brand-new Home Depot Center.
The Chivaria (the hardcore Chivas fans) numbered about 2500, and they were crazy. They sang songs, threw stuff all over the place and generally made as much noise as possible. The LA Riot Squad and the Galaxians (the Galaxy's two signature fan groups) were pretty loud, but just couldn't compare. Kind of like Yankee fans.
My point is this: if you're coming to Boston, you'd better not think that you understand our culture until you've seen the Sox play at Fenway. I'm far from understanding the Mexican community of Los Angeles, but I got a little taste of it from watching the Chivaria on TV.
Sports are fantastic because they allow us to catch a glimpse of people's passions in a seemingly meaningless venue. Whether it's Sox-Yanks or Galaxy-Chivas, that's a pretty cool thing.
Anyway, my body is telling me it's 3 a.m., and I'm still pretty jetlagged, so forgive me for waxing poetic about a night spent in front of the television with burgers and Dos Equis. But I've got to say: it was a pretty cool experience.
Will Herberich is a freshman. He can be reached at William.Herberich@tufts.edu.
