Thunderdome

One of my favorite and most underrated aspects of the Sharks (and hockey in general) is the Mad Max/Running Man feel of going to a live playoff game. You've got 20,000 drunk, screaming maniacs crammed into a tin can and separated from the playing field by half an inch of plexiglass. Fights can break out mere inches from your face. Thousands of white towels wave in unison to greet the gladiators as they skate out of an oversized shark jaw. Goals are celebrated with flashing lights, fog horn blasts, and a roar of the crowd that sounds like a 747 took off right next to you. Goddamnit I love playoff hockey.

It looks like I'm not the only one that loves that feeling. So do Bill Simmons and the entire country of Mexico. From Simmons' account of attending the US-Mexico World Cup Qualifier:

"The stands hug the field, shoot straight up and couldn't be more intimidating, especially in the corners, where fans shower opponents with beers, sodas and LTYDEWTKWTA (Liquids That You Don't Even Want To Know What They Are) on every corner kick. The lower section of the stadium is fenced, with a guarded, waterless moat (seriously, a moat!) with a second fence above it that prevent fans from racing onto the field. Atop the stadium, an uneven half-roof leads to eerie shadows and goofy lighting that seem to change by the minute.

Opponents never feel safe. Inside the bowels of the stadium, the players walk down a concrete tunnel that feels like it was built in 1362. Emerge from the tunnel, and Mexican fans are suddenly right there, wearing green jerseys, yelling obscenities and pounding the fence in front of them. The venom starts immediately -- booing and hissing, horn blowing, various 'Meh-hee-CO! Meh-hee CO!' chants -- and never really stops. The Mexican fans had no problem drowning out the Star-Spangled Banner with jeers. They tossed drinks and debris at the U.S. bench for most of the second half ... which didn't matter because Azteca's opposing bench has an impenetrable plexiglass roof, but still. During a corner kick in extra time, they showered Landon Donovan with such a staggering amount of debris that he briefly staggered back toward the field in disbelief, shrugging his hands as if to say, 'How could anyone act like this?' "

That's fantastic. The whole article is highly entertaining. Also Shane Victorino is a little bitch.