when did the rock pile become so lame?

[Dr. Pepper]

had some friends come in from out of town this past weekend, so we got tickets to watch the Bills get their first win of the year. got the tix on stub hub.... had the option of getting rock pile seats or the section below the rock pile closer to the field, they were the same price... i got the seats in the rock pile because i told my friends it would be a really fun, authentic place to watch the game. well we get to our seats and start cheering as the game begins. 10 minutes in, we're being shouted and and harassed to sit down. i turned around and said we were just having fun, and that the whole rest of the stadium was standing so they should too. throughout the whole first half people were getting pissy about it. at one point i told one girl behind me that i thought the rock pile was supposed to be rowdy, and she rolled her eyes and said "uh, maybe 10 years ago." keep in mind we werent drunk or acting like fools. eventually someone called the "fan police" or whatever, and told them we were stirring up trouble and causing fights. when security came over and accused us of this, we were obviously sober and explained ourselves coherently and he said "fine, but it's still excessive standing, you have to sit down." we said "the whole freakin stadium is standing!" but to no avail... we ended up compromising that we could stand until halftime, there was 3 minutes left in the half. after the half we went down to a lower section and everyone was jumping up and down having a great time and STANDING UP for their Bills. of course by then it had started to rain and half of our previous section left with the first drop.

sorry for the rant, but i feel bad for my friends having to deal with such garbage throughout the first half, especially expecting the rock pile to be a fun section. the funny thing is, we're respectful people for the most part and probably wouldve sat down when asked if the first words we heard werent "hey *******s, sit down!!" anyone else have a crappy experience like this?

[dannyek71]

when did capitalization and the use of paragraphs go out of style.

[mayotm]

when did capitalization and the use of paragraphs go out of style.Says the dude that doesn't capialize the 'w' in when nor uses a question mark when asking a question.

[Dr. Pepper]

when did capitalization and the use of paragraphs go out of style.

wow, thanks for the well thought out response clever guy!

[The Natrix]

If there are people standing in front of you and they are obstructing your view, it is ok to stand. Otherwise, you are just being an a-hole. JMO.

[trapezeus]

agreed. perhaps i'm an old fuddy duddy, but i hate the constant standers. i feel like an NHL goalie trying to look around people.

Yes, on big plays, important plays, i'm standing up, but i don't particularlly see why every play needs to be standing up. combined with the constant pee-ers who need to get out, there is a lot of movement.

obviously, i think in the 90's we didn't realize this so much because the team was always entertaining, always scoring. you just felt like you were standing all the time.

We've been trying to will this team to win for 10 years. it doesn't work until they get better players.

[RockStar36]

I don't stand all the time, but I don't have issues with people that do. They paid their money to go to a professional football game. I'd much rather deal with a constant stander than someone sitting there not making a sound.

[justasportsfan]

you should have let a big one go

[dannyek71]

Says the dude that doesn't capialize the 'w' in when nor uses a question mark when asking a question.

i was intentionally doing it to mimic the post. do you understand now.

[BertSquirtgum]

when did capitalization and the use of paragraphs go out of style.

you didn't capitalize the w at the beginning of your sentence. damn hypocrits.

[mrbojanglezs]

when did capitalization and the use of paragraphs go out of style.

lol wow man, if you dish it out you have to live up to your own advice :zonelunch

[chernobylwraiths]

I don't stand all the time, but I don't have issues with people that do. They paid their money to go to a professional football game. I'd much rather deal with a constant stander than someone sitting there not making a sound.

Really? The guy not making a sound annoys you more? Why?

[chernobylwraiths]

If there are people standing in front of you and they are obstructing your view, it is ok to stand. Otherwise, you are just being an a-hole. JMO.

I agree with this. I hate HAVING to constantly stand just to watch the game.

[Crazygoo]

I don't mind it either way. But i would rather sit down when they are playing at the other end of the field. There is no need to stand when they are 60 yards away from you

[Bufftp]

When did it change? Since all the young people moved out of Buffalo to find a job and only over the hill fuddy duddys attend the games.

[Mr. Pink]

If you want to sit all game and not have people shout around you, guess what you should do?

Stay home.

[mayotm]

i was intentionally doing it to mimic the post. do you understand now.Sure you were.

[Extremebillsfan247]

had some friends come in from out of town this past weekend, so we got tickets to watch the Bills get their first win of the year. got the tix on stub hub.... had the option of getting rock pile seats or the section below the rock pile closer to the field, they were the same price... i got the seats in the rock pile because i told my friends it would be a really fun, authentic place to watch the game. well we get to our seats and start cheering as the game begins. 10 minutes in, we're being shouted and and harassed to sit down. i turned around and said we were just having fun, and that the whole rest of the stadium was standing so they should too. throughout the whole first half people were getting pissy about it. at one point i told one girl behind me that i thought the rock pile was supposed to be rowdy, and she rolled her eyes and said "uh, maybe 10 years ago." keep in mind we werent drunk or acting like fools. eventually someone called the "fan police" or whatever, and told them we were stirring up trouble and causing fights. when security came over and accused us of this, we were obviously sober and explained ourselves coherently and he said "fine, but it's still excessive standing, you have to sit down." we said "the whole freakin stadium is standing!" but to no avail... we ended up compromising that we could stand until halftime, there was 3 minutes left in the half. after the half we went down to a lower section and everyone was jumping up and down having a great time and STANDING UP for their Bills. of course by then it had started to rain and half of our previous section left with the first drop.

sorry for the rant, but i feel bad for my friends having to deal with such garbage throughout the first half, especially expecting the rock pile to be a fun section. the funny thing is, we're respectful people for the most part and probably wouldve sat down when asked if the first words we heard werent "hey *******s, sit down!!" anyone else have a crappy experience like this?

Ha.. ha.. Good thing for you the game wasn't a sell out huh? the good thing about a game like that one when there are a lot of seats available is that you can move to another section that suits you better. However, did it ever occur to you that you were infringing on someone else who was also there to have a good time with friends like you were, only to have their view impeded by someone who insists on standing in the way? Your gripe sounds a bit arrogant in my opinion.

[Michael82]

Wow! Our section at the tunnel end zone was standing up for most of the second half. It was mainly because of the cold rain that kept coming down, but still....hardly anyone was sitting.

[trapezeus]

just because i like to be able to watch without standing does not mean i'm quiet. i pipe in at the right times.

and for the most part, the out of control standers tend to be the overly inebriated.

[Michael82]

i was intentionally doing it to mimic the post. do you understand now.
I'm also surprised by Danny's reply. He used to sit in that section and have season tickets there. He talked about all the good times and how rowdy it was. I figured he would have more of a response to it.

[Dr. Pepper]

Ha.. ha.. Good thing for you the game wasn't a sell out huh? the good thing about a game like that one when there are a lot of seats available is that you can move to another section that suits you better. However, did it ever occur to you that you were infringing on someone else who was also there to have a good time with friends like you were, only to have their view impeded by someone who insists on standing in the way? Your gripe sounds a bit arrogant in my opinion.

yeah, and i understand the other side of the argument. it was just a total letdown being yelled at and harassed like we were wearing lions jerseys or something. my friends came up expecting a good time at the ralph, not the weird reception we got. not to mention the fact that i bought tickets in that section specifically so we could make some noise and support the team without having to worry about a "family section" type atmosphere.

[Extremebillsfan247]

yeah, and i understand the other side of the argument. it was just a total letdown being yelled at and harassed like we were wearing lions jerseys or something. my friends came up expecting a good time at the ralph, not the weird reception we got. not to mention the fact that i bought tickets in that section specifically so we could make some noise and support the team without having to worry about a "family section" type atmosphere.Maybe they were closet Lions fans. lol

[bigfish2112]

Thats ok there was some lady wearing her colts jersey yesterday on and didnt even watch the game because she was looking up her fantasy football under the blanket she was wrapped up in and when it started to rain she told the person she was with that she was going to the car when it started to rain. The person she was with said you are going by yourself sorry about your luck and she went to the car right before half time.

[dannyek71]

lol wow man, if you dish it out you have to live up to your own advice :zonelunch

People do not even read the posts any more.

[Oaf]

Sounds like a crappy experience Dr. Pepper. Not what I like to hear about the Ralph.

[Beebe's Kid]

just because i like to be able to watch without standing does not mean i'm quiet. i pipe in at the right times.

and for the most part, the out of control standers tend to be the overly inebriated.


You old fuddy duddy...

Seriously, this is right on. There are times we stand, and times we sit. I can tell you that at one point during the 3rd Qtr, there was nearly 3 fights in our immediate area, all over standing fans.

To not stand at a football game is a little bit of a foreign concept to me, but I can appreciate the sentiment, and I play along. I would rather stand, but I am not that important, and it is about respecting the people around me.

The one issue is that it has become a bit of a "buzz" topic. Whenever somebody stands, some jerk yells "down in front!" That is usually meant with "up in back." Then the argument over who paid what for the seats, and two people refusing to compromise, and an argument.

A woman a few seats away from me was complaining about somebody standing 4 rows down...then she threw something at them...real classy. The guys two seats down from me, when asked nicely to sit, erupted in a profanity laced tirade to a family...real classy.

It is pretty simple, isn't it? 3rd down on defense...you stand. If you choose to sit on 3rd down, you really can't be upset. There are certain drives when you stand, if we are ripping down the field, I can't stay in my seat.

I don't drink, so being the drunk guy standing and fighting with the people behind me isn't a concern. That is usually, as Trap points out, when things deteriorate.

The issue here is this...this isn't the U.S. Open. We are the 12th Man. We are loud fans that are there to make the game uncomfortable for the opposition. I don't like the take "if you don't like it stay home," but there needs to be a compromise. If you want to have the "living room" experience, going to a notoriously rowdy stadium is probably not a good idea. If you want to be a drunken ******* that is looking for a fight, either A. Pick an opposing team's fan, or B. Go to the bar, drink a fifth of Kessler's and fight it out.

The sad part about all of this is that there has to be involvement from authorities. They cloud the issue every time. Me and my buddy were observing this weekend...there is no right or wrong on this issue. They come down the stairs, talk to both parties, and pick the party with alcohol on the breath as guilty. If both parties are middle aged, and not obscenely drunk, they do nothing. I have seen people that were not at fault tossed out, because they were younger and drinking.

It would be nice if people could operate as decent human beings, practicing courtesy and consideration...unfortunately people are narcissistic and antagonistic, even when they are on the same side.

[RockStar36]

Really? The guy not making a sound annoys you more? Why?

Because the crowd is supposed to be as loud as possible to affect the game. If you want to just sit there and not make noise, stay home and watch on TV. I love loud and crazy crowds.

[trapezeus]

no one cares about standing when fun stuff is going on. we all stand. it's the constant standers who don't even observe the section they are in.

i'm at the 50 yard line 2 rows beneath the press box. it's a lot of old people. these people aren't standing all the time. they get loud, they are excited, they stand up on big third downs, they get up for scores. when we get newbies to our section being like, "you guys are lame and sober!" we all are like, our entire section is seated during this commericial timeout. what the hell. and on average we have well over 20 years of season ticket holding per seat. so getting our fandom questioned is really odd.

i say, "the bills should score 59 points a game so we are all standing the whole time." it's the only way to solve this debate.

[RockStar36]

I agree standing during TV timeouts and the such is too much.

I usually stand once the people in front of me do, or I check behind to see what they are doing so I'm not just blocking someone.

[hydro]

We stood the whole second half. Reason was our seats were wet and well we didn't have anyone behind us. The positives for being in the last row I guess!

[RockStar36]

We stood the whole second half. Reason was our seats were wet and well we didn't have anyone behind us. The positives for being in the last row I guess!

I stood for most of the 4th quarter because the putz behind me couldn't drink his beer properly. Didn't matter though, that was the most important time to be standing and yelling.

I remember the one year I sat in the very top row of the stadium. I loved it.

[Mad Bomber]

when did capitalization and the use of paragraphs go out of style.
dr pepper is the ee cummings of the zone.

[Dr. Pepper]

You old fuddy duddy...

Seriously, this is right on. There are times we stand, and times we sit. I can tell you that at one point during the 3rd Qtr, there was nearly 3 fights in our immediate area, all over standing fans.

To not stand at a football game is a little bit of a foreign concept to me, but I can appreciate the sentiment, and I play along. I would rather stand, but I am not that important, and it is about respecting the people around me.

The one issue is that it has become a bit of a "buzz" topic. Whenever somebody stands, some jerk yells "down in front!" That is usually meant with "up in back." Then the argument over who paid what for the seats, and two people refusing to compromise, and an argument.

A woman a few seats away from me was complaining about somebody standing 4 rows down...then she threw something at them...real classy. The guys two seats down from me, when asked nicely to sit, erupted in a profanity laced tirade to a family...real classy.

It is pretty simple, isn't it? 3rd down on defense...you stand. If you choose to sit on 3rd down, you really can't be upset. There are certain drives when you stand, if we are ripping down the field, I can't stay in my seat.

I don't drink, so being the drunk guy standing and fighting with the people behind me isn't a concern. That is usually, as Trap points out, when things deteriorate.

The issue here is this...this isn't the U.S. Open. We are the 12th Man. We are loud fans that are there to make the game uncomfortable for the opposition. I don't like the take "if you don't like it stay home," but there needs to be a compromise. If you want to have the "living room" experience, going to a notoriously rowdy stadium is probably not a good idea. If you want to be a drunken ******* that is looking for a fight, either A. Pick an opposing team's fan, or B. Go to the bar, drink a fifth of Kessler's and fight it out.

The sad part about all of this is that there has to be involvement from authorities. They cloud the issue every time. Me and my buddy were observing this weekend...there is no right or wrong on this issue. They come down the stairs, talk to both parties, and pick the party with alcohol on the breath as guilty. If both parties are middle aged, and not obscenely drunk, they do nothing. I have seen people that were not at fault tossed out, because they were younger and drinking.

It would be nice if people could operate as decent human beings, practicing courtesy and consideration...unfortunately people are narcissistic and antagonistic, even when they are on the same side.

great post, very well said. to be fair to the security guards who came after us, once they realized we werent drunk and werent starting fights, they agreed to compromise and apologized that they were having to make us sit.

[Demon]

had some friends come in from out of town this past weekend, so we got tickets to watch the Bills get their first win of the year. got the tix on stub hub.... had the option of getting rock pile seats or the section below the rock pile closer to the field, they were the same price... i got the seats in the rock pile because i told my friends it would be a really fun, authentic place to watch the game. well we get to our seats and start cheering as the game begins. 10 minutes in, we're being shouted and and harassed to sit down. i turned around and said we were just having fun, and that the whole rest of the stadium was standing so they should too. throughout the whole first half people were getting pissy about it. at one point i told one girl behind me that i thought the rock pile was supposed to be rowdy, and she rolled her eyes and said "uh, maybe 10 years ago." keep in mind we werent drunk or acting like fools. eventually someone called the "fan police" or whatever, and told them we were stirring up trouble and causing fights. when security came over and accused us of this, we were obviously sober and explained ourselves coherently and he said "fine, but it's still excessive standing, you have to sit down." we said "the whole freakin stadium is standing!" but to no avail... we ended up compromising that we could stand until halftime, there was 3 minutes left in the half. after the half we went down to a lower section and everyone was jumping up and down having a great time and STANDING UP for their Bills. of course by then it had started to rain and half of our previous section left with the first drop.

sorry for the rant, but i feel bad for my friends having to deal with such garbage throughout the first half, especially expecting the rock pile to be a fun section. the funny thing is, we're respectful people for the most part and probably wouldve sat down when asked if the first words we heard werent "hey *******s, sit down!!" anyone else have a crappy experience like this?

I got banned from the rockpile and it's been down hill ever since....

[SABuffalo786]

Check out my sig.

I put that in in 2007 when we first got our seasons in 200. I would take it out but I'm just too lazy.

The Rockpile is a ghost, a GHOST of its former self. Just no fighting spirit there anymore. It feels like I'm talking about 20 years ago but a scant 4 seasons ago that place was a ****ing ZOO. I loved every minute of it. Everyone was hardcore and ****ing up for it. No tourists.

The Jauron years and the crackdown on "borderline" behavior has really taken the color and noise out of the Rockpile. It sucks because we used to be the point in the stadium where the noise would start and radiate out to the more expensive seats. You could always count on the scoreboard end. Not like that anymore. Hopefully when we start being competitive again it'll go back to the old days (save for the widespread violence of course).

[Mr. Miyagi]

when did capitalization and the use of paragraphs go out of style.
Maybe his SHIFT key was broken. Both of them.