Gotta Go To Mo's

One of the underrated things about coming back to Jersey for a few days (besides being able to watch the Devils) are the Jersey version's of Modell's and Sports Authority. I'm not sure anyone really appreciates how awesome the stores are out here, but I certainly do.

You see, whereas the Seattle versions center around outdoor sports, the Jersey versions center around sports gear. Go to any Jersey store and you will see a shit-ton of fan gear from all the major teams (except the Isles of course). I'm talking hats, jackets, jerseys, shirts, sweats as well as beer coozies, playing cards, beer glasses, slippers, signed photos, coasters, magnets, Christmas ornaments and a lot of stuff I can't even remember. It's stuff you just can't find in Seattle.

Yesterday I took a trip to the second largest mall in America, the 4-story Palisades Mall in West Nyack. For those who have never been, this place has a Lowe's Theater, an ice hockey rink, a bowling alley, a Ferris wheel, a merry-go-round, Dave and Busters and a JC Pennys that is 3 stories high. I met my boy J-Will for lunch and he called the Food court a Food Mall because of all the choices (interestingly they had a place that specialized in Grilled Cheese sandwiches, a food that I have never seen an adult order at a restaurant).

My time spent in the Modell's at Palisades was very enjoyable. They had 2T and 3T Davd Wright jerseys and Mets jackets that would have looked great on The Incident, but I was disciplined and didn't splurge on. They also had a really beautiful Zach Parise jersey and Jose Reyes jerseys marked at only 20% off (I think they will learn that no self-respecting Mets fan will by this for anything more than 80% off). But my favorite items were some Panini sticker books. I'm not sure anyone reading this will know what they are, because the only place I had ever seen them was in South Jersey during, but they brought back some memories. basically, instead of buying cards, you bought packs of stickers and stuck them on the appropriate page. It was like having all your cards on one page to see. I was very tempted to buy one, but they only had 1 stinking pack of stickers left, which means that someone must be enjoying them.

Then I went to Sports Authority and looked at their wall of hats. It had to be 30 wide by 10 high and it was all NY sports teams. At first, it was impressive but then I noticed that you could buy Mets hats in black and white or red and white. If you have ever engaged me in a conversation before, you probably know my feelings on this, but I truly believe you need to wear your teams colors. A green or pink Mets hat is bad enough, but Mets hats in the colors of the Yanks or Phils is ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE. If you buy one of these and call yourself a fan, you should be ashamed and have your fan card taken away.

After leaving the hat section, I then began to test all the ice hockey sticks - something I did all the time as a teenager in jersey, but something I have not done once in Seattle. The only things I didn't do were try to dunk on the 8 foot hoops and test out all the workout equipment because...well, at sometime you have to grow up. (speaking of growing up, why was I so happy that they had an amazing Lego Store?)

Anyways, the trip to the mall was a good one. I was proud of myself for not blowing our budget...I survived. And yet, I put myself through the agony again the next day as I stopped into another Modell's store. I had a Mets jacket in my hand that I had every intention of buying for The Incident. I walked around the store and then decided to put it back, to instead use my money on white Castle. Two days, multiple sports stores and no purchases. I am happy that I remained disciplined, but know that if I still lived in Jersey things would be different (I'm talking discipline with buying Mets gear, but in general things would be a lot different). So while Seattle sports stores aren't as exciting as their Jersey counterparts, my wallet is thankful that I get to shop in them on a regular basis.