Cleveland Cavaliers vs Chicago Bulls

I am continually humbled by the loyalty of Cleveland sports fans. Raised on the Philadelphia Eagles, I would lament year after year when we would make it to the playoffs just to blow it at the last second (trust me, given the Eagles’ current record, the irony of that statement is not lost on me).

I really don’t think I understood what a die-hard fan is until I moved to Cleveland and witnessed a city who continues to support their teams regardless of the challenges and betrayals of the past. Quitting just isn’t in the vocabulary.

And that’s incredibly admirable. While Cleveland fans aren’t pushovers and give critical feedback when it’s justified, there’s still a sense of hope and rebuilding. A celebration at all victories – large and small – never taking for granted the good times.

I was struck by this when I went to my first Cleveland Cavaliers game last week.

Cleveland Cavaliers pre-show

I’ll confess — running on 3 hours of sleep and overwhelmed by the hecticness of the arena before the game, I was a tad cranky when I sat down in my seats.

And as the first half of the Cavs-Bulls game ended, the pessimist in me knew the Cavs were likely to not win. Given my disposition that night, I typically would have checked out and taken a walk around the stadium for the rest of the game.

But from behind us came the chanting of a very young Cavs fan. Up until the end of the game, you could hear him without fail cheering on the Cavs defense every time the Bulls had the ball and going wild whenever we made a basket. You couldn’t deny it was contagious and I found myself caught up in cheering the Cavs on too.

Yes, the Cavs couldn’t close the point gap enough to pull out a win in the game’s fourth quarter; however, by that point, it didn’t matter.

Trampoline acrobats during Cavs halftime

When I let go of my concern over whether the Cavs were going to win or lose, I had a blast.

From the Cavs’ Scream Team hip hop dance crew to the halftime show of trampoline artists, the Q made it difficult to not have fun during the game.

I had been to the Q before for Monsters Hockey and really enjoy the energy of those games; however, the Cavs blew that away – literally – with their pre-game fire show.

Get the Cheese and Pepperoni pretzel roll at Sawyer’s See-Saw Pretzel Shoppe

They’ve also added some new dining options including Jonathon Sawyer’s See-Saw Pretzel Shoppe. My favorites from what we tried were the Roasted Garlic and Parmesan pretzel, Cheese and Pepperoni pretzel roll and the hot dog pretzel roll with Sir Kensington’s ketchup.

I haven’t been to a Browns game, so I can’t speak from personal experience on their food offerings; however, I’ve been very pleased by the variety and quality of food I’ve had at the Indians and now the Cavs – more than in other professional sports venues I’ve visited. They seem to try hard to give fans a good experience regardless (or in spite of) what’s happening during the game.

And of course, we got to celebrate Christmas Story Night with plenty of pink bunny costumes and my very first leg lamp.

My first Leg Lamp

While a Cavs win would have been the bow on the package, the entertaining evening we had at the Q still warmed this sports scrooge’s heart.

Disclosure: I was provided 4 tickets to give away to the Dec. 5 Cavs game and 4 for myself to use. My opinions are my own.

I’m happy to say that after this weekend, the holiday shopping list is all planned out and (most of) the decorations are up around the house. My goal this year is to not get too overwhelmed by the holidays.

Good luck with that, right? We’ll see how it goes but one way I hope to not completely lose it is by plotting nights out to escape the craziness – one of those being the Cavs game this Wednesday.

I’m excited not only because it’s my first NBA game, but also because everyone at the game gets to take home a bobble leg lamp for the mantle (or in my case, my bookshelf).

But first, it’s time to announce the winner of 4 tickets to this week’s game.

After counting up all of the giveaway entries and removing a pingback, the winning entry selected by Random.org is…

Congratulations, entry number 11 – BiteBuff, for winning 4 tickets to Key Leg Lamp Night! I will email you today to confirm your prize.

KeyBank isn’t done making your holidays merry. Enter their Christmas Story Night Out Sweepstakes for a chance to win a deluxe holiday prize pack for you and 15 friends.

1 grand prize winner will get:

• Private suite for the Cleveland Cavaliers-Atlanta Hawks game on Dec. 28, 2012
• Special VIP Tour of A Christmas Story House
• Limo pickup for an early, pre-game Chinese Turkey dinner at Bac Asian American Bistro & Bar
• $500 Key Possibilities MasterCard Gift Card

Plus 10 second-prize winners will each receive a full-size lamp with FRAGILE crate and 20 third-prize winners will win a set of two tickets to the December 28 game, two tickets to the A Christmas Story House and a $50 Key Possibilities MasterCard gift card.

Now that’s a major award!

Learn more about the sweepstakes at www.keyleglamp.com.

Disclosure: I was provided 4 tickets to give away to the Dec. 5 Cavs game and 4 for myself to use. My opinions and the choice of events I share are my own.

Growing up I had a love-hate relationship with A Christmas Story. The first time I watched it, I was traumatized by the angry Department Store Santa, the scene that would somehow be playing everytime I turned on the tv.

However, once I got over this bit of the film, it won me over and is now one of my favorite holiday classics up there with The Muppet Christmas Carol.

I love Christmas in Cleveland because everyone fully embraces the Christmas Story spirit – whether it’s reliving the movie at the museum or decking their homes with their very own leg lamp in the window.

Next Wednesday, Dec. 5, KeyBank and the Cleveland Cavaliers will be serving up a bit of Cleveland holiday kitsch when the Cavs take on the Chicago Bulls at home.

At Bobble Leg Lamp Night celebrate the holiday season with pink bunnies, FRAGILE crates and other Christmas Story surprises popping up throughout the Q.

And as thanks for cheering on the Cavs, everyone in attendance will take home their very own Bobble Leg Lamp to show off in their house.

You and 3 friends will have a chance to attend the game and get your bobble leg lamps by entering my giveaway.

There are 5 Easy Ways to Enter the Giveaway!
Leave a separate comment on this post for each entry.

1) For one entry in the giveaway, leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite holiday movie is.

2) If you’re a fan of Clue Into Cleveland on Facebook, leave a comment on this blog post letting me know. If you’re not yet a fan, you can become one here.

3) Follow @ADHicken on Twitter and leave a comment letting me know you did.

4) Twitter users can also get an extra entry each day for tweeting: “I want to win tickets to @Cavs’ #KeyLegLamp Night. Enter @ADHicken’s giveaway for your chance to win: http://wp.me/p2Ukr0-1Fq”  (Each day you do this, you must leave a new comment.)

5) Subscribe to receive Clue Into Cleveland blog posts in your inbox or via the RSS feed and leave a comment letting me know you did. This can also include signing up to receive email notifications in the top-right “Subscribe” section of this page.

You have until Sunday, Dec. 2 at 11:59PM to enter. On Monday, Dec. 3, I will select a winner using Random.org and will announce the winner’s name on my blog.  Remember to leave a separate comment for each entry.

But wait – there’s more! When you’re done entering my giveaway, visit keyleglamp.com for more information about KeyBank’s Christmas Story Night Out Sweepstakes and enter for a chance to win a deluxe holiday prize pack for you and 15 friends courtesy of the Cavs, Christmas Story House, and KeyBank.

Good luck!

***

Disclosures: I was provided 4 ickets to give away to the Dec. 5 Cavs game and 4 for myself to use. My opinions and the choice of events I share are my own.  Regarding the Facebook components of this giveaway: This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. You understand that you are providing your information to the owner of the Facebook pages listed and not to Facebook.