8 Seconds

**Note, if you were expecting a review of the 1994 Luke Perry movie 8 Seconds, I apologize as I did not mean to deceive you with the title of this post.

One of the best places I've ever been to in New York City was an Eastern European discotheque on Canal Street that my friends and I went to back in college. It was just an odd place that served beer in giant green bottles and played really loud music. We referred to it as "Bulgaria Bar" and although it was a pretty random place, we always managed to have a great time there. It's one of my favorite parts of New York City. There's so much to do that on any night there's a different event happening somewhere in the city.

Tonight, I went to one of those events: Professional Bull Riding (PBR) at Madison Square Garden. My dad and I went last year and had a great time, so it was an easy decision to return again this year. Overall, Professional Bull Riding has a lot to offer. As a sports fan, it's a chance to see elite athletes competing at the highest level of their sport. For the part of me that still laughs at "Jackass", there's people getting knocked around by bulls which is always entertaining. Also last year, I got to see 6 year old kids grab onto a sheep that was then let loose around the floor at MSG, easily one of the funniest things I have ever seen. With this in mind, we returned for this year's Madison Square Garden Invitational.

Having been to a number of sporting events, I can honestly say that attending a PBR event is an excellent time. The PBR puts on a good show, the bullfighter MC is entertaining (yes I said bullfighter, they apparently take offense to the term "Rodeo Clown") and of course there's people being knocked around by bulls. Also, the PBR riders have the best names, including Skeeter Kingsolver, Pistol Robinson and Stormy Wing. Do you know how much better baseball would be if Skeeter Kingsolver or Stormy Wing was the starting second baseman for the Mets? Finally, there's the fun of going to a bull riding event in New York City where you get to see New Yorkers dress up as "cowboys." While there are definitely professionals in the crowd with legit cowboy gear, there's also a lot of locals who borrowed the cowboy hat from their kid/siblings cowboy costume or spent $35.00 on the official PBR one that were sold on the concourse. There's also a ton of flannel shirts in the crowds, as if Brooklyn hipsters really needed ANOTHER reason to wear them.

Well done PBR!

Now back to knowing nothing about bull riding until this time next year.