Buffalo pretty much rocks my socks

So tonight I went to my second Bandits game this season. Not that I know a lot about lacrosse, it's just something to do I guess. I find it so amazing how many fans go to these games and how intense they are. There are special little cheers and chants, and people with BOX signs and crazy orange wigs and horrible dancing by the Bandetts that everyone just seems to put up with.
Tonight was fan appreciation night and apparently we are the best fans in the whole NLL which isn't really surprising. Buffalo puts so much of their energy into competition and cheering for our home teams no matter what sport it is. I can remember last year when the Sabres went to the playoffs and I would always be in my friends apartment on Mainstreet across from University Station and he would hate the days when the Sabres played. There would be yelling and screaming and chanting and car horns going on and on for hours before the game and hours after the games. But maybe it is in our nature as Buffalo citizens to try and cheer for everyone no matter how bad of a job they are doing, Or perhaps it is just nice to make things happy once and while and forget all about our politics and economy, or maybe people think they are helping out our economy by going to these sporting events and cheering on our home teams. But whatever the reason is we are serious about it and we don't stop once the game is over.
While trying to get to the train before it left, people were racing each other to get there and you could hear cheers coming from inside of the train encouraging the fellow passengers to try and make it on the last minute (which I did but some nice young man stopped the door for me).
Then on the train itself there were a couple competitions going on. Next to me there was the cutest little boy and his parents. His dad kept telling him to grab the straps people use to hold on to and try to push himself up. Not soon after, and this is no exaggeration, the ENTIRE train was cheering on this little boy to start flipping around on them, and to keep doing it. Most of the train ride was spent with people yelling from the other side of the train "DO IT AGAIN!!"
In between stops a group of obnoxious boys were running to see if they could make it to the other train in time. After they did this once or twice and finally came back to our train, there was booing and the driver told them that if they didn't stop he would call the police because this wasn't a playground.
And at the Amherst stop a group of boys inside the train egged on a couple of ones outside the train to start fighting. "you won't hit him!!!" the one obnoxious boy yelled and as we pulled away you could see the beginnings of a fight.
But that isn't even where it ends! As everyone was walking up the stairs or using the escalator to get to our parked cars in the University Lot, people started running up the down escalator and everyone around them was cheering them on! One boy who looked like he was going to give up really got the crowd going and he finally made it to the top greeted with half of the station cheering and clapping.
What makes Buffalonians so happy and willing to cheer people on all the time. Is there some way we can use this to help get things moving downtown and on the waterfront or where ever else people need it. And if strangers can be so nice to each other, and really give of the feel of a close community, why is there so much violence in Buffalo? Just last week I was reading in the paper about how a group of elementary kids got in a fight on the bus. When they got off, the parents also started fighting and someone shot a gun towards the school bus. How is that possible. In a community that seems to be doing so much positive improvements and seems to have such a great variety of people that are nice and caring. What is the difference between these people, and how can we get rid of it?
It is really nice to experience an event like this though. It really shows that no matter how bad things get in Buffalo, the community itself won't give up on the city, and some how this city will be great again, even if it is just our sport teams that are great, at least we will have something to keep us from moving and finding better paying jobs, and safer city, right?
And I would also like to comment that it is nice seeing so many people on the train that is hardly ever used. Especially since Earth Day was not to long ago. Maybe if people actually start buying tickets for the train we could make it longer, or use the money for something else needed in Buffalo, but that is another topic all together!