NEW YORK - Fans clad in blue and white packed the block and bars around Yankee Stadium hours before game time. Not an unusual site in the Bronx - except this was in late December.
Penn State fans flooded the Big Apple on Saturday in anticipation of the Nittany Lions' first bowl game in nearly three seasons.
Atop the 161st St. garage - directly across from the home plate entrance of the famous diamond turned gridiron - fans tailgated on the roof. Though there was some crimson and gold of Boston College faithful scattered throughout, it was mainly comprised of Penn State fans. And with grills fired up, beers flowing and plenty of tailgating games being played, it was almost like Happy Valley on any given fall Saturday.
"[New York] is easy access, it's great for the fans," said Scott Brubaker, a 1979 Penn State graduate and Lebanon native. "New York in the Christmas time, you can't beat it. And being around these Yankees colors works, too."
"It's like a home game," his wife, Renee, said. The couple, who are season ticket holders, made the trip from Virginia.
While the Brubakers and others converged on New York on Friday, plenty of fans showed up Saturday, filling up early morning trains from Harrisburg and beyond. As game time inched closer, subways heading to the Bronx were assured of having a least a handful of Penn State supporters on them.
Near the stadium, popular establishment Yankee Tavern was jammed wall to wall with fans looking for a pregame drink. It was filled almost entirely with Penn State fans - including some from the Capital Area Chapter of the Penn State Alumni Association.
With a small line at Yankee Tavern just to get in, fans also crowded other nearby bars, and there were a handful of other Penn State get-togethers around New York City.
The Lions sold out their bowl allotment of 11,000 tickets to students and alumni within a week of landing a spot in the contest and had to request more from the bowl. Thousands of other Penn State fans purchased tickets through the Pinstripe Bowl site or through other secondary markets such as StubHub.
"We were expecting a quick and big response and that's what we got," Penn State spokesperson Jeff Nelson said earlier this week. "We're looking forward to a great Penn State crowd on Saturday."
Pinstripe Bowl officials said Saturday that the game was officially sold out with 49,000 fans in attendance.
As kickoff approached, Penn State had the decided crowd advantage in and around Yankee Stadium.
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