Sockers Like Feeling of Clinching at Home

They’d show up at the airport early the next morning with sleep in their eyes, stubble on their chins and blank looks on their faces.

It happened last year.

It happened the year before.

It seemed the Sockers didn’t know how to treat their own fans to a championship. Both times, they could have ushered the Baltimore Blast out of San Diego and wrapped up their seventh and eighth championships with a spirited victory at home. Instead, they whiffed at the chance and were forced to drag themselves out of bed the following morning and catch a plane to Baltimore.

And there they won. Twice.

This time, on Thursday night, in front of an almost-sellout crowd at the San Diego Sports Arena, the Sockers did it the way they wanted to do it. Championship No. 9 came with an 8-6 victory over the Cleveland Crunch. And it came with cheers, not boos.

“Look at this,” said midfielder Waad Hirmez, waving his hand toward the roaring crowd minutes after the game’s end. “This is incredible.”

A few feet away, forward Paul Wright was swaggering around the playing surface, exchanging high fives and hugs with nearly everybody in sight.

“This is the best feeling in the world,” he said. “Better than the other two I’ve won. I wouldn’t trade this for anything.”

By the time the championship trophy was handed to defender Kevin Crow, most of the Sockers had exchanged their shirts with their Cleveland counterparts.

Crunch defender George Fernandez swapped his with Crow and then watched as his former teammates celebrated. He was part of the past three championships, all of which have been won on the road. This was one was finally captured at home. And he had to spectate.

“Of course, I’d like to play with my buddies like Kevin and Quinny (Brian Quinn),” Fernandez said. “But I made the choice for my family. It must be special for them to win here.”

Special to win, and nice not to have to get up at the crack of dawn to board a plane and play another game. Midfielder Branko Segota, a nine-time indoor champion, remembers that feeling all to well.

“It’s miserable,” he said. “We had six o’clock flights. It’s just not a very happy feeling.”

When jumping and shouting and hooting and hollering was nearly complete Thursday, Quinn, who along with Crow has won seven championships with the Sockers, walked off the field and applauded the fans for their support. Then he walked off, throwing his cap into the crowd.

After shaking hands with Bill Walton, Quinn headed for the locker room for the champagne celebration. Of course, his drink of choice Thursday would probably be something other than champagne.

“I’ll probably go to one of the Irish pubs for a couple of beers,” he said. “It’s much easier to get drunk at home then to get drunk on the road and have to fly home the next day.”