Did something I rarely do these days, and was reminded I should probably do it a bit more often.

I went to an L.A. sporting event as a spectator.

You can probably understand why this doesn't happen more often. I'd estimate I see close to 200 events a year for work, and for the sake of balance in my life, not to mention personal sanity, there's a lot to be said for doing anything but going to another game on an off day. (To the best of my recollection, the last time I did this was an Angels game when I had company in town on Sept. 10, 2001 — which I remember only because of the unfortunate events the next day.) But when a friend had an extra ticket to Tuesday night's Galaxy game against Pachuca, part of the SuperLiga tournament that continues Saturday night, I didn't hesitate.

Since I don't regularly cover the Galaxy — which might change if and when they decide I'm worthy of a credential — it was not going to feel like work. I greatly admire the Home Depot Center as a venue, particularly when I don't have to deal with the poorly designed press box. And, best of all, I didn't have to pay for a ticket.

I was aware the Designated Savior of American Professional Soccer, David Beckham, was not likely to play because of his ongoing problems with an ankle injury. But that had its attractions, too, particularly after watching the embarrassingly overblown ESPN coverage of last week's Beckham Debut game against Chelsea, which saw the broadcast crew relentlessly hype The Bender's chances of playing, and speculate over every tug at his shoes and shift of his on-bench posture until he did come on the field.

A game without Beckham had the opportunity to actually be about the game, instead of just one player. The Hype Machine could be given the night off.

And so, there I was Tuesday night, in some terrific seats about 15 rows up, midway between the center of the field and the scoreboard end. (My friends, longtime soccer fans, bought season tickets the day Beckham's signing was announced, and acting quickly clearly paid off.) It was my first soccer game as a spectator since the 1984 Olympics, my first for an American professional game since — well, let's say it involved the Caribous of Colorado, a North American Soccer League team which lasted one season (1978) and is remembered mostly for the worst uniforms in the history of U.S. sports, brown and tan with fake buckskin fringe. (Don't believe it? Go to www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=176459 ... but not too soon after a meal.) One of the good things about going to a game as a spectator is that it gets you back in touch with how much things cost at a game, not something we usually have to deal with in the press box. So I shook my head at the $4.50 hot dogs, $4 french fries and $3.25 bottled water. And when my friend bought a $12 beer (24 ounces, but still ), I once again wondered how can anyone afford to get drunk at a game, let alone why anyone would want to.

I was also stunned to see how many people were already wearing the new Galaxy jerseys, considering that they go for $80 a pop (at least at the stadium) and have only been available for a couple of weeks.

Virtually all of those jerseys have Beckham's No. 23 on the back, which may not be quite the endorsement of Beckham's star power that you think. At present, you can buy your Galaxy jerseys two ways — with Beckham's name and number, or no name and number (for $10 less). I'm wondering how Cobi Jones, Landon Donovan and the other Galaxy players like that.

My ticket-holding friends aren't particularly wild about the "Herbalife" ad across the front of the jerseys, but that's been the way of the soccer world for years. And it didn't look so bad compared to the jerseys of Pachuca, the Mexican League champion, which were plastered with multiple ads on the front, back and each sleeve — leaving them about one baseball cap from looking like NASCAR drivers in shorts.

The other good thing about being a spectator (or a "civilian," as my friend put it) is that sitting in the stands, you are released from straightjacket of media neutrality, the no-cheering-in-the-press-box ethic which reigns in North America and, based on my Olympic experience, is largely unknown in the rest of the world.

Games tend to be a lot more fun if you can actually cheer and boo and question the referee's eyesight — the latter often seeming like the single biggest part of a soccer game — and so I did, howling at referee Miguel Calero's non-calls, marveling at some saves by Galaxy goalkeeper Joe Cannon and riding the same roller coaster as everyone else when the Galaxy let a 1-0 lead slip away in the 79th minute, only to rebound with the game-winner two minutes later when Jones made a great individual play to set up Donovan. Final score: 2-1 Galaxy.

I enjoyed myself. I came away with even more admiration for the Home Depot Center, and a renewed desire to see a bit more soccer.

Most of all, I came away convinced I need to get out in the stands a bit more often, if only to see how the games look and feel for the paying customers.

— Contact columnist David Lassen at dlassen@VenturaCountyStar.com.