Traffic on the Blue Route seemed bad. There was a chance for rain. My kid had built a cool block tower. There was a movie I wanted to see. I'd rather cook spaghetti and meatballs.
Those are all real reasons I skipped home Philadelphia Union matches this year.
And that is why Nick Sakiewicz is no longer the CEO of the club he helped create.
Of course, my two empty seats -- literally the cheapest in the stadium and farthest from the field -- did not convince Union majority owner Jay Sugarman to pull the trigger.
But what they represent sure did.
There have been more empty seats than usual this season at PPL Park (although not nearly as many as I expected).
With the team now in its sixth season toeing the line between mediocrity and misery, the patches of blue were becoming more apparent in Chester, even if the announced attendance figures were still respectable.
So Sugarman took the biggest step he possibly could -- short of maybe selling the club -- to buck that trend before it got any worse: He got rid of the most universally reviled man in the organization (and even sent his official statement to season ticket holders Friday before the media).
Nick Sakiewicz is not gone because the Union lost the U.S. Open Cup final Wednesday night (although that may have changed the timeline a bit). He's not gone because of Peter Nowak, Freddy Adu, Carlos Ruiz, Danny Mwanga, Porfirio Lopez, Corben Bone, Keon Daniel, Jordan Harvey, Kleberson, Bakary Sourmare ... (should I go on?).
He's not even gone because he was so out of touch with fans that he thought we would thank him for a goalie who played in a "little tournament in Brazil."
He's gone because too many people stopped caring about this team, even if they still cared about this team.
Sure, the team already has my money for each home match this season -- and I already renewed for next year (a decision I feel slightly better about this morning). Hell, they even had $10 for my pre-paid parking pass.
But by skipping the game, I also didn't pay $12 for my usual 24-ounce beer. I didn't buy a 50/50 ticket. I didn't walk past the team store and impulse buy new t-shirts for my kids.
Mostly, my two empty seats -- and the thousands of other around PPL Park -- contributed to an atmosphere that affected the overall market for tickets.
After one season, the Union actually capped their season ticket sales to make sure there would be single-game seats available. Now, in the midst of season ticket-selling season, they are cold-calling former ticket holders in an attempt to bring that number back up around the high-water mark of roughly 12,000 that was rumored in 2010-11.
Sports teams need people to think that a season ticket is the only way they will guarantee themselves a seat for the biggest games. In 2010, 2011 and even into 2012, that was the consensus among Union fans. I always had people asking if I had extra tickets because they couldn't find any. I could easily sell my seats to games I couldn't make.
Things are different now. I've given my tickets away to games I couldn't make. I haven't even bothered to list them for others, knowing no one wanted them.
I spoke to a die-hard, from-the-beginning Union fan Wednesday night who did not renew for next year. Why? Because taking nights off for games and driving to Chester wasn't "worth the effort" and he knows he'll be able to get tickets next year any time he wants.
That is why Nick Sakiewicz is gone. It's no coincidence that the move happened during the heart of the season ticket renewal period. Just this week, the renewal period for season ticket holders was extended past its original deadline.
The move -- which was first reported Thursday night by Kevin Kinkead of CBSPhilly -- was one many thought could never happen. As a partial owner of the Union, most assumed Sakiewicz couldn't just be "fired" like your average general manager (a title he never officially held, but we all know better). But it appears that Sugarman -- who is not without blame in this mess, either -- and/or the other owners will buy out Sakiewicz's stake in the club.
It's just the first step in reviving the franchise, and one that does not guarantee success. The jury is still out on the hands-off Sugarman, who was tone deaf enough to commute to PPL Park Wednesday night in his private helicopter while his penny-pinching roster lost another heartbreaker inside.
Aside from the results, there are plenty of positives in Union-land. Head coach Jim Curtin, while young and inexperienced, is the kind of coach Philly fans love and seems to have the full support of his dressing room. There's an affiliated USL franchise coming next season in the Lehigh Valley. The team's youth academy may just be the envy of the rest of MLS.
Sakiewicz had a hand in all of that, for sure. But the Union were going nowhere as long as he had an office in Chester. Fans knew it, the media knew it, and even the players -- some of whom spent Thursday night "favoriting" tweets about Sakiewicz's firing -- were resigned to it.
Now he's gone, and I'm sure the phone is ringing at least a few times today in the ticket sales office. Because while Jay Sugarman may own the Philadelphia Union, he answers to you, me and everyone else who has spent -- or may spend -- a dollar at PPL Park. He's a businessman first, and every empty seat is a hit to the wallet.
People who commute in a helicopter aren't paying attention to your bitter social media hashtags, your angry emails or even your protest signs.
But they sure as hell notice apathy.