BCS Pregame

So, I have been remiss about posting lately, but I did want to recap the BCS. Not the important stuff like the game itself, the stupid formulas used to calculate the participants in the game, or who should have been in the game, but rather trivial stuff like my venture to the stadium and the interesting occurrences and observations during pregame. Now, since the game was practically in my backyard, I didn't arrive until 5:30 or so, but it was an interesting couple of hours before kickoff anyway.

Here we go:

4:15 - Leave work early

5:30 - arrive at the stadium and parked in the supplementary lot. The primary lot was for VIPs and those that pre-purchased tickets. Haven gotten them from a friend, no parking pass for me. $40 for parking. Probably should have carpooled that is for sure. At least the supplementary lot was an actual asphalt lot with lined parking spaces.

5:35 - As I walk through the supplementary lot to my pre-ordained pregame location, I noticed that a lot of douchenozzles were parking in multiple spaces. Not the "set up camp in an adjoining space to save room for my friends who are coming later" type of way, but rather the "straddle the line between two spaces" or "park the length of the car through the width of two to three spaces" type of way. I saw this on a number of occasions and each time, it was UF fans.

5:40 - Still in the parking lot, I see some young guys, students or recent grads, tailgating out of the bed of a truck and drinking bud in a can. Not necessarily my choice, but I understand the costs/logistics of tailgating, so no complaints there. However, as I passed, one of the kids grabs a bottle out of the cooler. I am thinking he is the most sophisticated of the group, until I see that it is a Miller Chill. What are our educational institutions teaching nowadays? Anyhow, also UF fans.

5:45 - As I enter the main lot and close in on the tailgate location, I pass a gaggle, and I mean gaggle, of young OU (female) students wearing red t-shirts that say "Sammies" and the number 14 in white. My assumption is that this section of ladies and their shirts are an homage to Sam Bradford. Now, I coincidentally happened to eat lunch at Quiznos that afternoon. As I passed the ladies I mentioned that I ate a couple of them for lunch. I think I thought it was funnier than they did, and I suppose, from the looks I received, that I am lucky they didn't summon any member of local law enforcement.

5:48 - At tailgate. Have beer.

5:49 - Hang out with a few MLB baseballers, Brad Wilkerson, Brad Schneider and Josh Fogg, none of whom I had met before this week. Wilkerson had a charity event Monday night/Tuesday that I was able to attend. Much props to Brad for his foundation and its support of the local Boys and Girls Club of West Palm Beach, as well as his hometown in Kentucky.

6:05 - Jigga, one of Racecar's friends, a UF alumna and a fervent fan of the Gators, calls her Mom in Pinellas County to remind her to put the UF bandannas on Jigga's dogs, "so that we don't lose". After calling Jigga out on this conversation, she says that she forgot to put the bandannas on for the Mississippi game. So it was her fault.

6:12 - Jigga receives another call, this time from the cousin of a fellow tailgater saying they are stuck in traffic, which the police have blocked in order for the team buses to enter the stadium. I remark that this seems a little late for the teams to arrive. A later discussion with some of the stadium employees reveals that yes, the buses were late to arrive as they were stuck in traffic.


6:15 - Tailgate is very near the Oklahoma band. Had I known that this picture was to become famous after the game, I would have taken a before shot.

6:19 - I spy some tailgaters playing beanbag toss. However the board is decorated green, white and gold and clearly says USF. Amazing.

6:24 - Ken Griffey, Jr. and his three children saunter by to speak with Brad. Jr. is incredibly nice, speaks with everyone and I couldn't say anything bad about the man. This is actually the second opportunity that I have had to meet and speak with him. Perhaps a more detailed version of the first encounter will be a post, but not at least until the first anniversary of that meeting is past (I'll explain all later).

6:30 - Gates open.

A side note - The previous picture notwithstanding, by far, the OU girls are much prettier than the UF girls. This isn't to say that the Gators don't have some attractive fans, they do, but on average, it isn't even close.

6:50 - Make way into stadium. Takes a long time. At this point I resign myself to the fact that this is going to be the end of my blog. Until ...

8:06 - As I go to the concession stand for some beers (and obviously forgetting that they don't sell beers at the stadium because it is a college bowl game), I catch some of the pregame television festivities in the concourse, including the fact that the captains are walking out to midfield for the coin toss. At this instant, the announcers talk about how great a leader Sam Bradford is, but that Tim Tebow is unquestionably the best leader in college football, if not all of sports. As I glance at the television, I see that neither is a team captain. Now that is, if not irony, then certainly ironic timing.

Yada, yada, yada - The Gators win.

Artist formerly known as the Citrus Bowl

I apologize for the lateness of this entry, but I have been incredibly busy this month. However, I did have the occasion to attend this year's Capitol One, neh, Citrus Bowl, between the University of Michigan and the University of Florida in Orlando, Florida. Given the event, and since I am dating a UF grad, I felt that it was important to go through the chronology of the events and the game. I actually took these notes on my blackberry at the time of the game, but I am just now getting to transfer it to the blog. Anyway, after a night of partying for New Year's Eve at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando (which I highly recommend by the way) we woke up ready to go to the game.

10:03 - Start the departure process at the valet stand.

While waiting for the car, all of the kids are wearing Tim Tebow jerseys. Apparently Tebow has been preaching the gospel, "go forth and multiply", and it has been working.

Also while waiting for the valet to bring our vehicle, a kid wanders out into oncoming traffic in the valet area. A valet captain runs out and pulls a J.T. Snow saving little Dusty Baker. The mother is about 5 feet away, and much like Dusty Baker, was completely oblivious. Not only did she do nothing, she never even said anything to the valet captain. Ridiculous.

10:29 - Actually leave hotel. The valet isn't the swiftest.

11:03 - Come to the entrance of our parking lot, at the Amway Arena.

11:04 - Alexis vacates car at entrance of parking lot, gets sick from last night.

11:04:30 - Enter parking lot at Amway Arena.

11:08 - Alexis finds us at our parking spot.

11:35 - Alexis round 2.

12:11 - Alexis round 3 outside stadium.

12:14 - Someone put the name Spurrier on the back of their Ben Hanks 11 UF jersey.

12:21 - A guy sees a man selling sandwiches, and tells him, "If it's not an italian sausage, fuck your dad's little fucking homemade sandwiches". Not even sure exactly what this means, but it sounds awesome.

12:26 - Mark and I have to go to the bathroom, so we take a piss on the team buses.

12:34 - Mark is drinking a beer out of a Zephyrhills bottle. A lady cop on a horse tells him that is "the most covert beer she has seen".

Ron Paul people, signs and campaign stuff are absolutely everywhere. You would think he was the actual frontrunner.

12:40 - We meet Ashley. Ashley is important because she has our tickets.

Our seats on on the goaline for the goal that says "Michigan", about 17 rows up. We are hoping that we get a birds eye view of a close play.

1:08 - Already drunk - Kickoff.

1:21 - Michigan TD. Poor defense on Florida's part. Only good play was a bad intentional grounding call.

1:30 - Gator people around us are complaining about standing up, specifically one guy and two ladies, one of which seems to be with him. Apparently they are not real football fans! I am now convinced that Michigan will win simply because of these fans. Florida people can be soooo stupid.

1:38 - One of the guys asking us to sit down just said to his friends, "Come on, we need to get some life in this crowd." CLOWN!!!

1:49 - Gators TD.

2:09 - Number 19 on the Gators D is imploring the Gator fans to stand up. Very interesting given our previous episode with Beavis and Buttsnatch asking us to sit down.

2:16 - Michigan TD - Mike Hart.

2:22 - Skates (Percy Harvin), got caught from behind by Morgan Trent, a junior cornerback who just showed incredible speed on the play. On that play, he just made himself a player to watch for next season.

2:30 - Big sack of Tim Tebow after a TD was called back because Florida did not have enough men on the line of scrimmage.

2:31 - Michigan blocks a field goal attempt.

2:33 - Great play call by Michigan. They line up four receivers left and throw a tight end screen right. Great execution.

2:35 - Big Mike Hart fumble.

2:37 - The announcer says that the "Central Florida Hotel and Lodging Association welcomes you to central Florida." Really, where else would they welcome me?

2:42 - Interception at the 1 - really bad pass by Chad Henne on the double option.

2:52 - I go to the bathroom, and I overhear two guys talking about what a good pro prospect former Heisman winner Gino Torino from Miami was. Assuming they meant Gino Torretta - DOPES!

2:58 - Michigan TD.

3:01 - First half ends, 1 hour and 53 minutes after it started.

3:11 - While walking through the crowd getting refreshments, a lady grabs her kid and says, "I know that your natural direction takes you toward french fries, but you have to keep going straight."

3:29 - Onsides pooch kick recovered by Michigan. Florida caught completely off guard.

3:34 - Michigan TD by Mike Hart.

3:45 - Florida TD.

3:53 - Big Hart fumble. Dumbass who asked us to sit down says, "this must hurt his draft status". This guy obviously doesn't know anything about football.

4:01 - Florida TD.

4:08 - End of third quarter - 28 to 28.

4:12 - Guy wearing a Spartan shirt walks by. A UF fan tells his kid that they are Michigan's big rival. Apparently, he never heard of Ohio State. I am guessing that fan was in geography class with Channing Crowder.

4:18 - 19, 23 and 25 of Florida's defense all want their fans to stand up. Amazing. I thought we were all supposed to sit down, at least according to the three Florida fans behind us.

4:19 - Michigan field goal.

4:30 - Big Florida interception on a tipped screen.

4:34 - Florida TD, by Skates. Florida up 35-31.

4:37 - In the bathroom, and I spy a Danny Wuerrfel New Orleans Saints jersey.

4:41 - Michigan TD, 38 - 35. This touchdown set up by a huge catch by Arrington on the sideline in which he catches the ball with the defender's back.

4:47 - UF goes for it on 4th down. Dumb call with 2:47 left in the game. Punt and play field position.

4:52 - Field goal Michigan to go up 41 to 35. UF needs a touchdown now.

4:55 - Kids in front of us rooting for Florida ask everyone to stand up, saying, "a loss will be your fault if you don't". I hope that those kids forever blame the three stooges behind us.

4:57 - 4th down scramble hail mary - no good. Michigan ball with 1:48 left.

4:59 - 3 hour 51 minute game mercifully ends. Good bye for Lloyd Carr. With as much crying as he has done this year, he always has a spot open on Dick Vermeil's staff.