Pac 12 ChampionSlip

Sit down my readers and you will hear,
Of the Championship game in cold weather gear....

     Being in the right place at the right time, I scored 3 comp tickets to Friday's game at Autzen.  Excited, we gathered up our winter wear and headed off for a family outing.  The weather was great, cold and clear, bringing back memories of games in eastern Oregon. We took our seats in my favorite spot, high in the corners, section 16 to be exact.   To our left was the FOX TV booth with John Lynch and Marcus Allen seated, waiting for their cue.  Sounds great, right?

That's when the adventure, er, misadventure begins.    

     A few rows above us was a guy sporting an Oregon cowboy circa 1980 (I know because I still have mine).   Hat Man obviously had one too many and was letting everyone know how much (or little) he knew about football.  After spotting Marcus Allen, his endless rant became, "Hey Marcus, go Raiders, just win baby!"  OK, maybe he will calm down when the games starts.

The adventure continues...

     A man, one fan tall and two and a half fans wide settled down into the seat directly in front of me.  He was probably a nice guy, and maybe someone I would like to get to know, but when he sat down, he was in my lap!   I didn't need to know him that well.



More of the adventure.

     A family of fans, 2 adult children and their Dad,  entered the stadium directly behind us.  Obviously their volume control had frozen on high since everyone within 5 rows knew just how smart the grand kids are.   Having partaken of the grape a bit too much, most of their conversations had that wonderful slur and slobbery quality.



Is the game ever going to start?

     To say there was excitement in the air would be a lie, something was lacking, perhaps it was a quality opponent.   The Pac-12 did their best to cover up as much Duck as they could, but would have been better served making this game into a bigger event.  Conference officials decided to supply the game with another announcer to keep things neutral, but this guys voice would put you to sleep.   Don Essig is a great stadium announcer that keeps up with the play on the field and keeps the crowd excited.  I think this guy was back at the buffet during half the game.

     At half time I realized I had not fed my family and the growl I was hearing was not one of the crazed fans, but rather my wife and daughter.  With little in doubt as to the outcome of the game, I suggested we leave and get Chinese food.  I had it all on DVR and unless the world stopped turning, the Ducks were going to walk into the Rose Bowl.   Off we went for Mar Far chicken!

     I have come to realize that the best seat in the house is at my house.  As Dorothy says, "There's no place like home, there's no place like home........"