Today started, as many do, with breakfast. At Waffle House, because some things are inescapable. This was apparently an upscale one, though, as the tooth-to-employee ratio was higher than I'm used to, and the waffle I received actually had "Waffle House" imprinted on it. Haven't seen that before.
I then made my way over to the Renaissance for Tiger Walk. The first thing I saw as I walked through the revolving door was Emily Carosone in full uniform on her way out the door. That's what we call a Good Omen.
There was someone there handing out t-shirts to fans, and of course I took one. Mrs. 19 will enjoy it, as I have other dress for games:
There was an ABC 33/40 crew there, and they asked the crowd assembling in the lobby if anyone wanted to be interviewed. @cbumpers immediately volunteered my services, so I got interviewed on-camera for your Birmingham evening news, if you're in the area and want to see me on television for some reason.
Then it was time for Tiger Walk:
Once Tiger Walk was over, I headed on over to the stadium to check out the FSU-Georgia game. I parked at Remington Park, the horse track that's right next to the ASA stadium. You can park there for free, and they run shuttle busses over to the stadium. My seatmate in the shuttle bus had an Auburn shirt on, so after the customary "War Eagle"s, he asked where I was from, and if this was my first time here. I told him, and he said he was from Oklahoma, and had bought seats for the WCWS ever since it had arrived in Oklahoma City. He has 10 seats on the first base side, right above where the parents of the players sit. I told him where my seats were (left field bleachers, next-to-last row) and he said that I was welcome to sit with him, so I did. He also handed me vouchers that came with his seats for a free program ($15 value) and a 2016 WCWS keychain that they were handing out. We met his daughter at the game, who played for Texas A&M a while back. I sat next to her, and probably surprised her a bit by being able to talk strategy during the games at the level I did.
I like sitting opposite the Auburn dugout anyway- it's my normal seat at Jane B. Moore, and I like being able to see into the Auburn dugout. Here's my view of the game:
For a full review of the game, go check out the game thread itself. The outcome was really never in doubt, which was absolutely fine with me.
After the game, I took off back to the hotel room. Why? I have no ticket for tonight's session. Some poor Oklahoma or Alabama fan paid me ninety American dollars on the NCAA ticket exchange for it. Considering I paid $110 for an all-session ticket, I'd say that's pretty good. Plus, they're all dodging lightning strikes and raindrops, and I'm here, dry, in my hotel room. Pretty good deal all around.
We play Georgia tomorrow, and I can't wait. Beat the Dawgs on Friday, then take Saturday off and beat whoever comes out of the losers bracket on Sunday, and things will definitely get interesting. I think we can do it.
I then made my way over to the Renaissance for Tiger Walk. The first thing I saw as I walked through the revolving door was Emily Carosone in full uniform on her way out the door. That's what we call a Good Omen.
There was someone there handing out t-shirts to fans, and of course I took one. Mrs. 19 will enjoy it, as I have other dress for games:
There was an ABC 33/40 crew there, and they asked the crowd assembling in the lobby if anyone wanted to be interviewed. @cbumpers immediately volunteered my services, so I got interviewed on-camera for your Birmingham evening news, if you're in the area and want to see me on television for some reason.
Then it was time for Tiger Walk:
Once Tiger Walk was over, I headed on over to the stadium to check out the FSU-Georgia game. I parked at Remington Park, the horse track that's right next to the ASA stadium. You can park there for free, and they run shuttle busses over to the stadium. My seatmate in the shuttle bus had an Auburn shirt on, so after the customary "War Eagle"s, he asked where I was from, and if this was my first time here. I told him, and he said he was from Oklahoma, and had bought seats for the WCWS ever since it had arrived in Oklahoma City. He has 10 seats on the first base side, right above where the parents of the players sit. I told him where my seats were (left field bleachers, next-to-last row) and he said that I was welcome to sit with him, so I did. He also handed me vouchers that came with his seats for a free program ($15 value) and a 2016 WCWS keychain that they were handing out. We met his daughter at the game, who played for Texas A&M a while back. I sat next to her, and probably surprised her a bit by being able to talk strategy during the games at the level I did.
I like sitting opposite the Auburn dugout anyway- it's my normal seat at Jane B. Moore, and I like being able to see into the Auburn dugout. Here's my view of the game:
For a full review of the game, go check out the game thread itself. The outcome was really never in doubt, which was absolutely fine with me.
After the game, I took off back to the hotel room. Why? I have no ticket for tonight's session. Some poor Oklahoma or Alabama fan paid me ninety American dollars on the NCAA ticket exchange for it. Considering I paid $110 for an all-session ticket, I'd say that's pretty good. Plus, they're all dodging lightning strikes and raindrops, and I'm here, dry, in my hotel room. Pretty good deal all around.
We play Georgia tomorrow, and I can't wait. Beat the Dawgs on Friday, then take Saturday off and beat whoever comes out of the losers bracket on Sunday, and things will definitely get interesting. I think we can do it.
