Guess I am Old School. Or maybe lazy. Or both. But ive always enjoyed following the weekly game build up during the week.....in the press, on the radio, on tv. I always enjoyed getting up on game day, having a big breakfast and a couple of cups of coffee at the Corner Room, then walking up to the stadium before the crowds arrive, watching the warm ups, checking out the players, their numbers, figuring out who was who, and who looked most like a football player - the biggest, the fastest, etc; who wasn't there, looking for Joe (in the old days), listening to the band play. Seeing which players had the most fun, and wanted to be there the most. It all mattered.
The Big Games were easy to like, but I also enjoyed the potential blow-outs for their anticipated explosive plays, big stats, and the satisfaction shown by the players when things went really well. And when the score grew, watching the back ups run in from the sidelines, and then evaluating what they had on the field. Who the future stars might be.
During the game I was always surprised at how many folks left the stadium as we built up a lead, sometimes in the early minutes of the 2nd half, apparently in a hurry to be someplace else. For me, I didn't want to be someplace else. I stayed for every game...the whole thing.
Then after the game, I usually hung around in the stands for the post game festivities. Plenty to discuss, remember, analyze.
After graduation, when I came up for a game it was much the same thing. Except I arrived a day or two before the game, stayed with friends. We always arrived just before the parking lots opened, cars crammed with tail-gate stuff. And spent the morning watching the fog clear, having breakfast in the open air, discussing our families, the Old Days, todays weather, the opponent, and how the game would turn out. About 90 minutes before KO we loaded the car, and walked up to the stadium, found our seats, and watched the pregame. Time stood still, and it was fun. Words flowed.
During games I remember times when my ears would ring from the noise. When you couldn't talk to the person sitting next to you, it was so loud. I remember the many Big Victories. The disappointing defeats. the nostalgia of being on the field post-game. Being swallowed up by the crowds of happy fans, being a few feet away from Joe and Sue when he set records that may never be broken. Nobody wanted to leave, we all just hung around, feeling good, part of something special and historic.
Then walking back to the parking lot and unpacking things for the post-game tailgate for 1-2-3 hours til the lots thinned out, the traffic began to flow. and it was time to go our separate ways., the game having been hashed and rehashed enough to everyone's satisfaction. Then driving out of town trying to pick up any remaining coverage on the radio before the mountains eclipsed the signal.
Happy Valley lives, and it lives on, still. Making memories as it goes. giving many a reprieve from busy lives, offering opportunities to slow down and enjoy that one day, that one game, that one group of friends, old and new.
The Big Games were easy to like, but I also enjoyed the potential blow-outs for their anticipated explosive plays, big stats, and the satisfaction shown by the players when things went really well. And when the score grew, watching the back ups run in from the sidelines, and then evaluating what they had on the field. Who the future stars might be.
During the game I was always surprised at how many folks left the stadium as we built up a lead, sometimes in the early minutes of the 2nd half, apparently in a hurry to be someplace else. For me, I didn't want to be someplace else. I stayed for every game...the whole thing.
Then after the game, I usually hung around in the stands for the post game festivities. Plenty to discuss, remember, analyze.
After graduation, when I came up for a game it was much the same thing. Except I arrived a day or two before the game, stayed with friends. We always arrived just before the parking lots opened, cars crammed with tail-gate stuff. And spent the morning watching the fog clear, having breakfast in the open air, discussing our families, the Old Days, todays weather, the opponent, and how the game would turn out. About 90 minutes before KO we loaded the car, and walked up to the stadium, found our seats, and watched the pregame. Time stood still, and it was fun. Words flowed.
During games I remember times when my ears would ring from the noise. When you couldn't talk to the person sitting next to you, it was so loud. I remember the many Big Victories. The disappointing defeats. the nostalgia of being on the field post-game. Being swallowed up by the crowds of happy fans, being a few feet away from Joe and Sue when he set records that may never be broken. Nobody wanted to leave, we all just hung around, feeling good, part of something special and historic.
Then walking back to the parking lot and unpacking things for the post-game tailgate for 1-2-3 hours til the lots thinned out, the traffic began to flow. and it was time to go our separate ways., the game having been hashed and rehashed enough to everyone's satisfaction. Then driving out of town trying to pick up any remaining coverage on the radio before the mountains eclipsed the signal.
Happy Valley lives, and it lives on, still. Making memories as it goes. giving many a reprieve from busy lives, offering opportunities to slow down and enjoy that one day, that one game, that one group of friends, old and new.
