Tuesday, July 04, 2006
I love the Ohio State Buckeyes. I always have, ever since mom would have the kitchen radio on for the Massillon Tiger replay on Saturday mornings followed by the OSU broadcast. I remember walking home from my grandparent's house following the 1980 Rose Bowl when OSU was beaten by a point by USC, costing them the national championship. It was cold, but I was mad. I was there for most of Eddie George's senior year when he won the Heisman and I watched from a suite when the Buckeyes beat UM in 2002 to send them to the Fiesta Bowl and the National Championship game.
And I was there that January night in Tempe when Ohio State beat Miami to cap a 14-0 season.
I decided to go to the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl the week prior to the Michigan game. I didn't know where I would get tickets but wasn't worried about it. My bigger concern was getting a flight out there. I had planned on calling America West immediately after the UM game but on the Wednesday prior I decided to make a leap of faith and book it. I got a great deal, I think everyone else was waiting to see whether we would get by Michigan. I'm not positive but I think the big rubber Tostitos hat I wore on my head prior to the game may have given us the extra energy to squeak out a win. Three friends, Mike, Mike and Tony confirmed their trip and we were all set. But we didn't have a game ticket and demand was sky high.
Mike works for a big company in town and they have a suite at the Horseshoe. So they received Fiesta Bowl tickets and somehow a few ended up in Mike's hands. With tickets being sold on ebay for $500, we were golden. I booked rooms at the Wyndham Buttes Resort, booked tee times and we were set for the biggest game we would ever see plus a little golf to boot.
Anticipation was high. Columbus was at a fever pitch for the game and I was estatic to be going. I had my traditional New Year's Day bowl party, where arguements flow as easily as the beer, before heading out the next day. The airport was packed with Scarlet and Grey, everyone seemed to be going out to Arizona. I met Mike #2 out there and after checking in it was margarita time. I'm glad Horner likes margaritas; we would drink a couple ten over the next few days. We met up with Chrisy, or Hot Chrisy as my friends know her, and walked around downtown Tempe. What a great college town. It's very clean, with lots of restaurants, bars and shops. But Buckeye Nation had taken over this ASU town, it was a swarming mass of scarlet shirts and hats.
That evening, we met up with some work people at an event I had thrown together. Beforehand, Horner and I watched USC destroy Iowa in the Rose Bowl, a prequel to the run they would put together the next few years. Mike #1 was coming into town that evening and we met up with him at McDuffy's and drank a few cold ones. Tony wasn't getting in until the next morning.
Gameday arrived early. Who could sleep? Tony arrived and after breakfast it was bloody mary time. Then we headed down to McDuffy's again, they were having a tailgate party and we were pretty much the first to arrive. But you don't want to get dehydrated in the desert so we started up. And kept going pretty much right up to game time and beyond. It's not easy entertaining yourself at a bar for 9 hours so we had to travel around a bit, hitting bar after bar. It was wild, an atmosphere I'll never forget. Buckeye fans outnumbered Miami fans 20 to 1 and everyone was getting crazy.
Finally, it was time to go to the stadium but there was one more tailgate we needed to hit. A couple of the guys from our annual Myrtle Beach golf trip were outside the stadium so we stopped there. But they were out of beer. So we were out of there. They sold beer at the game and we were looking forward to getting in and enjoying the atmosphere. Our seats were on the OSU side, on the 10 yard line but fairly high. On the aisle, near a concourse with a bathroom and concession stand nearby. Perfect.
I can't do the game justice with written word. It was great, a typical Ohio State win with great defense and minimal offense. There were some questionable calls but what can you do? Ironically, had they had instant replay the game likely would never have gone to overtime. Chris Gamble was clearly in bounds on a catch that would have given the Buckeyes a first down. Instead, the official ruled him out and the subsequent punt was returned far enough for the tying field goal to be kicked. So when Gamble was called for holding/pass interference, the football gods were making things right. The celebration after the win was one I'll remember forever, so much joy and falling down on the people in front of us.
The bars close early in Tempe. But we were spent after the game anyway so we eventually just tried to get home. Mike #1 and I lost Horner and Tony so we tried to get a cab. And tried. And tried. There were none. So we eventually got a bicycle rickshaw to take us to a bus stop where we caught a bus to the airport so that we could catch a cab there. Sounded like a plan until we got out there and there were no cabs at the airport at that time. We sat and eventually got back to our hotel but it was an adventure. And I had lost my cell phone, twice, at the game so I was bummed about that.
My day ended with a visit to the hot tub overlooking Tempe, cold beer and cigar in hand. Just me and the view. It was a perfect end to a great day.
We golfed the next three days. I stunk, but it was fun. In the end, I won $400+ on the game, taking the Buckeyes straight up at 5/1 odds and also taking them with the points. I also won some money at McDuffy's at its Off Track Betting parlor. But the memories will last much longer. It was special because of a number of things and can't be duplicated any time soon. The Bucks hadn't won it all since 1968. That wait, and the way they won it, is something special that I will always have.
And I was there that January night in Tempe when Ohio State beat Miami to cap a 14-0 season.
I decided to go to the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl the week prior to the Michigan game. I didn't know where I would get tickets but wasn't worried about it. My bigger concern was getting a flight out there. I had planned on calling America West immediately after the UM game but on the Wednesday prior I decided to make a leap of faith and book it. I got a great deal, I think everyone else was waiting to see whether we would get by Michigan. I'm not positive but I think the big rubber Tostitos hat I wore on my head prior to the game may have given us the extra energy to squeak out a win. Three friends, Mike, Mike and Tony confirmed their trip and we were all set. But we didn't have a game ticket and demand was sky high.
Mike works for a big company in town and they have a suite at the Horseshoe. So they received Fiesta Bowl tickets and somehow a few ended up in Mike's hands. With tickets being sold on ebay for $500, we were golden. I booked rooms at the Wyndham Buttes Resort, booked tee times and we were set for the biggest game we would ever see plus a little golf to boot.
Anticipation was high. Columbus was at a fever pitch for the game and I was estatic to be going. I had my traditional New Year's Day bowl party, where arguements flow as easily as the beer, before heading out the next day. The airport was packed with Scarlet and Grey, everyone seemed to be going out to Arizona. I met Mike #2 out there and after checking in it was margarita time. I'm glad Horner likes margaritas; we would drink a couple ten over the next few days. We met up with Chrisy, or Hot Chrisy as my friends know her, and walked around downtown Tempe. What a great college town. It's very clean, with lots of restaurants, bars and shops. But Buckeye Nation had taken over this ASU town, it was a swarming mass of scarlet shirts and hats.
That evening, we met up with some work people at an event I had thrown together. Beforehand, Horner and I watched USC destroy Iowa in the Rose Bowl, a prequel to the run they would put together the next few years. Mike #1 was coming into town that evening and we met up with him at McDuffy's and drank a few cold ones. Tony wasn't getting in until the next morning.
Gameday arrived early. Who could sleep? Tony arrived and after breakfast it was bloody mary time. Then we headed down to McDuffy's again, they were having a tailgate party and we were pretty much the first to arrive. But you don't want to get dehydrated in the desert so we started up. And kept going pretty much right up to game time and beyond. It's not easy entertaining yourself at a bar for 9 hours so we had to travel around a bit, hitting bar after bar. It was wild, an atmosphere I'll never forget. Buckeye fans outnumbered Miami fans 20 to 1 and everyone was getting crazy.
Finally, it was time to go to the stadium but there was one more tailgate we needed to hit. A couple of the guys from our annual Myrtle Beach golf trip were outside the stadium so we stopped there. But they were out of beer. So we were out of there. They sold beer at the game and we were looking forward to getting in and enjoying the atmosphere. Our seats were on the OSU side, on the 10 yard line but fairly high. On the aisle, near a concourse with a bathroom and concession stand nearby. Perfect.
I can't do the game justice with written word. It was great, a typical Ohio State win with great defense and minimal offense. There were some questionable calls but what can you do? Ironically, had they had instant replay the game likely would never have gone to overtime. Chris Gamble was clearly in bounds on a catch that would have given the Buckeyes a first down. Instead, the official ruled him out and the subsequent punt was returned far enough for the tying field goal to be kicked. So when Gamble was called for holding/pass interference, the football gods were making things right. The celebration after the win was one I'll remember forever, so much joy and falling down on the people in front of us.
The bars close early in Tempe. But we were spent after the game anyway so we eventually just tried to get home. Mike #1 and I lost Horner and Tony so we tried to get a cab. And tried. And tried. There were none. So we eventually got a bicycle rickshaw to take us to a bus stop where we caught a bus to the airport so that we could catch a cab there. Sounded like a plan until we got out there and there were no cabs at the airport at that time. We sat and eventually got back to our hotel but it was an adventure. And I had lost my cell phone, twice, at the game so I was bummed about that.
My day ended with a visit to the hot tub overlooking Tempe, cold beer and cigar in hand. Just me and the view. It was a perfect end to a great day.
We golfed the next three days. I stunk, but it was fun. In the end, I won $400+ on the game, taking the Buckeyes straight up at 5/1 odds and also taking them with the points. I also won some money at McDuffy's at its Off Track Betting parlor. But the memories will last much longer. It was special because of a number of things and can't be duplicated any time soon. The Bucks hadn't won it all since 1968. That wait, and the way they won it, is something special that I will always have.
