Traveling to a Home Game (UGA) Without Leaving Home!

This past Saturday (10/16/10) was Homecoming at UGA vs, Vanderbilt and although the call to return to Sanford Stadium is a strong one I had been out of town the past 3 Saturdays and had agreed to do some volunteer work in Canton with my wife.

The Cherokee Chamber of Commerce hosted the 3rd Annual "Cherokee Pignic", a regional BBQ competition that incorporates professional BBQ teams, local restaurants and a highly competitive amateur division that brings out dozens of local entries. My favorite part of the weekend is the "People's Choice" tent that allows the amateurs to qualify (seems like 20 were selected) and you pay $5 for 8 tickets and sample their finest fare and vote with your ticket to select the "People's Choice". It like doing BBQ shots! (hint for next year; when you buy the tickets also buy a bottle of water to cleanse the pallet and help with swallowing!!).

My wife and I were working the admissions booth (one of either side of the entrance) and although my new approach to UGA football is to NOT obsess with the game (therefore agreeing to sell tickets and not watch it on TV) we both dressed in our Red&Black shirts and I did take a small radio to listen as we worked. What happened next is no surprise to any SEC fan (let alone Bulldog fan) but demonstrates the cameradie of SEC fans everywhere. Since we were both dressed in Georgia colors you would think that when someone asked for the score they would be referring to the GA/Vandy game (98% were of course) but one fellow wearing maroon and gold asked the score and when I happily replied "36-0" I thought he was going to faint! I never did know what game HE was asking about but when I followed up with "Ga-Vandy" he visibly relaxed.

Cars with UGA tags unloaded men, women, old, young, infants (and every age in between) and they would come through the booth wearing Ga. caps, shirts, bibs, etc. and with an easy "how's it going" and the brother and sisterhood of UGA would immediately kick in as I gave the score. I went to get something to eat at the concessions building and ran into a high school-age student with a GA. cap on and asked if he had heard the latest score and he replied no, "I'm getting text updates on my phone but I've been so busy I can't even check it!". I gave him the score (43-0 at that point) and left another smiling fan. Another fan came through the booth wearing a Clemson orange and purple shirt but a Florida cap and I asked him if he was in a hurry to get dressed that morning (he professed to be a UF fan, little did he know what awaited him in Gainesville).

At the end of our shift, and very close to the end of the game, I reflected on the connection we all shared via the SEC, not just UGA, but all SEC football. Fans everywhere will share and commiserate with fans from other schools (especially if they have suffered from the big 2, UA and UF) and as is human nature, we enjoy watching the underdog win against all odds (unless it is OUR team that is the favorite) and we see things from another perspective when situations change (i.e. I used to have great animosity towards Steve Spurrier for all those whippings in Jacksonville but as the Gamecocks coach he has earned my grudging admiration).

On a Homer note; We can celebrate the small things at UGA, no one has been arrested for at least a week, the offense is producing and the defense is beginning to gel. What I do know and believe with all my heart and soul is that Mark Richt is the best thing that has happened to Georgia Football since Vince Dooley was named the head coach 46 years ago and his calm, steady hand is in no small part the reason the Red and Black ship has corrected its course and begun to steer in a more acceptable direction!

South Carolina Becomes Relevant!

Sorry I've been away for a few weeks but between traveling to Washington, D.C. (twice) and actually working in an honest job for a few days a week I have just now managed to motivate myself to write about South Carolina and Williams Brice Stadium. I did some research before we rolled into Columbia for the home opener and we did find Maurice's BBQ with that wonderful SC mustard-based sauce. My only disappointment was that it was outside of town away from the Cock-fans!

When we arrived at the stadium we parked on the southeast side (from the interstate) about 5 blocks from WB and walked towards individual tail-gaters and got our first look at the long line of "Cock-a-booses (?)". That was quite unique and VERY impressive to see what appeared to be 35-40 cabooses, on rails, within 100 feet of that stadium. I guess because it was a Thursday start to the home opener the partying was quite subdued. I estimated to temperature around 5 pm at 94 (plus) degrees so more people were drinking water than alcohol (yours truly included). Now I have to say that the 'water rule' did not extend to the USC students who (like all SEC student fans) were using any excuse to 'go to the well' long and often (more about that in a minute). As we walked around the stadium, Cock-a-booses, and the fairgrounds parking lots we observed quite a few parties, mostly a little understated because of the heat, opponent, and a Thursday game. We did receive quite the hospitality from members of the Carolina Collegiate Credit Union as they distributed water to weary souls from all over.

The Captain and I were welcomed quite heartedly by the small (but upbeat) contingent of Southern Miss fans as we waited for the stadium to open. They were upbeat and positive viewing the game as "great exposure" for their program. I met a couple from Mobile whose son started for the Eagles and we exchanged pleasantries and local stories about Mobile and the Gulf Coast (both the Captain and my wife's family is from the Mississippi Coast), they were VERY nice! We were fortunate to be in the shade at that point (Carolina fans know what I'm talkin' about) and observed "Cocky" and the cheerleaders make their rounds and had to duck out of the way for the ESPN/DirecTV bus to come rambling by.

We were careful to dress in neutral and/or benign colors so we could blend in since we are sampling everything local about each stadium and their fans and not advertise that we were not "from around here." When we got into the stadium and found our seats (quite good, row 6, around the 40 yard line behind the Southern Miss bench) the crowd (mostly students) filed in, and in, and in, and in! By the time the pre-game activities were ready to begin everyone in front of us were standing (I guess in excitement), not only standing up, but standing on their seats to the point that I couldn't see anything. The mostly students that were sitting around us had been partying quite awhile and don't understand the value and importance of drinking water (either before, with, or after) their alcohol. Walking into the stadium proved to be quite the challenge for many of them. I defer to the Captain at this point to offer up his opinion but suffice it to say after one quarter of watching the game on the jumbotron we took off to find a seat in the upper level where we could watch the game AND breathe.

I have to say that as the season has progressed "the old ball coach" and his team have proven to be solid and a real contender for the SEC East. Of course there are 2 major obstacles, one in the East (UF) and another in the West (UA) and they will be tested this week BUT the USC student section is as loud as I have witnessed (I'm anxious to visit Baton Rouge)and when they crank up the volume and start waving those white towels in the end zone, they truly become a relevant and important "12th man" for the Gamecocks!