This trip has been significantly busier than the Maryville visit. With a solid 10+ hours of work each day, I haven't had as much time to enjoy the town, let alone write about the things I'm not really doing. Each day goes about the same: up at 7, clean up and head over to the basketball arena where the video office is. We have been setting up a network for the men's and women's basketball teams to use for video editing.
The down time has been spent eating and sleeping. Food in Tuscaloosa is actually pretty good. We had lunch today at a little hole in the wall burger joint that was delicious. Big, greasy bacon cheeseburger and some fries. On the way out, we saw a beat up old Jeep Cherokee slam in to a BMW X5 at a traffic light. The Jeep driver wasn't paying attention. Squealing tires and a loud crash, it was bad enough for the Jeep's airbag to deploy. Everyone was okay, except for the cars. I feel pretty sorry for the person who has to pay for that X5 to get fixed.
After that, it was back to work until about 7. Everything is working as expected, which is rare when installing a server. I get to get out of dodge earlier than the rest of the group tomorrow to go set up instant replay for the FCS Championship game in Chattanooga. Dinner at Chuck's Seafood was surprisingly good. We had some fried green tomatoes and shrimp ceviche (if that's how you spell it) as an appetizer. Several different sushi rolls and some sashimi were finished off in about 15 minutes after it took over an hour for the food to come out.
Another night cut short back at the Sheraton. Tomorrow, it's back to the grind at the video office, then driving up to Tennessee. I'll be there until first thing Saturday morning.
Very excited about Saturday. Round one of the Flag Monkey's playoff run starts at 11am in DC. I'll be heading straight to the fields from Reagan National after my 7:30 flight lands at 9am.
Apologies for this post not being nearly as interesting as I'm sure the previous ones are. A mild case of writer's block has been torturing me since I arrived in the deep south.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Day 3: Home of the Bearcats
The final day in Maryville has wrapped up. First thing this morning, we met with the on-field officials for a pregame replay discussion. It's a good group of guys from the Lonestar Conference in Texas. Obviously not a big football conference, but if there's anything Texas knows, it's certainly football.
Lunch at Applebee's was uneventful. The restaurant was pretty full around 12:30. A man in a Grand Valley sweatshirt recognized us as part of the replay crew by our company logo and chatted briefly with us about his grievances with the NCAA. According to him, the Lakers were cheated out of home-field advantage because of an official ruling to end a game early due to lightning. Because it didn't count as a win, their strength of schedule wasn't strong enough to get their deserved advantage. And so, the Lakers made the trek down from Allendale, Michigan to Maryville (634 miles).
The game was actually very exciting. Both programs are pure class, from the coaches and administrators down to the players and managers. While there were several minor penalties throughout the game, there was very little extracurricular jawing and fighting, despite the significance of the game and the history of the matchup. As for the replay system, we learned that our wireless headsets do not function in extreme conditions. At 4 degrees with wind chill and with a constant spattering of freezing rain and mist, the headsets had to be switched out twice for thawed units from inside the booth.
After all was said and done, we only stopped the game once for a critical spot review. Grand Valley went for it on 4th down and barely made the first down. We stopped it to appease the coaches and to let everyone know we had our eyes on everything. The on-field guys made the right call in giving the Lakers the first down.
The game ended strangely. With only a few minutes to go, and NW Missouri State nursing an 18 point lead, GVSU's coach ran across the field and had a private conversation with the NWMS coach during a timeout. From there, the Lakers ran out the rest of the clock. I can only assume he said 'Good game. This weather is atrocious and we want to get the hell out of here. We concede.' I'm not sure I like the call. It is both classy and classless at the same time. He may have saved a lot of people from unneeded exposure to the elements, and saved some from injury. But he also betrayed his players and his fans. Maybe something happened that we missed. Maybe that's exactly how it played out. I don't know.
I do know that we did a pretty good job of packing up shop and getting out of there afterwards. It took longer to get the half inch layer of ice off our car windows than it did to pack up the replay system.
Early afternoon flight tomorrow out of Kansas City means an early morning. To Northwest Missouri State, thanks for the hospitality. Congratulations on the win. We'll see you and Delaware in Florence next week.
Lunch at Applebee's was uneventful. The restaurant was pretty full around 12:30. A man in a Grand Valley sweatshirt recognized us as part of the replay crew by our company logo and chatted briefly with us about his grievances with the NCAA. According to him, the Lakers were cheated out of home-field advantage because of an official ruling to end a game early due to lightning. Because it didn't count as a win, their strength of schedule wasn't strong enough to get their deserved advantage. And so, the Lakers made the trek down from Allendale, Michigan to Maryville (634 miles).
The game was actually very exciting. Both programs are pure class, from the coaches and administrators down to the players and managers. While there were several minor penalties throughout the game, there was very little extracurricular jawing and fighting, despite the significance of the game and the history of the matchup. As for the replay system, we learned that our wireless headsets do not function in extreme conditions. At 4 degrees with wind chill and with a constant spattering of freezing rain and mist, the headsets had to be switched out twice for thawed units from inside the booth.
After all was said and done, we only stopped the game once for a critical spot review. Grand Valley went for it on 4th down and barely made the first down. We stopped it to appease the coaches and to let everyone know we had our eyes on everything. The on-field guys made the right call in giving the Lakers the first down.
The game ended strangely. With only a few minutes to go, and NW Missouri State nursing an 18 point lead, GVSU's coach ran across the field and had a private conversation with the NWMS coach during a timeout. From there, the Lakers ran out the rest of the clock. I can only assume he said 'Good game. This weather is atrocious and we want to get the hell out of here. We concede.' I'm not sure I like the call. It is both classy and classless at the same time. He may have saved a lot of people from unneeded exposure to the elements, and saved some from injury. But he also betrayed his players and his fans. Maybe something happened that we missed. Maybe that's exactly how it played out. I don't know.
I do know that we did a pretty good job of packing up shop and getting out of there afterwards. It took longer to get the half inch layer of ice off our car windows than it did to pack up the replay system.
Early afternoon flight tomorrow out of Kansas City means an early morning. To Northwest Missouri State, thanks for the hospitality. Congratulations on the win. We'll see you and Delaware in Florence next week.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Day 2: Maryville, MO
And the excitement continues. The morning started slow. If this town is anything, it's laid back and relaxed. With not a whole lot of work to do at the stadium, Aaron and I roamed the 'downtown' district looking for a decent restaurant to serve us lunch. What we found was that nothing, on the outside, looked like a decent restaurant. We decided on a place called A&G Restaurant, which looked more like a hunting lodge than anything else from the road.
Fortunately, we learned here not to judge a book by its cover. The food was fantastic. I had my very first Monte Cristo. For those of you who don't know what a Monte Cristo is, don't feel bad. I will include the recipe so that you don't have to ask the ignorant question. And by recipe, I mean dumbed down description. It's just a complex sandwich. You take some bread, throw on some sliced ham and turkey along with swiss cheese, and then close the sandwich. It is dipped in batter and lightly fried, then dusted with powdered sugar. Served with a raspberry dipping sauce, this Belgian treat is absolutely worth the food-induced itis that is inevitably included in its price. Your task: find a common side dish that goes well with this brunchy sandwich. Fries weren't the trick.
From there, we headed over to the stadium and met the ESPN2 production team. They were friendly enough compared to your average television production team. Generally, they are a grumpy, no-nonsense group. After several hours of waiting for their video guy to hook us up with a line feed so that we could test the replay system, we gave up and left for the hotel and a quick nap (in our own respective rooms of course). Our replay official had made his grand entrance to Maryville, so we joined up with him later and headed to the all-staff meeting. This is where things got fun.
These Division II programs are so excited to be on national television, and so inexperienced with the minor trivialities involved in the general operation of a televised game. We actually fielded questions from the athletic director.
For dinner, we returned to A&G with our distinguished replay official. He promptly began hitting on our bartender/server, who quickly spurned his advances with mention of an intelligent, controlling daughter, aged 7-going-on-24.
Nothing more to report, for now. Hopefully something good is on basic cable tonight. In the meantime, I hope this obnoxious alarm ringing in the Super 8 goes away soon. I think dogs everywhere are howling.
Fortunately, we learned here not to judge a book by its cover. The food was fantastic. I had my very first Monte Cristo. For those of you who don't know what a Monte Cristo is, don't feel bad. I will include the recipe so that you don't have to ask the ignorant question. And by recipe, I mean dumbed down description. It's just a complex sandwich. You take some bread, throw on some sliced ham and turkey along with swiss cheese, and then close the sandwich. It is dipped in batter and lightly fried, then dusted with powdered sugar. Served with a raspberry dipping sauce, this Belgian treat is absolutely worth the food-induced itis that is inevitably included in its price. Your task: find a common side dish that goes well with this brunchy sandwich. Fries weren't the trick.
From there, we headed over to the stadium and met the ESPN2 production team. They were friendly enough compared to your average television production team. Generally, they are a grumpy, no-nonsense group. After several hours of waiting for their video guy to hook us up with a line feed so that we could test the replay system, we gave up and left for the hotel and a quick nap (in our own respective rooms of course). Our replay official had made his grand entrance to Maryville, so we joined up with him later and headed to the all-staff meeting. This is where things got fun.
These Division II programs are so excited to be on national television, and so inexperienced with the minor trivialities involved in the general operation of a televised game. We actually fielded questions from the athletic director.
For dinner, we returned to A&G with our distinguished replay official. He promptly began hitting on our bartender/server, who quickly spurned his advances with mention of an intelligent, controlling daughter, aged 7-going-on-24.
Nothing more to report, for now. Hopefully something good is on basic cable tonight. In the meantime, I hope this obnoxious alarm ringing in the Super 8 goes away soon. I think dogs everywhere are howling.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Day 1: The Show Me State
Ever been to Missouri? No? You're not alone. Home to the St. Louis blues, the Arch, Yogi Berra and the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the "Gateway to the West" is exactly that. A great place to pass through. But if you do intend to come to Missouri, here's what you should know.
Next to New Orleans, Kansas City is the most lax city in the United States when it comes to drinking. There are no open container laws. There is no regulation for alcohol sales, meaning even drug stores and gas stations can sell hard liquor. Parents can legally serve their children alcohol. There is no such thing as 'drunk in public' and absinthe is permitted. But, as with most things, you have to take the good with the bad.
The bad is the weather, and the general lack of anything worth doing. On the 2 hour drive from Kansas City to Maryville--where the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats call home--we saw absolutely nothing but horses, cattle, and open fields. That, and a freak starter blizzard that put about 4 inches of snow on the ground in 3 hours. The state doesn't seem overly concerned with plowing roads (though one man in a golf-cart-turned-snow-plow was trying in vain to plow the football field while we set up instant replay...every 20 yards he plowed, the previous 20 was covered up). In hindsight, the 50% off upgrade offer for an SUV probably shouldn't have been declined. We thought a Chrysler 300M sounded nice enough.
After a few slips on the road and a brief encounter with death and an 18-wheeler in the oncoming traffic lane, we made it safely to the NWMS stadium and completed the fastest replay install in the history of DVSport.
Next stop, WalMart and our temporary place of residence at the Super 8 Motel. Smoking rooms only available. Dinner at Applebee's was an immediate disappointment when I remembered the Redskins game was on NFL Network, which is carried by no one.
As for the rest of the evening, I have been confined to my dank hotel room watching Villanova get pummeled in basketball and trying to keep up with my 'Skins with live stats online. Not a fun way to enjoy a football game.
Post-publishing note: Villanova came back from a 21 point deficit to take their first lead with about :5 seconds left in the game on a 35-13 run to beat LSU. One of the more exciting final 10 minutes of a basketball game I've ever seen.
And, go Redskins!
Next to New Orleans, Kansas City is the most lax city in the United States when it comes to drinking. There are no open container laws. There is no regulation for alcohol sales, meaning even drug stores and gas stations can sell hard liquor. Parents can legally serve their children alcohol. There is no such thing as 'drunk in public' and absinthe is permitted. But, as with most things, you have to take the good with the bad.
The bad is the weather, and the general lack of anything worth doing. On the 2 hour drive from Kansas City to Maryville--where the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats call home--we saw absolutely nothing but horses, cattle, and open fields. That, and a freak starter blizzard that put about 4 inches of snow on the ground in 3 hours. The state doesn't seem overly concerned with plowing roads (though one man in a golf-cart-turned-snow-plow was trying in vain to plow the football field while we set up instant replay...every 20 yards he plowed, the previous 20 was covered up). In hindsight, the 50% off upgrade offer for an SUV probably shouldn't have been declined. We thought a Chrysler 300M sounded nice enough.
After a few slips on the road and a brief encounter with death and an 18-wheeler in the oncoming traffic lane, we made it safely to the NWMS stadium and completed the fastest replay install in the history of DVSport.
Next stop, WalMart and our temporary place of residence at the Super 8 Motel. Smoking rooms only available. Dinner at Applebee's was an immediate disappointment when I remembered the Redskins game was on NFL Network, which is carried by no one.
As for the rest of the evening, I have been confined to my dank hotel room watching Villanova get pummeled in basketball and trying to keep up with my 'Skins with live stats online. Not a fun way to enjoy a football game.
Post-publishing note: Villanova came back from a 21 point deficit to take their first lead with about :5 seconds left in the game on a 35-13 run to beat LSU. One of the more exciting final 10 minutes of a basketball game I've ever seen.
And, go Redskins!
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.
Well, planes and automobiles at least. Winter travel plans are pretty much set for me. I think I might cover the entire Southeast/Mid-Atlantic region of the US in a one month time span.
Tomorrow, it all begins.
Flying from Baltimore to Kansas City, MO: 1,077 miles.
Driving from Kansas City to Maryville, MO: 93 miles.
Attending: Grand Valley State at Northwest Missouri State DII Football playoff game.
Driving back to Kansas City and flying back to Baltimore: 1,170 miles.
Trip 1 Total: 2,340 miles.
Home for about 2 hours before it all starts again.
Flying from DC to Atlanta: 638 miles.
Driving from Atlanta to Tuscaloosa, AL: 202 miles.
And back to Atlanta: 202 miles.
Driving from Atlanta to Chattanooga, TN: 118 miles.
And back to Atlanta: 118 miles.
Flying back to DC: 638 miles.
Trip 2 Total: 1,916 miles.
Home from the 15th to the 19th, then the much anticipated New Orleans trip comes.
Flying from Baltimore to New Orleans: 1,122 miles.
Attending the New Orleans Bowl, pitting Memphis against FAU.
And double it coming back: 1,122 miles.
Trip 3 Total: 2,244 miles.*
*Note: May not remember Trip 3. Photos to come.
Home from the 22nd until the 29th, when the travel continues. The fourth and final trip for the bowl season is the real killer.
Flying from Baltimore to Nashville, TN: 702 miles.
Attending Music City Bowl: Kentucky vs. Florida State.
Flying from Nashville to Orlando, FL: 687 miles.
Attending Capital One Bowl: Michigan vs. Florida.
Driving from Orlando to Miami, FL: 239 miles.
Attending BCS Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Kansas.
Flying from Miami to Mobile, AL: 724 miles.
Attending GMAC Bowl: Bowling Green vs. Tulsa.
Flying from Mobile to Baltimore: 1,008 miles.
Trip 4 Total: 3,360 miles.
Total distance traveled between December 6th and January 7th: 9,860 miles.
Game analysis to come as we go. I will try to keep this up as I make it from game to game. I plan to start my own travel brochure for each of the illustrious cities I will call home this December/January. Frommer is going to be crying himself to sleep, come February.
If anyone knows someone who will be, 1) in Nashville for New Years, and is, 2) outgoing and fun, plus 2b) would bring a complete stranger along on their New Years plans, and 3) is less shady than Jacko around children, please let me know. I'll be flying solo in the Music City for New Years Eve.
Tomorrow, it all begins.
Flying from Baltimore to Kansas City, MO: 1,077 miles.
Driving from Kansas City to Maryville, MO: 93 miles.
Attending: Grand Valley State at Northwest Missouri State DII Football playoff game.
Driving back to Kansas City and flying back to Baltimore: 1,170 miles.
Trip 1 Total: 2,340 miles.
Home for about 2 hours before it all starts again.
Flying from DC to Atlanta: 638 miles.
Driving from Atlanta to Tuscaloosa, AL: 202 miles.
And back to Atlanta: 202 miles.
Driving from Atlanta to Chattanooga, TN: 118 miles.
And back to Atlanta: 118 miles.
Flying back to DC: 638 miles.
Trip 2 Total: 1,916 miles.
Home from the 15th to the 19th, then the much anticipated New Orleans trip comes.
Flying from Baltimore to New Orleans: 1,122 miles.
Attending the New Orleans Bowl, pitting Memphis against FAU.
And double it coming back: 1,122 miles.
Trip 3 Total: 2,244 miles.*
*Note: May not remember Trip 3. Photos to come.
Home from the 22nd until the 29th, when the travel continues. The fourth and final trip for the bowl season is the real killer.
Flying from Baltimore to Nashville, TN: 702 miles.
Attending Music City Bowl: Kentucky vs. Florida State.
Flying from Nashville to Orlando, FL: 687 miles.
Attending Capital One Bowl: Michigan vs. Florida.
Driving from Orlando to Miami, FL: 239 miles.
Attending BCS Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Kansas.
Flying from Miami to Mobile, AL: 724 miles.
Attending GMAC Bowl: Bowling Green vs. Tulsa.
Flying from Mobile to Baltimore: 1,008 miles.
Trip 4 Total: 3,360 miles.
Total distance traveled between December 6th and January 7th: 9,860 miles.
Game analysis to come as we go. I will try to keep this up as I make it from game to game. I plan to start my own travel brochure for each of the illustrious cities I will call home this December/January. Frommer is going to be crying himself to sleep, come February.
If anyone knows someone who will be, 1) in Nashville for New Years, and is, 2) outgoing and fun, plus 2b) would bring a complete stranger along on their New Years plans, and 3) is less shady than Jacko around children, please let me know. I'll be flying solo in the Music City for New Years Eve.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
This spot hot!
I love the ambience. I love the decor. I spend a lot of time tryin' to figure out which one I like more.
But, who is Beethoven? And what is a fresh of breath air?
But, who is Beethoven? And what is a fresh of breath air?
Sunday, December 2, 2007
BCS Bungle
Not sure how they came up with their selections, but for the most part, they seem pretty reasonable.
Despite the fact that Virginia Tech is ranked #1 in the computers, the media aren't high on the Hokies and so they relegated them to the #3 spot overall. But drawing Kansas in the Orange Bowl is definitely a good thing. I'm looking forward to the match up.
I couldn't be happier about Pitt upsetting the Mo'Town Mount-me-neers and dashing their title hopes. The Big East is a joke, and everyone should realize it. Here's to hoping Oklahoma wins by 28.
LSU should make quick work of a slow, rusty, and overrated Buckeye squad. I think I, along with most of rational America, would have preferred to see Oklahoma or even USC in the title game against LSU. But OSU rolled through the magnificent Big Teneleven as usual with zero quality wins and tip-toed their way in to another BCS Championship game.
Hawai'i gets my vote. I'd love to see them pull out a win. They are facing a Georgia team that is as good as anyone in the country right now. We'll see if the Samoan Warriors are for real when Knowshon rumbles in to N'Awlins for the matchup.
USC against Illinois is a joke. There is absolutely no reason to have Illinois in a BCS game. Basically, they ran out of good teams to include, so Illinois defaulted. Missouri got snubbed worse than Auburn a couple years ago. If the Trojans don't have that game put away in the 2nd quarter, that means they are toying with the Illini.
Non-BCS bowl worth watching: Missouri vs Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl. Might be a better game than most of the BCS match ups.
And that's that. After 14 weeks of excitement and upsets, we have our BCS selections.
Despite the fact that Virginia Tech is ranked #1 in the computers, the media aren't high on the Hokies and so they relegated them to the #3 spot overall. But drawing Kansas in the Orange Bowl is definitely a good thing. I'm looking forward to the match up.
I couldn't be happier about Pitt upsetting the Mo'Town Mount-me-neers and dashing their title hopes. The Big East is a joke, and everyone should realize it. Here's to hoping Oklahoma wins by 28.
LSU should make quick work of a slow, rusty, and overrated Buckeye squad. I think I, along with most of rational America, would have preferred to see Oklahoma or even USC in the title game against LSU. But OSU rolled through the magnificent Big Teneleven as usual with zero quality wins and tip-toed their way in to another BCS Championship game.
Hawai'i gets my vote. I'd love to see them pull out a win. They are facing a Georgia team that is as good as anyone in the country right now. We'll see if the Samoan Warriors are for real when Knowshon rumbles in to N'Awlins for the matchup.
USC against Illinois is a joke. There is absolutely no reason to have Illinois in a BCS game. Basically, they ran out of good teams to include, so Illinois defaulted. Missouri got snubbed worse than Auburn a couple years ago. If the Trojans don't have that game put away in the 2nd quarter, that means they are toying with the Illini.
Non-BCS bowl worth watching: Missouri vs Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl. Might be a better game than most of the BCS match ups.
And that's that. After 14 weeks of excitement and upsets, we have our BCS selections.
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