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Monday, December 24
A Final Blog On A Fantastic Trip
by
greenpowerblog
on Mon 24 Dec 2007 08:28 PM PST
By the time you read this, the lime green renewable energy machine will be parked quietly by some roadside near you enjoying its own extended vacation with no particular place to go – and deservedly so.
After all, the 1984 Mercedes running on two greener, cleaner fuels – biodiesel and vegetable oil – performed as brightly and boldly as its color. All told, the green machine took yours truly to 31 states, the District of Columbia and two Canadian provinces, logging some 35,000 miles over 116 amazing days. As a result, I was able to witness 45 football games, of which 26 were of the college variety, 18 of the No Fun League, and one really unique high school football game in Nebraska at an old baseball park built in the 1950s. Check out the photos at the photos page!
When there weren’t pigskin contests to see, I also managed to take in 37 hockey games, 27 basketball games, 4 baseball games (and even catch a foul ball) and one darn interesting rodeo (Yee-haw, I had never been to the rodeo before!). All of this also wouldn’t have been possible without my sponsors ( AutoTrader.com, MapQuest and StubHub, among others).
The final two stops on the Green Power Sports Tour were in Charlotte, North Carolina and Nashville, Tennessee , home of the NFL’s Panthers and Titans, respectively. And both teams have plenty in common. Although the Titans relocated from Houston to Nashville in 1999, you could make a good argument they are essential an expansion team like the Carolina Panthers. After all, neither city had really boasted a professional sports team of any kind prior to their NFL birth, although Charlotte did have an NBA franchise (that eventually bolted to New Orleans).
Both franchises are located in mid-sized cities in the south; both play in downtown stadiums; and both enjoyed quick success as new teams, each making (but losing in) a Super Bowl. And in recent years, both clubs have struggled for year-in, year-out consistency in the win column.
Therefore, given their recent history, and the relative newness of both clubs, it’s no surprise (to me) that both fan bases have shrunk as the teams have stunk. It was easy to see and feel in Charlotte Saturday night as Dallas Cowboys fanatics outnumbered Panthers backers at Bank of America Stadium. What was surprising (to me), however, was the number of female Cowboys fans who had created posters with their unique opinion on actress Jessica Simpson dating Dallas quarterback Tony Romo. This week’s sign the apocalypse is now upon us: many Cowboys fans blamed Simpson for Romo having a bad game the previous week in a loss to Philadelphia .
Romo played just fine, thank you, against the Panthers, despite losing big mouth wide receiver Terrell Owens to injury in the first half. It was the third time I had seen “ America ’s Team” on my journey, and it was clear to me that Dallas was simply a step above Carolina in terms of talent and depth. The only other teams in my opinion that could potentially beat the Patriots in the post-season besides the Cowboys are the Colts, Packers and the underrated Jaguars.
Bank of America Stadium is a great venue for football, with great sight and huge towering light standards hovering over the top level of the seating areas. But the fans (at least the Carolina ones that showed up) were less than enthusiastic, and on one level I can’t really blame them: exiting the stadium was a train wreck, with the idiot brigade that runs security forcing all fans to exit down only on exit ramp.
The next day in Music City , the opposite problem occurred – fans couldn’t get into the stadium. Now, I don’t know about you, but when I purchase a ticket for a game I don’t expect to wait more than 20 minutes to enter the stadium. That wasn’t the end of the lines, though. On the upper level, the concession lines were inexcusably long because an adjacent concession stand was closed.
Now, get this: the Titans announced a sold-out crowd for their game against the Jets, but you couldn’t have fooled me. Throughout the game there were pockets of empty seats everywhere. The Titans had a sell-out, alright. Many tickets purchased by local ticket brokers couldn’t be re-sold outside on the street because it was 45 degrees out and windy (that’s bitterly cold temps in the south) and the Titans, despite running quarterback Vince Young, as about as exciting as an IRS form. So if it was “really” sold out, could it have cost the Titans too much to have that concession stand on the upper level opened, hmmm?
Tennessee managed to win an offensive yawner, 10-6, and having traveled more miles than should be allowed by law over a four-month period, I was a bit pooped too as I left Nashville two nights before Christmas in my jolly green sleigh.
‘Tis the season to be jolly, ‘tis the season to be thankful.
Thank you, thank you, thank you a goodnight – for your readership and support. And have a Happy New Year!
p.s.: Joe Santa’s crystal ball sezs there’s a Super Bowl and an undefeated record in the Patriots 2008 future.
Monday, December 10
It's Too Damn Cold, But The Pats Remain Unbeaten And The Green Machine Keeps Trucking
by
greenpowerblog
on Mon 10 Dec 2007 03:18 PM PST
Continuing the Green Power Sports Tour into December in the Northeast, I knew the high probability that the weather outside would turn frightful, although I didn’t know to what degree, when exactly, or where in particular. Well, last week, Mother Nature turned decidedly nasty, bringing a mix of rain, sleet and snow – not to the more, historically probable areas of Boston or New York – but rather to the southerly climes of Washington, DC .
Sports fans in the Nation’s Capitol had been caught off guard once already early this winter when Washington Redskins player Sean Taylor was murdered. Some 24 hours before kickoff with the Chicago Bears, Mother Nature had another surprise in store for Redskins fans, dumping up to three inches of snow throughout the area which often doesn’t get the white stuff this soon. And if I thought Chicago would be the coldest it would get on my trip, I wisely realized that would not be the case and planned accordingly.
The Redskins welcomed those Windy City Bears to FedEx Field in Landover , Maryland, outside Washington, last Thursday night, with the loser likely officially eliminated from playoff contention. I broke out five layers of clothing for the upper body, plus wore two layers of socks. And, man, it’s a good thing I did. With the temperature hovering in the low 20s and a light, but brisk wind, this wasn’t baseball weather, junior.
Also, with the roads icy from the previous day’s snowstorm, coupled with the fact the Green Machine lacks snow tires, I opted to take the subway to the game. Considering it gets dark now in Washington around 4:30 p.m., it seemed pointless to me to tailgate the car in the dark with me, myself and I, especially on a weeknight with a late-arriving crowd for an 8:15 p.m. kickoff.
By the time I got inside FedEx Field, I was doing quite well despite the cold, but one fan had apparently lost his mind. As I watched a play transpire through my camera lens, I noticed a man running toward the Redskins quarterback. The next thing you know, stadium security is tackling one of its patrons and sending him off for a long, lonely night in the big house. Now I don’t know what caused this lunatic to run onto the field in the middle of a play (maybe he had some tips for the Redskins inconsistent offense), but if it turns out he had one too many Budweiser’s, let’s just say I wouldn’t be surprised.
Both starting quarterbacks went down with injuries in the game, and the Redskins toughed it out to win the contest and keep their slim playoff hopes alive. Not that too many fans appear very engaged. Maybe it was the weather, maybe it was because it was a weeknight, or maybe it was because the Redskins really aren’t very good, but there were several hundred empty seats in the upper deck of FedEx Field, which I did not find terribly impressive (maybe it was also the $79 ticket price for an upper deck seat). With all of its great history and tradition, you would think owner Daniel Snyder could build, I don’t know, maybe some kind of Hall of Fame, honoring past Redskins greats. Well, at least he did okay Redskins cheerleaders wearing Santa Claus outfits at halftime.
Some three days after witnessing two mediocre teams, I was looking forward to enjoying a game between two playoff-bound teams – while still freezing my sunny Southern California fanny off.
The 12-0 Patriots hosted the 9-3 Steelers last Sunday, with host New England ’s No. 1 offense going up against the NFL’s top-ranked defense. You don’t need to work for The No Fun League or its television partner, CBS, to see a money-maker, so the game’s original start time of 1:05 p.m. was moved to 4:15 p.m. to accommodate a larger audience (and, ahem, more advertisers).
If you thought that loony bird in Washington was crazy for running on the field, you haven’t really experienced true loonies until you are in the greater Boston area when all of its sports teams are winning. The Red Sox won their second baseball World Series in four years in October while the Celtics own the NBA’s best record and the Bruins are on the rebound in the NHL. And the three-time Super Bowl Champion Patriots? Oh, they’re just undefeated.
As you might expect, I had to fork over mucho dinero for a ticket – try $75 for standing room only. Ouch on the wallet, yes, but you probably won’t believe this next bit, when, as I stood in a men’s bathroom stall relieving myself, I noticed a crumpled up white and green piece of paper below me that strongly resembled money. It was lying next to an empty, plastic beer bottle that I couldn’t help but also notice. After completing my business, I leaned over to discover just how handsome a man good ole Ben Franklin really was – and just how damn lucky I was to have acquired a $100.00 bill so easily. Now, this particular bathroom stall was empty when I entered it, and I don’t know how somebody could drop a $100 bill, but if it had something to do with too many Budweiser’s, let’s just say I wouldn’t be surprised.
Like FedEx Field, I wasn’t terribly giddy about Gillette Stadium, with no history of the Patriots Super Bowl runs on display – not even a single escalator to the upper deck, also.
I was layered up again and temps were again in the 20s, but it wasn’t as cold here as in Washington , and on this day, neither was the Patriots offense. After an inconsistent first quarter from the NFL’s No. 1 offense, the high-octane Pats led by Mr. Cool Quarterback, Tom Brady, came out in the second half to pummel – and humble – the Steelers. Earlier in the week, one of the Steelers defensive players, safety Anthony Smith, had “guaranteed” a victory over the undefeated Patriots. I don’t think he’ll be making that statement again because Brady, wide receiver Randy Moss and the rest of the Patriots offense ran circles around Smith. By the time the fourth quarter came around, Patriots fans were mocking Smith, yelling in unison, “Guarantee! Guarantee! Guarantee!” This was in between cannons being fired by a group dressed like Patriots in the end zone every time New England scored.
With its 34-13 thumping of a playoff-bound Steelers club – and with just three games to go – including one each against the lowly Jets and winless Dolphins, a 16-0 regular season mark for the Patriots may actually be a guarantee.
Friday, December 7
Green Machine Finds...Whoa, Snow!
by
greenpowerblog
on Fri 07 Dec 2007 08:44 AM PST
Of all the places I thought I'd find snow this time of year, Washington, DC wasn't one of them. Yet that's just what I found on Wed. Dec. 5 as snow reigned down on the Nation's Capitol.
Two days earlier, I was in Bloomington, Indiana for a Hoosiers hoops game before traveling to Philly to see the Penn men host No. 1 North Carolina at The Palestra, a classic, old throwback fieldhouse type venue. When I woke up at a friend's house in Newark, Delaware, an hour south of Philly on Dec. 5, light flurries were falling and there was no snow on the ground. But that all changed when I started heading to Lancaster, PA and the offices of MapQuest, one of this year's sponsors.
By the time I had gotten off the highway, a good inch or two was on the ground with more on the way. I enjoyed my time at MapQuest, chatting with employees about the Green Machine as the snow fell. From there, I headed to Fairfax, Virginia, and caught a college hoops game between George Mason and Hampton. I must have missed every accident in the DC metro area because I arrived safely at my Aunt and Uncle's house by 10 p.m. on a very eventful Dec. 5.
You can officially stick a fork in the Chicago Bears. That's because I saw them lose again, this time to the equally hapless Redskins on Dec. 6 at FedEx Field. From Super Bowl runner-up to early golfing a year later - Bears fans can't be happy. Ah, until next year, Chicago. Hey, at least there's plenty of snow to look forward to in your immediate forecast.
Sunday, December 2
Green Machine Wraps Up College Football Slate; Visits Chicago
by
greenpowerblog
on Sun 02 Dec 2007 08:35 AM PST
Last spring when I started scheduling this crazy little trip, I circled last Saturday, December 1, because I knew it marked the end of the college football regular season, and therefore the end of my pigskin campus travels. And oh, what a December 1 it was, as I took in two great college football rivalries in two different states both in a span of less than 12 hours.
First stop: Baltimore , Maryland where the green machine rolled in about 10:30 a.m. from Philadelphia for the 12:15 p.m. kickoff between Army and Navy. The Midshipmen, who will play in San Diego on Dec. 20 in the Poinsettia Bowl, have dominated this historic rivalry, winning the last five meetings. The Black Knights were hoping to change that on a sunny, but very brisk Saturday afternoon in the 108th battle between the Army men from West Point , New York and Midshipmen from Annapolis , Maryland .
Everywhere you turned outside M&T Bank Stadium there were signs and banners hanging from cars and RVs reading, “Go Army, Beat Navy,” or “Go Navy, Beat Army.” But the real pre-game treat was on the inside, which is also the Baltimore Ravens home field.
There was the ceremonial march-in of the cadets from Army and the midshipmen from Navy, decked out their respective uniforms, followed by an awesome sky show. First, more than a half dozen midshipmen flew into the stadium from thousands of feat above in parachutes, followed by their Army counterparts. Moments later, following the national anthem, Navy flyers and Army choppers zoomed above.
I felt lucky to have finally experienced this great tradition in person, and thought of my late father, who served in the U.S. Air Force. I was also touched by the halftime show that featured a gigantic American flag covering virtually the entire field as Lee Greenwood and the crowd sang, “I’m proud to be an American.”
As for the game, Navy pummeled Army, 38-3, capturing its sixth straight win in the series. About the only cheering from Army fans was when one of its cadets jumped from the stands to tackle Navy’s goat-looking mascot by surprise from behind for celebrating another Midshipmen touchdown to close to Black Knights fans.
By 3:30 p.m., I was back in the green machine headed for Morgantown , West Virginia for another great college football rivalry: the 100th annual “Backyard Brawl” between the University of Pittsburgh and the host Mountaineers, the two schools separated by less than 90 miles. The stakes for West Virginia couldn’t have been higher – win and the Mounties would play for the national title on Jan. 7.
The 210-mile drive to Morgantown went without incident, and I had parked the green machine by 7 p.m., desperately seeking a ticket. Although they were hosting hapless Pittsburgh , with West Virginia one win away from the chance to play in the national championship, there was excess demand and limited supply. I love football but I wasn’t going to pay $100 for a ticket. But once again, like the strange twists and turns that have epitomized this odyssey, I somehow managed to get in – for free.
As I scooped out the ticket market, a student approached me and another student who was with his girlfriend also seeking entry.
“Listen,” he said, as his head nudged toward the entrance way and an usher. “Give me $30 total and I’ll sneak you guys in. The usher’s my brother. Just follow me; act normal.”
It then all happened so quickly.
Before I could put my hand in my wallet to contribute, the guy with his girlfriend immediately forked over $30 for all of us, and sure enough, we approached the usher, with the brother quickly slipping the cash to the usher first. The usher then lazily patted each of us down and we were inside. I found a ticket stub as I walked the west stands, and knew I was now in the clear. I never used the ticket stub because I didn’t purchase it, and instead roamed around the whole game, my 26th and final college football game on this journey.
The weather continued to turn decidedly cold, with pockets of light sprinkles mixed in while the visiting Panthers stymied the high-octane offense of the Mounties in the first 30 minutes of play. During halftime, West Virginia ’s band created a “BCS” montage across the field, symbolizing the Mounties seemingly inevitable berth for a stake in the Bowl Championship Series national title game.
After all, they couldn’t lose to Pittsburgh , which entered the game with just four wins, could they? Perhaps in the future however the band might reconsider such a strategy.
That’s because Pitt continued to stifle West Virginia over the next 30 minutes of play, including knocking out its starting quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate, Pat White. By 11 p.m., the now 4-7 Panthers were dancing on the “WV” logo at midfield, having pulled off arguably the biggest upset in an upset-laden college football season, much to the joy of its small, but vocal fan base that had made the short trek down from Pittsburgh.
When I witnessed Arkansas stun LSU at Tiger Stadium the day after Thanksgiving, neither I nor anyone else could have imagined that a 2-loss team would play for the BCS title. But because of West Virginia’s gaffe (its second loss this season), plus Missouri losing again on Saturday night, there was likely plenty of dancing in the streets of Baton Rouge late Saturday night into early Sunday morning. By virtue of its two losses both happening in triple overtime, it was inevitable that LSU would play one-loss Ohio State Jan. 7 for all the marbles.
As for yours truly, by 1 a.m. on Dec. 2, I had arrived at a hotel north of Pittsburgh , which would be my launching pad six hours later for my final, long haul through the Midwest . Destination: Soldier Field, Chicago , for a meeting between two historic NFL franchises, the host Bears and the visiting Giants.
I made the 450-mile trek without incident, arriving in the Windy City on Dec. 2 about 90 minutes before kickoff. It was great football weather, and the late George Halas, founder of the Bears, would have loved it: dark and dreary with winds gusting up to 30 miles an hour and a steady rain falling. Yummy. Above the south end zone, looking out on the city skyline, I could see the top of the Sears Tower shrouded in cloud.
The Bears choked a 16-7 lead in the fourth quarter as Eli Manning and the G-Men likely punched their ticket to the post-season, stunning a wet and sold-out Soldier Field. Halas would have liked the weather, but certainly not the outcome. Less than a year since playing in the Super Bowl, the Bears will be golfing come January.
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