I've been sitting on this thought since Friday night, waiting till I could think more with my head than with my heart. In an earlier blog I reported going to the Buffalo Bandits playoff game in Rochester, NY. Rochester is only 90 miles from Buffalo so I've always considered it to be a "friendly rivalry". After Friday I have begun to reconsider that thought.
Over the years my friends and I have gone to many of our teams' away games and have always expected the friendly reminders that we were in enemy territory. However, what we encountered upon arriving at the Blue Cross Arena was rather disturbing. One of the first people we saw when we entered the arena was a child (I'm guessing 10-12 years old) in a wheelchair holding a sign that said "GO HOME BANDITS FANS". Are you kidding me??? I don't have a problem with cheering for your team, but this? I have to ask the parents of this child "Is this really the kind of behavior you want to teach him?" It's certainly not teaching him to respect other people and when he grows up he'll wonder why people don't respect him. Remember that respect is earned and this is not the way to earn it.
Once we got our tickets and made our way to our seats we heard some of the Knighhawks fans complaining that the Bandits fans were taking all of "their" seats. If we were taking seats from the Knighthawks fans I have to wonder where they were when the tickets were on sale. If they're season ticketholders, obviously they opted NOT to buy the tickets. If not, they didn't bother to buy the tickets when they became available. I ordered the tickets as soon as the Bandits won their previous game and we knew they would be playing in Rochester. And it's not like there weren't seats available either.
During the game we noticed one of the Knighthawks cheerleaders was holding a sign that said "GO HOME BUFFALO". Of course, all of the Rochester fans cheered when this was shown on the scoreboard. You can't really control an individual fan having this kind of sign; but to have an official representative of the team holding it really makes me wonder.
And all of this wasn't what REALLY caused me to take issue with the Rochester Knighthawks and their fans. In HSBC Arena where the Bandits play their home games, the PA announcer will yell "Buffalo WHAT???" to which the fans respond "BANDITS!!!". No real putdown of the other team or their fans there. However, many of us Bandits fans noticed a sign in the arena that said "Buffalo What??? ....... Sucks!!!" This wasn't a homemade sign made by a fan. This was an official, illuminated arena sign. To say that we were shocked is an understatement. In all of my years of going to sporting events I have never before seen a team/arena not only condone, but promote, something so no-class as that.
Considering the close proximity of the two cities there is always a large contingent of Bandits fans at the games in Rochester. On this night that was nearly half of the 8000 in attendance - people who had purchased tickets, food, beverages. If this is the way the Blue Cross Arena, Rochester Knighthawks and their fans feel about the fans from Buffalo I think we should seriously consider saving our money and staying home in the future. However, please feel free to come to HSBC Arena to enjoy a game and cheer on your team. We enjoy the rivalry and you will receive a warmer welcome than we did.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Surviving Talladega
Another race weekend at Talladega has now come and gone. Everyone I know who has been there says it's really exciting and they all want to go back. As for me, Talladega scares me. In the short time I've been watching NASCAR I've seen the crashes that can (and usually do) happen. On Saturday I was watching the San Jose Sharks-Detroit Red Wings hockey game and changing over to the Busch race during commercials. Unfortunately I turned on the race just in time to see Kyle Busch crash into the wall, spin off into the into the grass and begin to flip. It was reminiscent of Elliott Sadler's 2003 flip but this one was worse. Elliott didn't crash into the wall and I think Kyle actually flipped more times. I was extremely relieved to see him get out quickly and walk away from what was left of his car. Then today he must have been having flashbacks when he once again crashed into the wall. I've lost track of how many times he's crashed this year already, most of them not really of his own doing. I can't say that I'm a big Kyle Busch fan, but I feel sorry for him - he seems to have some really bad karma going. Elliott started near the back but always seemed to find drafting partners and was able to move up. The one time that he lost the draft he was fortunate enough to be able to get back to the pack when a caution came out. In the end all three Evernham cars finished in the top 15 - Scott Riggs 11th, Kasey Kahne 12th and Elliott 15th - and all three in one piece. And contrary to the lap-by-lap report on nascar.com, Elliott did NOT clip Greg Biffle, causing him to collect Johnny Sauter. Elliott's in-car video clearly shows Biffle coming down across the front of Elliott's car. I also take exception with Tony Stewart's post-race comment, calling David Gilliland a "no-talent". It's funny how it's okay when Tony is taking people out, but the other driver is a "no-talent" when it happens to him. Tony is starting to sound like Jeff "It's never my fault" Gordon and it's becoming very tiresome. I hope other people remember the "no-talent" comment the next time Mr. Stewart takes somebody out. All in all, I'm just happy that everyone, especially Elliott, made it out of Talladega in one piece. Oh yeah, to all of those "fans" who throw debris at Jeff Gordon, I hope that that you don't ruin it for the rest of us. If this behavior continues I think that soon we will no longer be allowed to bring in our own food and beverages. It's expensive enough to go to the races without being forced to pay inflated prices for food and beverages.
Playoffs - Part One
Well, this weekend had mixed results for my teams in the playoffs. It actually started on Thursday evening as the San Jose Sharks played their first game in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Red Wings in Detroit. The Sharks were able to score two quick goals in 24 seconds in the first period and make that hold up for the entire game. It wasn’t an easy game, but they stuck to their game and managed to win the game. Saturday afternoon’s game was another tough one. Once again the Sharks got off to a 2-0 lead and dominated early. However, the Red Wings scored a goal late in the first period to make it 2-1. The second period was scoreless, but the Wings tied the game early in the third period. Most of the third period was played almost like overtime and essentially that’s what it was as the next goal would be the eventual winner. Detroit scored with 1:24 left and despite pulling the Nabokov for the extra attacker, San Jose wasn’t able to tie the game to put it into overtime. These are two tough teams and it isn’t going to be easy for whoever wins the series. Next game is Monday in San Jose.
My other playoff team is the Buffalo Bandits of the National Lacrosse League. They traveled to Rochester, NY on Friday for their playoff game against the Rochester Knighthawks, the league champions. Having lost their final two regular season games to Rochester it looked like it would be a tough time to beat the Knighthawks. After the 85-mile drive to Blue Cross Arena we parked and walked to the arena to pick up the tickets we ordered. It we didn’t know better we almost would have thought this was a home game for the Bandits. There was a huge contingent of Bandit fans attired in orange and black, with pom-poms, orange wigs, etc. Once the game started it was hard to tell if there were more Bandits fans or Knighthawk fans in attendance. Although we had some Bandits fans around us, we were pretty much surrounded by Knighthawks fans. No problem for me – I don’t mind being the “rebel”. The Bandits got off to a good start, scoring two shorthanded goals, but this game would pretty much go back and forth for four quarters. Neither team was able to take control of the game and the lead changed hands several times. The Bandits had a 11-8 lead going into the fourth quarter, but Rochester was strong and took a 13-12 lead with only 2:23 left. Delby Powless scored with 1:43 left to tie the game at 13-13. John Tavares had a chance to win it for the Bandits, but was stoned by Rochester netminder Pat O’Toole as time expired. The game went into overtime and Rochester ended it with a goal at 26 seconds. Although this kept Buffalo from advancing to the championship game for the second year in a row, this loss was a lot easier to swallow than the loss in the championship game last year, where they played probably played their worst game of the year. This was a hard-fought game against the league champions and certainly had the potential to go either way. And, while talking to some of the Rochester fans after the game, we learned that we may get the championship game in Buffalo despite the Bandits loss. The circus is going to be at the Blue Cross Arena the day of the championship game so it may get moved to HSBC Arena in Buffalo. Regardless, the game is on Saturday May 12 at 4PM ET/1PM PT and will be televised on Versus.
My other playoff team is the Buffalo Bandits of the National Lacrosse League. They traveled to Rochester, NY on Friday for their playoff game against the Rochester Knighthawks, the league champions. Having lost their final two regular season games to Rochester it looked like it would be a tough time to beat the Knighthawks. After the 85-mile drive to Blue Cross Arena we parked and walked to the arena to pick up the tickets we ordered. It we didn’t know better we almost would have thought this was a home game for the Bandits. There was a huge contingent of Bandit fans attired in orange and black, with pom-poms, orange wigs, etc. Once the game started it was hard to tell if there were more Bandits fans or Knighthawk fans in attendance. Although we had some Bandits fans around us, we were pretty much surrounded by Knighthawks fans. No problem for me – I don’t mind being the “rebel”. The Bandits got off to a good start, scoring two shorthanded goals, but this game would pretty much go back and forth for four quarters. Neither team was able to take control of the game and the lead changed hands several times. The Bandits had a 11-8 lead going into the fourth quarter, but Rochester was strong and took a 13-12 lead with only 2:23 left. Delby Powless scored with 1:43 left to tie the game at 13-13. John Tavares had a chance to win it for the Bandits, but was stoned by Rochester netminder Pat O’Toole as time expired. The game went into overtime and Rochester ended it with a goal at 26 seconds. Although this kept Buffalo from advancing to the championship game for the second year in a row, this loss was a lot easier to swallow than the loss in the championship game last year, where they played probably played their worst game of the year. This was a hard-fought game against the league champions and certainly had the potential to go either way. And, while talking to some of the Rochester fans after the game, we learned that we may get the championship game in Buffalo despite the Bandits loss. The circus is going to be at the Blue Cross Arena the day of the championship game so it may get moved to HSBC Arena in Buffalo. Regardless, the game is on Saturday May 12 at 4PM ET/1PM PT and will be televised on Versus.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Springtime in the sports world
It’s springtime so it must be time for the Stanley Cup and NLL playoffs. Fortunately for me, my favorite teams in both sports are still in the playoffs.
In the National Lacrosse League, the Buffalo Bandits finished second in the Eastern Conference with a 10-6 record. They played their first playoff game at home on Sunday April 22 against the Minnesota Swarm. The game didn’t start out well for the Bandits as they quickly went down 4-0 in the first quarter. They took the lead briefly in the second quarter, but the Swarm came back to lead 8-7 at the half with a goal late in the second period. The second half belonged to the Bandits, especially goalie Mike Thompson, playing for the injured Steve Dietrich. He shut out the Swarm in the second half, while his teammates scored 7 goals to win the game 14-6. The next game is Friday April 27 in Rochester against the league-leading Knighthawks.
In the National Lacrosse League, the Buffalo Bandits finished second in the Eastern Conference with a 10-6 record. They played their first playoff game at home on Sunday April 22 against the Minnesota Swarm. The game didn’t start out well for the Bandits as they quickly went down 4-0 in the first quarter. They took the lead briefly in the second quarter, but the Swarm came back to lead 8-7 at the half with a goal late in the second period. The second half belonged to the Bandits, especially goalie Mike Thompson, playing for the injured Steve Dietrich. He shut out the Swarm in the second half, while his teammates scored 7 goals to win the game 14-6. The next game is Friday April 27 in Rochester against the league-leading Knighthawks.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Doofus Skwad Invades Texas – Part Two
Sunday April 15, 2007
Well, if we didn’t like the weather the first two days, Sunday provided us with something different. The day was actually warm and sunny. No need for 5 layers of clothes this day. We left for the track around 8AM and did okay till we got close to the track. Then we got stuck in traffic for a bit. Ironically we parked at the at the intersection of Burton Boulevard and Victory Circle. Little did we know then how prophetic that would be.
After everyone gathered their gear for the race we made the trek into the track and headed for the pit area, specifically the drivers motorcoach area. Things turned out even better than expected – many thanks to Brett for making it happen for us.
After our trip to the motorcoach area we headed for the pits. First we stopped at Elliott’s pit area and talked to some of the crew members. We met Judy and Dean and talked to them for a while. It sure was nice to see them again. When we got to the other end of the pit area we decided it was time for shopping at the souvenir haulers. Everyone seemed to be on a quest for specific items. For me it was new Elliott/#19 merchandise, a Scott Riggs shirt, a new M&Ms/David Gilliland shirt and something from from Greg Biffle’s souvenir hauler for my friend’s son. By the time we finished shopping it was time to head inside to get settled into our seats for the start of the race.
As with the Busch race, Mel and I would be sharing my new scanner with intercom. It’s a lot more fun talking to each other when you don’t have to keep taking off the headset to shout at each other. The race wasn’t even through one lap before we had our first caution – J. J. Yeley’s car was “keelt” and he was done for the day. Several other car were involved, among them David Ragan and Ricky Rudd. Elliott started the race in 15th place, but like every other race this year, he had to deal with an ill-handling car and finished 17th. There were several long green-flag runs that made the race almost as boring as a race at California Speedway and I found myself wanting to nod off several times. One event really got things “buzzing” as we were suddenly surrounded by a swarm of bees that seemed to come out of nowhere. We saw even more evidence as we were walking out after the race – piles of dead bees along the walkway. Jeff Burton was the race winner, taking the lead from Matt Kenseth on the last lap. How appropriate it would be to walk back to the vehicle that had been left near the intersection of Burton Blvd and Victory Circle.
After the race was over we hung around our seats for a while to let the crowd thin out. Then we took a leisurely walk along the lower walkway. We stopped to check out the safer barriers and noticed that no advertising opportunity is missed – advertising even on the safer barriers! When we arrived at the vehicle we decided that we would wait for the traffic to thin out a bit before making the trek back to the hotel. I had managed to come down with a sinus/ear infection over the weekend and was really tired so I decided that this was an opportunity to take a nap. I’m not sure what, if anything, I missed while I was snoozing. When we got back to the hotel it was definitely time for me to crash.
Monday April 16, 2007
This was a day to actually sleep in a bit. Then we had to start the sad chore of packing up to leave. We had all traded “goodies” so I’m not sure anyone went home with lighter suitcases – except maybe mine because I no longer had to deal with 10 lbs. of sponge candy!! Dave packed the vehicle with Merri and Alnee’s luggage for the trip to the airport. It was so sad to be saying good-bye to them so soon. With limited room in the vehicle Mel and I stayed behind while Susan and Dave shuttled Merri and Alnee to the airport. When they returned it was time to load all of the remaining stuff into the vehicle while trying to actually leave room for four people. I don’t know how Dave did it, but he managed to get almost everything in the back of the vehicle, with just a few things up front on the floor and on the seat between me and Mel. When the packing was complete it was off to get lunch before embarking on our journey to Austin.
Since I hadn’t really slept much the past three nights I tried to nap during the drive to Austin. Knowing that I’m a Star Trek fan Susan mandated a stop at the “Starship Pegasus” for a photo op. It was also a good time to stretch our legs and get a closeup look at the bluebonnets.
When we finally arrived in Austin we were eagerly welcomed by the “Helping Doggie” (AKA Dixie). She was so excited to have her “peeps” home that she didn’t know who to go to first.
With everyone helping we managed to get the vehicle unloaded fairly quickly, then it was time to “chill” for a bit. Susan decided to pick up Will at work so we left a bit early to take in some of the sights in Austin. The capital building is really pretty lit up at night. We also went to see the UT Tower. also illuminated. It’s sad to note that we were visiting the UT Tower, scene of a horrible tragedy just over 40 years earlier, on the same day as the shootings at Virginia Tech. At the time we didn’t know the full extent of the tragedy at VT. After visiting a few more sights, we picked up Will and headed home. While Susan and Dave decided to crash for the night, Mel and I stayed up long enough to watch the rest of the Sharks-Predators hockey. Happy that my Sharks won the game, we turned off the TV and crashed too.
Tuesday April 17, 2007
Today was the sad day for me and Mel to return to our respective homes. Neither one of us was anxious to leave, but we gathered our stuff and started to pack for the trip home. Susan and Dave had already left as Susan had to drive Dave to pick up his work van. Susan was at work trying to get things back in order after all heck broke loose over the weekend. She had planned to come home to take us to the airport, but we ended up taking a taxi to her office to pick up the rest of Mel’s luggage and to say good-bye. As always, I did NOT want to leave. After saying good-bye we got back in the taxi for the trip to the airport. After checking in we got some pastries for breakfast and sandwiches to take on the planes for later. Mel kept me company until it was time to board. Unfortunately, that time came too soon – we hugged and I was getting on the plane for the first flight home. During my first flight I knew there was no way I could get home and be rested enough to go to work the next day. During my layover in Cleveland I called work and my boss allowed me to take the next day off too. By 10PM I was home safely after a wonderful trip to Texas. Many thanks to our hosts Susan and “Saint” Dave (he must be a saint to have put up with 5 loonie women for 5 days), who treated us like royalty – no hurt knees or burnt lunch. And we were never abandoned for even a minute!!! I’m already looking forward to the next trip!!!
Well, if we didn’t like the weather the first two days, Sunday provided us with something different. The day was actually warm and sunny. No need for 5 layers of clothes this day. We left for the track around 8AM and did okay till we got close to the track. Then we got stuck in traffic for a bit. Ironically we parked at the at the intersection of Burton Boulevard and Victory Circle. Little did we know then how prophetic that would be.
After everyone gathered their gear for the race we made the trek into the track and headed for the pit area, specifically the drivers motorcoach area. Things turned out even better than expected – many thanks to Brett for making it happen for us.
After our trip to the motorcoach area we headed for the pits. First we stopped at Elliott’s pit area and talked to some of the crew members. We met Judy and Dean and talked to them for a while. It sure was nice to see them again. When we got to the other end of the pit area we decided it was time for shopping at the souvenir haulers. Everyone seemed to be on a quest for specific items. For me it was new Elliott/#19 merchandise, a Scott Riggs shirt, a new M&Ms/David Gilliland shirt and something from from Greg Biffle’s souvenir hauler for my friend’s son. By the time we finished shopping it was time to head inside to get settled into our seats for the start of the race.
As with the Busch race, Mel and I would be sharing my new scanner with intercom. It’s a lot more fun talking to each other when you don’t have to keep taking off the headset to shout at each other. The race wasn’t even through one lap before we had our first caution – J. J. Yeley’s car was “keelt” and he was done for the day. Several other car were involved, among them David Ragan and Ricky Rudd. Elliott started the race in 15th place, but like every other race this year, he had to deal with an ill-handling car and finished 17th. There were several long green-flag runs that made the race almost as boring as a race at California Speedway and I found myself wanting to nod off several times. One event really got things “buzzing” as we were suddenly surrounded by a swarm of bees that seemed to come out of nowhere. We saw even more evidence as we were walking out after the race – piles of dead bees along the walkway. Jeff Burton was the race winner, taking the lead from Matt Kenseth on the last lap. How appropriate it would be to walk back to the vehicle that had been left near the intersection of Burton Blvd and Victory Circle.
After the race was over we hung around our seats for a while to let the crowd thin out. Then we took a leisurely walk along the lower walkway. We stopped to check out the safer barriers and noticed that no advertising opportunity is missed – advertising even on the safer barriers! When we arrived at the vehicle we decided that we would wait for the traffic to thin out a bit before making the trek back to the hotel. I had managed to come down with a sinus/ear infection over the weekend and was really tired so I decided that this was an opportunity to take a nap. I’m not sure what, if anything, I missed while I was snoozing. When we got back to the hotel it was definitely time for me to crash.
Monday April 16, 2007
This was a day to actually sleep in a bit. Then we had to start the sad chore of packing up to leave. We had all traded “goodies” so I’m not sure anyone went home with lighter suitcases – except maybe mine because I no longer had to deal with 10 lbs. of sponge candy!! Dave packed the vehicle with Merri and Alnee’s luggage for the trip to the airport. It was so sad to be saying good-bye to them so soon. With limited room in the vehicle Mel and I stayed behind while Susan and Dave shuttled Merri and Alnee to the airport. When they returned it was time to load all of the remaining stuff into the vehicle while trying to actually leave room for four people. I don’t know how Dave did it, but he managed to get almost everything in the back of the vehicle, with just a few things up front on the floor and on the seat between me and Mel. When the packing was complete it was off to get lunch before embarking on our journey to Austin.
Since I hadn’t really slept much the past three nights I tried to nap during the drive to Austin. Knowing that I’m a Star Trek fan Susan mandated a stop at the “Starship Pegasus” for a photo op. It was also a good time to stretch our legs and get a closeup look at the bluebonnets.
When we finally arrived in Austin we were eagerly welcomed by the “Helping Doggie” (AKA Dixie). She was so excited to have her “peeps” home that she didn’t know who to go to first.
With everyone helping we managed to get the vehicle unloaded fairly quickly, then it was time to “chill” for a bit. Susan decided to pick up Will at work so we left a bit early to take in some of the sights in Austin. The capital building is really pretty lit up at night. We also went to see the UT Tower. also illuminated. It’s sad to note that we were visiting the UT Tower, scene of a horrible tragedy just over 40 years earlier, on the same day as the shootings at Virginia Tech. At the time we didn’t know the full extent of the tragedy at VT. After visiting a few more sights, we picked up Will and headed home. While Susan and Dave decided to crash for the night, Mel and I stayed up long enough to watch the rest of the Sharks-Predators hockey. Happy that my Sharks won the game, we turned off the TV and crashed too.
Tuesday April 17, 2007
Today was the sad day for me and Mel to return to our respective homes. Neither one of us was anxious to leave, but we gathered our stuff and started to pack for the trip home. Susan and Dave had already left as Susan had to drive Dave to pick up his work van. Susan was at work trying to get things back in order after all heck broke loose over the weekend. She had planned to come home to take us to the airport, but we ended up taking a taxi to her office to pick up the rest of Mel’s luggage and to say good-bye. As always, I did NOT want to leave. After saying good-bye we got back in the taxi for the trip to the airport. After checking in we got some pastries for breakfast and sandwiches to take on the planes for later. Mel kept me company until it was time to board. Unfortunately, that time came too soon – we hugged and I was getting on the plane for the first flight home. During my first flight I knew there was no way I could get home and be rested enough to go to work the next day. During my layover in Cleveland I called work and my boss allowed me to take the next day off too. By 10PM I was home safely after a wonderful trip to Texas. Many thanks to our hosts Susan and “Saint” Dave (he must be a saint to have put up with 5 loonie women for 5 days), who treated us like royalty – no hurt knees or burnt lunch. And we were never abandoned for even a minute!!! I’m already looking forward to the next trip!!!
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Doofus Skwad Invades Texas – Part One
Thursday April 12, 2007
The Doofus Skwad invaded Texas on Thursday April 12. Our hosts/shuttle drivers Susan and Dave spent most of the day picking us up at the airport and getting us settled into our hotel. I was the first to arrive, followed by Mel, Merri and Alnee. Yes, the "legendary Merri" made it to Texas!!! I had already met everyone else at the Sadler Barn Party last September (except Alnee who I had met on a trip to SoBo in August) so it was a special treat for me to finally meet Merri in person (and despite some people's opinions, she's NOT "scary Merri").
Friday April 13, 2007
Friday was our first full day together. After picking up our tickets and pit passes we browsed some of the souvenir haulers, then made our way to the pits to check out the happenings there. Thankfully we all had vinyl ponchos as it started to rain. We saw several drivers go in and out of the white NASCAR trailer. Ray Evernham came by. Susan called to him and he came over and graciously signed autographs for us (and several others). And to top that we even got to meet Robert Yates just a bit later. We talked to some nice Goodyear guys and they indulged us as we took pictures by the stack of #19 tires. One guy, Wayne (call me Junior) even tipped one so we could put our #19 sign inside the rim. My creaky old body decided to give me some problems but the nice guys at the Sunoco building were kind enough to let me use use one of their chairs to sit for a while while still watching the goings-on up and down the pit area. Much to her delight, Mel was able to get her picture taken with Bob Dillner and John Roberts.
After our adventures in the pits we hauled ourselves to the RV campground to visit with Phil (yes, the "evil" Phil) and his wife Jenell. Contrary to what some people think, he is NOT evil. In fact he’s one of the nicest people you could ever meet and so is Jenell. My foot was aching by this time and Phil insisted that I go into their RV to prop up my foot and rest. The “evil one” pampered this hurting guest like I was a VIP. Things got “interesting” when the weather turned and we started hearing tornado sirens. After much discussion it was decided that we would stay at the RV and wait it out instead of attempting to leave with thousands of other people clogging the roadways. It was my first experience with imminent tornadoes and it was unnverving to say the least. Fortunately mother nature decided to stay away from the tornado magnet and all we got was rain, thunder and lightning. Once the storm had passed we decided to make our way back to the hotel. It seemed like we had storms all around us, but never directly over us. When we stopped for dinner there was a double rainbow that we were able to see end-to-end. After dinner it was back to the hotel to crash for the next day’s activities.
Saturday April 14, 2007
Saturday turned out to be another turn of the weather as it was extremely cold. We parked near the TMS ticket office/gift shop and everyone headed in to find some warm gear – jackets, gloves, ear warmers. I bought a TMS camo jacket which was comfy, warm and large enough to accommodate the 5 layers of clothing I already had on. It kept me warm throughout the rest of the day. We decided to forego our anticipated shopping at the souvenir haulers and headed right to the pit area. We wandered around for a bit then went off to stake out our positions for Nextel Cup practice. We found a prime spot where the cars left the garage area to enter pit road. Armed with our “GO #19” signs we were ready when Elliott was the first car to come out for practice. Yelling and waving our signs at him, we got a smile from our driver. We yelled and waved at several drivers, but Scott Riggs was the one driver who really seemed to enjoy us calling to him. The first time out he waved to a couple of people wearing Valvoline jackets just down from us (we found out that they know Scott). Then he realized that we were cheering for him too and after that he was waving to us every time out - a real wave with his hand out the window. Elliott was smiling and laughing every time he saw us, but it wasn’t till the last time out that he finally waved to us. By the time practice was over it was time to make our way to the grandstands for the Busch race. With apologies to Kasey Kahne and the Evernham Ultimate Chargers team, this was my day to cheer for Stephen Leicht and the #90 CitiFinancial car. The funniest moment of the race came when I was listening to Stephen and his crew chief, Cully Barraclough, discuss one of the wrecks. Cully asked Stephen if he knew who started the wreck and Stephen replied, “Uh, let me guess. Shake ‘n Bake?” Cully said “Right-O” to which Stephen said “They need to put curb-feelers on his car!!” I just about fell off my seat with that comment!! Heck, I thought Stephen was too young to even know what curb-feelers are!! Even more fun was that on our walk out of the track I look over at the cars leaving and noticed Steve Wallace in one of the cars. Susan yelled out “Shake ‘n Bake” and we got the usual sneer from Steve. We all walked away laughing hysterically. At least he knows his nickname (even if he doesn’t like it). Stephen (Leicht) started the Busch race from the 16th position and finished 20th – retaining 11th place in the standings. Oh yeah, throughout the race, Mel and I had fun with my new "toy", a scanner complete with intercom so we could talk to each other and actually hear what was being said. We had lots of fun with the new toy - Waan, driving a "dotch"!!!
After the Busch race we all headed to the RV campground for another visit with the “evil one”. This time Phil was cooking dinner for us and what a feast we had – steaks, chicken, salad, spaghetti. By the time we finished eating we were stuffed. Thank you to Phil and Jenell for the wonderful dinner and hospitality!
Thursday April 12, 2007
The Doofus Skwad invaded Texas on Thursday April 12. Our hosts/shuttle drivers Susan and Dave spent most of the day picking us up at the airport and getting us settled into our hotel. I was the first to arrive, followed by Mel, Merri and Alnee. Yes, the "legendary Merri" made it to Texas!!! I had already met everyone else at the Sadler Barn Party last September (except Alnee who I had met on a trip to SoBo in August) so it was a special treat for me to finally meet Merri in person (and despite some people's opinions, she's NOT "scary Merri").
Friday April 13, 2007
Friday was our first full day together. After picking up our tickets and pit passes we browsed some of the souvenir haulers, then made our way to the pits to check out the happenings there. Thankfully we all had vinyl ponchos as it started to rain. We saw several drivers go in and out of the white NASCAR trailer. Ray Evernham came by. Susan called to him and he came over and graciously signed autographs for us (and several others). And to top that we even got to meet Robert Yates just a bit later. We talked to some nice Goodyear guys and they indulged us as we took pictures by the stack of #19 tires. One guy, Wayne (call me Junior) even tipped one so we could put our #19 sign inside the rim. My creaky old body decided to give me some problems but the nice guys at the Sunoco building were kind enough to let me use use one of their chairs to sit for a while while still watching the goings-on up and down the pit area. Much to her delight, Mel was able to get her picture taken with Bob Dillner and John Roberts.
After our adventures in the pits we hauled ourselves to the RV campground to visit with Phil (yes, the "evil" Phil) and his wife Jenell. Contrary to what some people think, he is NOT evil. In fact he’s one of the nicest people you could ever meet and so is Jenell. My foot was aching by this time and Phil insisted that I go into their RV to prop up my foot and rest. The “evil one” pampered this hurting guest like I was a VIP. Things got “interesting” when the weather turned and we started hearing tornado sirens. After much discussion it was decided that we would stay at the RV and wait it out instead of attempting to leave with thousands of other people clogging the roadways. It was my first experience with imminent tornadoes and it was unnverving to say the least. Fortunately mother nature decided to stay away from the tornado magnet and all we got was rain, thunder and lightning. Once the storm had passed we decided to make our way back to the hotel. It seemed like we had storms all around us, but never directly over us. When we stopped for dinner there was a double rainbow that we were able to see end-to-end. After dinner it was back to the hotel to crash for the next day’s activities.
Saturday April 14, 2007
Saturday turned out to be another turn of the weather as it was extremely cold. We parked near the TMS ticket office/gift shop and everyone headed in to find some warm gear – jackets, gloves, ear warmers. I bought a TMS camo jacket which was comfy, warm and large enough to accommodate the 5 layers of clothing I already had on. It kept me warm throughout the rest of the day. We decided to forego our anticipated shopping at the souvenir haulers and headed right to the pit area. We wandered around for a bit then went off to stake out our positions for Nextel Cup practice. We found a prime spot where the cars left the garage area to enter pit road. Armed with our “GO #19” signs we were ready when Elliott was the first car to come out for practice. Yelling and waving our signs at him, we got a smile from our driver. We yelled and waved at several drivers, but Scott Riggs was the one driver who really seemed to enjoy us calling to him. The first time out he waved to a couple of people wearing Valvoline jackets just down from us (we found out that they know Scott). Then he realized that we were cheering for him too and after that he was waving to us every time out - a real wave with his hand out the window. Elliott was smiling and laughing every time he saw us, but it wasn’t till the last time out that he finally waved to us. By the time practice was over it was time to make our way to the grandstands for the Busch race. With apologies to Kasey Kahne and the Evernham Ultimate Chargers team, this was my day to cheer for Stephen Leicht and the #90 CitiFinancial car. The funniest moment of the race came when I was listening to Stephen and his crew chief, Cully Barraclough, discuss one of the wrecks. Cully asked Stephen if he knew who started the wreck and Stephen replied, “Uh, let me guess. Shake ‘n Bake?” Cully said “Right-O” to which Stephen said “They need to put curb-feelers on his car!!” I just about fell off my seat with that comment!! Heck, I thought Stephen was too young to even know what curb-feelers are!! Even more fun was that on our walk out of the track I look over at the cars leaving and noticed Steve Wallace in one of the cars. Susan yelled out “Shake ‘n Bake” and we got the usual sneer from Steve. We all walked away laughing hysterically. At least he knows his nickname (even if he doesn’t like it). Stephen (Leicht) started the Busch race from the 16th position and finished 20th – retaining 11th place in the standings. Oh yeah, throughout the race, Mel and I had fun with my new "toy", a scanner complete with intercom so we could talk to each other and actually hear what was being said. We had lots of fun with the new toy - Waan, driving a "dotch"!!!
After the Busch race we all headed to the RV campground for another visit with the “evil one”. This time Phil was cooking dinner for us and what a feast we had – steaks, chicken, salad, spaghetti. By the time we finished eating we were stuffed. Thank you to Phil and Jenell for the wonderful dinner and hospitality!
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