Other Golf Blog Entries
Tuesday, October 4, 2005	Wednesday, October 5, 2005	Thursday, October 6, 2005
Friday, October 7, 2005	Saturday, October 8, 2005	Sunday, October 9, 2005

Trojan Game Day! - Saturday, October 8, 2005

I rose at 7:30 and got ready to leave, targeting an 8:30ish arrival at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the pre-game tailgate party. I check in on Pete, who had two episodes during the night (did I mention that he and Freddie never made it last night?). He was awake and not in any pain, but decided he was going to hit the hospital to have it checked out, and would meet me at the game later if all was well. My alma mater, the University of Southern California, has been ranked number one in football for the last two and a half years, and today the Trojans are playing the Arizona Wildcats at 12:30. Arizona isn't ranked in the top 25 teams, and everyone seems to be expecting a blowout. I find a parking spot on the grass between the Coliseum and the Natural History Museum, and call Steve's cell phone. He guides me over the phone to the spot where they've got a shade tent up and the grill going. Steve and Susan have quite the tailgater setup going - shade tent, folding table, double-burner grill that stands about three feet tall, chairs and of course an ice chest filled with drinks and food. Steve re-introduces me to his former roommate Matt and his wife Leilani, or Lani for short. Matt used to come to the parties I threw when I lived in the 1700 sq.ft. artist loft near downtown L.A. in another life. I didn't recognize him initially, but as I shook his hand and looked at his face vague memories began to rise from the murk of history like a figure walking out of the fog and with it a grin starts to spread across my face. "Wow" I say, profoundly. "I haven't seen you in like thirteen years! How ARE you?" Matt is tending the grill, cooking up some fresh chorizo (Mexican sausage), potatoes and warming tortillas. I'm first in line when the delicious treats come off the grill, and Susan offers me an ice-cold mimosa. I want to hit the book store to pick up a USC gear for myself and some kids' tee shirts for Tommy and Cassidy. Steve needs to hit the bank, so he and I grab another breakfast burrito and walk over to the student union. After completing his banking, we head over to the bookstore where we discover incredulously that, before 9am, there's already a line to get in that wraps around the building. We double check the line, and decide to come back after the game. As we went down the stairs we notice a booth set up outside with shirts and hats galore, and head for that. Steve heads off to do an errand while I pick out a hat, tee shirt, alumni license plate frame, and get in line. After a short wait, it's my turn to pay. As the cashier totals up my purchases, I ask whether they have any kids' shirts outside. As she points to the small shirts hanging in the corner, her supervisor walks up and talks to her about the new trainee she has brought over. I tell the cashier that I'll take two large kids' shirts and, as she continues discussing the trainee with the supervisor, puts the shirts in a bag. I take out my credit card to pay and, not only does she not add the kids shirts to my existing total on the calculator, but she rounds down it down to the nearest dollar and only charges me that! I'm positively giddy. Steve and I return to our cars and I change into my new hat and shirt after stowing the rest of my booty in the car. I grab about 100 Club Golf Network business cards, put them in my pocket, and return to the tailgate spot. Round two of the foodfest is on! By the time I get there, Steve has one of the griddles filled with thick bacon, sizzling away. The lot is full with tailgaters, and I take this moment to walk around and hand out my cards. The purpose of this trip was to promote the business and I best get promoting. I wander around the lot, handing out cards and talking to people. It's been 15 years since I'd tailgated proper, and I was amazed at some of the setups. One group had a 50" flatpanel television mounted on the back of a trailer with a couch, another R.V. had four 24" tvs mounted on the outside under the awning, each with a different pregame show on. I'm a bit awed, but then remember that this IS Southern California after all. I return to the tailgate as Steve was finishing up the bacon. They had brought an empty coffee can to pour the bacon grease into, and we all took bets on whether it would hold or if the bottom would melt out. Susan poured the grease in and I added some dirt and dry grass to it to cool it off quicker. Every handfull I put in bubbled in the grease like a Chinese sizzling rice dish. That's hot. With greasy meats cooked and out of the way, Susan began making pancakes, while the rest of us sipped more mimosas and enjoyed the morning. I gave Fred a call for an update - he had an unfortunate scheduling conflict and had to work this morning, but would be here for kickoff. I also tried to call Tommy, but got no answer. Greg called to say he was on his way. When the pancakes were finished I decided instead to have another breakfast burrito, so I warmed a tortilla and filled it with two breakfast links and a slab of bacon - now that's nutrition! It was getting close to game time, and I walked over to get in line for the porta-potties. As I stood there waiting my turn, a low rumble could be heard in the distance. It began to grow louder as it approached from the direction of campus. As it grew louder and closer another huge grin crept across my face - here comes the Trojan Marching Band! During the battles of ancient Rome, not only would the drummers set the tempo for the days-long marches to war, but they would beat undending rhythms during battle. The incessant "dum dum dum DUM-DUM-DUM-DUM-DUM dum dum" of their bass drums would carry the fields, wearing down the wills of the opposition. As our band passed by they played a more upbeat tune, I high-fived a bunch of them and looked forward to hearing them on the field. As anyone who has seen a USC football game will tell you, the band plays virtually non-stop, wearing down the opposing teams will to win. The are an integral part of the team. Mike and Jill arrived and our group was almost complete. Mike had flown from L.A. on Thursday for a wedding and flew the red-eye back this morning to make the game. He had been up for about 10 hours already and was dragging - but he had made it. We joked about how nice it was for his sister-in-law to have her baby early so he could go to the game instead of a baby shower. True to his promise of the night before, Greg arrived just before kickoff, having run about a mile carrying a case of beer. Sweaty and breathing hard, he sat down and cracked a cold one. Pete called to let me know that, although he felt fine, he was going to play it conservative and watch the game from home. He didn't want me to have to carry him out of the Coliseum should he have more pains. Fred also called. He was sitting in our seats wondering where we were. I told him to enjoy his first pre-game show and that we were on our way in. As Greg and I entered the gates, I was let through without a second look. I turned to ask Greg if he knew where our seats were, only to discover he was being patted down by security. The Coliseum and campus are basically an oasis in the middle of Watts and, while I understand the guard was probably just doing his job, it infuriated me to note that a white man can walk through unquestioned while a black man is searched and questioned. They even made Greg pull the BullFrog 50 from his pocket to prove it was merely sunscreen. "Oh come on" I yell at the guard. Racism is alive and kicking in Los Angeles, I'm sorry to report. We found Freddie in our seats, the game underway. The Trojans were leading 7-0, with Arizona in scoring position. SC hadn't been starting their games well, seemingly taking the first two quarters to get their game together. This time it took them three. Fortunately, we shut them down in the fourth, ultimately winning 42-21. If they didn't come out strong next week against Notre Dame, we feared they'd be in for a rude awakening. After the game, we returned to the tailgate spot for more food and drinks. We knew traffic would be hell getting out, and what better way to wind down than to spend some more quality time with friends. Gradually, the group disintegrated as first Fred, then Mike and Jill, then Greg all went home. A mild sadness began to seep into me as the realization grew that my trip was nearing its end. I still hadn't decided if I was going to head back later that night, or get up early and depart the next morning. We all agreed that ten years was far too long a time to be apart, and vowed to get together more often in the future. Hugs and handshakes were shared all-around, and I returned to Pete's house. Cassidy met me at the door, and I presented here with the cardinal and gold USC Trojans shirt. She squealed a bit with delight, in the adorable way little girls do, and put it on. She didn't take it off all night. I sat chatting with Pete and Roe for a bit, feeling the fatigue creeping into my body, and decided I'd leave the next morning. Roe went to bed around nine, while Pete and I talked for another hour before turning in.

Other Golf Blog Entries
Tuesday, October 4, 2005	Wednesday, October 5, 2005	Thursday, October 6, 2005
Friday, October 7, 2005	Saturday, October 8, 2005	Sunday, October 9, 2005

Find a Golf Course | Add a Golf Course | Giving Back | Golf Blog | Golf Links | Golf Newsletter
Member Login | Register Your Golf Club | About Us | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | Home

Copyright © 2005-2007 Club Golf Network All rights reserved.
Site created, hosted and maintained by Vividism Inc.