Jenn Bates' blogging from the Cotton Bowl |
I really don't like roads in Texas. No seriously, all these service roads, access roads, whatever they're called I just simply don't like them. But when my biggest decision for post-work activity is go to the Dallas Star vs. Detroit Red Wings game or watch the Sugar Bowl in the media hospitality room with free food and drinks I think I'm gonna go ahead and forget the road situation (and this awesome run-on sentence).
It's technically day 4 here in Iriving but it's just my second day down here. I arrived Tuesday around 11 am and my photographer Tim Steinert and I immediately headed down to the Cowboy's stadium. Wow, just wow. That's really all I can say about that place. It looks like a spaceship on the outside and it's a veritable shrine to everything athletic. Rumor has it you have to watch for the team's owner Jerry Jones when he's driving around inside the stadium because he goes well over the 20 mph speed limit. He was in house on Tuesday so I stayed away from the road.
The big screen is better than advertised. In fact I don't ever think I could ever write any words to do it justice. First thing the Kstate kickers tried to do was punt the ball into the video board; they didn't accomplish that task. Although, I have it on good authority from a former Kstate kicker that he would be able to do it easily. Right.
Practice was uneventful as expected and I spent much of my time watching Tim do all the work. Tweeting is considered 'work' but really I think it's fun. (oh by the way, follow me @JennBates12).
I have to admit the media hospitality has been pretty amazing here. I covered the Pinstripe Bowl last year and it wasn't anything close to this. They even gave us free tickets to last night's Stars Red Wings game and tonight's Mavs Suns game. Speaking of that Stars Red Wings game...
Our seats were pretty sweet. In the corner, lower level and easily accessible. They got even better when pretty much the ENTIRE Kansas State team came and sat right in front of us. It was entertaining to say the least. One of the guys was working his hardest to get on the Jumbotron and when the song Sandstorm was played in the arena we all thought he'd be up there (Sandstorm is of course the 'theme song' for Wildcats' basketball). In the waning minutes of the game, with Dallas down by 1 but threatening to tie it, there was a break in the action. Said Kstate player stood up and started dancing and finally, there he was on the big screen! Not two seconds after he saw himself on the big screen, he unzipped his jacket to reveal a bare chest and he started posing. It was absolutely hilarious. The entire team busted up laughing and I swear I haven't laughed that hard in a while. (In case you care, Detroit would end up winning 5-4)
The drive back was kinda brutal, but heck, I'll take these roads any day to see antics like that. I wonder what will happen when 'Cats are at the NBA game tonight...
