Fear the turtle



COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- At the Miami-Maryland game this weekend, I sat in 50-yard-line seats. As you can see, I don't mean simply that I was near midfield, the way some people round up — I was actually straddling the line and could lean into either team's territory.

I wouldn't have minded being a bit lower, of course. I was in the top row of Byrd Stadium's upper deck.

One advantage to sitting so high is that it provided a magnificent view of the campus and surrounding area. From my seat, I could see the National Cathedral; the Washington Monument; the Catholic University's Shrine of the Immaculate Conception; and my beloved Brightwood "Eiffel" Radio Tower.

My only two complaints:
  • I could have done without the "get the body bags" chants struck up by some of Maryland's classier fans. The reference, of course, was to Miami Hurricanes lineman Bryan Pata, who was murdered four days earlier.

  • Fans storming the field at the end of the game was strange, given that Maryland is a Top-25 team and was favored to win. The Hurricanes fell to 5-5, making Maryland's win hardly worth tearing down goalposts.
(Click for bigger image.)

Comments

Josh said…
Such a nattering nabob of negatism. Can't you -- just once -- talk about all the coaches that WEREN'T set on fire in the middle of Route One?
November 16, 2006
Instant E*Thos said…
What's so great about sitting at the 50-yard line anyway? Nothing exciting happens at the 50-yard line. Isn't sitting at the 50 yard-line sort of the equivalent of sitting in straight-away center field at a baseball game? Wouldn't you rather be seated in an endzone where the really exciting action happens (albeit only half of it)? Let's face it, football is just a terrible sport to watch in person -- especially with all those TV time outs and overdone cheerleaders.
November 16, 2006
dl004d said…
There isn't really a baseball equivelent, but it's fair to say that there's nowhere better to sit for football than at the 50 yard line. (In baseball, it's a matter of personal preference.)

In any case, football is best seen in person. Replays aside, there's simply no better way to understand what's going on.
November 16, 2006
WFY said…
They're setting coaches on fire up there now? Not even the savages in Morgantown go that far.
November 17, 2006
Josh said…
First couches and now coaches. If there were such a thing as a coich or a coech, it would have reason for concern.
November 17, 2006
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