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PART THREE - SUPER SUNDAY! |
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The day finally arrived! To start in style we had a wholesome Denny's for breakfast that enabled fasting powers in excess of 12 hours. The it was off to see The Tailgating Commisioner again, who was nearing the end of his nonstop 168 hour tailgate! (see part 1) |
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Then it was back on the road, navigating round Houston down towards Reliant. Lots opened at 9 and we there about 10. Still not too much traffic about however... |
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This explains the exceptional parking spot right in front of stadium! FTP Dom celebrates another parking success (our car is the red thing). Check out the imminent FTP report from Super Bowl.
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Preston and the FTPers were not the only Claymores fans at the game oh no. Respect to Sean M who also made the trip over to Texas. Shuggie watching pre-game activities from NY on TV apparently spotted someone in a Claymores shirt "but thinner than Preston" so we guess it was you Sean! |
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Finally some Panther fans started to appear! It seemed like the city has become Boston South the last few days. We met a lot of good knowledgeable Panther fans in the end, who not only knew of Delhomme's European odyssey but had heard of Dameyune Craig too. |
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Lots may have opened at 9, but the gates to the stadium didn't open until 1. Factor in that tailgating was prohibited for the SB, and there wasn't a whole to do for these intervening hours except start queuing for the metal detectors and body searches ...But H and Viv quickly fell under the spell of Purple Power! |
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The most distinctive noise of Super Sunday morning was the constant whirring of helicopters overhead patrolling the air, looking for suspicious activity ... |
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Like smuggling in video cameras into the Super Bowl! Despite the stringent security that involved sporrans and belts to be removed, the Cheddarcam still made it inside. And that's cause enough for a nice ice cool Miller Lite upon entry! |
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After the beer stop the next port of call was Lombardi and Rozelle's Entertainment Zone. Sounds like a Vegas strip joint, but it was in fact ... |
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The Astrodome! The former home of the Houston Oilers is still alive and well and was being used for a Power Party of sorts. In an ironic twist the Commissioner had thrown his party here on Friday night - the same place that wasn't good enough for the NFL 7 years ago when the Oilers moved to Tennessee and became the Titans!of it! |
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Preston is disappointed to find that his coveted 50 yard line seats are for in fact the wrong stadium. In the end the SB ticket turned out to be fairly hot. Lots of people from Boston flew down and couldn't scalp one. One person we spoke to who bought on the day paid $2000. |
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The most stunning thing about the Astrodome these days is how small it looks. Standing next to Reliant it is only half the height of the new stadium and looks like a hockey or basketball arena. It's stunning because when the Astrodome opened (the 1st ever dome) it was declared the "8th wonder of the world" |
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With a few hours to kickoff the sun was still out and the roof was still open. We were hopeful it would stay that way, but the combination of a possible rain forecast later and Aerosmith's request, meant that when it was closed for pre-game it stayed closed for good. |
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Around the back of the stadium, we noted it was a good place to spot VIP's as the hospitality entrance was nearby. Immediately Preston jumped into action, spotting bow-tied Arizona Cardinals owner Bill Bidwell shufflin' along with his 2 minders/carers. "Keep voting for NFL Europe Mr Bidwell!" shouts Preston. These abrasive tones threaten to induce a cardiac arrest on the elderly figure - but his minders acknowledge the request and keep him shufflin' on! |
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Preston and Mr Freeze shoot the breeze. Thankfully its not Arnold Schwarzenegger under there, but rather Bo Matthews a die hard Patriots fan who gets on TV more than the Cheddarheads. Imagine that! See link for more details |
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Reliant Stadium is about 7 miles from downtown Houston. The new light rail system does extend all the way out here which is useful. |
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About now the lines at the gates were really starting to thicken. It looked like our 1 hour queue at the outset was probably not bad all things considered. |
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Just before heading to our seats we tracked down everybody's favourite FOX commentator - Brian Baldinger. "Baldy" was due to work with John Barnes for Channel 5 and had just met him. (Baldy: "He knows nothing about football!" Preston: "You're used to working with Halling aren't you???"). Baldy is as strong a NFLE backer you will find - he's even going back to Sitges this year! |
