Just in from Starkville - gameday impressions

Jun 9, 2007, 9:44 AM

I returned from Starkville late last night. My impressions taken from my experience are summarized below.

We arrived on campus at 8 a.m. Between 50 and 75 motor homes were already set up and the Left Field Lounge Lizards were going strong. As you could probably tell on tv, the lizards are basically like the Cheap Seats X 100. Note to Clemson administration - I don't think any building permits were required for the structures I saw.

MSU fans were knowledgeable and polite. Many were downright friendly. I learned it's ok to drink whiskey in public, but not beer. One old timer told me to put the beer in a cup and I'd be ok. I told him I'd put the beer in a cup AND behave. He replied, "The cup is much more important than behaving!"

We found some Clemson students who left Tigertown at 2 a.m. and arrived at 8. I asked if they were more drunk when they left or when they arrived. Their response, "Both!" Good guys they were, thanks for the beers. I counted 50-60 orange shirts in the stands, but I could not see the third base section at all (except where I was). Hopefully we'll have more there today.

The stands were nearly full 1 hr before gametime. I saw a little room in the top 2 rows along the third base bleachers. When I got there I realized why...you can't see home plate without standing up. So we stood up. Later we appreciated our seats, for we had the benefit of the cool breeze at our backs. Those with chairbacks were soaked from shoulders to ankles.

Fans closest to us were exactly what you might expect: a father son (both graduates) duo behind us. A nice lady who shared her sunscreen to our left and her 18 yr old daughter were there for orientation. Two students - boyfriend and girlfriend, who told us her mother went to Clemson, were in front of us. Next to them was a guy with 3 teeth who had been to the regional at FSU. A good representation, I thought.

My buddy and I were the only two tiger fans in that section and when we started our cheering 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, between 40 and 60 MSU fans would look back and give us some good natured jabs. By the 6th inning, THEY were using our cadence count to celebrate MSU hits and runs. I asked them to please follow it with the spelling of Mississippi, to which they responded, "we can count, but we can't spell." Later they graduated to a count of "5-6-7-8". They really can count!

Anyone going to the game: GET A BARBEQUE SANDWICH IN THE STADIUM. It was the best sandwich I have ever had at a sporting event! Soaked up a lot of beer, too. Lines for food and bathrooms were non-existant.

At the completion of the game, we congratulated and thanked all those around us and told them to enjoy the games on Saturday AND Sunday. They appreciated our good natured cheering and told us we added a lot to their game experience. We were also part of an NCAA SR record crowd of 12,620, if memory serves me correctly.

Eight hours of driving and we were back in Columbia. My experience was fantastic! I wish prior plans could have been cancelled, for I would have loved to have stayed all weekend. What I saw of campus reminded me of Clemson, but with fewer trees.

Having written all that, I still would have rather been in Clemson. GO TIGERS!!!

flag link

military_tech

thumb_down

thumb_up

Just in from Starkville - gameday impressions

Great post...............

TigerBoard POTD