Bowl Game Trip Wrap New Orleans

After the bitter taste of a 63-7 lose, we got up the next morning to head to New Orleans. We planned to spend most of the day near the French Quarter. It seemed like everything was pretty close and easy to get to, parking was my only concern.

As we are waiting for our car I noticed a news crew, the local Biloxi station was going a story about fans staying in Biloxi instead of New Orleans. I see the reporter talking to a valet and then a few minutes later that same valet comes up talking to us about the game. Hmmm, Mr. newsman is staging his scenes... very interesting. Finally the reporter and photog come over and asks us a few questions on camera, I mention afterwards I'm in TV in Raleigh, they just kind of move on. Now when ever I encounter someone from another market I at least act like I'm interested, they blow me off... note to self Biloxi news crews... bad. Even though they blew me off I decide to at least give the guy a nat sound moment, the photog sees our Ohio State decorated car and starts rolling, I roll the window down and yell OH! I get the IO from the guys behind him. Your welcome.

After two more hours of driving we finally get to New Orleans. The last time I was in this area was after Katrina and I was in a Humvee, a lot has changes, yet a lot still looks the same. There are buildings that are still falling apart and that need to be torn down, yet three years later, they still stand empty and looking awful. The GPS took us through one of the down trodden areas I'm shocked people are living in some of these places. Then all of the sudden we turn a corner and we are in the French Quarter. I at least expected to have a transitional section on land, instead it was falling down building, next block, beautiful French influenced buildings.

I hate looking for parking in crowded areas and after a half hour we find parking a mile outside the Quarter and we start walking around. To be honest it's like going to another country, you don't feel like your in the States, yet you are. The architecture, the drinking in the streets, the people, just feels different. We had a lot of fun, we saw street performers ranging from Dixieland bands, guys with puppets and a guy posing as if he is climbing a ladder. Also we found countless Voodoo shops, I finally convinced The Wife to go into one and it was interesting, all kinds of Voodoo dolls for sale along with weird statues. I would have taken a few pictures, but every store had the same sign inside... no pictures. For a tourist area I find that a little odd, even the stores selling T-shirts didn't want cameras out, Gilbert the Gnome did not like this idea.

After a few blocks we finally head towards Bourbon Street, holly crap there's a lot of people packed into a small location! You just walk the streets and try to go with the flow. Even though everyone is in the middle of the streets, the road is not closed, people trying to get to the other side of Bourbon had to honk their horns and almost ram their way through. If you are visiting the area, TRY NOT TO CROSS BOURBON STREET, it took probably one car 30 minutes to cross.

I called my sister Julie who had been to the area before and told me about Pat O'Brien and they made the Hurricane, of course I now wanted one, and I tell you what, that drink is STRONG, I defiantly did not need a second, if I tried I'd be laying in a gutter somewhere. The one thing The Wife wanted more than anything else was some Jambalaya, she talked it about it for weeks! After walking for a few hours what better way to rest than to sit and eat. We get in pretty quick at the Cajun Cabin and we even get to sit on a balcony! The food was out of this world. The gumbo I had was better than the one in Mobile and her Jambalaya was just as good. The Wife is now happy and tired of the crowd, we take a few side streets and took at the wonderful town as we head to the Superdome.

To be honest I would have sat in the upper section behind a poll, I mean the tickets were free and they were in a great location. We could see the entire field and we were close enough that the players did not look like ants. We enjoyed the first quarter and after that things got ugly. OSU lost and I am no long wishing to go to any more bowl games.

Even with the two loses we had a great trip I would love to go back to New Orleans again just to see more. Maybe there might be a guys trip there. I think Skybus now services New Orleans... who's with me!

My day at Ohio Stadium

As a Bowling Green State University graduate I am very proud of my university and I want them to look and do well. So when I saw that BGSU was going to play Ohio State I though, crap why this year! If you do not know Ohio State is ranked #1 in the nation and BG is ranked... well we are not ranked. I'm hoping to avoid ESPN's Bottom 10.

So at the game BG gets the ball first and SCORES A TOUCHDOWN. OSU looks stunned and Troy Smith can't do anything, BG's defense is playing lights out and causing problems. Oh what a game! Nobaody expected BG to come out swinging and take a lead and then score again! Oh what a day to be a Falcon! Hoozah to the Falcons Hoozah!

Then I wake up and realize I was dreaming. I noticed a sense of dread for I realized that we were going to loose and loose bad. There is always that hope, it's college football anything can happen, but when you have 15 Freshman playing against the number one team in the entire nation, it's going to be bad.

We get to our seats and I am the only one in orange, wow I'm going to be hated for the entire game. It's time for the coin toss and we win the toss (YEAH! We won something) so we elect to defer to the second half and OSU get the ball first. Alright this is... WHAT THE? Little note for everyone BG's defense is non-existent. I'm serious at times it's like they are using the Tontogany Otsego Hish School defense. "Hey high school kids, wanna play football against Ohio State? Sure!" So OSU drives down the field and score. OSU 7 BG 0

We start our drive and do well. We are throwing the ball well and we have some form of a running game. The drive stalls at 4th and 3 from the 33. We send in the field goal unit. NOOOOO!!! "But J-Dog isn't getting points against Ohio State realy good?" Yes it is unless you suck at kicking field goals. Against Buffalo we had a couple of kicks blocked. So Buffalo one of the worst teams in the country, OSU the best. BLOCK! No points and OSU goes on to score. OSU 14 BG 0

We do nothing on the next drive. We punt the ball away in ugly fashion. They are avoiding Ted Ginn who can run the ball back any time he touches it. So it was a shank, but at least no points were scored. OSU is just picking the Otsego defense apart. We get a break a penalty that makes it 1st and 20 then 2nd and 20 and yet again 3rd and 20. It looks like we are going to stop them and hope they only get a field goal. Troy Smith drops back, looks around it flushed out of the pocket. He runs and continues to run and then runs some more for 32 yards. So OSU then later scores. OSU 21 BG 0

Well it was still the same score at the half we get the ball to start and we start driving the ball. A few yards here and nice pass there. We get down to around the 20. After a penalty it's 4th and 6 and we are going for it. I'm praying "please make it please make it." Anthony Turn fires a pass and we have a first down. YES! Two plays later we score I jump up and yell and I am ecstatic we are not going to be shut out and we are only down 14. OSU 21 BG 7

We get a big stop and look like we can do some damage. 3rd and long, Anthony Turner is back, looks for a receiver can't find one and runs. "GO! GO! GO! GET THE FIRST! He slides down and misses the 1st down by a freaking foot a FREAKING FOOT! TAKE THE DAMN HIT AND GET THE FIRST. OK it's short and I know we can get the first down come on falcons! You can... what the hell is the punter doing? BG punts the ball! You are down to OSU 21-7 you have to go for it on 4th and a millimeter. OSU's first play of the drive a long pass to Ted Ginn. OSU 28 BG 7

Add another touchdown and BG decides to put in Freshman QB Tyler Sheehan and he look s pretty good. On 3rd and 1 Sheehan hands it to Dan Macon he finds a hole and it gone up field I jump up with the rest of the OSU fans and I'm screaming GO GO GO I think he's going to get into the end zone but is brought down at the 26. OSU fans cheer because they stopped Macon and I am cheering for a great BG play. 4th and 1 and it is our last chance to score Sheehan drops back and over throws his man and it nearly picked off, but it was 4th down so we loose the ball and a chance to score.

Over all we played pretty crappy, yet held our own. We could have done better, but could have been crushed even worse. So it was the best and worst of times, but I still love my Falcons and OSU did not cover the spread so SUCK ON THAT OSU FANS!!!!

AY ZIGGY ZOOMBA BITCHES!