An Interesting Weekend

On this past Friday and Saturday, I attended four of the five state championship football games.¹ I've been known to help out a newspaper from my hometown on occasion when there's sporting events involving schools from the area that are playing in the Jackson area.

Obstensibly, my main job for the weekend was to be Quote Boy and get quotes from coaches and players and perhaps write an article. The newspaper's deadline was very close to the projected end of the Class 4A championship game.

On Friday afternoon I went to Memorial Stadium. I'm able to get to the game since I've got a media pass. I meet up with my friend T. I also see people from my college-- mostly members of the football coaching staff, but also an occasional faculty member or administration figure.

I visit with a couple of people from the newspaper. I don't know them since I moved from Laurel several years ago, so I introduced myself. The person doing the game story asks me if I could get him some quotes. I said sure, and I did. After the game, I went to Cups for a little while. I relaxed some and checked my email.

I saw that the traffic was heavy. I left Cups fifteen minutes before the 5A championship game between South Panola and George County and parked my car at the stadium parking lot about three minutes later and saw the players being introduced as spectators were still entering the stadium. Got to love taking the roads less traveled.

I saw T. I also saw M, a friend of mine from my hometown who does some photography. I saw some other people I knew along the sidelines. South Panola scores early and often against George County. The Tigers can name the score.

T leaves and says that he's meeting friends at Hooters. He asks me if I'm staying. I say I'd be here until at least halftime.

At halftime, I leave for Hooters. South Panola is leading 21-0, and can name the score.

I make it to Hooters just before the second half begins. All the televisions in Hooters are tuned in to Mississippi Public Broadcasting. I order a burger, some beers, and talk to T and his friends, a couple of coaches.

They aren't the only coaches there. More coaches begin to trickle into the building shortly after halftime.

South Panola is obviously bored, and George County wants to get back in the game. The Rebels do, but the Tigers do just enough to win.

After the game is over, we go our separate ways. T and his friends to the Cabot Lodge. I head downtown and visit with friends for a little while before heading back to the house.

Saturday, I go to a Chinese all-you-can-eat place near Metrocenter and then to Cups in Fondren for a little book reading and Christmas card writing. I make it to Memorial Stadium in time for the 3A title game. Louisville is surprisingly dominant. I thought Franklin County would be too physical for them, but they weren't.

I stick around in the stadium after the 3A game. I'm expecting friends from the newspaper. We talk about what he expects from me as far as quote-gathering is concerned. A reporter from another newspaper hears of what I'm doing and asks if I could get some quotes from them, and I say sure.

I head down to the field before the game. Shortly before kickoff, I get a call on my cellphone. Apparently he's having trouble accessing the Internet. Apparently the stadium press box had wireless last year, but it's not working.

The next step: dialup access. I don't know the local dialup numbers, and neither do the friends, so I start calling friends here in the Jackson area. So if you got a phone call from me last night and were wondering why, now you know.

I speak to a couple people. One person gives me a phone number, which isn't later proved not to be particularly helpful. Another is very helpful, but the phone system isn't cooperating.²

By this time, it's close to halftime. I mention to him that Cups has wireless, and they're open until 11 p.m. I give directions-- emphasizing the back roads since the main roads will be packed.

I head downstairs and run into a photographer from the newspaper. Apparently, his computer has a bit of a problem. I tell him where the others are. I have to head down to the field. I make it there in time for the second half kickoff.

Shortly before the game's over, I get a phone call from the person with the other newspaper. He wants me to get quotes from some players in addition to the coach.

When the game ends, I get quotes as quickly as possible and call my friend first, and then the person from the other newspaper and dictate quotes to them.

I leave the field-- I figure my friends might need a little help at Cups, and it might be a good thing to stick around there for a few minutes. I get to the car in five minutes, and some three minutes later, I'm at Cups, and this is at 10:15 p.m.

Ten minutes later, the folks from the newspaper show up. The wireless is working, and they email the article to the newspaper. However, there's still a problem regarding the photos. I'm asked to drive the photographer to the Clarion-Ledger since I know where the building's located even if I've not actually been inside the building. The others will follow.

We arrive, park, and find the side entrance. Fortunately, shortly after we arrive, one of the Clarion-Ledger reporters at the game shows up. He tells the security guard that we're okay and lets us in a little before 11 p.m. Unfortunately Andy wasn't there.

I see where the photographer will be and head back to the side entrance and wait for the others, giving them directions. They arrive, and we head upstairs. The photographer is done shortly before midnight. I drive the photographer back to his truck at the stadium and show him how to get to the Interstate.

After all that excitement, I'm a bit wired. I go downtown and see if I see anyone I know. No one at Hal & Mal's. No one at Martin's. But at Fenian's... friends, definitely friends-- one of whom asks what I was doing that night... We head over to TD's house for about an hour and then I head home.

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¹Sorry, Class 1A championship game at 11 a.m. Saturday, I wanted sleep and to go to a Chinese all-you-can-eat buffet a little bit more.

²The person who gave me the first number was helpful. Unfortunately, I got the run-around at the number I was given-- automated responses, getting disconnected, etc. The second person gave me a lot of numbers and really went the distance for us, but we couldn't get anything accomplished on our end.