Sunday, December 9, 2007

Retroactive "live blogging": not as cool/funny as it sounds

I promised a Loyola update, so here it goes:

(A view from the back seat of the Kooshmobile)

8:53 a.m.- Josiah and I make a stop at the 11th and Chestnut Dunkin' Donuts (can't cheer on the Quakers without caffeine).

9:03 a.m.- Koosh, Chloe and Deven pick us up at 12th and Spruce.

9:05 a.m.- Koob arrives! The radio tells us that there has been a shooting in one of Villanova's parking lots. Nobody cares.

9:06-10:45 a.m.- Deven sleeps, and Chloe learns how to spell all of our names. Smart kid (must run in the family).

10:46 a.m.- We pull into a parking lot next to Reitz (their athletic complex)...does 'Lot closed on Sunday' = free parking?

We wandered inside, got our tickets, and found a dining hall. Koosh convinces Chloe that M&Ms aren't suitable for breakfast. I drink a Gatorade (in case Miller decides to sub me in).

Something I always like to do whenever I'm on a college campus is check out the newspaper-- you can learn quite a bit in a relatively short amount of time. The front page of their paper ('The Greyhound', I believe) provided excellent game time fodder...apparently their mascot, Nicholas II (a greyhound), had just passed away. "Short-lived mascot (clap-clap-clapclapclap)?" Koosh suggested. Yes, very yes.

11:30 a.m.-ish- Noah et al. arrived. Loudly. Perfect.

12:00 p.m.- Tipoff!

12:01-2:00 p.m.- Heartache. Sloppy passing on our part and atrocious refereeing were the primary themes of the game.

A note about the student section:
Josiah and I were having a discussion about the dynamics of student sections, and we came up with an obvious conclusion: student sections will remain relatively silent unless 1) they are playing a highly-touted opponent (like #1 UNC), or 2) they are being antagonized by the opposition's student section. We were effectively the Red and Blue Crew for the day, and it wasn't until we began questioning the refs calls and supporting our guys that the 'dog pound' retaliated, albeit awfully. As the guy sitting in front of us told me, "You guys are good at co-opting cheers:

Loyola: "T-shirt (clap-clap)" (Grandieri is supposed to give a crap about this taunt? Seriously?)
Us: "We love t-shirts! (clap-clap-clapclapclap)
Loyola: -crickets-

Loyola: (game is nearly over) "Stick to reading!" (Wow, thanks for the compliment, guys)
Us: "We love reading!"
Loyola: no response

It was one of those games where you glance up at the clock with 15:00 to go in the second half and wonder what you can do to pass the time less painfully (Take Chloe to the bathroom? Make obscure historical references in chants to confuse the students? Buy another $1.00 hot dog?)

2:25 p.m.- Journey home. Slept almost the whole way back.

Next: a video that all Penn Band freshmen need to see, why high school parents make awful fans, and the semantics of fandom.

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