New Years Eve Surprises-
Sometimes, at the last minute, something happens that shifts things. There was the October Surprise, originally Henry Kissenger’s cynical statement that “peace is at hand” and more recently Osama’s 2004 threats that supposedly boosted Bush’s support. And there are those late game heroics in sports that turn a game, and sometimes a season.
This past Wednesday evening, a surprise came in the form of a phone call invitation to attend the 95th Rose Bowl. Not only did the offer include a ticket, but one that allowed me to include a child of mine, as well as a ride. Instantly a day that would have been consumed with lazy bookkeeping and television sports became one of six hours minimum time in a car, with something like four hours of being in a crowd expected to be about 90,000.
Logistics of adequate chip supply shifted to when to leave and just how bad is the parking in the relatively narrow canyon that holds the stadium. The lots, which on most days are fairways, open at 4AM. Given the expected million or so folks who camp out along the nearby parade route, which ends just hours before the game, it is reasonable to figure that half the trip could be spent within a mile or two of the destination.
Just the same, what an opportunity! The game is always a spectacle. Though USC was making its fourth straight appearance and thus taking some bite out of the intended economic boost that a second traveling population would bring, the match up of the 4 and 5th ( or as low as 9th depending on whose poll you read) ranked teams in the country added interest.
So off we went. There was no traffic to speak of. In fact until we were on the off ramp to the Arroyo, we didn’t even see other people that might be considered fans of either school. Once on the surface streets, which flowed nicely into the lots, there were plenty of cardinal and gold adorned vehicles and people. On the grounds, there were many encampments with satellite televisions, in addition to the expected portable cooking devices. We walked about five holes to get to the stadium. Except for the numbered balloons above each lot, there was little sense of progress, as the building itself was not visible until one is quite close.
As luck would have it, we timed things pretty perfectly. The gates had just opened, and although there were two hours before game time, it seemed very relaxed to pass through, wander around and acclimate to our seats ( among the Penn State fans), scout the food stands, bathrooms etc. We watched the teams warming up and doing their pregame rituals. Eventually festivities commenced, which were mostly a bit of each band playing, the head of the Tournament of Roses for this year parading with his family ( a platoon that included grandchildren) across the field in what must be a reward for years of thankless volunteer tasks and contributions of all kinds, and eventually the presentation of the flag, and national anthem.
This was, it would turn out, the most memorable part of the day. The sky was clear, with the San Gabriel mountains just peaking over the rim of the stadium. The colors of the teams, the field and even the crowd were crisp and brilliant. If there was a pastel visible, it was as good as invisible. At the end of the fine arrangement played by the USC marching band, there was the now traditional flyover.
Why you have to be there
While I have been at events where all sorts of aircraft have passed overhead, including biplances, fighter jets and even B-52s, I had never been in the crowd when a stealth plane was the featured vehicle. In this case a lone B-2 from Missouri passed over the Rose Bowl. It’s triangular dark shape does nothing to minimize the 172 foot wingspan (about the width of the field) . The effect on the crowd was immediate and surprising. Where most flyovers signal the end of the vamp and the beginning of the event, and are greeted with whoops and hollering, the low flying B-2 provoked the largest gasp and sigh I have ever heard or participated in.
The B-2 is quiet, ominous, and graceful. It isn’t like anything else you have seen in the sky, even if you have seen a flying saucer. At an estimated cost of over $2 billion per plane ( the original run of 170 was reduced to 20 thanks to the collapse of the USSR) one would expect something impressive, and it is. Just watching it turn and bank off toward the east was a surprisingly evocative experience.
This is not to downplay the game. Its just that there are lots of big games in college football, and you can watch them every fall and winter. B-2 bombers are rare ( only 19 now) and unless you live near the Whiteman base in Missouri, or more recently near a target in Iraq or Afghanistan, you aren’t likely to have seen one in the air in person.
The game, expected to be a defensive struggle pitting two of the leading defenses in the nation this year started out to be just that. Each team traded possessions, with USC fumbling in its own territory with Penn State recovering. The player causing and recovering the fumble had lined up offside, and just like that the pattern of the game was cast. The Trojans took the second chance and went the length of the field on solid running, and crisp middle depth passing.
That Penn State’s offense then responded in kind was the next surprise. Looking very much like they had figured out the USC defense scheme, the visitors from Happy Valley made play after play to tie the game. In the second quarter, USC’s offense exploded, and Penn State’s seemed to have lost the key. Repeated mistakes by Penn State were then exploited quickly and powerfully by USC’s offense. Great efforts and accomplishments by Penn State were negated by penalties or in the most damaging instance, a fumble in the latter minutes of the first half. USC extended its lead to 31-7 and the team had the kind of jumping pile of players celebrating on the sideline that is normally before the game or after. Their sense of having taken control, if not having already won, was a defining moment for people present. While I am sure that this was shown on television, there is no way that the full scope of the event fits inside what a lens sees.
And this too was a present. The power of witnessing things in person is under emphasized in today’s well wired world. The ubiquity of the video from almost any and every noteworthy, and even not barely of interest, occurance has made it seem that we can be anywhere, even though we haven’t gone much of anyplace. Our desk or couch is a sufficient journey to get us a sense of being worldly, experienced and sophisticated in our knowledge of things. Even in what passes for journalism today, the importance of first hand accounts is missed, as we often get as much opinion and analysis from secondary sources as those who were actually at the scene of something.
The Rose Bowl is a great example. While most of the writing about the game has said that it was not as close as the score indicated, my sense of the game, being in the stands, and watching the players, was that USC was much closer to losing its lead and possibly the game, than the attitude of commentators and pundits have expressed. Other than the dominating second quarter, and one three minute burst by the offense to respond to Penn State’s second touchdown, the second half was all opportunity for Penn State. Unfortunately the pattern of talent undermined by random mistakes, occasional defensive brilliance by the Trojans ( as opposed the continual intense attack mounted in the first half) continued. Penn State could not muster effective coordinated offense, relying instead on a number of brilliant individual efforts to scratch out ten more points against a USC that was already losing focus celebrating. USC handed Penn State chances even in the last minute on a bad snap over the punter’s head. Just a few plays executed by Penn State and USC’s premature celebrations would have been the story.
While some say that this is a team equal to other top ranked programs this year, USC failed to keep its intensity and focus past halftime, with the exception of one drive in the third quarter. A team intent on arguing that it deserves a higher ranking would have put up another 21 points before expending efforts on coordinated conga lines on the bench.
Other aspects of personal witness are lost on those who only see through the camera and editing of the live director. The energy and spirit of the fans of both teams, the call and response of the bands, the chance to focus on the interactions between the linemen of both teams ( which both showed a very high degree of respect and sportsmanship throughout ) as well as watching the action away from the ball are all reasons that the experience of actually going to an event needs to be part of everyone who feels that they participate in anything.
I can’t help but feel that being in the hearing room is far more illuminating than watching the CSPAN coverage of our government. No amount of courtroom live coverage is going to bring you and I the insights of a person sitting in the room for the duration of a case. And no full immersion virtual reality helmet and suit are likely to recreate, much less generate, the sense of awe and wonder felt by nearly 94,000 people present to a B-2 flyover at the Rose Bowl.
There is a lot of prognostication about 2009, about the economy, and what we can all expect. But if the rest of my year is like the last hours of 08 and the first day of 09, then I look forward to the surprises and unexpected gifts that being present and open provide.
Best wishes to you for the new year!