This weekend was the oh so glorious, much anticipated, long awaited college football kickoff weekend! Football season, in my opinion, far surpasses Christmas as the hap-happiest time of the year. By far. What other time of year can I sit on my couch for endless hours, riveted by amazing fetes of athleticism, anticipating the effectiveness of the play, withstand the suspense of a 50 yard field goal attempt and unleash my pent up furies on any opponent by yelling vociferously and in an unladylike manner? When and where else am I going to find such an excellent collection of the finest specimens of black men, well muscled and vying for my affections through their athletic efforts, all in one place? Christmas in August for me!
I am a Big Ten supporter, through and through, and finding my Wolverines' games on tele here in SEC territory might prove somewhat more difficult than normal. I did, however, discover Stats, a sports bar in the downtown Atlanta area. I walked about 1.2 miles to see my beloved Wolverines in this, their fourth season with Rich Rod at the helm. With baited breath, I walked every step, hoping they would turn out in awesome force, rather than the weakened team they have been in the last few years.
Rich Rod must have known his ass is on the line and his head on the gauntlet. They looked great! But I only saw half of the game, and here is why:
UNC and LSU fans were abundant, to say the least, as they met on Saturday night at the Georgia Dome. When I called Stats to see if they were playing UM v. UConn game, I got an immediate response. It took the girl a few minutes to verify, but she was pretty pleasant and told me to come in asap to get a table because they were so packed.
Even though it was 1:45 and the game wasn't until 3:30pm, I decided to walk down there (I figured it would take me close to a half hour, depending on how slow I wanted to walk which depended how hot it was outside). It was indeed packed when I arrived. Or so I thought. During the next few hours, I would come to realize what exactly "packed" means.
Stats is a pretty big place with multiple levels and rooms. When you arrive, they check your ID and give you a wristband. They have girls selling canned Bud Lite and Miller Lite in a few places around the place so that you don't have to wait at the bar and can quickly get a drink in your hand. This is pretty efficient. I paid $5 for a 16 oz. Miller Lite. After looking at the bar, I figured I would be better off grabbing something at one of these kiosks than trying to get a bartender's attention at the bar.
It is pretty much standing room only, even at the bar (no stools or chairs), unless you are one of the lucky few who arrived early enough to get a table. I stood near the stairs to the deck upstairs which you can pay $5 to go sit in the blazing hot sun. This proved to be a bad location because I kept getting bumped around. I finally spotted a spot at the bar and inserted myself.
I had a hard time getting service when I wanted it, because it was so, so busy. There was a particular guy bartender that pretty much ignored me and I had to work to get his attention to get a menu. Finally, I got one and a good bartender would have kept on eye on me, to see if I wanted to order something. But, he didn't. I am fairly certain that the loads of loaded LSU fans who were giving $5 tips for 4 glasses of (free) water were his priority. In the end, there was a nice lady bartender who made sure I was okay and so I tipped her nicely.
So I realize that the UM game was not the showcase game that day, so I had to deal with only one screen, about 3 screens to the left of the one directly in front of me. I also had to crane my neck a little more than was comfortable after a few hours, but that is just the deal when you go to some of these places. I only stayed for the first half of the game because I, a petite lady, kept getting squished and more squished. Obnoxious LSU fans who were twice my size kept encroaching on my space, and while I stood my ground, not moving when their asses, elbows and shoulders were shoved into me, I had had enough after a few hours.
In general, I think Stats would be a fun place to pre-game and watch a bunch of games, if you are with a bunch of people. On my own, I was less than enthusiastic about watching my game with a bunch of asses, elbows and shoulders in my face.
And of course, my Wolverines were looking quite good and I hear they were even better in the second half. I'm looking forward to seeing how they do against Brian Kelly's Notre Dame next weekend...
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