I know all of you have wondered what it’s like to be Chris Fowler or Kirk Herbstreit; sitting up in the press box, schmoozing with coaches and other members of the press. I finally got the chance at the Cavs home game vs. Wake Forest on Saturday.
11:30 - 40 Minutes to kickoff and I’m sitting up here with about 5 other members of the media. I can tell you now that reps from the Chick-Fil-A and Champs Sports Bowls are here, along with Sports Illustrated. Reps from the NFL’s Jets, Buccaneers, Falcons, and Steelers are slated to make an appearance. I’ll give you three guesses as to whom they are here to check out…
Aw, come on guys! Don’t drop any passes in warm up! That does not bode well for our receiving stats this game. Chris Long just embarrassed his warm up partner. Blew right past him. No surprise, really.
11:46 - Sweet! College Gameday is on up here. I will get to see Lee Corso put on the head after all! They are also playing my jam over the PA system. I guess there is no dancing allowed…
11:53 – Apparently there is no clapping allowed either. You get dirty looks for clapping when the starting lineup is announced.
Band is on the field. The box is really starting to fill up. I’m trying to get a sneaky look at the nametags of the other people up here. It’s not working.
There’s an old guy up here clapping along to the band. I guess when you reach a certain age they let you do what you want.
12:02 – Just give it up, Wake Forest section. Our band is drowning out your feeble cries of “Wake! Forest!” Pathetic.
All right! It’s time for Cavman. I guess it’s safe to assume there will be no cheering and booing up here when he destroys the Demon Deacon. Oh snap, Deacon. Cavman just threw you into a lava pit.
I can’t decide who is more intimidating: Cavman or Chris Long.
Speaking of depth charts, they give you all this paperwork: back stories, interesting facts, rosters, depth charts. It makes it really easy to cover the game from up here.
12:10 - Kickoff!!! Good field Position for the Deacs. Great. A facemask penalty.
Nice. One of the guys up here has binoculars. I’m not sure exactly why this is amusing, but it is.
Field goal! 44 yards Chris Gould.
I hate TV timeouts.
12:35 – Sewell, scampering for the 1st. Wake Forest coaches are mad. I think something was thrown next door.
Did I hear that correctly? Duke is beating Clemson? There is a different PA system up here for the press box. After every play it gives specific information for the media. Also, they keep on reporting scores from other big games.
Simpson fumble, Wake recovers, Mike Groh throws things.
End of 1st Quarter. Still tied up 3-3 still Wake ball.
12:52 - Woo Sean Singletary is on the field! Wrong sport, but whatever.
Thank god for Chris Long and his inhuman tackling ability. Loss of 2. Wake coaches, “Unbelievable…”
3rd down. Stick a fork in them, Wake is done. Field Goal coming up. Swank to try a 3-OFF THE POST! NO GOOD! There was some surreptitious cheering up here. Don’t think I didn’t see.
Simpson on the ensuing play sprints ahead for 22 yards. Next play results in an incomplete pass. Plexiglass pounding from next door.
Great defense. Wake coach, “Whatever they put in that Long kid’s water, I want some for my defense.”
Can we get a score before halftime? There’s 30 seconds left. That’s nothing to the Cardiac Cavaliers. Sewell runs forward to the 10-yard line. FLAG?? Ugh, holding. “Call it both ways, ref!” says Mike Groh. “No, no, no, no, TIME OUT!”
Halftime = free food time.
Never mind, no free food. Jon Gruden of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ate like 3 plates, so they ran out before I got there. Oh, well. There are plenty of Rice Krispie Treats left…
There goes Sewell, overthrowing Santi again. He’s not 10 feet tall. Mike Groh is NOT pleased. “What-whatch-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”
Please be a holding call. There were like 4 guys holding Long back on that play. London is going nuts next door. Ok, I’ll take an illegal touching call. Haha, illegal touching…
HOW DID HE CATCH THAT?? London and Groh are both flipping out. There was a cup of soda thrown against the plexiglass. Can we get someone up here to clean this mess? Touchdown Wake Forest. Extra point is good. UVA 10-Wake 13.
Some Wake guy is sitting right in front of the box. Next time a cup of Pepsi is going to get thrown at him. Mine.
Now for the play. A rocket to Phillips, who gets leveled. Incomplete. The Wake guy in front of the box won’t stop whistling. I’m about to get annoyed.
2:37 - Yay for Jumbotron games during time outs. Ha. I don’t need to guess the attendance. The press box announcer already told us. I’ll leave the guessing to the peons. Favorite highlight? My favorite highlight is by far the safety against Maryland.
Pass tipped. More missiles being thrown at the plexiglass.
Completion to Stupar. This brings up 4th and 2. Again Al Groh decides to go for it. Sewell COMPLETE TO COVINGTON FOR THE 1st! 1st and 10 at the Wake 14.
2nd and 14. Skinner is almost sacked, and then almost intercepted. Another flag. Ok, it’s on them. 3rd and 14. Skinner complete, but I don’t think it’s enough. 4th and 2. Wake goes for it and gets the 1st. Wake guy in front of the box better sit down before I throw my Rice Krispie treat at him.
Can we pull this off? 2 seconds left. Wake takes their last time out. It looks like they are about to try AN FG I’M ON MY FEET FOR THIS! HE MISSES SAM SWANK MISSES!!!!!!!!! IT’S OVER THE CAVS HAVE DONE IT!!!!!!!
Wow, what an ending. The Cavaliers pull off another nail-biter. I thought it was over on that last FG try. Sam Swank never misses! He missed two!
Sitting in the press box was a great experience. The no-cheering rule chafed me a bit, but I definitely had the best seat in the house.
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