In four hours I’m getting on a plane to Oakland and then to Burbank for the Rose Bowl.
It hasn’t sunk in yet, but I intend to soak up every moment of the experience. First I need to shave and shower and drive over to Rite Aid for those little bottles of tooth paste and deodorant. Obviously I won’t need any shampoo.
Yesterday Mark Helfrich spoke with the PAC-12’s Yogi Roth, and he noted how everything is bigger in a big game, everything is magnified, and that he’s prepared the team for that. The TV timeouts are bigger. The introductions are bigger. The coin toss gets a huge roar from the crowd.
It’s good to hear that the Ducks have prepared for the bigness of the game. They won’t be awed or overamped. Marcus Mariota got a five-day break around Christmas to go home to Hawaii, which helped him relax and get back to a competitive frame of mind. He won’t suffer the Heisman hangover that’s plagued so many winners.
Florida State is prone to slow starts, so the Ducks can gain a huge potential advantage if they’re sharp early. And don’t let up.
I think Oregon wins tomorrow, even without Ekpre-Olomu. The Florida State defense has shown some vulnerability of their own this year, and Marcus Mariota and Royce Freeman and company will be able to move the ball and score. The Ducks will get enough stops to win, with big games from Thomas Tyner, Dwayne Stanford, Darren Carrington and DeForest Buckner.
For the plane ride I’m bringing two Christmas gifts, The Quarterback by Bruce Feldman, which I’m halfway through, and The Best Sportswriting of 2014, a gift from my friends Steve and Kathy Kohama.
I land in Burbank around six. I’ll check into the hotel, grab something to eat and post a story, then find a blues club and enjoy a single glass of Jameson’s, walk around a little and take in the scene. The sidewalks will be crowded with Duck fans, I expect.
In the morning I’ll post another story and head over to the Rose Parade for a few minutes. I want to get to the Stadium early and walk around it, breathe in the crowd and the atmosphere, get to my seat in time for warmups. I’ll take some pictures if I can figure out how to send them.
This phone lets you send text messages by talking into it. Suddenly I feel 90 years old.
But tomorrow from the Rose Bowl, I’ll feel like I’m nine, as happy as a kid in Disneyland. The Ducks are playing for a spot in the national championship, and they’re going to win.
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