I never got the chance to watch a full preseason game, but the Redskins were so cover your eyes awful I wasn’t upset. Still, the word on the street was that new offensive coordinator Al Saunders was saving the good stuff for the regular season. My friends Hannah and Dave were out of the country, so they offered their tix for last night’s game vs. the Vikings to me. Jill couldn’t go on a school night (no surprise) and my dad was out of town, so I went with my buddy Stuart. I left work around 4 to make it to East Falls Church around 4:30. Stuart got on at Court House, and we switched to the Blue line at Rosslyn for the trip to Morgan Boulevard. I don’t think it’s 9/10 of a mile to the stadium, more like 2, but it wasn’t bad. We got in, got food (hot dog and buffalo chicken sandwich for me, for a total of $15) and some beers (Harp), then were in our seats 6 rows from the top a little after 6.
We were worried there would be VIPs to mark the anniversary of 9/11 making security horrible, but there wasn’t anything special, other than them passing American flags to everyone (which did look pretty cool on TV when I caught a bit of it after I got home). There was a nice ceremony with a color guard from around the area, but most of the pregame was the usual pomp and circumstance (including one firework that looked like it was dangerously close to the upper deck). Hannah and Dave’s seats were a little better than last year – instead of one row from the top, now they were 6 rows from the top. I knew and had advised Stuart to bring binoculars, which were a great help. The game itself was fun. Both offensive lines were great, no sacks as I recall. Unfortunately former Redskin Brad Johnson was a bit better on throwing deep than Mark Brunell, and the Vikings got off to an early lead. The return of Clinton Portis sparked some offense and the Redskins led at the half. Minneapolis tied it up in the third quarter, and a put on my new Redskins sweatshirt for luck (ok, it was also getting cold). It was a nailbiter in the fourth, with the Vikings getting a field goal and the Redskins driving back within range in the final minute, only to have the inconsistent John Hall kick it wide.
Most troubling portent: Stuart’s peanuts were from Independence Air – still the “Official Airline of the Washington Redskins”
Weirdest sponsor: the HCA (Hospital Corporation of America) Get Well Soon Hit Of The Game
Best line (to a beer vendor who was running out and the guy wanted some): “Don’t sell to her – that b*tch isn’t even 16!”
Second best line: “John Hall’s off my Christmas card list!”
We stayed until that last kick, then left with the rest of the crowd. Not bad getting out, heavy foot traffic to the Metro, but it wasn’t nearly as crowded as the Stadium Armory stop was at RFK (it helps there’s three Metro stops nearby and the other two run shuttles). It still took a while – we left the stadium at 10:30, got to the Morgan Boulevard station at 11, got to East Falls Church at midnight, and home a little after 12:30. Jill was asleep when I got back, but Illa wanted to play, so we played and I watched a little of the game on the DVR (I thought Tony Kornheiser would be interesting to listen to, but he was barely there). Some idiot (me) had an eBay auction end last night, but luckily (for my sleep) only three had bidders, so I packaged and invoiced those, then went to sleep around 2.
Needless to say, I dragged today. Jill made pasta for dinner, now she’s in bed and I’m putting some Star Wars comics up on eBay.