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It was 1995. I was stuck in Waverly, IA over a weekend for work. It just so happened that this was the weekend that UCONN had achieved its first #1 ranking, and was headed to Kansas for an epic matchup.
So I checked the listings, and the local CBS affiliate wasn't going to carry the game. So I called a couple of sports bars, and they all told me they were only going to carry the Iowa game. I figured that we were close enough to Kansas that it would be on (or at least they would turn one TV on for me), but no.
So I got in the car and drove 2-3 hours to Ames where they had another affiliate. Found a sports bar, and settled in. I'm head to toe in UCONN gear, the JW Black Label is going down smooth, the wings were pretty good and the game starts.
And UCONN is getting killed from the outset. So that sucks. But what sucks worse is that ISU had a noon game, and about halftime of the UCONN/KU game, into the bar walks the entire ISU team, including Fred Hoiberg and The Mayor (Loren Meyer). So as UCONN loses by 29, I have to endure heckling from the ISU team on top of just being embarrassed that we were getting our a**es kicked. Now it was good natured heckling, but that is one of those days that is etched into my mind. And since that day, Fred Hoiberg is like "Newman" to me...and our last NCAA meeting didn't make it any better.
Later that year I took a job in NYC, and now ISU is in MY house. It's PAYBACK time. My turn to do some heckling.
So I checked the listings, and the local CBS affiliate wasn't going to carry the game. So I called a couple of sports bars, and they all told me they were only going to carry the Iowa game. I figured that we were close enough to Kansas that it would be on (or at least they would turn one TV on for me), but no.
So I got in the car and drove 2-3 hours to Ames where they had another affiliate. Found a sports bar, and settled in. I'm head to toe in UCONN gear, the JW Black Label is going down smooth, the wings were pretty good and the game starts.
And UCONN is getting killed from the outset. So that sucks. But what sucks worse is that ISU had a noon game, and about halftime of the UCONN/KU game, into the bar walks the entire ISU team, including Fred Hoiberg and The Mayor (Loren Meyer). So as UCONN loses by 29, I have to endure heckling from the ISU team on top of just being embarrassed that we were getting our a**es kicked. Now it was good natured heckling, but that is one of those days that is etched into my mind. And since that day, Fred Hoiberg is like "Newman" to me...and our last NCAA meeting didn't make it any better.
Later that year I took a job in NYC, and now ISU is in MY house. It's PAYBACK time. My turn to do some heckling.