I turned 42 back on July 14, and the week that followed could get me featured on an episode of VH1’s Best Week Ever.
A homeless guy with one eye gave me a tour of Dealey Plaza. I was in the stands to see Paul Skenes retire Aaron Judge on one pitch and to see Shohei Ohtani hit a dinger. Those are just some of the things that happened while in Dallas for SEC Football Media Days. Honestly, that was just one Tuesday.
As for media days itself, that was my first experience covering the event, which was adequately described as a travelling circus. I was a little overwhelmed at first on Monday, and I kept feeling small.
I texted that to a priest friend of mine, and he replied, “Yeah but you are there. You’re a good one.”
That motivated me going forward the rest of the day. As the day went on, I mustered enough courage to ask Garrett Nussmeier about Skenes and got a pretty cool answer about him absolutely having no shot. I didn’t get a chance to ask Brian Kelly which character from Dallas he most identifies with. To me, he’s Cliff Barnes.
The next day, my travel partner for these kinds of events Raymond Partsch III and I headed west to the MLB All-Star Game. We both applied for credentials, but only Raymond got approved. At first, I was a little bummed, but I realized I would enjoy the game more as a fan than in the press box.
And, you know what, I did. I was able to wear my Cubs hat and jersey to the game and to cheer the players I liked and boo the players I didn’t like. I was also able to connect with the people. Lately, I’ve become comfortable eating hot dogs with the bourgeoisie in the press box. The All-Star game allowed me to reconnect with my roots and break bread with the proletariat.
Seriously, though, attending the All-Star Game was pretty special. I got goosebumps while Cody Johnson sang the National Anthem. Then things got a little dusty. My gaze was on the American Flag, but, for some reason, my eyes moved to the large video board in centerfield. On the screen was Skenes standing at attention with his hand over his heart during the Anthem. The thought came to my mind that he attended the Air Force Academy before transferring to LSU. It’s hard to describe, but a sense of pride rushed over me. This country has its problems, but, on that night in Arlington, the country came together.
One final thought about media days is this. I walked around the event for three days, and the catchphrase is true. It means more in the SEC. However, that does not apply to the breakfast that was served in the media dining room. The breakfast was your basic hotel breakfast with oatmeal that had no taste even though I added pecans and raisins to it. But, that was a small cross to bear during such a great week.
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