On the spot

Halloween in these parts does not mean Beggars' Night--most places in and around the city held that on Thursday--so I needn't fear costumed children pounding on my door and demanding sweets. That's just as well. It was a a semi-long day capping a busy week, so I was ready to crash late this afternoon.

As you can tell by the picture atop this entry, I spent some hours hanging around the press box at Ohio State today. I was asked to fill in and help spot offense for the public address announcer. OSU's opponent practically guaranteed a lousy game, but it's interesting to see the spectacle of major college football. Plus, I didn't have to pay to get in and got a parking pass in a great spot out of the deal. It didn't pay, but eh, why not?

The PA announcer's booth had moved since I last did this a few years ago. It's still high up, but the location is much better. It's not as badly angled or in as cramped of a space. But these kind of details don't interest you, so how about a couple interesting tidbits and I'll leave it at that?

The press box level has its own McFlurry machine with someone preparing them and setting out a bunch on a table for the taking. McCafe drinks--iced coffee, in other words--were the other branded offerings available. The self-serve food choices included: scrambled eggs for those getting there earlier in the morning; hot dogs; pulled pork sandwiches, which were probably from the best local barbecue chain; cole slaw; baked beans; and the typical snacks (pretzels, chips, popcorn).

Just seeing the number of people at the press box level and on the sidelines, it's staggering to think how many people are working to put on and cover the event. (That doesn't include the nearly 105-thousand who attended.)

The marching band isn't usually shown at halftime to television viewers, but they would probably make for better entertainment than the highlights and analysis. The Halloween-centric routine featured some interesting formations--a vampire, a casket, the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man's head--and a little Thriller dancing.