The ultimate sports road trip
Sun scribe along for ride, and no lockout can stop this week of fun
By DON BRENNAN -- Ottawa Sun
For the average live-and-breathe sports fan, there are numerous ways to prepare for what's setting up as an NHL-less winter.
For the hardest of hardcores, this has to be simply the best.
Much like pigging out before starting a diet or smoking a pack of cigarettes prior to quitting cold turkey, The Boys are going on a whirlwind, seven-games-in-seven-cities-in-seven-days sports-watching holiday.
Now this, my friends, is trippin'.
Actually, it has nothing to do with the expected NHL shutdown for the organizer, Randy "Howie" Howlett, and his regular travel companions, Hal "Senior" Howlett and Brian "Klesko" Samuel. To them, it has plainly become a can't-miss tradition.
I was just lucky enough to get kidnapped this time.
We settled into our rented Grand Caravan yesterday morning and headed for destination No. 1: Foxboro, Mass. That's right, we have tickets for tonight's NFL regular-season opener at Gillette Stadium between the Indianapolis Colts and the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots.
How freaking good is that?
TAILGATING FUN
We plan on getting to the stadium about eight hours before the opening kickoff, determined not to miss any of the tailgate partying or a pre-game concert that will feature Elton John, Lenny Kravitz, Toby Keith, Destiny's Child, Mary J. Blige and, via satellite from Florida, Jessica Simpson. (I might be looking forward to seeing her more than Peyton Manning). A star-studded night, to be sure. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Tomorrow, we will be in Pittsburgh to watch the Houston Astros take on the Pirates in their new stadium, PNC Park.
On Saturday, we will be in Cincinnati to watch the Milwaukee Brewers take on the Reds in their new home, the Great American Ballpark.
On Sunday, we will be in St. Louis to watch the Rams open their season against the Arizona Cardinals at the Edward Jones Dome.
On Monday, we'll be in Charlotte for Monday Night Football as the Green Bay Packers tackle the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium.
On Tuesday, we'll be back in baseball mode at Shea Stadium in New York, watching the Atlanta Braves play the Mets.
And on Wednesday, we wind down with a visit to storied Fenway Park to see the Bosox and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
Oh, it won't be easy. In total, we'll be driving about 3,800 miles. "The toughest one yet," says Howie, who can't quite recall if this is his ninth or 10th annual sports trip.
But we can do it. And, like the jingle associated with the restaurant-chain sure to be a regular pit stop, we'll be (ba-da-bap-bap-ba) lovin' it. Aside from the Renegades and the Grey Cup Game at Frank Clair Stadium in November, this could well be our last taste of live pro sports for awhile.
We'll send back morsels from the feast in a daily Sun postcard, maybe check in occasionally with Steve, Jungle Jim and Buzz on the Team 1200, then get into details with a wrapup report upon our return home.
Excuse us now, though, as we head to Gillette Stadium for a barbecue and a couple of afternoon beers. It's time to dig in.
