GAME DAY FACES FANS QUEUE TO GET SPOT AT SHOWDOWN OR GET READY FOR KICKOFF.Byline: Brad A. Greenberg Staff Writer PASADENA - Bill Meadows traveled from Lexington, Ky., without a ticket to tonight's big game. So, he stood Tuesday at an intersection in the Arroyo Seco Arroyo Seco (Spanish: "dry creek") may refer to:
Meadows isn't an alumnus ALUMNUS, civil law. A child which one has nursed; a foster child. Dig. 40, 2, 14. of the University of Southern California The U.S. News & World Report ranked USC 27th among all universities in the United States in its 2008 ranking of "America's Best Colleges", also designating it as one of the "most selective universities" for admitting 8,634 of the almost 34,000 who applied for freshman admission or the University of Texas, the two teams competing in college football's national championship. He's just a typical die-hard sports fan who wanted to witness the Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, spectacle that is this year's Rose Bowl. ``I'm taking a shot, baby,'' he said. ``This is the biggest game in the history of college football.'' For football fans, it doesn't get much better than watching the No. 1 Trojans vie for their third straight championship against the No. 2 Longhorns, who last won a national title in 1970. But getting into the Rose Bowl is no first-down scamper. It's fourth and long. Fans are playing hooky and paying thousands of dollars to flood Pasadena's streets and fill the sold-out stadium's 100,000-plus seats. ``There are things more important than sports, but (tonight) you probably wouldn't be able to convince me of that,'' said Paul Stone, a newspaperman from Tyler, Texas Tyler is the county seat of Smith County in East Texas, United States. The city is named for President John Tyler in recognition of his support for Texas's admission to the United States. , who flew out with his wife. USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. and Texas are playing for football immortality. The Trojans start two Heisman Trophy Heisman Trophy Annual award given to the outstanding college gridiron football player in the U.S. The trophy was instituted in 1935 by New York City's Downtown Athletic Club and was officially named the following year for the club's first athletic director, the player-coach winners - Matt Leinart Matthew Stephen Leinart (born May 11, 1983 in Santa Ana, California) is an American football quarterback (QB) for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. He played college football for the University of Southern California Trojans, leading them to an AP national and Reggie Bush - and Texas quarterback Vince Young was a Heisman finalist. Both teams' offenses are among the most explosive ever assembled. But also on the line are Christensen-family bragging rights. Drew Christensen attended Texas. His sister, Dawn, picked USC. They've been razzing each other for weeks. ``We knew if it turned out SC and Texas, cost is no matter - we'll be here,'' said Drew Christensen, 44, a Las Vegas attorney. The Christensens were among the thousands Tuesday wandering a few blocks of Colorado Boulevard closed for a pregame street fair, a sea of cardinal and gold among burnt orange and white. Musical stages were erected at Fair Oaks and Pasadena avenues. A jewelry boutique and a used-music store were selling licensed Trojan and Longhorn The code name for the Windows Vista operating system. After the client version was renamed "Vista" in 2005, Longhorn referred to the server version until it was officially named Windows Server 2008 in May of 2007. See Windows Vista. clothing. Bars hung banners welcoming football fans. But not everyone was pumped for pigskin. The influx of out-of-towners jammed city streets, turning a visit to Pasadena into a test of patience. ``L.A. traffic is horrible anyway,'' said Melissa Merkley, a bride-to-be from Burbank who spent 25 minutes trying to park for a meeting at a bridal boutique. The game also is creating paradoxical sentiments for some fans of the Trojans' crosstown rival, the UCLA Bruins, whose football team calls the Rose Bowl home. Latiffe Amado, a 2005 UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX grad, said she is rooting for USC - but only grudgingly. ``What can we do?'' Amado said as she shopped in Pasadena. ``I'd feel like more of a traitor rooting for Texas.'' In the Arroyo Seco, tailgate parties had already begun and should be in full swing by this morning. Will Jones, 30, of Alhambra arrived Monday with a group of friends and a rented RV. ``If I could do this for a living, I would,'' said Jones, a USC alumnus and auditor for Los Angeles County who took a week's vacation to prepare for - and recover from - Rose Bowl celebrations. Many, though, are still praying they'll see the game in person. Before arriving in Southern California, Meadows tried to buy a much- coveted cov·et v. cov·et·ed, cov·et·ing, cov·ets v.tr. 1. To feel blameworthy desire for (that which is another's). See Synonyms at envy. 2. To wish for longingly. See Synonyms at desire. face-value ticket but refused to pay $2,000 for one offered online. So he spent $290 on airfare and persuaded three friends to roll the dice with him. Meadows spent Tuesday, his 44th birthday, begging for admission to the big game. ``I'm ready to spend $600 or $700,'' he said. ``Now if I get them at face value, that'd be a good birthday gift.'' Staff writer Susan Abram contributed to this report. Brad A. Greenberg, (818) 713-3634 brad.greenberg(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 4 photos Photo: (1 -- color) University of Southern California quarterback Matt Leinart gets hugs from the pep squad during a rally Tuesday at Heritage Hall at USC. (2) USC players and fans get revved up for the Rose Bowl with a rally Tuesday at the university's Heritage Hall. John McCoy/Staff Photographer (3 -- color) University of Texas fans whoop whoop (hldbomacp) the sonorous and convulsive inhalation of whooping cough. whoop n. The paroxysmal gasp characteristic of whooping cough. it up at Universal Studios on Tuesday as the Longhorn band winds its way through the park for ``Team Day'' events. (4) Texas fans flash the Longhorns sign as the marching band passes at Universal Studios. Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion