Pregame chatter

Tom Dienhart breaks down the action of the BCS championship game, quarter by quarter:
The crazies are out in full force as I walk down Poydras toward the Superdome.
It is a carnival of sights and sounds. Along the way, I see:
• a bald guy with a tiger face painted on his dome.
• a lovely lady wearing a mardi gras mask.
• two men yakking behind a trash can.
Yeah, game time is getting close!
Oh, and did I mention the beer? They were hawking it on every street corner. I stopped one of the seemingly thousands of thirtysomething men in Ohio State replica jerseys and asked why he was drinking so much.
Me: “Why are you chugging that jumbo 36-ounce beer?”
Archie Griffin wannabe: “Because they didn’t sell a 56-ounce one.â€
I just kept walking.
It is errie walking in the Superdome knowing what went on here less than three years ago. You can’t help but wonder about what it was like back in August 2005. Am I sitting where some tragedy happened.
My buddy Matty Hayes is wondering about the counter top that our computers are sitting on. He points out several chips.
“Look at this!†he says. “Look at it! You’re telling me they replaced this?â€
It’s time to eat. It’s a who’s who of the college football world. Matty and me and scooping up and big slice of pecan pie when suddenly we are looking live at Brent Musburger, who pulls up a chair at our table. He’s looking old, but he always is a font of information, giving us a roster breakdown of the teams.
I can hear the crowd roar. That means the team are on the field warming up. Kickoff is near. I can’t wait.
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