What a day!

Yesterday morning I woke up at 4:AM to catch an early flight to NYC.  I had never been to NYC so I was somewhat looking forward to this trip.  I have had it planned since about to October.  I knew I was probably going to have some free time on Sunday, so I started to mentally map out what I wanted to see while wondering around town.  Brooke's roommate who was in our wedding was going to be my tour guide.

When the NCAA brackets first came out, I blasted the placement of UK.  They finished in the final season poll ranked #10 but were seeded as a 4 seed- it didn't make sense.  To top it off, they had UNC (another top 10 team) and Ohio State (the #1 team in the country) in their same bracket just to make it to the Final Four.  Even my Dad thought there might some conspiracy against UK. Well last weekend, UK got a revenge win vs WVU and advanced to the Sweet 16 which for them was going to take place in Newark NJ.  No one was sure how far this UK team would make it and most were content with the Sweet 16.  After all, they were going to have to play- what most believed to be- the best team in the tournament on Friday night.  That Thursday prior to the Ohio State game, I foud out my Sunday night meeting got pushed back to Monday night.  This was going to make my Tuesday travel day a little more difficult, but it is what it is.   After a hard fought amazing win, the UK guys were going to be playing on Sunday vs. UNC.  A battle of blue bloods. I couldn't believe we had won.  They were playing in Newark still,  and I was going to be a few short miles away. I was hoping to find a bar to watch the game with my friend Kristin.  Turns out she got injured and couldn't walk around, so here I am on my own.  What to do? I felt as though the waters had parted and it was desitny for me to go to the game. Might as well try and go to a game that I had no idea how to get to, and no ticket.

Going 15 miles in Lexington, Louisville, Nashville, is not a big deal at all. You get in your car and go.  Not in NYC.  I know I am not breaking news here but if you have never been, getting around is amazingly difficult.  Don't get me wrong, the public transportation is really good but the invasion of Normandy was easier to plan out.  I could have taken a cab, that would have been around $100.  So, after a plane ride, a shuttle, a bus, a subway, then a train- I find myself in Newark NJ with some fraternity friends who had done the same thing I had.  They showed up with no idea on what to do and no tickets.  I arrived early enough that I had a lot of options for tickets. I didn't want to spend more than I had previously taken out of the ATM but knew very early on I was going to have a pay a decent price.  I bought a ticket for one dollar more than face value.  Assuming it was a real ticket- which is a risk- I would be in the door.  The ticket cost me $100, it was originally a $99.  As bad as I wanted to go, I didnt want Brooke to get mad.  I figured she would understand but you never know.  Thank GOD they won! Because of that victory, it is a evening I will always rememebr and never regret the burden it took to go.

Once the doors to the very nice, new, arena were opened- the moment of truth was there and it WAS a real ticket.  I had no idea where I would be sitting and didn't really care. I was glad to be in the door.  I was in the very last row in the upper arena.  If I wanted to stand the entire game, I could have because the only thing behind me was a wall.  To top it off, I was in the UNC section.  Regardless of what happened in the game, I was very proud of this UK team. They had come a long way since our (my blog about the stress UK basketball gave me) "break"- and regardless of what happened, they did a great job this year.  I was really proud of them, this was supposed to be our bridge year. This team was wedged between two amazing recruiting classes (2009,2011)  It was a great game that UK pulled out the W. I was there to see us get our first trip back to the final four in 13 years.  I was there and it was worth every penny.  People were literally weeping when they played My Old Kentucky Home with the nets cut down.  While somewhat crazy, it was an experience of a lifetime.  As far as UK fandom is concerened it was the second best day of my life.

1) Winning the 1998 National Championship when I was a freshman.  That night was an amazing night on campus.
2) Being in the arena for the totally unexpected(trip) Final Four birth of 2011
3) Beating the #1 ranked LSU Tigers- the eventual National Champion- in Triple OT and rushing the football field with my father-in-law.

Beating UNC capped off a weekend where we beat the #1 team in the country, #7 team in the country, and making it back to the Final Four.  Wow.  It took me two hours to get home, I was tired, thirsty, and needed a shower.  But it was an experience I will tell my grandkids about.  Beating UNC to go to the Final Four and being there to see it all.  It was a lot of time and money but worth every penny.