Indeed, it was a game.

So Dad and Greg and I went downtown to see the Badgers take on my alma mater, Temple. (Truly, I understand that it's not my alma mater, in that I didn't graduate from that institution but it's as close as I'll get, okay?) It was an 11:10am kickoff, which meant that I was drinking a Bloody Mary, and eating a Brat just after 10am this morning. I think the name of the place was Lucky's. (Photo forthcoming) We got into our seats right before the national anthem. Thankfully, the seats were under the overhang, and in the shade we were pretty comfy. I don't think I ever saw a Badger game like that. 51 unanswered points before half-time? My Dad took us to games in the McClain/Morton Eras and those 51 unanswered points were usually hung on US. I was glad to witness a shutout like that, but I wish my boys from Temple could've given us a little more game. That's just depressing for them, I'm sure. This was my first time in Camp Randall since the huge expansion project. I have a love/hate outlook on the changes. I'm used to sitting under the overhang, so those luxury boxes in the east side of the stadium are blocking what used to be my view of the tops of campus buildings. Why I miss that, I don't know. Also, they've plugged the gaps in the horseshoe-plus-fieldhouse in the south section of the stadium. I used to like seeing daylight through those gaps onto Regent/Monroe streets. The end result of the remodeling serves a purpose: more seats, luxury boxes, focusing all attention to the inside of the stadium. The change I hated the most was the removal of the "track" or whatever it was called that circled between the field and the stands. It used to be, anyone could walk around down there, you just couldn't loiter. It got you down to field level and it let the band and the cheerleaders get up-close and personal. Well, it's gone. I suppose its time had come, in this post 9/11 world. or Whatever. I miss it though. Temple, when I attended at least, had no school spirit at all. Why would they, indeed? The football squad were perennial losers. Basketball was the best and only game in town. Football Saturdays didn't exist at Temple. I think that's sad. Walking around the Stadium and its evirons today made me wish I'd attended the UW instead. The camaraderie, the smells, the sounds, the sea of red and white are part of what defines a Football Saturday for me. I guess I didn't need to attend the UW to have that experience, because I experienced it countless times as a kid. I'm lucky in that everytime I go back as an adult it's an experience that is both new, and reminiscent of the gamedays from my youth.