The Adventures of an Blunt Views Editor on Holiday.
As you will have read our very own Co-Editor, Doug Adamson managed to fulfil
a lifetimes ambition last week when he was present at a Miami Dolphins game.
This is his record card....
Things to do in Detroit while Changing planes.
For the record Detroit isn't the greatest Airport in the world for a
transfer, it needs a proper bookshop and the food selection isn't up to much
- but hey it's nice enough and the seats are nice and it's where I started
this report.
All my life I've never wanted to be in the situation that on my death bed
I'll have to say "If only" or "I wish I had ..." When I first fell in
love with football I swore that I would one day see a professional football
match live. I choose way back then to see Dan Marino play for the Miami
Dolphins. Over the years it's been around my birthday that the Dolphins
played Buffalo in Miami - I hate Buffalo , only because it's part of the job
of being a Dolphins fan you understand - that and my brother supports them.
So each year after the age of 17 , when the NFL Schedules came out I would
promise myself - THIS YEAR I'LL GO. And for 5 years each time it came round
to the date and I would be busy at university or something. Each year I
could feel my chance slip away, Dan Marino would go down injured and I'd
think he'd never play again, Dan got older and neared retirement - Jimmy
Johnson came to town and there was talk of trading Dan to another team. So I
redoubled my efforts and this year everything fell into place. So just
remember that this wasn't just a trip to see a game it was a pilgrimage to
my shrine, sure it wouldn't be the best - Don Shula wouldn't be there, but
hey I like Jimmy Johnson and he'd do in second place. And I'd get to see
Dan, and Dan would score the touchdowns and the Dolphins would defeat the
Bills and it would be the day after my birthday and be the best present in
the world. Then only 2 weeks ago in Buffalo - Dan was injured and sat out
the rest of the game. Oh the agony - the worry - the irony that it would be
IN Buffalo that my dream would die. But thankfully it was not to be. Dan
recovered... and the stage was set...
I had taken a round-about route to Miami. Flying from Edinburgh (WLAF City)
to Amsterdam (WLAF City) to Detroit (NFL City) to Orlando (ex WLAF City) all
in the one day. Then after a bit of shopping I headed down to Miami by car.
The closer I got the more I strained to see the Stadium, this of course was
rather difficult for the first 230 miles or so. Then we turned of the free
way and there it was a stadium ! Looking rather poor and in need of repair,
it only seemed to have one stand, oh how I almost wept.... then I realised I
was looking at Calder Race Track ... behind it was a long held dream. Joe
Robbie Stadium (which some idiot had called Pro Player Stadium on the map).
But it was 7 hours to game time and there was a surprise waiting.
Travelling fans...
So there I was standing in the lobby of the Hotel and there was a Scotsman
at the desk. No not the paper - a real person. At this point I'm wearing a
Claymores T-shirt so I start talking to this guy and would you believe it -
he knows me. Not only that he reads Blunt Views... he even WROTE to BV
before. Can you believe it ? BV goes on holiday - 6000 miles no less and we
meet a fan ! Oh and I can prove this if you want.
Backfields...
I was surprised and awed in equal measure. Perhaps it was because it was
Monday Night Football, I don't know - there were not only the thousands of
fans with their barbecues , there were bands and stages and hospitality
tents. There were Merchandise stands, TV cameras and much more. The only
thing missing was WLAF Experience. If we'd had that and no barbecues there
wouldn't be much difference between the Claymores backfield party and the
site I saw. I therefore believe that we NEED barbecues at the Claymores in
that car park with the stone. More important was that I felt at home, sure
it wasn't HOME (Murrayfield) but it was close to Heaven. There in the shadow
of a HUGE stadium was something so close to home, you can't beat that.
The Seats...
I decided that I couldn't hold on any longer - I had to go into the Stadium.
On the way in I was given a free poster - a nice touch. Then I searched for
the escalator to take me to my seat. Yes you heard right escalator - outside
even. The whole stadium seemed to be much much bigger than Murrayfield.
Perhaps it was just taller. After taking the escalator - just for the sake
of it I headed for my seat. You might have seen the film 'Fever Pitch' - in
it film the hero walks out into the stadium for the first time and is simply
gob smacked. I couldn't talk for 3 minutes when I walked out on to the stand
and stood to see the pitch for the first time. It just looked incredible. It
looked like a FOOTBALL stadium - not a Rugby or Soccer Stadium converted -
it WAS football. Eventually I found my seat which, while high up, had an
excellent view of the pitch. Unfortunately we had the Bills on our side and
there was some rule about throwing things on the players... try playing in
Italy and avoiding that ! After finally being able to move I decided to
investigate...
If Burgers are the Food of Football.....
The interesting thing about a US Stadium is that it's designed with food and
drink (including beer) in mind. No silly carts which could blow over in a
breeze, here we had full blown McDonalds style food and drink vendors build
INTO the wall. The food was expensive with a burger costing £3 but then it
does the same at the Claymores, and the burger was HUGE. Given a nice lovely
tray I headed up to the stands again and then I had my second surprise of
the night.
17-0 The Perfect Surprise.
It was the 17th of November so perhaps it was fitting for this was to be the
night Miami celebrated the invincible 17-0 perfect season Dolphins Team of
1972 - the 25th Anniversary. This in itself almost moved me to tears of joy
for my good luck. Then I realised something. Don would be there. Don. For
you see the dream of EVER seeing Don Shula and Dan Marino in the Dolphins
Stadium had been killed only a few years ago. Don had been forced out, sure
Dan was there, but the dream had faded a little. Somehow perhaps the
Football Gods of Lombardi and Joe Robbie had chosen to make dreams come true
- there he was before kick-off. Don Shula, with Dan Marino in Joe Robbie
Stadium. Right then and there I could have been struck by lightning and died
happy. This of course was a possibility as the top seats at Miami have no
roof and lightning could easily have decided to spoil the party. Someone
told me it was to protect the stadium from hurricane damage of ripping off
the roof - me I think it was a trick to get the fans to shout louder so the
Dolphins could pull out a big lead and then allow the fans to go home
quicker avoiding the thunderstorm.
Anyway so ends the gushing (well almost).
The Players.
By now I'd spotted Dan Marino warming up. Opposite him was Craig Ericson -
the Dolphins back-up QB. Knowing that Dan would start okay I decided to
track down the only player for Buffalo I would care to follow.... Jim
Ballard - Ex Claymores QB. And there he was the 3rd String (thus Emergency)
Quarterback. You can always spot them on the side line, they're the ones all
suited up but with a Baseball cap on and holding a clip board. Quite how and
when the Hari Krishnas had managed to recruit Jimbo when he walked up and
down Princes Street is beyond me, but thankfully no-one seemed interested in
buying that Karma Cookbook - which for the record is the most handed in
title to charity shops in Scotland. For the rest of the time Jim would stand
with that clip board and pretend to have fun standing doing nothing as a no
name while dreaming of a stadium chanting his name (a very Hari Krishna
thing to do I suppose) as a starter on a winning Scottish Football team. Oh
Jim Haste ye back.
The Warm up.
IT was almost like home - indeed I managed to sing as if it was. As part of
the warm up music we had sections of "Boom Boom Boom, let me hear you say
CLAYMORE" Ahem Sorry "Way-oo". The music mix at the Claymores is rather
close to the Dolphins - save for one thing I'll get to. The Players were
introduced - the Dolphins defense got the call so I got to spot Zach Thomas.
Buffalo put out a bunch of people who I didn't care to notice.
The Game.
You'll be able to read the game report on the web somewhere. You don't need
my version - other than until the final quarter it could have been a Buffalo
win instead of the 30-13 win for the Dolphins. The crowd didn't chant on
defence at all but it did make alot of noise ! Then Dan drove the Dolphins
down to throw a touchdown ... and that was it. I'd been I'd saw I could go
home. Dan threw a Touchdown. Nothing else was needed to make the night
perfect (well perhaps a date with a cheerleader). It didn't matter who won -
I'd done everything I'd ever wanted to. It took a few seconds to realise
what happened after the touchdown... they played a song, and showed a video
(on both of the MASSIVE screens). They'd played the song before after the
Field Goal but this time I realised it for what it was....
Exactly what the Claymores need. Sure we have premade songs to play when we
score but we need our own CLAYMORES song to sing after every point we score.
Something simple something catchy something fun. Perhaps we could get
someone to write one ? Something definitely Claymores.... Hey I know some
song writers ..... those BV guys...
So the game was close, and I cheered and screamed just like home. In the end
there isn't much difference if any at all between NFL and WLAF on the pitch.
I couldn't tell it was different except when a few Stars played as they could
(Dan Marino, Thurman Thomas for the Bills etc.) . Long before the game was
over the stadium emptied. No wonder, the Dolphins OWNED the 4th quarter and
the traffic was a nightmare. In the end only 15,000 stood to the end. Dan
took the snap and went to one knee. The clock ran out and the teams headed
into the locker room. And then I realised I had done what had once been the
impossible. I'd done what I had promised to do ever since I fell in love
with Football. Will I go back ? In a second. Have I learned much ? Only that
the Claymore just need the fans and we'd be just as good as the US. Was it
worth it ? Every penny. What now ? Well time to start saving for the
Superbowl in 1999 it's in Miami you know.... and I know the way.
Oh and remember - every where you go - bring your fans it makes you look
good.
