Oklahoma! Sooners vs. Seminoles

Kicking off the Pigskin Pursuit for 2010 was a trip back up to Norman to see the storied Sooners of Oklahoma. The Ruf/Neks would have to the circle the wagons pretty tightly, however, because the Seminoles of Florida State were in town. This was an enticing matchup, as two traditional powerhouses were squaring off in one of the biggest games in the country in week two. Despite both of their storied traditions, Oklahoma and FSU had only faced each other five times in history. The last time was a 13-2 defensive standoff in the 2001 BCS Title Game, where the Sooners stifled the Seminoles for their 7^th National Championship. Although I had been to Norman before, this game would be an appropriate marquee matchup to start the season.

The contest itself turned out to be a bit of an unexpected mismatch. Having no dog in the fight, naturally I was hoping for a close, competitive game. Instead, Oklahoma absolutely pasted Florida State and reasserted themselves as the team to beat in the Big 12 this year. The offense had their way with the porous FSU defense all day, to the tune of 487 yards, as Bob Stoops clearly asserted himself over little brother Mark at this years Thanksgiving dinner table (Mark Stoops is the defensive coordinator for FSU). I think the Sooner Schooner may have even worn some grooves into the Gaylord Stadium turf after circling a half dozen times throughout the day. The Sooners extended their nation leading home winning streak to 32 games, reinforcing Norman as one of the toughest places to play in the country.

Final Score: OU 47 FSU 17

Perhaps the only disappointment on the Oklahoma side was the early departure of their student section. Midway through the 4^th quarter, nearly half of the OU student section had already headed for the exits. Students are supposed be the lifeblood of stadium atmosphere, and a raucous and rowdy bunch from whistle to whistle. Leaving early is expected from the wine and cheese crowd, but inexcusable for students. Besides, if my team was hanging a 40 point shellacking on the likes of FSU, I would be hanging around and savoring every last second of that contest. Poor form OU students.

A word for a minute on tickets – as I tend to get this a lot. The first question people always ask me is about tickets. Do you have tickets? How are you going to get tickets? Let me try to clear this up for a minute. If you have any desire to attend college football games, don’t let tickets be an obstacle in any way. Finding tickets to these games should be the least of your concerns. There are ALWAYS tickets available, and 95% of the time they are available at or below face value (even at the National Championship Game last year). Don’t bother with Ebay, Craigslist, and Stubhub. Just wait until you get near the stadium, and there will be throngs of tickets thrust into the air for sale (many of them by scalpers – whom you should avoid as well). Just ask around until you find someone whos friends couldn’t make the game, or had to leave his children at home. They are generally just looking to sell the tickets to anyone mildly pleasant to sit next to (not completely hammered) to recoup their money back.

Here’s how tickets worked at the Oklahoma vs FSU game, and bear in mind this was easily the biggest home game in Norman this year. Kickoff was at 2:30. I approached the stadium at about 2:23. By 2:24 a guy and his wife were walking out holding their newborn and 2 tickets in the air. Turns out, they needed a ticket for the baby as well, so they couldn’t go to the game. I offered him face value for 1 ticket (87.00) and was on my way into the stadium fifteen seconds later. (He actually offered me both for $100.00 but I declined since I had no use for the extra).

Oh by the way – the ticket was on the 50 yard line, aisle seat, 27 rows from the field. One of the best seats on the house. Face value. Consider this the next time you are worried about tickets.

Blue Pig BBQ

I can’t quite remember where I first heard about Blue Pig BBQ, but I know it was on one of those “Best BBQ” lists that are routinely forwarded to me from friends and relatives. The problem with such lists, is that 99% of them are generated on hype and reputation alone. The author, usually of dubious credentials (like being from the North, or raving about “sauce”), has likely never even visited half the places on their list. The fact that Sonny Bryans still manages to make “best of” lists and television shows is proof of this abhorrent and misleading practice. Therefore, as a rule, I generally ignore such lists at face value, and I usually screen for multiple data points about a BBQ joint before adding it to the esteemed ranks of the Pigskin Pursuit list. One only has so much stomach space, after all.

Unfortunately, pressed for time, Blue Pig did not undergo my usual scrutiny for selecting a BBQ establishment and this one certainly slipped through the cracks.

I knew I was in trouble when I walked through the door and nary a hint of smoke greeted my nose. My fears were confirmed when my three meat tray arrived with a pile of nondescript meats that barely resembled BBQ. The jalapeno cheese sausage had fallen straight off the Sysco truck, and a quick nibble confirmed its mediocrity. The ribs were dry, lacked any hint of smoke, and flopped sloppily off the bone likely from sitting under a heat lamp for a few hours. Finally, there was this other grey matter that they referred to as “Brisket” on my tray. Like a five year old choking down peas, I winced through a few bites of the meat substance before paying it the ultimate insult - I “sauced” it. (Then I made a sandwich out of it.)

For those unfamiliar with the blog, for me to “sauce” any BBQ meat is an insult of the highest order. Roughly equivalent to walking into the kitchen, shooting the chef’s dog and scissor kicking him in the chest.

In fact, the best part of the meal was the cheesy potato concoction, which was actually the only thing I finished. Does Kreuz Market even offer side dishes? I wouldn’t know because I’ve never gotten past the meat. So if I’m telling you about the side dishes at a BBQ joint – take it as a warning and eat at the Denny’s across the street, or grab a pack of Combos from the Quik Trip.

Sorry Blue Pig, you’re not up to snuff.

http://www.bluepigbbq.com/

The moral of this entire story is of course quite simple: Never trust Barry Switzer.

Smokin’ Joe’s Rib Ranch and RV Park

When I first read about a BBQ joint that doubled as an RV Park, I got one of those twinkles in my eye that only comes from uncovering yet another unique roadside gem on the college football tour. If it’s one thing I’ve been searching for, it’s a place to enjoy some delicious smoked meats in the comfort of my opulent, fiberglass mobile palace. Mind you, I don’t actually own an RV, but the allure of eating BBQ in an RV park was simply too much pass up. Oklahoma: home of catfish noodlin’ and BBQ RV Parks.

In my imagination, the pitmaster for Smokin Joe’s would be a folksy hybrid character mashup of Uncle Eddie from “National Lampoons Family Vacation”, and the famous youtube celebrity “Winnebago Man”. Draped in a vintage leisure suit this character would surely dish out my BBQ with a toothy grin and a profanity laden tirade. Reality set in quickly however, when two extremely pleasant and polite women behind the counter took my usual three meat order.

While the combination of a BBQ and RV Park is an alluring story, it’s the pile of the meat on that tray that ultimately matters. I’m here to tell you that ol’ Smokin Joe ought to consider flipping the breaker on the RV hookups because this guy flat out knows how to BBQ.

The sausage was probably the most common of the three meats. I opted for the spicy sausage, which had a decent snap to it, but was clearly packed too tightly to be made in house and chewed a little too commercial for my taste. The brisket, however, was fantastic. Note the well established crust on the brisket and deep smoke ring. Clearly Joe has spent some time perfecting this finicky meat. The only drawback was that he trimmed his brisket, so it doesn’t have quite the same moistness that some of the Lockhart notables do. Finally, the ribs stole the show. These ribs were perfectly cooked, had a deep smoke ring and silky texture. Additionally, they were enormous and meaty (the pictures don’t really do them justice) and I had all I could handle to finish three of them.

It’s always nice to discover a place north of Austin that actually serves respectable cue’. Oklahoma can be a bit of an enigma when it comes to BBQ (due to the Kansas City influence from the North), so it’s quite a treasure to discover more traditional Texas style BBQ this far north.

http://www.smokinjoesribranch.com/

Now if only we could get one in Dallas…

Friday Night Lights: Southlake Style

It goes without saying that football is a religion in Texas, and high school football is the emblematic icon of that faith. Across all corners of the state, the world stops on Friday Night as communities gather under the vaporous glow of beckoning light towers piercing coal night skies above the stretching Texas plains.

Reaching for a venue that embodies the best of Texas football, our feature high school game for 2010 was the fabled Southlake Carroll Dragons.

Southlake, for those of you unfamiliar, is one of the most storied high school football programs in Texas, and therefore the country. The Dragons boast seven Texas State 5A Championships and from 2002-2006 compiled a record of 79-1 including three consecutive state titles from 04’-06. Gregg McElroy, Chase Daniel and Scott Chandler were just a handful of recent graduates whos names may sound familiar.

Despite occupying the outskirts of DFW airport, Southlake is one of the wealthiest suburbs in Texas, and features some of the gaudier McMansions ever to sport a replica medieval entryway. Lets just say the fanbase at Southlake is a bit of a different demographic than you may be familiar with. Bleach blond trophy wives toting their True Religion clad pre-teens around the bleachers are the norm inside the 11,000 seat, $15 Million dollar concrete Dragon Stadium behemoth. The entire atmosphere is unapologetically competitive and elite. That said, it’s an environment that breeds exceptional athletes and scholars, so they are certainly doing something right.

On the field, the game had all the action and regalia we have come to expect from big time High School football. Full bands were in attendance, each putting on impressive half time shows including a rendition of “On Wiscsonin” aka The Southlake Carroll school song (many Texas High school songs are borrowed from Big 10 Schools). The speed of play was impressive for a high school game, and despite a handful of turnovers, execution was remarkable for a bunch of 16-18 year olds.

In the end, Southlake overcame a 10 point 4^th quarter deficit to stretch the game into overtime, where they promptly stuffed in a 17 yard run and held on for the win.

Final Score (OT): Southlake Carroll 31 - Richardson Berkner 24

Don’t worry about missing any of the on field action when you need some nachos, Dragon Stadium has you covered on the concession stand plasma screens.

Babe's Fried Chicken

Kicking off the eating tour for the College Football Tour of 2010 was a local DFW place that had been on my list for some time: Babe’s Fried Chicken. Specifically, they were purported to have one of the better chicken fried steaks in the Lonestar State, and being only a stones throw from Southlake Carroll it was time to give it a shot.

Unlike BBQ, I don’t consider myself much of an authority on chicken fried steak, or deep fried foods in general. Candidly, I don’t see much of an art in it – how long can it really take to master rolling some chicken or steak around in flour and dropping it into hot oil? (I can hear my southern readers choking on their chitterlings with that statement). Purists would argue that I am probably missing the nuances of the dish, and they would probably be right. Generally speaking, to me, all deep fried foods taste mostly the same. You could deep fry a rusty screwdriver and to me it would still taste like fried chicken. Stepping down off my soapbox, chicken fried steak still eats pretty well so I braved the DFW traffic on a Friday rush hour and sauntered on in.

As some of you may know, if its one thing I admire in a restaurant it’s an unwavering dedication to simplicity. You can imagine my delight then, when I wasn’t even presented with a menu at Babe’s. Instead, the bubbly waitress promptly asked me what I wanted: Chicken or Steak? Two choices – beautiful. Resisting the urge to launch into a monologue of praise for Babe’s menu (or lack thereof) and rail against the paralysis of choice of our modern customizable world, I simply retorted “Steak”. The sides are even pre determined for you as well.

You’re a simple man Babe, and I salute you for it.

Despite my fawning for the menu, and a suitable rustic atmosphere, in the end the chicken fried steak was simply okay. It wasn’t particularly great, but certainly wasn’t bad in any way either. It was a bit soggy for my taste, and I would have liked a little more crisp and crunch on the coating. The sides were all standard and unremarkable, albeit plentiful. Babe’s is also a bit over represented by the rug-rat demographic for my taste, but it represents itself as a family restaurant so I can hardly complain.

In all a solid meal, and based on reputation alone, certainly worth a shot if you find yourself in the DFW area with a hankering for some artery hardening goodness.

The National Championship Game

In the immortal words of John “Hannibal” Smith: I love it when a plan comes together.

While advanced planning and exhaustive preparation has been the hallmark of our Pigskin Pursuit this fall, never underestimate the power of spontaneity and improvisation. A mere five days before the game, we were lounging around the house watching the Cotton Bowl on TV lamenting the fact that our busy holiday travel schedule had made it difficult to entertain the idea of a bowl game. Bowl games are an integral part of the College Football landscape, and despite my principled opposition to the fumbling ineptitude of the BCS Bowl Committee, not attending a bowl game would be regrettable. Motivated by this grim reality, we quickly set our sights on the crown jewel of them all.

With only a few days left on the season calendar, we decided that a trip to the National Championship game would be the perfect capstone to our College Football Tour: Texas squaring off against Alabama in the Rose Bowl.

With that settled, now all we had to do was scramble a plan together to actually get there in four days. A few quick phone calls and emails later, Mindy had secured tickets to the game (at face value I might add), flight arrangements, a rental car and a place to stay. With this level of planning and quick execution, God help you if she ever decides to pull a bank heist.

The stage for the game would be one of the largest in recent memory. Unlike some of the more recent championship selections, this one was absent any controversy over whom the most deserving teams were. Squaring off were #1 Alabama vs. #2 Texas. Both undefeated at 12-0 and respective champions of their conferences. 16 National Championships and 1,658 all time wins between these juggernauts. Two of the most storied programs in the history of the sport, playing in the most storied bowl venue in College Football: The Granddaddy of ‘Em All, The Rose Bowl.

Put simply, it doesn’t get any bigger than this.

The atmosphere surrounding a National Championship game is a bit of a unique situation, and it’s difficult to compare it to a regular season game. While the magnitude surrounding the game is certainly the largest of the season, expectedly it doesn’t have quite the same electric feel as a typical College Football Saturday, largely due to the neutral site. For one thing, the Rose Bowl, while one of the most storied venues in the history of College Athletics, doesn’t actually occupy a college campus. Tailgating, as you can imagine, is also a bit different, since the vast majority of your dedicated tailgaters are probably unwilling to make the 1,400 mile trek to Pasadena to flip a few burgers and hot dogs. While at first glance it may seem tame, bear in mind there are still an abundance of tailgates and the Rose Bowl actually shuts down a golf course for use by tailgaters. It’s an admirable effort for people to put together such elaborate spreads from halfway across the country. We also had the good fortune of meeting up with our favorite Longhorn friends Jared and Kimberly to hoist a couple of ritualistic pre game beverages.

The one ancillary benefit that comes with Bowl Game atmospheres, however, is that tickets are surprisingly easy to find and moderately affordable. We noted a handful of tickets readily available close to face value if you wanted them. This is assuming, of course, you were willing to shell out the $275 face value to witness the spectacle of a National Championship Game. But rest assured, if going to a NC game is on your wish list in the future, finding tickets should be the least of your concerns.

The Rose Bowl itself is simply a spectacular venue. Occupying an “arroyo” (which is a fancy word for valley) in beautiful Pasadena, the Rose Bowl first opened its doors in 1922, a mere ten years after Fenway Park was built. To say that history oozes from every pillar of this structure would be an understatement, there is a reason it’s a National Historic Landmark. The Rose Bowl has two Olympic Games, a World Cup, five Superbowls, three BCS Championships and about 88 “Rose Bowl” Games to its credit. In fact its very name coined the term “Bowl Game” for postseason College Football games. In addition to history, the Rose Bowl is an imposing structure. With a stated capacity of 92,542 it ranks 8^th on the list of largest football stadiums in America (all of which are college stadiums by the way). Finally, the backdrop for the stadium is magnificent. There may be no more spectacular panorama in College Football than watching a pale magenta sunset over the noble San Gabriel Mountains, the hazy air thick with anticipation for a National Championship Game kickoff.

Simply put, if you could only visit one College Football stadium in your life, it should be the House that Rock built – Notre Dame Stadium. But if you could visit two, the second should be the Rose Bowl.

The in-stadium atmosphere around gametime is a similarly unique, as are most bowl atmospheres. Despite 94,906 bodies packing the cavernous Rose Bowl, the pomp of a pre-game fireworks show and thunderous flyover, it’s a decidedly quieter stadium than a typical home sellout crowd. Because the bowl is split roughly 50/50 between Texas and Alabama fans, the noise level will simply never be as loud as you would find at a true home game atmosphere where 95% of the fans are all cheering in unison. Furthermore, of those fans at the game, for a game of this magnitude it’s safe to assume that you will have over representation of the “corporate” crowd and other folks that may not have a passionate interest in the outcome. It’s safe to say, however, that the true fans that make it out to the game, and travelled halfway across the country to see their team, are some of the most diehard, dedicated and boisterous individuals you could hope for. And candidly, you shouldn’t need crowd noise to get you amped for a game of this magnitude anyway.

While bowl game atmospheres are decidedly different, the action where it counts - between the white lines, is as intense as it gets. On the field featured the intriguing matchup of the Alabama rushing attack, led by Heisman winner Mark Ingram, squaring off against the gunslinging Colt McCoy led Texas air show. Unfortunately, that matchup would only last a mere five plays into the game when Alabama Defensive End Marcell Dareus drove the Texas QB into the turf injuring his precious right shoulder, and knocking him out for the game.

Despite a couple of Texas field goals, what followed was a second quarter full of Crimson Tide domination. Alabama’s running back duo of Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson each scampered for touchdowns. However, neither touchdown was as heartbreaking as the botched Longhorn shovel pass by frosh QB Garrett Gilbert which was returned by Alabama for yet another score as the half expired (returned by Marcell Dareus of course). The situation coming into the second half for the Longhorns was about as bleak as it gets.

Just when the crowd may have started heading for the exits, the Longhorns showed remarkable fight coming into the third and fourth quarters. Their defense stiffened up and shut down the Crimson tide for nearly two full quarters. Surprisingly, the offense came to life as well. Freshman quarterback Garrett Gilbert connected for two touchdowns with veteran receiver Jordan Shipley, and demonstrated remarkable poise and confidence. This brought the score to within three points, Alabama 24 – Texas 21. With three minutes left to play Texas had the ball on their own 17 yard line, and barely eighty yards separating them from improbable National Championship glory.

In the end, however, the vaunted Alabama defense came up big when it needed to. They promptly stuffed Gilbert into the ground on the first play of the drive, jarring the ball loose, and diving on top of the fortuitous fumble. A few short plays later Alabama sealed the game when Mark Ingram bulldogged into the endzone for his second touchdown of the night. Trent Richardson would add another ‘Bama touchdown a few minutes later, making the final score appear more lopsided than the contest actually was.

Final Score: Alabama 37 – Texas 21

Congratulations to the Alabama Crimson Tide and their fan base, who were all remarkably friendly and respectful during the game. This was a hard fought victory for them, and I admire the gritty brand of football that they play. Going undefeated in the SEC, bumping off Florida in the SEC Championship game and capping it off with a National Championship victory is an incredible accomplishment, and I salute those athletes.

This was a phenomenal way to conclude our College Football Tour for the season. I had never been to a National Championship Game, and as a frustrated Notre Dame fan I may have to wait some time before I go again. The magnitude of the game is simply unmatched and the electricity among fans is palpable. It’s an experience that any College Football fan should experience at least once in their lifetime. Seeing two unbeaten national powerhouses, playing for the National Championship in the Rose Bowl is the largest possible stage that you could ask for, and it’s an experience that I will always cherish.

Thanks (again) to our friends Jared and Kimberly. It’s always a good time meeting up with them, and we can always count on their attendance and hospitality at any big UT Football game.

Special thanks to our friend Daron for helping us out with some last minute tickets to the game. It was an incredible kind and generous effort to find these tickets for us, and I am incredibly thankful for this once in a lifetime experience.

Hollyhock House

In addition to the splendor of College Football games this fall and reams of indulgent food along the way, another interesting sub thread to our travels has been the pursuit of great architecture. My architectural passion still burns strong, and with little effort we have been able to experience a few prominent examples of great American works of architecture. L.A. presented us with another such opportunity.

Nestled within the vast sprawl of Los Angeles lies an unassuming architectural jewel seemingly overlooked by many L.A. denizens. While most people looking for great works of architecture in the city would opt for wider publicized landmarks such as Richard Meier’s Getty Center or Frank Gehry’s Disney Concert Hall, a less obtrusive example lies tucked into an old olive grove in East Hollywood. Built in 1921 for Aline Barnsdall is the renowned “Hollyhock House” designed by none other than Frank Lloyd Wright. Hollyhock is easily Wright’s most acclaimed west coast structure, and we obliged for a visit.

Like all Wright houses, Hollyhock has required extensive maintenance and restoration in order to keep it stable. From the beginning the house leaked considerably, and Barnsdall promptly donated the structure to the City of Los Angeles shortly after construction. The restorations continue to this day, but Hollyhock is mostly restored and open for tours.

That said, Hollyhock is still an exquisite showcase of Wright developing his own unique Southern California style, and draws cues from Mayan influence. We see many of the hallmarks of a Wright house at work here, including the sprawling floor plan and tensive connection between indoor and outdoor living separation. The spectacular living room is a breathtaking space highlighted by the moated fireplace, monolithic mantelpiece and replete with original Wright designed furniture. Finally, the inspirational “Hollyhock” stylized pattern permeating the design is an exquisite example of Wright’s excruciating attention to detail, and probably one of his most famous decorations.

One of the unfortunate regulations at the Hollyhock House is that interior photography is prohibited. I have encountered this inane practice before at some other Wright houses, and sadly that same misguided logic is at play here as well. So I apologize for the lack of interior shots, please be sure to write your Congressman.

Special thanks to my sister Rebecca for making the trek up to L.A. and chauffeuring us around for the better part of the weekend. It was great to have you along on a handful of activities and hopefully you’ve recovered from some of the food your brother subjected you to.