Jason's Untimely Thoughts

I had a great trip to Phoenix/Scottsdale over the weekend.  A great time.

I’d been there once before, on a Spring Break trip in 1993 or so.  We hit Santa Fe, the Grand Canyon, and Phoenix that trip, spending St. Patrick’s Day in Phoenix.  Since I was never able to find anything close to a reasonable rate on a rental car this trip, I caught a Super Shuttle from the airport to the hotel.   They would make a few stops first, but $16.  I’ll take it.

First stop from the airport, about midnight, pull in front of a bar.  I look out, it’s Seamus McCaffery’s.  I curse.  In my one previous trip to Phoenix, that’s the one bar we went to.  Crazy.  When I finally make it to the hotel at 1:00 a.m. local time (3:00 my normal time), I email the guys that were on that earlier trip.  “I’m relatively sure I took off my pants in that place to show my ankle tattoo!” came the reply.  Yes, you did.  A story that I told to everyone on the shuttle just a few hours earlier.

The rest of the trip was all basketball and Mizzou fans.  Which was great.  I love football… love it.  But basketball trips are better than football trips, without a doubt.  The ‘family’ is so much smaller, the games are more frequent, it’s just a more intimate and fun atmosphere.  Football everyone is so wound up until the game starts that there’s no fun.  Then once the game is over, everyone scatters and that’s that.

Basketball is just more relaxed.  And then in tournaments, there’s another game in a day or two.  So, especially after a big win, everyone comes back to the hotel and hangs out.  It’s fun to see the players, coaches, and families in that atmostphere.  They and the athletic department staff are able to hang out with fans and supporters some, soak in the congratulations.  And then the Mizzou fans just dominate the hotel bar and run the always understaffed group ragged, but good-naturedly.

It’s a group of uncommon backgrounds together for a common thing, so a real sense of camaradarie develops.  It’s awesome, no matter how cheesy it sounds here.

Beyond the wins and losses, the best part is being able to connect and re-connect with other Mizzou fans, the staff that’s on a bit of a working vacation, and everyone associated with the deal.  Just a fun time with new friends and old friends.  And the games themselves offer another opportunity to connect with friends and fans that are in from wherever.

Plus, it was in Phoenix, in the sun, in 80 degrees, didn’t see a single cloud, saw lots of beautiful scenery, and the Tigers played exceptionally well twice.

Yay Phoenix.  Go Tigers.