Royalty goes to Knoxville, Tennessee to see a college football game at legendary Neyland Stadium!

My Name in Lights at Hertz in Atlanta #338

On Saturday morning October 5th I got up early so I could catch a 7AM flight on Delta Airlines to Atlanta, Georgia. I arrived there a half hour early than scheduled. As a result, I was able to go to Knoxville, Tennessee which was 220 miles was the airport. Upon arrival, I took the new ATL Sky Train from the airport to the car rental center. When I got there, I went to Hertz to pick up my car rental for the long weekend I had. When I got to the car they initially gave me as a #1 Club Gold member I was disappointed. It was a Chevy Aveo. When I turned it on, I saw the odometer said the car had 59,000 miles. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I've never rented a car with more than 35,000 miles. So I walked back to the area where I saw my name in lights. Shortly thereafter, I saw a customer service agent. I told her I can't take this car because it has too many miles. She proceeded to an exchange for me. She gave me a Ford C which was a hybrid car that I never heard of before. I walked over to the car & I saw it was a hatchback without a trunk so I went back again to get another car. This time she gave me a Hyundai Elantra. I was almost ready to drive off with it but when I went to adjust the rear view mirror it fell off. After trying to fix it myself, the manager came over to me. I told her what happened. She told me to pick out a car that was nearby. I decided to take a Chevy Cruze that she was kind enough to drive over to me. Finally after four tries, I got a car that met my standards. This car had only 4,397 miles on it & it was equipped with XM radio. Even though I wasted the time I made up thanks to Delta, I still decided to go to Knoxville so I could see Neyland Stadium which is located in downtown. The game between the Tennessee Volunteers & the visiting Georgia Bulldogs was kicking off at 3:30PM Eastern Time. I wound up leaving Hertz shortly after 10 AM.

First car space I was given

I wound up getting to Knoxville at 1:36PM that afternoon. I had to dodge some pockets of game traffic as I got closer. When I got off the interstate, I drove around the downtown vicinity looking for a parking spot. I noticed parking for $25, $20 & $10 before I came across a lot for $5 which I pulled into. I couldn't park at a meter since there was a two hour time limit. With that being said, I got a real bargain. Once I got myself situated, I walked over towards the stadium.

Since I didn't know for sure I was going there I didn't buy a ticket in advance. They did have tickets at the box office for $80 though. I didn't want to pay that much for the game. So I walked around until I found an area where people were trying to sell their extra tickets. I decided to pass up tickets for $60, $50, $40 & $30. I offered a guy $20 & he said he would take $30. I insisted on $20. He decided to settle for $25 for a seat in the end zone that was 32 rows up. I told him you got a deal. I proceeded to walk inside the stadium. When I got to see the field, I was in awe. I've always heard great things about it. When I finally got to see it for my own eyes, I wasn't disappointed. What a venue it was. It sits over 100,000 people. I savored the moment long before the game even started. I got my money's worth & then some. After I took in the different views on the lower level, I walked along the concourse before I decided to go to my seat so I could get ready for the game. I also got to enjoy the band who were performing on the field especially when they played Rocky Top, the unofficial school fight song. They finished their routine by forming the Power T. Seats in general appeared to be few & far between but I lucked out as I had an extra seat on the bench I was sitting on. I did have a nice young lady sitting next to me. She told me she went to school there. I told her about some of the different college venues I've been to since she asked me who I was rooting for. She was very knowledgeable & I enjoyed her company. During the first half, a guy who was all the way down low in the section got her attention & he told her to come down. It wound up being her husband. She decided to wait until half time before she joined him. When she left I had more space for myself. During the intermission, I turned around & I started talking to some more friendly people who were behind me. They were also fans of the Volunteers. We wound up chatting the rest of the game.

View from my seat at Neyland Stadium

Tennessee Band in the Power T formation

As for the game we saw, the Volunteers fell behind 17-3 in the first half. In the second half, they staged a comeback. They even took the lead late in the game but the Georgia Bulldogs were able to tie it up late as they were able to force overtime. The game was tied at 31. The Volunteers got the ball first in overtime. They appeared to be on their way to a possible touchdown but they wound up losing the ball as they fumbled. The ball went out of bounds in the end zone which resulted in a touchback for the Bulldogs. They took over & they kicked a field goal that gave them a 34-31 victory. It was an exciting game that the Volunteers should have won but they wound up giving it away.

After the game, I walked back to the car. I had to deal with some game traffic as I made my way towards Cookeville where I was spending the night at Knights Inn. I wound up driving 10 miles from Knoxville so I could have my post game dinner at Sonny's Bar-B-Q which I had mapped out in advance. I was so hungry. I wound up getting the all you could eat ribs that they were offering. Luckily I got there just in time to do so. Shortly after I placed my order, other people came in but they were told that deal was no longer in effect.

I took full advantage as I filled up my empty stomach. I came hungry & I left very happy. You can't beat southern hospitality. When I finally finished eating, I got back in the car & I drove 90 miles to the hotel where I called it a night.

Stay tuned for another special post that will go into detail about my latest visit to Nashville.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty meets up with Rick Morris of the FDH Lounge at Progressive Field in Cleveland!

Friday July 12th I took off from work so I could getaway earlier for the weekend. I went out to Long Island via public transportation & I rented a 2014 Chevy Cruze from Avis which had only 604 miles on it and it was equipped with XM radio.

I went back home & I picked up my bags & I headed towards Cleveland, Ohio. I got off to a later start than I hoped to. I left Astoria at 10:36AM.

Thankfully I was able to get out the NYC area in a timely fashion. As a result, I crossed the Delaware Water Gap shortly after midday. By doing so, I was able to position myself for a gas & late lunch break at Sheetz in Brookville, PA just before 3:30PM. I bought myself a made to order meal of chicken strips and mozzarella sticks which I ate as I was driving once I got back in the car.

I finally pulled into downtown Cleveland around 6:10PM which gave me enough time for the 7:05PM start. I was able to park the car on the street for free by Cleveland State University which is a short walk to Progressive Field formerly known as Jacobs Field which is the home of the Cleveland Indians. I contacted my pal Rick Morris of the FDH Lounge who was meeting me for the game as I was approaching the Cleveland area. He told me he'll be arriving around the same time. We decided to meet up at the Bob Feller statue in right field. We did so around 6:30PM. It worked out well. We proceeded to get our tickets and we went inside the ballpark.

Upon entry, I went to the souvenir stand located just inside the right field gate so I could get my new baseball passport book stamped which proves I was really at the game. These days anybody can buy a ticket online and say they were there without even leaving their home.

Official Stamp

After I did that, Rick & I went upstairs to section 553 which is right behind home plate. We sat down, relaxed and enjoyed the game together as the Indians were hosting the Kansas City Royals in the first game of the three game series over the weekend.

Prince at Progressive Field

As for the game we saw, it was scoreless until the bottom of the seventh inning when the Tribe finally broke through against the Royals' bullpen after starter Bruce Chen threw six shutout innings against them. The Indians got five straight hits to start the inning which netted them three runs. As it turned out, that was all they needed as they went on to beat the Royals, 3-0. The Indians got a great start from pitcher Corey Kluber who allowed just three hits over seven & two thirds of shutout ball. He did survive a scare from the Royals in the fifth inning as he allowed a lead off triple to David Lough. He then walked the bases loaded with one out but he was able to pitch himself out of the jam.

After the game, we were treated to a ten minute fireworks show that had a disco theme to it. It was nice to hear some music from back in the day. With that being said, I'm glad we stayed.

When it was all said and done, Rick & I walked back towards our cars. Once he got by the parking garage where he parked his car, we said our goodbyes. I want to personally thank Rick for making the time to join me for the game. His company as always was a pleasure. I hope to catch up with him again down the road.
Stay tuned for a special post that will go into detail about my post game meal with another special guest.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman