One Great Season
Many friends and even strangers have asked over the last few months about the One Great Season book. My college football tour last year was the best thing I've done in my life and certainly worth a larger-scale effort, but the truth is, there will not be a book.
I'm very excited, however, to share the kinds of stories that would have gone into a book right here on this site every Monday. Each week I'll describe to you as personally as I can what that tour was like. The stories won't all be about football. Instead, I'll detail for you what kinds of successes or failures I encountered as an unemployed guy on the road trying to find his way around America all by himself for four months.
This being the first week of the new college football season, let me begin by sharing with you the story of the first week of my tour last year:
***
It was early Sunday morning in late August 2009, and I couldn't have been more ready — or nervous — to begin my life-changing journey. I tried a business-like approach, as if leaving my home for 15 weeks was old hat. But the truth was, I was scared shitless.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Complete Preseason Preview
I realized the three bags I would be taking with me -- a roller bag, a garment bag over my shoulder and a smaller carry-on over my other shoulder -- were incredibly heavy. The carry-on for the next four months would be packed with my laptop, camera gear, other gadgetry and a tripod/monopod combo bag that stuck out of the carry-on bag by several inches. Heavy, awkward and cumbersome.
I wasn't at the top of my block just yet and already I was sweating. Not necessarily because of the summer heat -- it was still early enough in the morning and the weather wasn't terribly humid -- but because carrying heavy things has always been taxing on my weak body that would no doubt get weaker over the next 15 weeks thanks to bad food and little exercise.
So I chucked the bags into a cab and said goodbye to my Brooklyn neighborhood of Fort Greene.
***
"Hi, sorry to interrupt your lunch, but my name is John Wise. I'm a 15-year news veteran and former sportswriter. I lost my job about six weeks ago and two weeks later I launched a brand new college football Web site. I heard you guys talking about college football and I just wanted to introduce myself, hand you my card and tell you that I'm en route to Stillwater for next week's Oklahoma State-Georgia game. I'll be hitting a bunch of big games all season. Check out my site if you get a chance."
GAMEDAY GALLERY: Georgia at Oklahoma State
Those were the words of a man whose life changed forever on Sunday, August 30. It was really the second time in about eight weeks that my life had changed forever. I couldn't have launched the Web site and planned to spend four months touring the country on a college football dream trip had I not lost my last job at a New York television station in early July. But as bad things often do, this became a good thing.
So there I was, at the Chili's restaurant at O'Hare Airport in Chicago, awaiting my connecting flight to Oklahoma City, juggling thoughts like, "Should I have the chicken?" and "What the hell have I gotten myself into?"
I can't remember what I ate, but I remember the service being terrible. At least, however, I was able to eavesdrop on the conversation at a nearby table and make that awkward introduction to two people who may or may not have checked out my site like I asked them to.
***
Moments after landing at Will Rogers World Airport, I deplaned and stepped foot into the fine state of Oklahoma for the first time in my life. It was a pleasant, warm, Sunday afternoon and when I got to the rental-car counter, the friendly guy at Enterprise, after asking me questions I'd already answered when I made my reservation online, started talking a little college football. He got the same story those two dudes at o'Hare got. And of course my business card.
The drive from Oklahoma City to Stillwater is barely more than an hour, so I just took in the sights of central Oklahoma, which is to say there weren't many. One tree, however, did catch my eye about midway through. It stood bare in a field no more than 100 yards off the highway, at least 20 feet tall and it was perfectly white. It certainly looked unusual.
Being in completely unfamiliar territory, I resisted any temptation to pull off the highway, a move I've made plenty of times before to take a picture of a setting sun, a wintry horse-and-barn scene, etc. But because I knew I'd be passing the area again, I noted the mile marker — 65 or 165, if I recall — I looked forward to shooting it later in the week.
By the time 4 p.m. or so rolled around, I found my hotel, about a half mile from the corner of campus at which the newly renovated and soon-to-be dedicated Boone Pickens Stadium was planted. If every week was going to be as easy as this one was — logistically, at least — then this tour would be a piece of cake.
Of course when I checked in to the hotel, the young man behind the desk turned out to be a college football fan as well. Guess who got a long, boring story and a business card?
Bags dumped, hands washed and teeth brushed, I ventured over to the campus and shot a couple of stand-ups (TV term) of myself in front of the stadium, introducing my tour on my cheap Flip video-camera in a short clip that later that night I would publish to my site. I ended up adding a ton of video to my site throughout the tour, but this was the only one of its type — me on-camera, setting the scene in front of a quiet stadium — that I'd publish. I don't really know why I stopped doing it.
Keep in mind, this was Sunday, six full days before the biggest and most hyped season opener in Oklahoma State football history and probably the biggest home non-conference game ever for the program. That would explain, this far in advance, why there were ticket scalpers hanging out at nearby gas stations a block or two away. Oklahoma State and Georgia both were ranked among the Top 15 in every preseason poll, but not scheduled to play each other for six days.
***
When I got back to the hotel, I flipped open the laptop for the first time in many hours and was pleased to notice an interesting development. I had launched onegreatseason.com in mid-July and obviously, site traffic was slow the first five weeks.
But almost like clockwork, the first day of my journey saw a noticeable spike in traffic. Cool friends like Houston Astros beat writer Alyson Footer and college football writers Joe Schad and Stewart Mandel sent notes out to their thousands of Twitter followers, telling them about my project and many responded. Big thanks to them.
I even received a few direct messages from recipients of those messages — who were now of course my newest followers — welcoming me to Stillwater, offering food and drink suggestions for the area and urging me to meet them for beers later in the week. The tour was getting off to a good start, and I hadn't even spent my first night away from Brooklyn.
Just before heading out to pick up some dinner, I did notice two cockroaches in separate locations of my otherwise clean-looking hotel room at the Microtel Inn. Perhaps an omen? Hardly; I killed those suckers, flushed them down and hustled over to Chipotle to cram a tasty burrito down my throat right next door.
But before I decided on Chipotle, I'd driven around the area and passed on a pair off uninviting-sounding places: Sirloin Stockade and Rib Crib. Nice.
***
Monday morning brought a return to the Oklahoma State campus for Media Day. After serving a pretty solid boxed lunch, the OSU Sports Information Department made about eight or 10 players available for small-group interviews for the 60 or so media folks who had gathered in the renovated athletic complex that looked more like an expansive clubhouse in which you'd enjoy a cold beer after a round of golf.
Guys like quarterback Zac Robinson, defensive back/return specialist Perrish Cox and linebacker Andre Sexton were among those taking questions from pencil-necks like me. No one said anything too controversial, though I learned first-hand why the girls of Stillwater loved them some Zac Robinson with those baby-blues.
After about a half hour, scribes scurried into the media room adjacent to the stadium press box. Coach Mike Gundy spoke for about a half hour, and knowing that my Flip camera didn't get great audio, I had to sit right up front. Right in the center of the first row, in fact. Unfortunately, for the sake of sensational video at least, Gundy launched no "I'm 40" bombs like he did a few years ago, but did offer up an interesting take on the NCAA's new requirement for opponents to shake hands with each other before their season-opening games.
"You have 110 or 115 (Oklahoma State players) that could potentially be in uniform and (Georgia's) bringing approximately 70," Gundy reasoned. "It just takes one guy to pop off, and I don't know that we could get it broken up before the game. That's one thing that concerns us.
"I have a lot of respect for (Georgia) Coach (Mark) Richt and their team and I'm sure he probably does for us, but how do you control something like that?"
Though the game was just five days away, Gundy remained uncertain what to do.
"We haven't made that decision," he said. "It's a difficult decision."
The teams ended up not shaking hands before the game.
***
I spent the rest of the day turning those interviews into video clips for the site, and of course trying too hard to be funny -- and mostly failing -- on Twitter:
@onegreatseason: "I've been in Stillwater 24 hours and have gotten more friendly and unsolicited hellos than in my 3 years in NYC."
And again the next morning, after my second straight complimentary continental breakfast:
@onegreatseason: "Three of my last four meals have been free, but I doubt I can sustain that level of fiscal efficiency throughout this four-month tour."
***
Monday was the only day to get interviews in Stillwater, so Tuesday morning I drove down to Norman, where the No. 3 Oklahoma Sooners were prepping for a large season-opener of their own.
OU would be playing 20th-ranked BYU in Dallas on Saturday, at the new Cowboys Stadium that the locals in Norman told me was nicknamed Jerry World.
Because parking was next to impossible at OU — a theme that would repeat itself frequently on this tour — I arrived at Media Day a little tardy. Running back Chris Brown was the last player to do a small-group interview, but since he was surrounded and there was a buffet table left unprotected, I knew what I had to do. OU quarterback Sam Bradford, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, and coach Bob Stoops would speak to the entire group a little later. Like, when I was done stuffing my face with more free food.
Once again, I sat up front with my weak Flip camera, and watched the media-trained Bradford answer easy questions and dodge tricky ones. Stoops also was quite adept at sidestepping any tough inquiries, particularly the one about rival Texas' cupcake non-conference schedule.
As I drove back to my hotel, I noticed an interesting place.
@onegreatseason: "Excellent name for a barber shop in Norman: The Mane Man."
And later that day:
@onegreatseason: "OU has a pretty campus. Nice architecture, lots of green, very clean. And a girl just rode by on her bike. No hands due to air guitar."
***
Back at my hotel, I called all the local TV stations, newspapers and sports talk radio shows to try to get some pub for my project. A nice sports reporter in Oklahoma City named Kelly Crull advised I try her TV colleague Mark Rodgers, who also hosts a sports talk show on local radio. Mark was cool and sounded very interested, and we lined up an interview, my first of what would thankfully turn out to be many such media opportunities for me.
***
I liked Adrian Taylor a lot. Oklahoma's junior defensive tackle was pretty fun to listen to when a few of the Sooners defensive players talked to the media on Tuesday.
And then on Wednesday, my last night in Norman, as I drove through campus one last time, I remembered I'd wanted to take a picture of the Barry Switzer Center next to the stadium.
After having parked illegally for about the eighth time in my 36 hours in Norman, I hustled over to snap off a few quick frames. As I turned to head back to the car, I heard, "You the newspaper guy?"
I turned back and at 6-foot-4, 291 pounds, he was one of the larger people who'd started a conversation with me in many years.
We realized we'd met the previous day after practice, and I explained my project to him, telling him it was made possible in large part by me having lost a job over the summer.
After some friendly small talk, he took my card, assured me he'd check out the site and even said, "I hope you get back on your feet." Very nice kid.
Anyway, turns out his dad is somewhat skilled in the culinary arts. "An undercover chef," Taylor called his father. The family is from Mansfield, Texas, not far from Dallas, where he and his teammates would be in just a couple days. Naturally, a big ole Texas barbecue was on the itinerary at the Taylor home Friday night.
r ***
Thursday morning, I did a live Web-cam interview with WNYW TV, the FOX station in New York. This would turn into a regular thing throughout the tour's first 10 weeks or so before it fizzled out. But my friends at WNYW, Brett Larson and Kathy Carvajal, were nice enough to let me come on their morning Web show and bore their audience.
@onegreatseason: "It's Thursday, day 4 of the OGS tour, and that can mean only one thing: it's time to think about wearing a different shirt."
***
Back to Mark Rodgers, who had me on his show for about 10 or 15 minutes on Thursday. That morning, I was so excited, so I sent out alerts on Twitter and Facebook to let friends know they could listen to my long stories and shaky voice in a live interview. I like getting the media coverage, but I'm just not very good at it.
Anyway, several people must have checked out my site during the radio interview Thursday, because by the time it was done, I had a few new emails waiting in the in-box. One, in fact, was from a guy in New York who said he listens to Rodgers, his old fraternity brother, as often as he can. He gave me a restaurant tip for Oklahoma City, but it was a little out of my price range. Nice guy nonetheless.
The second stranger was someone I still keep in touch with. Clayton Taylor was nice enough not only to send me a flattering note about my project, but he included a very nice invitation — complete with color-coded PDF map — to his rather large tailgate party scheduled for Saturday in Stillwater.
I got on the road around noon and headed back up to Stillwater. On the way, I stopped in downtown Oklahoma City — not far at all from Norman — for some lunch, and stumbled across the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum. The very nice security guard working there told me the story that he must explain dozens of times every single day.
He described to me the Gates of Time, described here on the museum's Web site.
"These monumental twin gates frame the moment of destruction – 9:02 a.m. – and mark the formal entrances to the Memorial. The East Gate represents 9:01 a.m. on April 19, and the innocence of the city before the attack. The West Gate represents 9:03 a.m., the moment we were changed forever, and the hope that came from the horror in the moments and days following the bombing."
He also pointed to a tree next to the memorial's reflecting pool and said, "That's where they parked the truck" that contained the explosives, triggering the tragedy that killed 168 people in 1995. That was pretty chilling, as I was about 15 feet away from the tree when he said it.
After taking some pictures, I stopped for a sandwich and made my way back to the highway, en route to Stillwater.
And I completely forgot to stop at exit 65 or 165 to shoot that tree.
***
When I returned to Stillwater, I needed a room at a different hotel because the other one was sold out throughout the weekend. Many Georgia fans made the trip up, two of whom were nice gals who stayed just down the hall at my new hotel.
I was excited about Thursday night ever since Monday when I met Ryan Stewart, the sports editor for Oklahoma State's student newspaper, The Daily O'Colly. In addition to sharing some very helpful hints about the Oklahoma State football team, he also was proud to tell me that OSU has more national championships in wrestling than in-state rival Oklahoma has in all sports combined.
The eager youngster told me some other interesting things about the history of OSU athletics, then told me I needed to hit the very famous Eskimo Joe's for all-you-can-drink Thursday.
I already knew of the place, but had no idea of the $5 all-you-can-drink program. A month or two earlier, when I was looking for sponsors, I called the fine folks at Joe's, but like everyone else, they weren't interested in helping sponsor my project.
If I recall, all I had to do was pay that $5 cover and arrive after 10 p.m. in order to be the creepy old guy consuming unlimited drinks by himself at a college bar.
I got there a little early and gulped down some sliders and a couple of beers and started watching the Oregon-Boise State game. Yes, that Oregon-Boise State game.
At about 10 p.m., the Georgia gals from my hotel floor — Michelle and Sandy &mash; showed up to say hello. After a few minutes of chit chat, they said they were ready to walk around. That is often a polite way for females to say to me, "OK, we'd rather do something other than talk to you."
Both bartenders were OSU students, and after it became clear that I was neither local nor cool, they started to talk to me presumably out of sympathy. I told them about my project — gave them cards, of course — and they seemed intrigued. The conversation with them was good, but the bar was starting to get pretty crowded full of people far younger, so it was time for me to split.
I got out of there and by the time I got back to my room, that Oregon-Boise State game was in the fourth quarter and was able to watch that bizarre ending.
***
I woke up early on Friday and made my way over to the campus just to walk around a bit. I saw a crew setting up Sports Illustrated's Heisman Trophy Tour on one side of the stadium, and some students camping out on the other side, 24 hours before kickoff.
Students in Stillwater have been notoriously supportive of their Cowboys over the years. In fact, I recall watching OSU play Cincinnati — my alma mater — in basketball on ESPN in the early 2000s. It was the first time I'd watched a game at Gallagher-Iba Arena and the atmosphere was electric. I remember telling myself that I'd like to get to Stillwater at some point in my life.
After a pretty hearty Greek lunch off-campus, I returned to my hotel to make some last-minute calls and see if any radio people wanted to talk to me about the next day's big game.
I got a producer on the horn at 1430 AM in Tulsa. As I was telling him my story, he repeated a couple of details, prompting a voice in the background to ask, "Is that the One Great Season guy?" That was a small win for OGS.
Anyway, it was show host Jeremie Poplin, who grabbed the phone during a commercial break and asked, "Are you the same guy who got arrested in St. Paul last year?"
I asked him how he knew about that fiasco, and Poplin said he heard I was in town for the Oklahoma State-Georgia game, so he did a little research. He knew about my arrest covering the Republican National Convention in 2008, as well as some of my other exploits. That was a little bit of a confidence builder. We ended up doing a couple interviews during the season.
That night I planned to stay in my room and watch a really bad game between Tulsa and Tulane. Over the next two hours ...
@onegreatseason: "The 'Play Like A Champion' mantra is now officially out of style. Tulane has it in its locker room."
@onegreatseason: "Before Tulane runs its second play of the new season, the Green Wave call a timeout."
@onegreatseason: "Not to be outdone, Tulsa calls a timeout before its FIRST play of the second half. On first down."
Then a text message came from one of my new Twitter friends, Emily Andrew. She told me her husband's band was playing at some off-the-beaten-path joint, so of course I went to socialize.
A long, country-ish road led me to what looked like a renovated barn, but sure enough, I was in the right place. There were certainly some pick-up trucks in the parking lot, and a few cowboy boots and hats once I got inside. I was a little nervous, what with my nerdy black glasses and overall not-from-around-here look and manner. But this was what I signed up for, right?
Being my first week away from the hustle-bustle of New York, it was a nice, laid-back and sprawling setting at which to have a drink and make some new friends.
I actually had several beers before I even found Emily. She was nice enough to introduce me to a bunch of her friends, but instead of getting to know them, I arrogantly hogged the conversation and told them all about One Great Season. Sorry, Emily!
Among those I met were Bryndon Manzer and his lovely sister Brandye. Bryndon played basketball for Oklahoma State and is now an analyst for ESPN.
Of course when I got back to the hotel I had to have just one more beer. So I popped into the lobby bar that was packed full of Georgia fans. And because I'm tall, thin and wear nerdy glasses, it only made sense that a drunk guy in his mid-50s with a beer gut and a Napoleon complex stepped to me and began harassing me almost immediately.
I couldn't possibly be writing a book about college football. I mean, how on earth could I possibly know anything about sports? I wear glasses. I'm preppy. I have no idea what it takes to be a Division I college athlete. After all, this guy, 35 years ago, played softball at Georgia during his freshman year. After what I thought was a reasonable argument didn't get through to him, I lied and told him I played basketball for Bob Huggins at Cincinnati back in the early 1990s. I even played in the Final Four and Elite Eight in back-to-back years. I didn't play much, of course, but I made the team, at least. Guess who that guy suddenly wanted to buy a beer for?
***
Saturday morning -- my first offical game day on the One Great Season tour. My batteries were charged and my SD and CF cards were empty, waiting for some cool pictures to be taken in that sea of orange-shirted loudmouths known as Boone Pickens Stadium. A 2:30 p.m. kickoff awaited, but before the game could start, I had some serious tailgating to do.
The hotel where I stayed wasn't too terribly far from the stadium, but just far enough that it would have been an uncomfortable walk with a bunch of camera gear. Plus, skies above were gray earlier in the day, and I didn't want to risk getting caught in the rain with expensive equipment.
So I parked on a sloped lawn next to an apartment building for a nice price of only $10. On my six-block walk to the stadium, one house boasted a big sign advertising parking spaces for $30. The sign in the yard of the house next door? "$29.99. We will not be undersold." Good times in Stillwater.
I found Mr. Taylor's tailgate section before noon. I ate and drank and met many nice people. It was a gorgeous Saturday afternoon and a part of me was just excited to be around a great college football atmosphere. It was a new season and I was about to watch what promised to be a great game. I was so caught up in the game-day atmosphere that for a minute, I almost forgot about the little OGS project that could.
At one point, a few of us ditched the tailgate party to watch The Walk. Many big football programs have a walk. The players and coaches walk from a campus landmark to the stadium, while adoring, screaming, alcohol-influenced fans form a human tunnel and cheer and scream and hope for high-fives with the great young gladiators they'll be watching in just a few short hours.
Today's walk was slightly different, because afterward, coach Mike Gundy and other OSU luminaries stood by while T. Boone Pickens cut the ribbon at the stadium dedication ceremony. The oil billionaire and Oklahoma State graduate donated a $165 million gift in 2005 to help fund the stadium's renovation, which was completed in time for this huge game against Georgia.
So it was back to the tailgate party, where Mr. Taylor manned the grill and his lovely wife Marnie made the rounds, keeping sure that everyone had what they needed. Their son, Clay, an OSU senior, had some of his entertaining friends in attendance as well. It was early in the afternoon, yet at least one or two of his buddies were already on their way.
Mr. Taylor works in politics, so it was pretty neat to see some high-ranking Oklahoma politicians. I said hello to the very friendly Democratic Lt. Gov. Jari Askins, who's also bidding to become Oklahoma's first female governor. That election is scheduled for November of this year, and also will be when former OSU football player Todd Lamb, a Republican senator, will be on the ballot to replace Askins as lieutenant governor. I met him as well and he, too, was quite friendly, as was his wife, Monica.
***
"I came here to drink beer and photograph a great football game. And it looks like we're all out of beer."
OK, I never said that, but it was nonetheless time to go inside the roaring stadium as kickoff was approaching.
I got down to field level and it was a complete zoo. I couldn't have imagined a more exciting way to not only begin a new season of America's greatest sport, but to kick off this once-in-a-lifetime project.
I situated myself behind the end zone closest to Georgia's locker room. I got my gear all set up and suddenly the Georgia band just started pumping. Loudly. I have no idea what song it was, but there was a great beat to it and as soon as I allowed myself to get caught up in it, I saw some Georgia players come down the ramp from the locker room.
Within moments, all the players had collected at the mouth of the ramp to the delight of the several-thousand Bulldog faithful who made the trip. Everyone in the near corner seemed to be wearing red, and their screams almost drowned out the sound of the band. It was so loud.
As the players bounced to the beat, and the anticipation built under the hot sun, the hair on my arms stood tall like a poised quarterback in a well-protected pocket. A grand crescendo was indeed only moments away on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon right in the heart of downtown I Don't Have A Care In The World, USA.
A whistle blew, probably an ESPN guy or someone helping with the television broadcast. Whose whistle it was is irrelevant, but what happened next wasn't.
The Bulldogs sprinted out on the field and I captured it on that weak Flip camera. I must have played that video 100 times over the next week or two. It was about 30 seconds of controlled madness. The players sprinting out, ready to begin a new season, and their school's proud marching band increasing the volume during this minute of human electricity. It truly was one of the best moments of my tour, and I still hadn't even watched one minute of football.
Of course I uploaded that video to an external hard drive which broke at some time during my tour. Otherwise you'd be watching it right now. Sorry.
***
About a minute into the game, a young guy with a black golf shirt and a fancy video camera on his shoulder was hustling past me but stopped for a second to read my own shirt. In white lettering, his had his then-Twitter handle on it: "@ESPNCameraGuy." My white T-shirt had big, bold, black lettering, with a stacked message reading: "One Great Season Dot Com."
My new friend, Jackson Helms Smith, stopped and asked, "Are you the One Great Season guy?" That made my day.
We shook hands quickly, and then he remembered he had to get back to work bringing pictures of the biggest college football game of opening weekend into the homes of millions of ESPN viewers.
***
The game was a pretty good one. Georgia scored an early touchdown on a long drive led by senior quarterback Joe Cox, taking over in 2009 for No. 1 NFL draft pick Matthew Stafford.
But the rest of the game was all Oklahoma State. Quarterback Zac Robinson hooked up with Dez Bryant on a pair of touchdown passes, one a long one and the second a short one that seemed to settle the matter midway through the fourth quarter. I was able to shoot both touchdowns, including the second one that happened right in front of me as I shot from just behind the end zone.
The postgame celebration was sick. Sure OSU had perhaps its biggest preseason expectations in school history, but Georgia was no slouch. Defeating the Bulldogs on national television was certainly worth enjoying for as long as possible. And that's what many fans and players did.
Bryant was one of the last Cowboys to leave the field. He couldn't get enough of the high-fives and autograph requests. One bench-warmer-looking player even asked Bryant if he'd come over and say hello to the player's parents. The star of the game happily obliged, shook a few more hands, then jogged off the field and disappeared into the tunnel.
About 20 minutes after the game's final play, many of the lower-level seats were still full of orange-shirted loyals enjoying the moment, as well as the comfortable sunshine above them.
I rushed into the tunnel myself, got a few postgame quotes from OSU coach Mike Gundy in the palacial media room, then hurried off upon realizing my Flip camera was worthless in this environment. No matter; I knew heading into the project that people weren't planning to hit my site for postgame quotes and stats. They can get that stuff elsewhere.
Where I knew I would need to make my mark was through visuals. Sure weekly press-conference videos might work, but still imagery is always an effective hook. So after lugging my gear those six blocks back to my rental car, then sitting in traffic for an hour before driving no more than a mile back to my destination, I arrived at the hotel prepared to work.
The neighbors Michelle and Sandy were thinking about having a drink or two and were nice enough to ask if I wanted to join. But I had work to do. I spent about six hours doing what would become a weekly routine:
+ Uploading all my pictures to my computer or hard drive. At each game I would shoot somewhere around 1,000 pictures. So uploading them all became quite time-consuming. Most of the time I shot in RAW mode (much heavier files than .jpg) and my computer wasn't exactly brand new or full of storage space.
+ Opening the images in Photoshop, 20 at a time, then closing out the ones I didn't want and editing the ones I liked and saving to a new folder.
+ After going through all 1,000 or so images and editing the keepers, now it was time to upload to my site, again a time-consuming affair.
After beginning this effort at about 7 p.m., I probably finished up at about 1 a.m. In between, I did take a quick break to scoot down the hall to do a shot of whiskey with the Georgia girls. Then it was back to my room to watch the Alabama-Virginia Tech game and continue to edit.
***
An early wake-up call got me up and on the road in time to drive back down I-35 — of course forgetting once again to stop and shoot that tree — to Will Rodgers World Airport.
It was on this morning that I realized that packing three bags every single Sunday will most likely suck. I didn't pack very many clothes -- three or four of everything, basically -- but the gadgetry and other non-clothing items did take up a fair amount of space and would need to be unpacked -- and packed back up -- each of the 15 weeks of the tour.
But I felt like it was such a successful opening week that I let myself escape for a minute once I got to the airport. After checking my two bags, I got to my gate with the carry-on bag that had the tripod-monopod bag hanging out. Remember that? Anyway, the cell phone rang a time or two, I did some more photo editing on the laptop and I felt like I was doing some good work.
Only I wasn't getting paid. Nor was it even volunteer work. I was actually paying to do the work and I loved every minute of this first great week.
In my opinion, however, there was some influx of currency throughout the tour, and I earned a little bit each week whenever a stranger allowed me to tell my story. And in the airport in Oklahoma City, two men with Georgia hats sitting next to me at the gate expressed their curiosity about the images I was editing on the laptop.
I was starting to enjoy the interest people were showing in my project, and what lay ahead on this day was yet another reason to be happy on this sunny Sunday morning. I was about to board a plane to Louisville, where I would rent a car and drive to a Labor Day fireworks party up the road in Newport, Ky., before heading up to Columbus the following day to prep for the Ohio State-Southern Cal game.
Could a life-changing college football project begin any better?