This past weekend started with a nightmare and ended with disappointment, but all-in-all I had a blast with my dad in Minneapolis.
I took off Friday because I had a 6:35 flight in the morning. Unfortunately, I was unable to fall asleep, and then I slept right through my alarms. Yes, more than one alarm. After missing my flight, I was put on standby, went home, and caught up on sleep. Upon returning to the airport, I found out that my morning flight was actually cancelled due to a flight gear issue…which meant that EVERY person originally on my flight now was going to be fighting for spots on the rest of the flights to Minneapolis. After waiting on standby for two more flights, they finally sent me home with a guaranteed ticket for 6:35 am on Saturday. Even though I wasted a PTO day at work and spent nearly all day in Pittsburgh International Airport, I was content. I’m pretty sure I’ll hate Delta/Northwest for a long time, though.
I made my flight Saturday, and finally met up with my dad in Minneapolis. It was my first time in the city, and I have to say I had a great time! Granted, the weather was phenomenal for October in the Midwest, but I think I would’ve enjoyed the city regardless. The people were really nice, the city seemed pretty cool, and the food was good. I don’t really ask for much more than that. After eating a ton of food, getting drunk with my dad while watching in anger as the Yankees beat the Angels, and walking nearly every square foot of downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul, we were set for the real reason we made the trip…the Vikings and Ravens game!
Having never been to the Metrodome, I was really excited to experience a new team’s home field and crowd. The Metrodome was unimpressive, but it was cool to go to my first dome game. The vibe was a lot different from most of the games I’ve gone to, since the Vikings and Ravens hardly ever play. The lack of a rivalry was evident from the outset. The fans were very friendly and there was such a passive vibe during the game. There wasn’t any trash talking or anything…just pure enjoyment of the spectacle on display. Legends and top-tier players everywhere on the field – Brett Favre, Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Adrian Peterson, Jared Allen, Ray Rice, etc. Waching players like that is worth every penny.
The two most memorable parts of the Vikings stadium experience was the player introductions. While the inflatable viking ship seemed a little cheesy at first, once Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant Song started, and the inflatable vessel started moving side to side, I have to admit…I was HYPED for some football. It gave me a serious rush. The second thing I remember was the song that they sing after every score. While a little goofy, it gives you a real idea of the traditions that these old school teams have. It’s really cool, despite it’s redundent nature (when you’re team gets scored on a lot).
Anyway, the bonus to seeing all of the great players on display was that the game itself was probably the best game I’ve ever watched live. After an awful start, where the Ravens went 3-and-out while the Vikings responded with 2 touchdowns, the Ravens woke up and faught back little by little to take the lead in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, 4 things kept the Ravens from winning: Adrian Peterson, Brett Favre, Sidney Rice…and Steven Hauschka.
Peterson came up with huge plays all day, but Brett Favre and Sidney Rice were the real killer. The Ravens secondary couldn’t stop that connection…especially when Frank Walker was covering Rice after the Ravens took a late fourth quarter lead. Amazingly, even after the Vikings regained the lead, the Ravens drove back down the field to put themselves into a position to win with a field goal. At this point, I’m pretty sure my dad and I were both sitting there with all of the confidence in the world. The way this game was going, there was no way the Ravens were going to lose. It just seemed like the storyline was so perfect…
Unfortunately, Hauschka sent the numerous Ravens fans that we saw in the Metrodome home questioning Harbaugh & Co.’s decision to let Stover walk away during the offseason when he hooked the would-be game-winning field goal wide left from the left hash from 44 yards out. Ugh.
It’s the third straight loss for the Ravens, but it’s hard to not be at least somewhat optimistic after a game like this. The last three games have been incredibly close, and a play here or there could’ve seen the Ravens sitting anywhere between 4-2 and 6-0. Unfortunately, they lost those close games, but if the Ravens can correct some of their mistakes, anything can happen going forward.
Regardless, I loved the trip, the city, and spending some quality time with my dad. I’m looking forward to catching the Vikings for the second straight week when they come to town next weekend to play the Steelers.
