It went something like this:
"The trees went by, me and Del were singing little Runaway. I was flyin'."
My Dad referenced this line while we were in California for a week around New Year's 1997 for the Rose Bowl. We were either on Ventura Blvd, passing an exit for it or just talking about it and how Petty mentioned it in Free Fallin' off this same album, "Full Moon Fever," when he cited the lyric above.
I honestly can't remember why or how these were connected in the context of our conversation.
What I can remember is a ton of great memories from that trip with my Father.
It was my senior year at The Ohio State University. I was on target to graduate on time in the Spring despite some scary academic moments earlier in which my Dad lit me up.
He was pretty laid back with discipline growing up until it came to grades. School brought out the dictator, authoritative, drill sergeant in him. Therefore, the hideous grades I came home with after one quarter living off campus caused him to rear his ugly head.
So with the #4 Buckeyes matched up with #2 Arizona State (this was pre-BCS), and my love of football and OSU, it was a perfect opportunity to celebrate the turnaround and generously present me with an epic graduation/birthday/Christmas gift.
Obviously, I was in a prolonged state of euphoria over this.
Nearly every Rose Bowl since I have made a point to call my Dad and remind him how thankful I am for that gift and that trip. It has become a nice tradition of mine that I take a good bit of pride in.
In almost every call, one of us recalls our surprise about how many people out in Pasadena cared more about the parade than the game. While we were there for the game and considered the parade so much of an after thought that we didn't even make an effort to get to Colorado Blvd in time, there were people lining the streets the night before just to secure a good spot for the Rose Bowl Parade the following morning.
I vividly remember talking to a mother and her son at a pizza place on New Year's Eve. They asked if we were from out of town and we responded, "Yes. We are from Ohio."
Naturally, that would tip off our reason to be there: The game.
Her response?
Something like, "Oh that is a long way to come for the parade. But we have people here from the east coast too. It IS a great parade, isn't it?"
Uh. Yeah. Sure.
After we said we came for the game, she asked, "What game?"
WHAT GAME!?
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Another odd experience was the location of the Rose Bowl stadium itself. It was in the beautiful mountains, but what surprised me was that is was surrounded by residential streets. We literally walked through a neighborhood to and from our car.
Weird.
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That New Year's Eve night was a cool scene. The streets were buzzing with people for the parade the next day. Music was playing. The weather was warm.
We went to an underground movie theater to catch a movie before the midnight, New Year's celebration.
Not underground like a hidden, Indie film house or anything cool like that. But literally a theater under the ground. There was an escalator to the doors.
The movie?
Jerry Macquire.
Meh.
Lame choices. That was the best option.
It had football in it. We were in a football state of mind.
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During the trip, my Dad and I spent a good bit of time in Los Angeles.
It is from both my parents that I get my appreciation and interest in college campuses. So we paid a visit to UCLA to check out the different sites, walking around to take in the sites. I remember very little to be honest, but it was cool.
We went to The Comedy Store. If I remember right, it was on Sunset. There was a two drink minimum and my Dad "warned" me what that meant and how he could "help."
No need. I laugh still thinking about that. Minimum was not a problem.
We then tried to get in to the House of Blues. Cypress Hill was playing. I was pretty amped to check them out. It wouldn't have been the first rap show my Dad and I attended together as funny as that may sound. That was old hat.
Unfortunately, (or maybe fortunately) it was sold out by the time we got there. People were pouring out of the door.
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Anyone who is a Buckeye knows how epic that game was.
OSU goes down 17-14 with just over a minute to go with a shoddy kicker at best. Looked like Jake "The Snake" Plummer had done it again. A late game score to win.
But two pass interference flags later our Buckeyes were on the doorstep.
Then Germaine to Boston on a beautiful little fake to the inside then flare out to the sideline for the game winning TD.
I can still see that play in my head along with the misty view of the scoreboard with Ohio State 20 and Arizona State 17 as the best damn band in the land plays all the classics in the corner of the endzone where we were sitting.
It was perfect.
It was perfect.
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There was this lady sitting next to me. to this day I swear she was an angel sent to be there for me.
While I went through my normal progression of emotions to sheer insanity, my Dad continued to live in the moment. This wasn't his first rodeo. He watched me grow up and into this intensity over my teams.
He had witnessed my whole range. Par for the course. Another day at the office.
In fact, just the year before I was home to watch The Game (OSU v Ann Arbor for those of you not in the know), and we got into a heated argument as Tim Biakabutuka ran for 313 yards on our defense leading Ann Arbor to an upset win. I think it ended with another episode of me walking up the street in socks.
But this lady had an odd ability to calm me and provided this sense of optimism I had never felt before.
I'm not one for the Bible or crazy religion, but I am open about my belief in the supernatural.
She was supernatural. She had me believing Joe Cool Germaine would lead our Buckeyes to victory on that last drive.
Haven't felt that way since. Even in the 2002 Title Game, I never felt like it would end my way like I did that day in hazy Pasadena, California.
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