College Gameday Look: U.S. Airforce Academy

This week College Gameday takes us to Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colorado, home of the U.S.
Air Force Academy to see the Falcons take on their rival the Army Black Knights.

Falcon Stadium opened in 1962, at a cost of $3.5 million, and has a current seating capacity of 52,480. The first game was on September 22, 1962, when Air Force Falcons defeated Colorado State 24–0. 

Falcon Stadium was built into a natural bowl southeast of the center of the academic campus (and 500 feet (152 m) below). As with the rest of the campus, Falcon Stadium lies at the base of the Rampart Range of the Rocky Mountains , providing spectacular views. The design of Falcon Stadium is uniquely unbalanced, with the western side having two large grandstand tiers above the main bowl and the eastern having a single tier bordered by seven separate sections of grandstands.

The playing field is aligned in the traditional north-south configuration at an elevation of over 6620 feet (2017 m) above sea level.  Falcon Stadium is the second highest in Division I-A football, exceeded only by Wyoming's War Memorial Stadium, which is 600 feet (183 m) higher. The Walkup Skydome at Division I-AA in Flagstaff is also slightly higher, by 250 feet (76 m).

Falcon Stadium had a natural grass field for its first 44 years. Prior to the 2006 football season, synthetic FieldTurf was installed at a cost of $750,000. Natural grass remains around the perimeter of the FieldTurf surface. Permanent lighting was installed in Falcon Stadium in 2002 at a cost of $500,000, and the video screen at the south end of the field was installed in 2004. A new sound system was also installed for the 2006 season.

Trip of the Week: Atlanta

Trip of the Week - Atlanta
Saturday - Wake Forest @ Georgia Tech - 3:30
Saturday - Denver Nuggets @ Atlanta Hawks - 7:00
Sunday - Washington Redskins @ Atlanta Falcons - 1:00
Sunday - St. Louis Blues @ Atlanta Thrashers - 5:00

4 games in two days.  Hot-lanta is smoking... enjoy the weekend and rest up before you get down there.

Parade Tomorrow

The New York Yankees parade for 2009 will be held this Friday morning, New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg announced after the Yankees wrapped up their 27th World Series championship. Friday's ticker-tape parade will begin on Broadway at Battery Place at 11 AM ET and continue northbound up the Canyon of Heroes to Chambers Street. After that, Mayor Bloomberg will present the Yankees with the keys to the city.

Yankee fans will surely be in a lovable (and/or rambunctious) mood as the parade festivities kick off. Waiting nine years for another World Series championship may seem like nothing to fans of other baseball teams, but Yankee fans expect excellence from their clubs. The Yankees' last title of course came via a Subway Series victory over the Mets in 2000 (something about the NL East, they also beat the Braves in 1996 and 1999)

Thursday Night Football Site: East Carolina

With Help from ECU Athletic Site

This weeks Thursday Night Game takes us to East Carolina where the Pirates host the Virginia Tech Hokies.  After two consecutive losses, including a Thursday Night defeat last week.  Since they demolished Boston College 48-14 for thieir fifth straight win and a move into the top 5, VT then lost to Georgia Tech and North Carolina to almost drop out of the top 25.  A trip to Dowdy Ficklen Stadium may be just what the Hokies need.

The Bagwell Field at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium is the on-campus facility for East Carolina Pirates in Greenville, North Carolina.  The official capacity of the stadium is 43,000, making it the 4th largest in North Carolina. The record attendance for the stadium was on November 20, 1999 against North Carolina State University with 50,092 in attendance.

The stadium opened as Ficklen Memorial Stadium on September 21, 1963 with a win against Wake Forest. Construction of the stadium cost over $300,000, most of which was raised by the college’s Society of Buccaneers, the school’s booster club. It was originally named for James Skinner Ficklen, owner of Greenville’s E.B. Skinner Tobacco Company. Skinner was considered a friend of the college, and had established a scholarship fund.

The stadium originally consisted of only the south side stands, with a small press box and a lighting system. In 1968, the north stands were constructed, bringing seating capacity up to 20,000. In 1975, a $450,000 lighting upgrade was completed, moving the light stanchions to the perimeter of the stadium rather than the edge of the field. The renovation added 288 fixtures of 1500 watts each on six 162-foot towers. By 1978, the grandstands had been widened out towards the edges of the stadium, nearly doubling the size of the stadium to 35,000. The press box was also updated at this time, and a modern scoreboard was installed. In 1983, a modern drainage system was installed, and Tifton 419 Hybrid Bermuda grass was planted.

In April, 1994, Ron & Mary Ellen Dowdy of Orlando announced a $1 million gift to the ECU Educational Foundation, which would also contribute to the stadium’s continuing renovations. Ron Dowdy, class of 1966, is a member of the Board of Trustees, who runs Dowdy Properties, a real estate company in the Orlando Area. He has also served on the Executive Committee of the Florida Citrus Sports Association, the Board of Directors for the Florida Citrus Bowl, the Board of Directors at Humana Hospital Lucerne in Orlando, and the Senior Citizen Advisory Committee in Orange County. For their gift, the stadium was renamed Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium that year.

In 1997, the playing surface was renamed in honor of Al and Debby Bagwell, graduates of the university. Al has served as president of the Pirates Club (the modern booster club), and has served on the Board of Visitors.

In 1998, an upper deck was placed on the north side, bringing the capacity to 40,000. A year later, 3,000 more seats were added, bringing the capacity to its current level. In 2001, the Murphy Center, a training facility and field house which also contains the ECU Hall of Fame, was opened in the west end zone. One year later, the current $2 million scoreboard, which has an instant replay board and a deck on top for video production, was added to the east end.

East Endzone Seating East Carolina's Athletic Director, Terry Holland, annonced that seating in the east endzone will be completed in 2010. The expansion would put 7,000 extra seats in Dowdy-Ficklen, bringing the total capcity to 50,000.

Future expansion of the stadium includes enclosing the east end zone with additional seating and luxury suites, the addition of a new press box, suites, and upper level to the south side of the stadium, construction of a six story building for office space, player’s lounge, locker rooms, classrooms, and meeting rooms. Upon completion, the stadium’s capacity will be increased to over 62,000.

If you dont want to tailgate, check out some of these favorite student restaurants and bars for food and drinks beforehand:

Favorite Student Spots
Boli's
BW3's
Chico's Mexican Restaruant
Cristy's Euro Pub
Club Aqua
Ham's
Pantana Bob's
The Red Rooster

Other Places To Check Out
4th and Tavern
5th Street
Lucky's
Rumors
The Pita Pit
The Tank 

Want to go to the World Series?

How much would you pay for World Series Tickets?  Is the cance to see a Yankee title worth $27,500.00 each??????  Since the Phillies won Game 5 tickets have been skyrocketing.  These tickets are on StubHub for over 27 thousand dollars.  In this economy I'm not quite sure who they are planning on selling that to on StubHub, but I'm no expert.  Anyway, what the most you would pay for this game?  Lowest price on StubHub is $500.

Video You May Not Have Seen

History is going to happen at Yankee Stadium. Not sure who its going to happen yet, but someone will win a World Series on on Yankee Stadium Soil.


I thought we would celebrate this occasion with an awesoe performance from Jay-Z and Alicia Keys.

Hidden Gem: NYC Marathon

On the first Sunday in November, New York hosts some of the toughest runners in America.  In the words of Robert Tuchman "The city that never sleeps, hosts runners that never stop."  The New York City Marathon takes place from Staten Island at the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge through Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and the Bronx and ending in Central Park.

The NYC Marathon is considered one of the worlds great road races and premiere events.  the ING New York City Marathon attracts over 100,000 applicants. For some, the stakes are high (this years winner took home $200,000).  While others run for a cause or purely for pride.  The opportunity to race through Central Park with friends and family watching is more valuable than the six figure purse for many.  Two million people cheer on the runners from the city streets while over 300 watch from home.

This high profile, historical event is free to the public.  Just get to one of the five burroughs that the competitors race in and bring a sign to cheer them on.  The best place to watch is right off the 59th Street Bridge on the island of Manhattan  When the first runners are spotted, the party begins.  The celebration takes place at the bars on 1st avenue all the way to 96th street.  This is wehre to be if you are looking for the party atmosphere and not really supporting a specific runner.

This years 40th annual race was won Derartu  Tulu of Ethopoia with a time of 2:28:52 and Meb Keflezighi of the United States of America with a time of 2:09:15.  It was the first victory for a U.S. man since 1982.

MNF Guide: New Orleans

This weeks Monday Night Football Game takes us to New Orleans, where Drew Brees and the Saints host Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons.  This is a big divisional game.  While New Orleans is undefeated, they have yet to face an NFC South opponent.  A win in this one should mean a clear path to the division title.  Atlanta is the only team close in the division (4-2) and a victory will put them 3 games up, including a head-to-head victory.  Still, I expect Matt Ryan to play a hard, tough game, and keep the ball out of the New Orleans offensive hands and make a good game out of it.  Here is a Look at New Orleans and the Superdome.

Capacity: 65,000

City Guide: New Orleans is famous as a party town, and for good reason. No matter what day or what time it is, there are always people partying in the Big Easy. New Orleans is home to the Saints of the NFL, who play at the Superdome downtown. The dome hosts the Sugar Bowl each year, and is also a frequent host to the Super Bowland Final Four. The NBA's Hornets play at New Orleans Arena, adjacent to the Superdome. New Orleans is fairly compact, with the airport about 15 miles west. As for expenses, it is not so much the prices but the excess that make the town slightly expensive; even cheap food and beer becomes pricey when consumed in large quantities. Hotels in New Orleans are no more expensive than in other cities (for normal weekends, ie, not Super Bowl or Final Four), and there are plenty of hotels to choose from.  

History: The Superdome, opened in August 1975, is the largest indoor facility in the country for football and with its 20,000 tons of structural steel is the biggest steel-constructed venue. Besides its sheer enormity it might not be much to look at, but, remember, you're only a mile from the French Quarter. The Saints Hall of Fame (415 Williams Blvd., in the Rivertown section of Kenner, La., west of New Orleans, Web site), honors the team with busts and paintings of the 33 inductees, exhibits, memorabilia and videos. The hall really is quite impressive, especially considering the team has never reached the Super Bowl. Close to $140 million was spent to repair damages to the Superdome suffered in August 2005 during Hurricane Katrina; nearly 30,000 people reportedly took refuge in the building following the hurricane.

Parking: The Superdome has a garage attached with paid parking available. For more information, call (504) 587-3805. Tailgating in New Orleans is good but not spectacular, mainly as a result of the hundreds of bars within walking distance of the Superdome. But there are still plenty of diehard tailgaters at Saints games. The main tailgating area is the roof of the parking garage next to the dome. The Superdome has rules prohibiting open fires, but people manage to grill anyway. There is an organized tailgate party, featuring live music. You can bring your own beer or buy it there.

Restaurants/Bars:

Acme Oyster House - Located half a block off Bourbon St, the Acme Oyster House gets very high marks for its raw oysters ($6.95/doz), jambalaya, and other entrees ($7-$15). There is usually a wait outside, but its worth it. Don't miss this place.

Mothers - Mothers has great Cajun cuisine, including breakfast. Po' Boys run $4-$9, and entrees run $10-$18. Located a few blocks from Canal Street, near Riverwalk.

Mr. B's Bistro - Mr. B's is a moderately priced restaurant that serves up authentic Cajun food and also features live music. Located a block from Bourbon Street.
Kerry Irish Pub - Kerry's is a small Irish bar with live music and no cover charge. Relax to some good music and a pint of Guiness.

Other Attractions: The French Quarter is full of shops, in addition to bars that never close. There is a D-Day Museum and a Marti-Gras Museum in town, and the Aquarium and IMAX theater are on the river just outside the Quarter.  The Riverwalk, on the Mississippi at the end of Canal Street, is full of shops and restaurants. Jazzland Theme Park is also nearby. Or, if you want to drink all day, just walk up and down Bourbon Street with a beer in your hand.