It was a helluva day to be a Northwestern fan yesterday. Just a few thoughts from my experience in Sacramento:
- Fitz is a treasure. At the pre-game alumni part at Punch Bowl Social, which is literally 20 yards from the arena, Dr. Gragg got up and made a speech (reading from a note card
), and then the new president got up and said a few words. The crowd cheered. Then, they introduced Fitz. He sprang up on the podium, yelling "Go Cats!" and flexing, and the crowd just erupted. He was in full fan mode. He led the group in a "Defense! Defense!" chant to warm up for the game. Things didn't get off to a good start and the chants were in disarray. He said something like, "Woah, we're out of synch. Kinda like the 2022 football team." The crowd laughed. "Too soon?" he shot back. Then he delivered what could have been a halftime speech. He knows how to work a room. I never got a chance to do more than say hi to Fitz, but he was at the post-game with his two sons, too. There has never been a more beloved 1-11 football coach, I can tell you that.
- Golden 1 Arena is a great venue. It's very open and accessible. Concourses are huge. One end is all glass, so it lets a lot of natural light in. It's similar to Detroit's Ford Field in that regard. There were a lot of NU fans there, but nothing like Salt Lake City (I wasn't in SLC, but just going by the media/social media coverage). I saw some NU celebrities there, like Kevin Blackistone, Morty Schapiro, Doug Collins, Fitz, etc., but Mike Greenberg, Mike Wilbon, Christine Brennan, et al, weren't there. NU had the advantage in numbers, but it wasn't a real home-court advantage in my eyes. NU's cheers were louder, but BSU had a lot of fans there too. I don't know if the TV caught them, but there was a group of NU fans in the NU section wearing purple rain ponchos. Not sure why. There were five or six of them, a few former players (Nate Taphorn, Tino Malnati, Charlie Hall), a couple others I didn't recognize and...Ben Skowronek! How about that? It was good to see him back in purple. It was great to see that much purple, period. Boo praised the fans support in the post-game.
- I was sitting just to the left and behind NU's bench, maybe six feet from the court. I was sitting next to Dana Jacobson, the sideline reporter for CBS Sports (who smells amazing, by the way). I'm telling you, it's a whole new world seeing a game from that vantage point. Collins is a nervous bundle before the game, rubbing his fists together, pacing back and forth like a caged animal. During the game, he uses body English a lot, like we all do, to help a ball go in the net or find the right man. He likes to turn around quickly and make brief comments to his assistants, who agree or say something in response. Chase took a three early in the clock, and Collins wheeled around to the bench and yelled, "Bad shot!" (But the next time down, Chase took another three and nailed it.) Degenhart went right down the lane for a dunk and Collins threw up his hands and barked something at Nicholson as he ran back down the floor. Collins then whirled around to the bench. "Tydus!" he yelled. Verhoeven replaced Nicholson at the next whistle. Talor Battle is a very vocal and demonstrative coach. He gets right up in players' faces. Bryant McIntosh is a little more controlled and subdued, like he was as a player.
- We've got an NU press conference this afternoon, but Matt Shelton and I are looking forward to seeing a little bit of Sacramento today. I hope that the crowd on Saturday is as purple as yesterday's.
Go Cats!
- Fitz is a treasure. At the pre-game alumni part at Punch Bowl Social, which is literally 20 yards from the arena, Dr. Gragg got up and made a speech (reading from a note card
), and then the new president got up and said a few words. The crowd cheered. Then, they introduced Fitz. He sprang up on the podium, yelling "Go Cats!" and flexing, and the crowd just erupted. He was in full fan mode. He led the group in a "Defense! Defense!" chant to warm up for the game. Things didn't get off to a good start and the chants were in disarray. He said something like, "Woah, we're out of synch. Kinda like the 2022 football team." The crowd laughed. "Too soon?" he shot back. Then he delivered what could have been a halftime speech. He knows how to work a room. I never got a chance to do more than say hi to Fitz, but he was at the post-game with his two sons, too. There has never been a more beloved 1-11 football coach, I can tell you that.- Golden 1 Arena is a great venue. It's very open and accessible. Concourses are huge. One end is all glass, so it lets a lot of natural light in. It's similar to Detroit's Ford Field in that regard. There were a lot of NU fans there, but nothing like Salt Lake City (I wasn't in SLC, but just going by the media/social media coverage). I saw some NU celebrities there, like Kevin Blackistone, Morty Schapiro, Doug Collins, Fitz, etc., but Mike Greenberg, Mike Wilbon, Christine Brennan, et al, weren't there. NU had the advantage in numbers, but it wasn't a real home-court advantage in my eyes. NU's cheers were louder, but BSU had a lot of fans there too. I don't know if the TV caught them, but there was a group of NU fans in the NU section wearing purple rain ponchos. Not sure why. There were five or six of them, a few former players (Nate Taphorn, Tino Malnati, Charlie Hall), a couple others I didn't recognize and...Ben Skowronek! How about that? It was good to see him back in purple. It was great to see that much purple, period. Boo praised the fans support in the post-game.
- I was sitting just to the left and behind NU's bench, maybe six feet from the court. I was sitting next to Dana Jacobson, the sideline reporter for CBS Sports (who smells amazing, by the way). I'm telling you, it's a whole new world seeing a game from that vantage point. Collins is a nervous bundle before the game, rubbing his fists together, pacing back and forth like a caged animal. During the game, he uses body English a lot, like we all do, to help a ball go in the net or find the right man. He likes to turn around quickly and make brief comments to his assistants, who agree or say something in response. Chase took a three early in the clock, and Collins wheeled around to the bench and yelled, "Bad shot!" (But the next time down, Chase took another three and nailed it.) Degenhart went right down the lane for a dunk and Collins threw up his hands and barked something at Nicholson as he ran back down the floor. Collins then whirled around to the bench. "Tydus!" he yelled. Verhoeven replaced Nicholson at the next whistle. Talor Battle is a very vocal and demonstrative coach. He gets right up in players' faces. Bryant McIntosh is a little more controlled and subdued, like he was as a player.
- We've got an NU press conference this afternoon, but Matt Shelton and I are looking forward to seeing a little bit of Sacramento today. I hope that the crowd on Saturday is as purple as yesterday's.
Go Cats!
