Cowboys Stadium: Eagles at Cowboys

I woke up Sunday morning at 9 am. After my long day Saturday, it was a struggle to wake up. However, I wanted to get to Cowboys Stadium around 1 pm in order to tailgate in the parking lot before the game. I pulled away from my hotel shortly before 10 am and arrived at Cowboys Stadium at 1:15 pm.

Tailgating in Blue Lot 10
As I stated on Friday, my cousin, Andrew Holder, gave me tickets for the game. Plus, he gave me a parking pass – Blue Lot 10. Blue Lot 10 is directly next to Cowboys Stadium. It was a great spot – especially considering I needed to leave immediately after the game to get back to Love Field for my 8:00 pm flight. However, there was nobody tailgating in the parking lot. I was convinced that with a $75 parking pass that everyone would be tailgating as they do at Soldier Field but I was wrong.


Instead, my cousin’s friend and I had some drinks in the parking lot with two people from Buffalo who drove 21 hours from Buffalo to attend the game. They were also disappointed with the lack of tailgating at Cowboys Stadium.

The Game
The Cowboys defeated the Eagles convincingly 24-0 in front of the biggest crowd since the home opener (100,621). It was also the largest crowd at any NFL game I have attended.

The Cowboys also set some records during the game. First, they posted consecutive shutouts for the first time in team history. Consecutive shutouts have not occurred in the NFL since the Tennessee Titans did it in 2000 and is only the third time in 50 seasons the Cowboys have posted two shutouts in the same season.

Second, Tony Romo finished the season with a team record 4,483 passing yards – breaking his own record set in 2007.

Third, the Cowboys shut out the Eagles for only the second time ever and this was the first time the Eagles were shutout since week 13 of the 2005 season.

Fourth, the Cowboys had a winning record after Dec. 1 for the first time since 1996, while ending a nine-game losing streak in season finales.

One Eagles player even set a record during the game. Eagles’ linebacker Will Witherspoon became only the fifth player in NFL history to play 17 regular season games in a single season because of a mid-season trade.

Cowboys Stadium
Cowboys Stadium is as unreal experience. As I walked into the stadium, the atmosphere in the building was rocking as go-go dancers danced above the party pass attendees. Speaking of the party passes – they are essentially standing room only but worse. Unless you arrive at the game early, you will have to watch the game on the gigantic video board in the middle of the stadium.


However, that may not be a bad thing as the video board is unbelievable big. I found myself watching the game on the video board rather than the game on the field at times. If I was sitting in the upper deck, I would probably only watch the video board. Although everything was not perfect as the video board blanked out late in the fourth quarter.

NHL: Vancouver Canucks at Dallas Stars

While I was on my flight to Dallas I decided my best option was to attend the Dallas Stars game at 1 pm and then drive to San Antonio for the Alamo Bowl. My timing for the day would need to be nearly perfect. I figured the Stars game would last 2.5 hours, giving me enough time to drive to San Antonio.

My flight was scheduled to land at 11:45 am and Dallas Love Field is only a 10 minute drive (5 miles) to American Airlines Center. Thus, I figured I could make the Stars game on time. My flight was five minutes late and I had my rental car by 12:30 pm. Just as I thought, I was parking at 12:45 pm – just enough time to buy a ticket from a scalper and enter the arena.

Parking
I parked in a lot near the W Hotel for $10. This was the best lot so I could make my getaway to San Antonio after the game.

Obtaining Tickets
I only wanted to spend $10 on a ticket for the game. However, when I talked to a couple of scalpers they were not willing to part with their tickets for less than $50 ($150 face value). I ended up paying $40 for a club level ticket which did not have a face value on it. After the game I looked at the Stars’ website and they do not list a price (but it is listed higher than the $150 seats).

The Game
Scoring in the game came quickly after the intermissions. Vancouver’s first goal came 1:30 into the second period. Dallas tied the game 37 seconds into the third period and Vancouver took the lead two minutes later. Roberto Luongo then shut down the Stars – making 13 saves to close out the game. Vancouver scored an empty net goal with 17 seconds left in the game to win 3-1.

As soon as the final horn blew, I ran out of the arena to my car. It was 3:30 pm and I had a minimum four hour drive ahead of me.

Last Minute Changes to a Sports Trip?

As with any trip, last minutes issues occur and ideally you have made your plans flexible enough to change your trip if necessary. Originally, the Ultimate Sports Wife and I were planning to spend four nights in Dallas to attend the Cotton Bowl, Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Mavericks games. Of course, we were planning to visit one of Nicole’s friends from graduate school which made the trip worthwhile to her.

However, tonight (our flight is tomorrow morning) Nicole was not feeling well and wanted to know if she could back out of the trip. Since we booked our flights on Southwest Airlines (no cancellation or change fees), have not booked any hotels and have not purchased tickets for any of the games, she had the option to not go on the trip.

I only have tickets to the Cowboys game versus the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday since my cousin, Andrew Holder, gave me the tickets. Thus, I still have to make the trip. One quick call to my cousin and he has a friend to attend the Cowboys game with me.

New Plans
Now that Nicole is not travelling with me, my Saturday night has opened up. There are three options of games to attend based on when my flight arrives.

1) Dallas Stars @ 1 pm, the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio @ 8 pm
2) The Cotton Bowl at 1 pm, TCU men’s basketball @ 7 pm
3) Interliga doubleheader (Copa Libertadores qualifying tournament for Mexican soccer clubs) in Houston at 5:30 pm and 8 pm

At first I thought I could attend both the Cotton Bowl and Alamo Bowl. However, the drive from Dallas to San Antonio is between 4 and 4.5 hours. With bowl games taking four hours these days, I would have to either leave the Cotton Bowl (end around 5 pm) early or get to the Alamo Bowl late (starts at 8 pm).

The most likely scenario is option #1, unless I get lazy and do not want to make the drive to San Antonio. If my flight is extremely delayed I will drive to Houston.