Flashback on SB56 a few months late

It’s 9pm and we’re flying down Century Boulevard in West Los Angeles in the back of a bike taxi. Weaving through traffic the overloaded tires slam the pavement on every bump - inches from getting clipped by the crazed honking drivers hanging out the windows screaming. The three of us are crammed into the two narrow seats as the driver pedals his ass off, dripping sweat as he hauls us the last two miles to the hotel.

They did it. They won the last game of the most amazing season. We were there to see it.

So many incredible story lines, such a great team and an incredible experience to walk out of the stadium and walk down Century Boulevard surrounded by the eruption of joy from a community of fans that believed in this team through everything.

48 hours earlier I didn’t think we’d be going. But the pressure had been building, and building..


This journey actually begins before the NFC Championship game against the 9ers. The wife and I were driving back from Portland Oregon to Spokane, about 350 miles. Our boys live in Portland and we needed to get home before the game started. Gorgeous day driving through the Columbia Gorge when I realized it was destiny for the Rams, and reflecting on Stlzrms earlier thoughts to enjoy the journey! More on this later.

My yearly goals for the Rams are pretty simple, be competitive and beat the 9ers. SF has been sent home. Mission accomplished and we are one of two teams left in the tournament. I’m a happy man. Can’t ask for much more, eh? So the conversations begin, honey you need to go to the Super Bowl. Nah, I’m not paying $10k to go to a football game. Then my oldest son starts pressuring me. I tell him no, but that didn’t fly. Getting a lot of pressure from the wife, three kids and even the grandkids. My head is going to explode. I tell my oldest, Mike, let’s sleep on it and think on it. OK, the pressure has been put off for the time being and we’re still 10-11days from the game.

Then my daughter buys me an NFC Championship shirt. Aaaagh! Cool shirt, but I won’t touch it unless they win it all. I can’t jinx things. She asks me a few days later how it fits and I tell her haven’t had a chance to try it on yet. But I’m not superstitious.

Weekend before the game we start looking at ticket prices, $5-$6k for seats, and these are bottom end nosebleeds. Not in my ballpark, but I can see prices are starting to fall, albeit gradually. I haven’t made stupid spending decisions in my 69 years and I won’t start now. At least that’s my thinking.

It’s Wednesday or Thursday before the game and I’m seeing a few prices in the $2,700 range. All right, I can deal with that so I start to see what the reals costs are. It’s California so I figure the tickets will have a climate change surcharge or something. Oh no. Fees for the tickets are $700 to $1,200 each. I totally lose it and tell everyone I’m pissed and done. Gosh I was hot.

It’s Friday morning and I catch up with a buddy from Toronto. Told him about this Super Bowl ticket saga and the fees for the tickets. He tells me the last thing he did with his dad before his passing was going to the World Cup and having an incredible experience. His dad passed a few months after. Sheesh, did I really need to hear that? Oh well, how do you put a price on not having to listen to Chris Collingsworth. You can’t.

Friday lunchtime- I call Mike and tell him let’s do this. Pressure is off, I already had plane tickets and Mike had booked a room at LAX Hyatt Regency, about 5 minute walk from Southwest gates. A few hours later he had 3 tickets, section 439 first row.


Saturday AM - I see a lady at the Spokane airport with a handicap scooter wearing a Rams hat. She’s going to the game and tells me all the different Rams hats she’s worn the last few days. I tell her I’m going too. She asks if I’m to the game or just LA for the game. The game, I tell her smiling. She asks me what I paid for tickets, but I tell her my son bought them and don’t know. Still don’t.

Saturday morning, Southwest flight to LAX from Spokane goes thru Sacramento. By the way, Sacramento airport was first class, clean with gobs of space. Had a couple of hours at Sac so I get in line for Starbucks. I see this lady in line wearing Rams gear with #91. She comes out and I give her a thumbs up and ask her if she’s going to game. “Hell yes, my nephew is playing”. She was pumped!

Arrive LAX around 5:30 pm and Mike is waiting for me. We walk to the hotel and grab dinner. My youngest son won’t arrive till almost midnight, but he’s a Bears fan and does not need to sleep! Now, how are we gonna get to and from the stadium, 3.5 miles away? Many Bengal fans in hotel hanging out and having dinner. JamIe Lee Curtis is there on her laptop and eating a salad by herself. She had the hair, glasses, face, must have been her! Maybe.

My son walks up to Bengal fans in jerseys and asks what brings you guys to town? They look at him like he’s nuts then start laughing. Watching their reaction I about wet my pants. Talked with neighbors of Zac Taylor. All the Bengal fans we visited with were great, before-during and after the game. Anyway, they booked some VIP chauffeur set up. We tried, but it was booked. We booked a LYFT to and from the stadium. “To” the stadium worked great as we left at 10 am, “from stadium” - not so well.

They opened the stadium floodgates @ 11am and we were free to enter the stadium. I’ve been to 11 or 12 NFL stadiums, but this place is the new standard. By far. Look, I loved the Colesium and enjoyed seeing games there, but SOFI has no equal. Not on this planet anyway. I did attend the COVID delayed Seahawks game and the experience was incredible. It’s difficult to describe how the Occulus and the sound system can get the fans rev’d up during the game. Maybe it’s the video game culture. Regardless, it makes attending a game better by leaps and bounds, and I did not think that was possible.

We grabbed some food and wandered around the stadium. Food was pretty good, not great, not bad. Stopped at one of the NFL Jersey-hat shops and scoped it out. Boys wanted to buy me something and I saw a hat I liked, but told ‘em don’t buy it cause I wouldn’t wear it if they’re lost. Don’t like participation ribbons.

We worked our way down to the 200 end zone section and watched warmups. Both kickers were flawless. Watched Brycen Hopkins in the end zone catching pop ups and I’m assuming for special teams work. Told my oldest he wouldn’t be suited up if not for Higbee’s injury. OJB is fun to watch warmup and he did not disappoint. He snagged a pass with his right hand while running away from the QB. I turned to my son and asked if he saw that, and he did, just amazing! Then off to our seats.

Seats were fantastic, first row section 439 above Rams sidelines. The screen kept showing players from each team prior to the game. Bengal kicker was hamming it up with fans when he sees himself on screen. He was happy to be there. AD, Von Miller and Rams paid no attention to their mug shots. It was a workday and they were focused. Our section had probably 60-70 % Rams fans and a couple of Niner jerseys. Glad they were there for support! They must like to see us win. Guy to my right wearing 85 Youngblood jersey and to his right a solo Bengal guy who was at KC game two weeks prior. Great guy.

Getting close to game time and the three of us can’t believe we are really here. Jimmy, my youngest, is wearing a Rams T shirt. Crazy for a Bears fan! America the Beautiful and National Anthem were special. Then the Rock! I wasn’t expecting the Rock. Ha!

I get a few text messages from my nephews in Denver. They made two bets. OBJ would score first TD and Stafford would throw 3 TDS. That worked out pretty well. My brother in law texts me with a picture of his kids at a monster truck show. And he says “he gets to go to the monster truck show while I’m at some crummy football game “.

Only a few comments on the game. Weddle got hurt early and was having a hard time picking himself off the carpet for most of the game. I thought he would be on the bench at any time. The air really came out of the Rams fan’s balloon when OBJ got injured. Several Bengal players kneeled nearby and the crowd knew it has a huge change of momentum. Told my boys one of the young guys needed to step up. I couldn’t have predicted Brycen Hopkins was going to be the guy.

Halftime show. Not really my thing, but I do like Snoop Dogg’s beer commercials. Pretty fascinating watching them setup and tear down the half time set in 6-7 minutes.

Start of third quarter. Wow, 10 Bengal points in less than two minutes. They never showed OPI face mask on the big screen (at least I didn’t see it) by Higgins so I just thought Ramsey fell until after the game.


When Kupp caught his second TD the stadium just exploded. It is a moment in my life I will never forget. It was like decades of LA Rams frustration erupting . George Allen, the Fearsome Foursome, Youngblood, Dickerson, Slater, Dennis Harrah, Freddy Dryer, Roman, Jack Snow, James Harris, Carol Rosenblum, all let out decades of frustration in one 10 second burst. It was pure joy at the highest level possible. Otherworldly and one of the highlights for my life.


Game over - head to NFL shop. It’s been mucked out. I mean CLEANED OUT! Ha!
We went to lower end zone level and watched the celebration for almost an hour.
Time to get back. If any of you get a chance to buy a hotdog and onions from the small food cart vendors after leaving stadium, don’t hesitate. They are fantastic, especially after not eating anything during game.

No Lyft to be found so we start walking Century Blvd. Rams fans going crazy, Bengal fans taking crap. Bunches of Rams fans on corners yelling Who’s House and going nuts. Party was on! Still no Lyft. About halfway back I flag down one of those rickshaw guys on a bike and ask for a lift. I had knee replacement surgery in September and getting a little tired. How much? $100. I only have $60 cash. He says get in. The guy’s battery assist is dead and he’s peddling probably 700#s of humanity. He got us within a few blocks of the hotel and was gassed. He did 18 trips that day. Great guy. Between the three of us we had $120. Worth every penny. Fun talking with him, but he was beat.

There was an NFL shop in the hotel and my hat was there! Mike bought it for me. I do like it. We just sat in the lobby for an hour, tired, but too amped up to go to bed for a 6:20am flight. May have slept 3 hours that night.

Great experience with my boys. I would have paid triple for those tickets. In a heartbeat.

Back to the day of the NFC Championship game driving home from Portland. Milepost 27 Interstate 84 - saw a magnificent herd of bighorn sheep. I knew it was a good sign.