As a kid I LOVED bowling. I was in a junior league that bowled every Saturday and putting on that shirt with the name of the local Dodge dealer on the back was a 7th grade highlight. I was O.K. I still know how to keep score and for a very brief time was a pin boy at the local Elks club lanes. Later I was called a "Pin head" but it had nothing to do with Ebonite. There's something about putting on shoes with a number on that back that have been worn by thousands.
However, I am thinking about the 200 or so College Bowl games. Most brought to you on ESPN and they run out every person who has ever considered play by play to dazzle us. Almost of them don't.
I HAVE covered many bowl games including a trip to the Sun Bowl in the early 80's. That included a stop at Tony Lama's sweat shop. We got boots for about $4 and enjoyed the treats of the Juarez area. We walked one night across the border to eat at SHANGRI LA. The best Chinese chow Mexico had. IT WAS OWNED by Pacho Wong. He liked the American dollar. After dinner and drinks we walked back to El Paso and our trip was complete. I hate to think what might happen if I tried that today. Or tomorrow night. El Paso was also home to UT one year. Fred Akers asked me for a cigarette. That was my most memorable meeting with the future Purdue coach.
Cotton Bowls were fun and I once talked to Bear Bryant when Bama was playing Baylor. It was very cold one year covering UH/Boston College. Doug Flutie was their quarterback and at halftime I took off my boots in the ch. 2 Live truck. My feet were swollen so I couldn't get them back on. Watched the 2nd half in that truck. I do remember neither Doug nor Coach Yeoman ever asked me for a cigarette. Those frozen boots were from El Paso.