I wrote this a few years ago. Still seems relivant today.
Why would anyon stand in line for five and one half hours to see a baseball game:
If you wonder why, you just don't get it.
Saturday morning June 8, I woke up at 5:00 and began to get ready for the Super Regional game between Richmond and Nebraska. First pitch 1:05. On the way to Haymarked Park, I took the long way to drive by the UNL campus and of course Memorial Stadium. I parked my car under the overpass and began the walk to the ball park. I stopped on the walk bridge to survey Memorial Stadium to my right and Haymarket Park in front of me. I was all alone, my only companion was 35 years of great memories that were bubbling to the surface.
I arrived at the Park at 6:00 to find one man just setting up camp at the gate. I did not know this man at all. We made our introductions, I was Rich from Holdrege, he was Steve from Lincoln. I'm guessing he was 45-50 years old, but on game day we are all the same age. I rolled out my blanket and laid down, making a perfect pillow out of the excess blanket, and covered my eyes with my cap. Only five plus hours till they opened the gate. The weather was perfect. Cool, with the sun just beginning to rise. Lying there, with memories still bubbling, I thought of last years Regional game in which I was at least 200 people deep in the line standing, wishing I had gotten there earlier. I was excited knowing that I would have great seats for myself and my 8 year old son when he arrived later. I thought of the first Husker football game I went to with my dad in 1972 against Missouri. Nebraska won the game 62-0, but I remember getting stung by a bee and spending the second quarter in the first aid station. Soon, two other men were setting up camp behind me. A father and son from Fremont. I don't remember their names, but the dad offered us all breakfast from Burger King. Steve and I politely declined the offer, but I'm sure he wanted some as much as I did. Soon after, a man in his 70's from Arapahoe set up camp with us. For two hours we exchanged stories of baseball, little league, Dave VanHorn, Husker football, memorable games etc. Each of us was having a great time in anticipation of the ballgame. Later, the wife of the man from Arapahoe and her sister came up. By this time, it was 10:00 and nearly 200 people were in line. The older ladies offered us donut from her favorite bakery in Lincoln, and cautioned us all to make sure to reapply our sunscreen several times during the game. By the time the gate was ready to open, we had all reached an agreement on who was sprinting to which picnic table to sit at when they let us in.
Once the game started, I did not hardly see any of the men and women I waited in line with for over 5 hours. There is a good chance I will never see any of them again the rest of my life. But for the time we spent together, we were more than strangers, we were a family. All part of the Husker Nation. It was the same camaraderie that is felt driving down I-80 on football Saturday; when no matter what town, city or county you are from in Nebraska, you are family. You are likely to see the extremes from the high school boys with "Kill the Buffs" painted on their windows too teh couple way too old to be driving their Cadillac Fleetwood safely with their red sweaters on. This is Nebraska! Whether it is football, baseball or any other sport, the University of Nebraska is a rallying point for the state. It is not about the National Championships, winning or losing. For in each sporting event, it is an opportunity to add another great memory that will last a lifetime. The people of Nebraska are the greatest, and on game day, they are second to none.
After the game all of us go back to our normal lives. The game and atmosphere have given us a moment to forget about the daily struggles we all face. We can carry what we have experienced as a lasting memory.
Each person has a different way to unwind and enjoy the material items of this world. I consider myself lucky to share mine with thousands of people all over the state and country.
