tennis, life and a few things in between

The Parking Lot #13 @ Raymond James Stadium
Tampa, FL

Without knowing the parking situation, we chose Lot #13 and planned to tailgate.

The last NFL tailgate I attended, I made a short video about it, which unexpectedly made into the final round of a film festival.

~ the video

• from the lot to the stadium
• going to the stadium
• the Game
• the last 3 seconds
• after the game
• rain, water puddles in parking lots

The parking lots around Raymond James Stadium are fragmented and spread out. We ended up in Lot #13, which is fairly far from the stadium. It has portable toilets and costs $41, while the more expensive lots go for $95.40. Lot numbers are not clearly marked. As soon as we turned onto N. Himes Avenue, handmade “$20 Parking” signs began popping up, put out by individuals—likely nearby homeowners or condo owners.

When we first arrived, dust rose every time a car drove by. Not long after, rain moved in, turning the ground muddy and leaving puddles in some areas. A few tailgaters were scattered nearby.

4201 N Dale Mabry Hwy,
Tampa, FL 33607

… more pix & videos on Google Maps, Yelp, TA

Built on part of the former Drew Field, the stadium opened in 1998, seats 69,218, and serves as the home field of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as well as the University of South Florida (USF) Bulls.

It was my second time attending a NFL game, which means I’m still a novice. I didn’t know umbrellas aren’t allowed inside.

“You’ll block the people behind you,” the gate agent said as she confiscated mine. Could she return it to me in case the rain continued? Not a chance.

• $20 parking
• from the lot to the stadium
• going to the stadium
• the Game
• the last 3 seconds
• after the game
• rain, water puddles in parking lots

What do they do with all those umbrellas? If we want to leave early, we have to walk out in the rain—so where do they keep our umbrellas? I wish they would at least put them in a large bin by the entrance so people could reclaim them afterward.

Second, if umbrellas aren’t allowed, the open areas should at least be covered during inclement weather. They aren’t, which is disappointing. The rain is soaking and unrelenting. Most seats in the stadium are uncovered, yet I’d guess about 90% are still occupied. The other 10% of fans are milling around the concourses. Reportedly, garbage bags have become highly sought after now that ponchos are sold out. Only a handful of fans are leaving. We can’t—because we no longer have umbrellas.

#12 is the most popular jersey—perhaps because Tom Brady (1977-) was the only player I knew on the team. #6, Baker Mayfield (1995–), the current quarterback, is also widely seen.

By the entrance, there is a small area filled with white sand. There are two gates. Although you can reach the other side once inside, it’s better to enter through the correct gate. Unfortunately, the gate attendants don’t mention this; they simply scan your ticket and let you in.

A greasy smell permeates the stadium, which is unpleasant. Bathrooms are plentiful, with at most a one-minute wait. At one point, I entered through what turned out to be an exit—either it wasn’t labeled, or I didn’t notice. When I realized my mistake and went to the other side to queue properly, a young attendant was kind: she smiled (approvingly, I hope) and, a moment later, held the door open for me.

The ushers are all very friendly and helpful—thank you all. You made a rainy, miserable day memorable.

The parking lots are fragmented and scattered around Raymond James Stadium. We were assigned Lot #13, which is quite far from the stadium and equipped with portable toilets, at a cost of $41. The closer, more convenient lots cost as much as $95.

Lot numbers are not clearly marked. As soon as we turned onto N. Himes Avenue, handmade “$20 Parking” signs began popping up, likely put up by nearby homeowners or condo residents.

Drew Field. A cool swat jeep: is this heavier vehicle armored?

A white Mercedes-Benz was parked squarely on the pedestrian pathway outside the lot. It was there when we arrived for the game—and still there when we left.

A pretty exciting game: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (est. 1974) defeated the Carolina Panthers 16–14 at home at Raymond James Stadium, on a rainy day that stretched from afternoon into evening.

…one pic on Reddit.

I’m mad about missing the National Anthem: I love the melody and the atmosphere. Also missed the first half because of the rain—and we couldn’t leave because the gate staff confiscated our umbrellas. How unprepared I was. The stadium is 95% packed.

Thanks to the rain lord for showing mercy: it stopped during the second half, only to start again shortly before the game ended.

With three seconds remaining on the clock, the ball was turned over to the Panthers, but they failed to score.

The last NFL game I attended was Giants def Atlanta Falcons 24-2, and the Giants went on to win the Super Bowl in 2012. The Bucs now need the Falcons to lose tomorrow to the Saints—a rather meaningless game for both teams, but Falcons is the fave … p.s. unfortunately, Falcons defeat New Orleans Saints: 19-17.

Oh well. For Bucs, a win is a win, worth celebrating. Tomorrow is another day.

• from the lot to the stadium
• going to the stadium
• the Game
• the last 3 seconds
• after the game
• rain, water puddles in parking lots

The Selmon Expressway was named in honor of former Buccaneer Lee Roy Selmon (1954–2011), who played defensive end for the team from 1976 to 1984, his entire nine-season NFL career.

QB Tom Brady (1977– ) is another famous Buccaneer. He joined the team at the end of his long and illustrious career, winning seven Super Bowl rings—six with the New England Patriots (2000–2019) and the seventh with the Buccaneers, defeating the Kansas City Chiefs 31–9 right here on February 7, 2021.

After briefly retiring, Brady returned to play one more season with the Buccaneers in 2022, then retired for good in early 2023. His three seasons in Tampa (2020–2022) earned him many fans; even now, many people sport #12, the same number he wore in New England, after wide receiver Chris Godwin (1996– ) gave it to him out of respect.

https://youtu.be/Iz41Fk8PN_Y

15 years later, Giants’ coach Tom Coughlin (with Grey Hanlon) wrote a book on the win – A Giant Win: Inside the New York Giants’ Historic Upset over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. It was published on December 6, 2022. Eli Manning penned the forward.

Nothing is really new, having watched it on the game night. A Season in the Sun (2021) by Lars Anderson is a better read.

📖 A Season in the Sun: The Inside Story of Bruce Arians, Tom Brady, and the Making of a Champion, published on October 19, 2021, written by Lars Anderson

• A Giant Win

2022 season opener could not have been any better, Brady’s Buccaneers vs Cowboys. My heart was split and shattered. Old Tom (1977-; 4 years older than Serena …) won 19-3, maintaining his winning record against old rival.

Ok, the commentators were self disciplined, restraining themselves from talking about … the elephant in the room: Tom had retired for a few weeks then came back again. His model wife Gisele Bündchen (1980-) is major league pissed. A divorce in the making? Who knows.

Oh, the book … what book? [呲牙]

45岁的小哥退休二天后 又重披马甲上战场 兴高采烈的
可媳妇不高兴了😠
咋办呢

Today, it has to be the Tampa Bay day. Rays plays at Yankee, and the most anticipated game is Tom Brady (1977-) goes home, to play his New England Patriots. Holy cow.

After 20 seasons (2000-2019) and won six Super Bowl, NEP kicked him away. However, he didn’t want to retire so moved south to Tampa. Unfortunately for the NEP, he won his seventh on his first season with Buccaneers. Can one imagine that feast? Also at old age of 43!

He would have won more but Eli Manning (1981-) took his only two championship away from him. Brade, 6’4″, was drafted in 2000, round 6 (pick 199) while Manning, 6’5″, in 2004 as the #1, drafted by the San Diego but he want to play for NY Giants. Make the story short, he came to New York (2004-19) and won us two super bowl.

🏈 19:17 👏🏻

昨天最期待的赛事是🏈 QB Tom Brady 1⃣️ 四分卫汤姆 布雷迪 (1977-) 打他的老东家the New England Patriots 新英格兰爱国者队.
话说老布效劳新英格兰爱国者队20季(2000-19) 赢了六个超级碗 (价值最高的牛仔队60多年才赢了五个)后, 人老珠黄被踢出局了.
俺倒是觉得从一而终一个球队 是🐂事.
不过老布另有想法. 不甘寂寞+他巴西模特媳妇2⃣️ 也支持, 结果南下 去了佛州Tampa. 小打小闹立马赢了一个超级碗: 新东家的第二个, 他自己的第七个.
哎 有人欢乐有人悲 😵‍💫

小插曲: 老布虽然所向披靡 但是有一个蛮小子是他的克星

俺纽约巨人队四分卫 Eli Manning 3⃣️ 伊莱 蛮宁 (1981-), 赢了二个超级碗. 嗯 猜对了 是硬生生从老布手里抢走的. 还记得布模特老婆发飙爆粗口 草草草的吗?
小蛮的故事也挺多. 他老爸 大哥(也赢了二个超级碗)都是四分卫. 蛮毕业后可是香饽饽, 享受第一个被签走的荣誉. 可惜愣头青蛮小伙不喜欢签他的圣地亚哥队, 一哭二喊三上吊的要来纽约的巨人队. 也是醉. 从2004-19 给了我们二个冠军 嘻嘻 谢谢.

希望老布继续赢 [强]

My heart goes out to Wuhan, China and the world. Be strong!

From the following report, I just learnt that China has football too. OMG. And on the virus, the few facts are:

1. … rapidly spreading coronavirus that … put the global community on high alert.
2. two-week quarantine
3. Wuhan coronavirus … was first recorded in early December 2019. ^{This Chinese doctor tried to save lives, but was silenced. Now he has coronavirus}

CNN For those in quarantine at this air base, it’s Zumba classes, sandwiches and hours of downtime

^{Updated 2:15 PM EST February 5, 2020}

It’s a beautiful morning at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County, California. A handful of people are out and about on the grounds, including 27-year-old Jarred Evans. After his morning run, Evans may settle in with his laptop in the hotel where he’s staying on base and do some work for his business. If he were so inclined, he could even go to a Zumba or kickboxing class to pass the time. For the most part, though, he and everyone else at the hotel are keeping to themselves.
They are under quarantine, after all.
Evans and 194 other people were evacuated from Wuhan aboard a chartered flight on January 28th to escape the rapidly spreading coronavirus that has claimed hundreds of lives and put the global community on high alert.
The passengers from Evans’ flight are one of several groups of Americans that have been evacuated from Wuhan. So far, about 500 Americans have been ferried out of the country on chartered flights.
Groups of Americans arriving from China have been taken to military bases, hotels or other sites to wait out a federally-mandated 72-hour waiting period.
From there, it’s a long and sometimes monotonous waiting game. The March Air Base evacuees aren’t beholden to any schedule, except for meal service times, twice-daily medical screenings and morning meetings with the CDC.
Two weeks in limbo
The 195 people on Evans’ flight were ushered to March Air Base for their quarantine, one of the five military bases now being used for such purposes. A few hours after their arrival. a passenger from the flight was caught leaving the base, prompting the CDC to extend their quarantine.
So, Evans and some of his fellow evacuees are whiling away the hours until their two-week period ends.
“Everyone is doing pretty fine. People understand that the quarantine is necessary,” Evans tells CNN. “The CDC is doing a good job keeping us busy and giving us all what we need.” On-site CDC case managers were able to ship Evans’ laptop to him so he could work. Children under quarantine have gotten toys to play with and can participate in organized activities to burn off their nervous energy.
However, the evacuees aren’t able to leave the grounds of the base. No one else is staying in the hotel where they’re being housed. And every day plays out under the watchful eye of CDC staff.
“We get medical checks twice a day — in the morning and at night. In the morning you get your temperature checked,” Evans says. “We have a meeting at 10 am every day. It’s with the CDC, some of the medical officials who here on the base and also with the CDC case managers.” The case managers are there to attend to the evacuees’ needs, whether they be practical, like a work laptop, or more mental health-oriented.
Citizens under federal quarantine are entitled to basic needs, like food and medical care. Evans says the food is nothing fancy, but it will do, and it’s free. Breakfast is usually something like eggs, sausage and a muffin, and lunch could be a sandwich with chips and a pickle.
Playing the waiting game
Evans, who played football at the University of Cincinnati, moved to Wuhan two years ago to play football for the Chinese National Football League’s Wuhan Berserkers.
He’s facing a decision that a lot of other evacuees are probably weighing as well: Where to stay in the states while Wuhan battles the deadly virus that originated within its borders. Evans lives in Miami, but is originally from New York City, where he owns and operates a rideshare company. He’ll probably stay with family there when he’s allowed to leave.
Once the quarantine is over, the CDC has offered to shuttle evacuees to Los Angeles International Airport so they can get on a flight and get back to their lives.
Until then, evacuees at the hotel are able to talk to their families as often as they’d like. Evans says his family isn’ necessarily worried, just waiting it out. “As long as I am in good spirits when I talk to [my family], they’re in good spirits too,” Evans says.
“We stay to ourselves in the evenings,” Evans says. “We usually eat and then go back to our rooms and do our own thing. People just want to get out of here and get to their families. Everyone is respecting one another.”
“No group hugs or shaking hands though,” he adds.
Leaving behind a ghost town
A two-week quarantine may seem excessive for a disease that is still heavily localized in mainland China, but the Wuhan coronavirus has gotten exponentially more prevalent since it was first recorded in early December 2019. The virus has been confirmed in more than 25 countries and territories, and governments across the world have taken similar evacuation measures to get their citizens home and make sure the virus doesn’t catch hold on their shores.
Evans says when he left Wuhan, there was no panic. There were no cars on the road. No people outside.
There was nothing.
“It’s still a ghost town,” he says.
He’s talked to friends who are still in Wuhan, and they say people are just trying to stay civilized while they endure the quarantine. At first, Evans says, the scene in Wuhan was chaotic. But now, most people stay inside their homes, hoping their stockpiles of food and supplies will get them through the worst of it.
In comparison, a few days holed up in a Southern California hotel seems like a small price to pay for health and safety.

I’ve long heard that China has a football league and see it today, on tv. (Wiki: Chinese Super League 中超联赛 or CSL) The arena looks like a kid’s playpen -:), no insult intended. The players are mixed bag of people.