Dave & Marian Cortesi
"The Pit" -- the basketball arena on the campus of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque -- is as impressive as people say.
We knew there wouldn't be a lot of Stanford fans there, but Marian had discovered that if you use the mirrors in the Hyatt just right, there could be a lot more Stanford shirts than before!
Here is what The Pit looked like an hour before game time.
It soon filled with 8711 incredibly supportive fans:
They greet every Lobo point with thunderous cheers. They all boo every foul called against the Lobos, not just the questionable calls. And when they are not cheering or booing, they:
We enjoyed their time-out entertainment including Sumo-Suit Wrestling,
...racing motorized toilet seats,
and the mascot, Lady Lobo.
Almost lost in a sea of red were 20 or so Cardinal fans including Cissy's Mom and Morgan's parents, Marcella Shorty's sister, and FBC members Wally Mersereau, Su Shaffer, Harriet Benson, and John Melton plus various relatives and friends.
The Cardinal wore their black suits and got down to business,
We tried to take action shots and as usual were not very successful, but this one was a little less blurry than most,
What's happening here? Over on the right, Jayne is taking a shot. But look at Jillian! Before the ball is up, she is already accelerating toward the paint, anticipating a rebound. That, kids, is how you get O-boards...
As there was not a lot of suspense in the second half of the game, it probably was appropriate that we had a little post-game suspense. This came about because The Pit is very symmetrical and we came out a different door than we went in by. Which way is north? Which street do we cross? Can Wally find his rental car in an unlighted lot? Where the heck have they hidden the Hyatt Regency, it was right here this morning! & etc. But like the resourceful FBC travellers we are, we solved these problems easily, completing a most successful evening.
