With tonight's victory over #18 Louisville an amassing 12 conference wins with one game remaining, it's beginning to look undeniable that USF will find its way into the NCAA Tournament this year. While I realize it would take everything lining up just so, it's not lost on me that the possibility exists that my alma mater will be lined up for first and second round action right here in Greensboro. I'm reminded of the time my other alma mater, UMBC, made is first and so far only trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2008. Starting (and ending) their dance in nearby Raleigh, I was able to attend, but here, lifted from my LiveJournal with minimal editing, is the recap of the 24 or so hours in which I was That Guy.
* * *
Alright, when I do something, I admit it. I own up to it. And so today, I'm confessing to you:
for 24ish hours, I was "that guy".
I think everyone knows what it means to be "that guy", though few can define it. You can be "that guy" about any number of things, and doing any number of things, and this time I was that guy about first round tickets.
So in case my excitement was transparent, I was a little bit stoked about the fact that the UMBC Retrievers are heading to their first ever NCAA tournament, and even more so that they'll be in nearby Raleigh for the game. So naturally, I was on the horn first thing yesterday in attempts to secure tickets. the UMBC Ticket Office had a pre-recorded message in the morning saying that info wasn't in yet and to check back in the afternoon. Ok, admittedly, I called back at 12 something. That's after noon, right? Same message, I tried back several more times over the next few hours until the message changed.
At some point, probably early in the 3:00 hour, I got a different message. It said that tickets were available to students, faculty, and staff only at this time. Admittedly, this is the point where I pertnear flipped my shit.
OK, so there was a question posed not long ago. It asked what, if anything, you feel entitled to. Frankly, I could think of very little. Well, I felt the burn of entitlement at this point. I'm a proud UMBC alumnus. I'm a 4-year starter with the Down and Dirty Dawg Pep Band. I'm a DONOR, for goodness sakes. How in the world are you gonna shut me out? Especially for some faculty and staff? I know, as a staff member of a university, that I like UNCG well enough, but damned if I should get the chance to go over some blue-and-gold bleeding, bona fide UNCG alum!
So that's when I got buck and decided to attempt to pull some rank. I e-mailed Tom Maier, Associate Athletic Director who oversees the ticketing process and also the pep band, so I actually know him. It was a nice e-mail, but I was pretty insistent that we should hear something for alumni.
And then? I start calling again. Calm down, man! I finally get a person at 4 something, who tells me that later that afternoon there should be some info about alumni. And then I have the nerve to worry if she was just making that up to shut me up!
But true to her word, at 5:36pm, less than 24 hours after the selection special began, the e-mail came through about ordering tickets. So I went ahead and did that and now I'm content.
Patience, Curtis. Patience.
Interesting note: Along with the tickets comes a reception with Dr. Hrabowski at the team hotel. Good stuff! And it actually includes tickets for the entire session, which means we also get to see Davidson-Gonzaga, a clash of the mid-Major titans that may be one of the more anticipated first-round matchups in the tournament.
So Friday, live, in living color, Megan and I will be in the place to be to watch our Dawgs take on Georgetown. A common sentiment for G-town opponents is "WTF is a Hoya?" I'll tell you what a Hoya is: DAWG FOOD!!
They don't call it Good Friday for nothin'.
for 24ish hours, I was "that guy".
I think everyone knows what it means to be "that guy", though few can define it. You can be "that guy" about any number of things, and doing any number of things, and this time I was that guy about first round tickets.
So in case my excitement was transparent, I was a little bit stoked about the fact that the UMBC Retrievers are heading to their first ever NCAA tournament, and even more so that they'll be in nearby Raleigh for the game. So naturally, I was on the horn first thing yesterday in attempts to secure tickets. the UMBC Ticket Office had a pre-recorded message in the morning saying that info wasn't in yet and to check back in the afternoon. Ok, admittedly, I called back at 12 something. That's after noon, right? Same message, I tried back several more times over the next few hours until the message changed.
At some point, probably early in the 3:00 hour, I got a different message. It said that tickets were available to students, faculty, and staff only at this time. Admittedly, this is the point where I pertnear flipped my shit.
OK, so there was a question posed not long ago. It asked what, if anything, you feel entitled to. Frankly, I could think of very little. Well, I felt the burn of entitlement at this point. I'm a proud UMBC alumnus. I'm a 4-year starter with the Down and Dirty Dawg Pep Band. I'm a DONOR, for goodness sakes. How in the world are you gonna shut me out? Especially for some faculty and staff? I know, as a staff member of a university, that I like UNCG well enough, but damned if I should get the chance to go over some blue-and-gold bleeding, bona fide UNCG alum!
So that's when I got buck and decided to attempt to pull some rank. I e-mailed Tom Maier, Associate Athletic Director who oversees the ticketing process and also the pep band, so I actually know him. It was a nice e-mail, but I was pretty insistent that we should hear something for alumni.
And then? I start calling again. Calm down, man! I finally get a person at 4 something, who tells me that later that afternoon there should be some info about alumni. And then I have the nerve to worry if she was just making that up to shut me up!
But true to her word, at 5:36pm, less than 24 hours after the selection special began, the e-mail came through about ordering tickets. So I went ahead and did that and now I'm content.
Patience, Curtis. Patience.
Interesting note: Along with the tickets comes a reception with Dr. Hrabowski at the team hotel. Good stuff! And it actually includes tickets for the entire session, which means we also get to see Davidson-Gonzaga, a clash of the mid-Major titans that may be one of the more anticipated first-round matchups in the tournament.
So Friday, live, in living color, Megan and I will be in the place to be to watch our Dawgs take on Georgetown. A common sentiment for G-town opponents is "WTF is a Hoya?" I'll tell you what a Hoya is: DAWG FOOD!!
They don't call it Good Friday for nothin'.
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