Okay, Dawg Pack, gather ‘round because this is either the greatest story of fandom or the dumbest road trip since Lewis & Clark forgot the GPS.
Left Seattle yesterday in my trusty Subaru Outback (because UW law says you can’t own anything else) with a cooler full of Rainiers, Dick’s Deluxes and enough beef jerky to survive a zombie apocalypse. Mission: cheer on Indiana, watch Oregon get humiliated, and bask in the glory of the Rose Bowl.
Fast forward 18 hours of caffeine and existential dread later… I roll into Pasadena, windows down, blasting Jimi Hendrix because Seattle pride never dies. I’m expecting a sea of crimson Hoosiers and a neon-green nightmare of Ducks. Instead? I see… nothing. No IU flags. No Duck fans. Just a bunch of confused retirees in khakis and a farmer’s market selling artisanal honey. I ask a guy where the tailgate is, and he says, “Tailgate for what?” BRO. FOR THE ROSE BOWL.
He looks at me like I just asked where the nearest volcano is.
Then it hits me: I’m at the Rose Bowl Flea Market. There’s a guy selling vintage Beanie Babies where I thought the IU marching band would be. I bought a purple platypus out of spite.
And the parking saga? Oh, buckle up. I paid $75 cash to a guy who said he was “official Rose Bowl parking.” Turns out his “lot” was a guy’s backyard with three goats and a broken trampoline. He gave me a handwritten receipt on a napkin that said “Parking + good vibes.” I think the goats are eating my bumper as we speak.
So now I’m wandering around Pasadena in a Husky hoodie, screaming “GO HOOSIERS!” at people buying antique lamps. Oregon fans? Haven’t seen a single one. Indiana fans? Nada. I’m starting to think the game is in Texas or something. If anyone knows where the actual Rose Bowl is, please DM me before I end up buying a mid-century credenza instead of watching football.
Anyway, if you see a guy double-fisting bratwursts and yelling about Pac-12 betrayal while petting a goat named Gary, that’s me. Honk if you hate the Ducks.
Woof woof and Hoosier Daddy!