Big 10 Football Tour

Well I spent the last few weeks working the phone and email and as a result of my efforts, I now have 2 tickets to the Rose Bowl.  Even better, I also got a free $40 parking pass! 

The tickets are pretty impressive, standing 8" tall and 3.5" wide.

Attending the game with me will be Josh McCormick, who attends the University of Oregon and came up with the Big 10 Tour logo before the season even began.  It'll be nice to reward with with a seat at the game after all of the work he put into creating the logo you see on the home page.

So I still have the obstacles of getting to the airport on time, the cooperation of the Milwaukee weather, and a few other potential hangups. 

It should be one heck of a week out in California.  Follow my progress on Twitter, Facebook, or simply by reading the Rose Bowl recap page. 

My mother sent me the very appropriate gift shown below, and I hope that everyone else received what they wanted for the holidays!  Happy New Year!

So it is complete.  11 Big Ten football stadiums in 11 weeks.  What an accomplishment!

But you've got to understand that I have this problem.  I can't say I'm going to do something and not follow through with it.  At the beginning of the year, I said that I would go to all 11 stadiums and the Rose Bowl to see the Big 10 Champion.  Heck, I even printed the date of 01/01/09 on the back of our tshirts with the location of Pasadena in my intent to be there on that day.

Unfortunately not being a member of either Ohio State or Oregon, not be a member of the media, not being a resident of Pasadena, and not performing in the Rose Bowl parade makes this extremely challenging.  So I pretty much have to resort to scalpers which is unfortunate as this game has sold out every year since 1947.  The scalpers clearly have the upper hand on me in such a situation.

Between holiday airfare, rental car, hotel and more, the trip already figures to be extremely expensive.  Purchasing a few tickets at likely a couple hundred each doesn't figure to make it any easier.

But Jeff inspired me a few weeks ago.  Let me preface this by saying that Jeff is an extremely smart guy and his career will go a lot further than mine ever will.  As he leaned on my desk a few week ago, he said, "I wish someone would hook us up with tickets to the Rose Bowl."   I was quite baffled by this statement, but withheld my urge to scream, "How do you expect someone to hand you tickets when you're not reaching out to anyone?!?!"  It's synonymous with getting a job without submitting a resume, getting a raise without showing up, or winning the lottery without buying a ticket!

So he has motivated me to go out and seek help to make things happen.  Unfortunately when my teammates skipped out on many of the games, I spent a lot more.  My my teammates didn't pay for their share of the tshirts, I lost more money. 

So I'm going to try and cut my losses with your help, you can now get a Big 10 Tour shirt, available in large and extra large for a donation of $10 (that INCLUDES shipping).

If you can't help in that manner, then all I ask that you open your email account and forward my website to as many people as you possibly can and just have them take a look, telling them it's a fun commentary on traveling the midwest.  The web address is www.THEbig10tour.com.

Lastly, if you know of anyone selling tickets for a reasonable price, please forward my information to them!

I must mention once more that over the past 3 years, I've developed a lot of lasting friendships through travel and sports.  So if you enjoy a drink (whether it be a beer or a cranberry juice) and good conservation, please connect with me via Twitter (Big10Drew) or Facebook.

Thank you everyone for following along.  Check back often as I will hopefully recap my trip to the Rose Bowl and provide details of future sporting trips.