[vataha]

Throughout all of my years attendance at Stanford games going back to 1968 and having a streak of missing only 7 home games from 1968 to 1986 (away at college which ended the streak) I had been incessantly shushed,cowed and derided for standing and cheering and supporting our boys. At this years' USC game my oldest son and I were told to sit down and stop making noise by the folks behind us. (Thankfully my son had a greater sense of the big picture and asked me to let it go when I incredulously reacted with a "seriously!" to those making the request.) In fact, during the 2000 season when we hosted and beat #5 Texas when DeRonnie Pitts cartwheeled into the end zone after catching a 15-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Chris Lewis with 1:12 to play as Stanford rallied to defeat No. 5 Texas, 27-24. I was standing and screaming for the Cardinal defense to hold on and I was nailed in the back by a large cup of soda thrown by the wife of a former Stanford football alum who was sitting 6-7 rows up in the shady side section. I was previously asked by her husband to stop standing up because I interfered with his wife's line of sight as they sat on their hands. The thump and splash of pepsi on my back was second only to the look of satisfaction on her face as I turned around and caught her steely stare and the sense of satisfaction in her eyes. I was an employee of the Stanford athletic department at the time and had been working the game during the first half and halftime doing marketing promotions. I was wearing my game-day "uniform" and went up into the stands to watch the last quarter with my family. needless to say we were all just stunned by her temerity. Oh those shady-side memories.

[vataha]

Throughout all of my years attendance at Stanford games going back to 1968 and having a streak of missing only 7 home games from 1968 to 1986 (away at college which ended the streak) I had been incessantly shushed,cowed and derided for standing and cheering and supporting our boys. At this years' USC game my oldest son and I were told to sit down and stop making noise by the folks behind us. (Thankfully my son had a greater sense of the big picture and asked me to let it go when I incredulously reacted with a "seriously!" to those making the request.) In fact, during the 2000 season when we hosted and beat #5 Texas when DeRonnie Pitts cartwheeled into the end zone after catching a 15-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Chris Lewis with 1:12 to play as Stanford rallied to defeat No. 5 Texas, 27-24. I was standing and screaming for the Cardinal defense to hold on and I was nailed in the back by a large cup of soda thrown by the wife of a former Stanford football alum who was sitting 6-7 rows up in the shady side section. I was previously asked by her husband to stop standing up because I interfered with his wife's line of sight as they sat on their hands. The thump and splash of pepsi on my back was second only to the look of satisfaction on her face as I turned around and caught her steely stare and the sense of satisfaction in her eyes. I was an employee of the Stanford athletic department at the time and had been working the game during the first half and halftime doing marketing promotions. I was wearing my game-day "uniform" and went up into the stands to watch the last quarter with my family. needless to say we were all just stunned by her temerity. Oh those shady-side memories.