SEP 10, 14 .. MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL ..

Here in the United States of America .. like most nations .. we have many sports.  We have amateur (non-paid) and we have professional (PAID) sports.  We have televised and non-televised sports.

In terms of televised professional sports here in the United States .. I will not debate this but perhaps our Number One Most Popular Sport is the National Football League .. or the .. NFL.

I always like to advise my readers in foreign countries to 'Google' .. The National Football League .. then click onto the Wikipedia link.

This past weekend .. beginning last Thursday the 4th of September and continuing through to Monday the 8th of September .. the 2014-2015 season of the NFL began.

IF .. again I will not debate this .. there is a particular 'big day' or a 'prime time' for an NFL game to be televised .. in my opinion .. it is the single game played on either Sunday night or Monday night.  The NFL tends to schedule games in these two 'time slots' that will draw a large television viewer audience.

There are thirty (32) two teams in the NFL.  Thus ONLY four teams will be scheduled to play on the Sunday and Monday night time slots.

To fans and players alike .. it is a bit of a 'Big Deal' to be viewing or to be playing in a game on either Sunday Night or Monday Night.

In general .. a team will be scheduled for these two premier 'time slots' only once or twice a season .. and then only the best teams are selected.

DON'T ASK ME! I DON'T HAVE A CLUE..

As to why .. on God's green earth .. our Detroit Lions were selected for the season opening MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL game!  I love the Lions BUT .. 

When I heard 'The Lions' were going to play in the season opening Monday Night Football Game .. I said to Patti .. "Let's go to the game!"

Step One .. (No! NOT THAT Step One!) .. To get into the game you must have a ticket.  So 'on-line' I went and bought two tickets on the after-market because the game was sold-out (meaning that NO tickets were available from the official Detroit Lions Ticket Office). 

Then you must drive to the venue (the location) of the game and find a place-to-park.  

OF ALL THINGS .. the Detroit Lions Football Team and the Detroit Tigers Baseball Team were scheduled to .. and in fact DID .. play games at overlapping times.  So parking for an estimated one-hundred-thousand (100,000) sports fans was .. shall we say .. 

A CHALLENGE because the stadiums for each team are NEXT TO ONE ANOTHER and the two teams thus SHARE the same parking facilities.

Well Patti and I 'lucked out' and got a place to park about one-mile from the stadium and ONLY had to pay FORTY ($40) U.S. Dollars.

We parked in-a-field .. the man who we paid almost .. not quite .. but almost laughed-in-my-face when I asked him if he had a receipt for my $40 parking fee.  Earlier Patti and I tried to park in another field and a local .. uniformed Detroit Police Office told us .. "N-n-n-n-n-n-n .. NO! You don't want to park here!"  We took-his-advice.  Sissy because you wanted to see your truck again!! 

The white colored building in-the-distance is FORD FIELD.

'Zilla .. in the foreground below do you see the red pick-up truck and the white panel truck behind it?  FORD FIELD is the white building above the white panel truck.  Got it? Good! 

We hiked a bit and could see FORD FIELD had moved a tad closer.

Last August .. when we arrived here .. Patti and I purchased a wonderful 'Transportation Chair' .. WHAT A POSITIVE PURCHASE THAT WAS!

Here she is!

This beauty is very light-in-weight and folds up so nicely!

WIN - WIN !! Patti gets-to-ride .. Cap gets wonderful EXERCISE !!

I had 'scouted-out' a NIFTY sounding restaurant fairly close to FORD FIELD before we left home and VOILA !  'Small Plates' was THE BEST ..

Both of us were really happy with 'Small Plates' .. a cute venue!

"Yes Gullible?" .. "Photos of the food Gullible?" .. "Where are the photos of the food you ask?" .. "I just now thought .. I forgot to photograph the small plates of food! "

Are we having some fun here ?  I am ! On to FORD FIELD we go rolling Patti and I !

Below are two photos of COMERICA PARK ..

COMERICA PARK is where the Detroit Tigers play baseball and it is beside FORD FIELD ..

Towards the right side of the below photo can you see a red-street-light on a tall light-pole with people walking across the street beside it?  Now look up and past COMERICA PARK .. on the other side is FORD FIELD where we are heading.

  

"OK 'Zilla! Dead Center! See FORD?"

Let the Party begin!

"Whats that 'Zilla?"

"Yes! The Lions Team Color IS BLUE!  Actually SILVER and BLUE.

As you look at the photos .. it sounds QUIET.  In real life .. at-the-party .. there was music and some carrying-on sounds!

Was it Rocking Captain?  Yes! It was ROCKING!

Oh Yes!  We are getting closer .. ever closer ..

DEFEND YOUR LIONS-DEN YOU DETROIT LIONS!

Oh my goodness!  As Patti and I worked-our-way through the crowd .. Patti riding and me pushing her 'transportation chair' .. you could see and you could hear and you could FEEL the rising excitement building all around us!

LET ME PAUSE AND TELL YOU ALL!!

Patti and I have been to a lot of major sports venues!  The Super Dome in New Orleans.  Cowboy Stadium in Dallas.  San Antonio (basketball) home of the Spurs.  The Palace of Auburn Hills (the Detroit Pistons). The Joe (Detroit Red Wings ice hockey). 

WITH NO EXCEPTION EVER !!

In each and in every-single-venue .. we have been treated magnificently!! 

As we were being engulfed by the massive crowd pushing its way into FORD FIELD .. from out-of-nowhere came a stadium employee and he-took-charge!  This gentleman looked like a former Detroit Lions lineman!  

Make-way-please! .. Coming-through! .. and Patti and I were led to a special VIP entrance where we went straight in with no pushing nor shoving what-so-ever.

Then we were INSIDE!

    

THERE IS THE FIELD!

The pre-game activities.

Below in the white uniforms .. the United States Naval Academy choir singing!

Looking from our seats to our left at the super expensive luxury suites.

And looking to our right at the other side of the playing field.

Sometimes .. from time-to-time it happens .. Ol' Bobba Caps lucks-out. And I lucked-out picking the seats for the game from the internet.

Looking down-our-row of seats in Section 319.  Do you see Patti?

Do you all see that we were ELEVATED UP ABOVE and separated by a walkway from the next tier of seating below us?  I HAD NO IDEA we would be so elevated when I purchased the seats!

In the below photo you can REALLY see what I am talking about!  We sat in the row of seats UP and to the left side of the photo.  The number 219 is for the section in front of and below us.

A look down at the seating below us.  A SEA OF BLUE!

More BLUE behind us!

The New York Football Giants vs the Detroit Lions.

Our National Anthem and Flag Ceremony!

GAME TIME !

If you look closely at the photo below you can see the moving trolley that carries two-tiers of cameramen shooting close-up scenes of the game from the side lines.  This trolley moved up and down the sidelines throughout the game!  The top cameraman was really up-high-in-the-air!

Patti and I absolutely LOVED OUR SEATS and the view of the game there from!  I believe that all-but-one scoring play took place at our-end-of-the-field!

At the very top of the below photo .. and in the photo above looking at the Lions insignia on the field .. you can see the floating overhead camera that moves up and down the field shooting overhead televison shots of the game below.

THE PARTY IS OVER !

DETROIT 35 - 14 NEW YORK !

And?  And?  AND? 

Patti and I have purchased tickets to see the Detroit Lions Football Team play Lon and Shaddy's Green Bay Packers on Sunday September 21st!

With Much Joy .. We hope you all enjoyed this Post ..

Cap and Patti ..