Rainy days and bowl games always get me down TIMMY DADDY

By Tim Sullivan

Tom agreed to drive the RV, which felt like we were hauling one of those pre-fabricated houses with a ‘Wide Load’ designation. I navigated and kept the windshield from fogging up. Betsy spent 40 miles getting the Xbox to work for Elliott and Owen. Margo and Emma roamed the bedroom area, eating snacks and making Tik-Tok videos while Kristen stressed about seat belts. It was just like being at home.

Upon arrival at the tailgate, the kids wanted to check out the Fan Zone. I tried to talk them out of it because it was raining so hard that we’d be soaked hours before kickoff. But there was no stopping them. It was too muddy to attempt field goals so the sad cluster of tents offered us free Cheez-its and a contest for an official team helmet. Our odds were so good, I kind of can’t believe we didn’t win.

The game was at Legion Field, a storied venue where a decade before my time at BC, Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie led BC to victory over Alabama. Once inside though, I realized that doused in two days of a downpour, even history can look pathetic. Puddles claimed empty seats and the scant crowd sought the overhang shelter of the highest section of the stadium. Kristen bought front row tickets but for an extra $5 we probably could’ve joined the huddle.

Last year, BC’s Bowl game was outright cancelled in the first quarter due to inclement weather, which had never happened before. When lightning forced a delay in this game, too, we knew at the very least that we had secured a dubious distinction in the annals of College Football lore. Go Eagles!

While waiting in the dank galleys of Legion Field, I bought a freezing cold Bud Light from the lone vendor. I was shivering and I don’t really like Bud Light, but sometimes bleak moments call for beer. A friend sent me a tweet by someone named Steven Godfrey: “Godspeed to anyone, fan, player, coach, whatever, waiting out a January rainstorm in Legion field on a weekday afternoon. It’s like an Elliott Smith record.”

When the game finally resumed, BC got clobbered by a superior University of Cincinnati team. We fans were likewise soaked, chilled and defeated. As we trudged back to the RV, I threw my arm around Elliott, who just so happens to be named after the aforementioned melancholic musician. I told him that years from now, when BC is playing for a National Championship, he’ll be able to say he was here, at Legion Field, in a frigid rain, supporting the team when they were down. He replied, “I knew you were going to say that.”